Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up: Pink and Sparkly Blue Friday; A Delicate F**king Flower; Bronze Bruncher; Blue Gala Goddess

Hello, my friends! We made it through the first party weekend of the season! Here's a recap of my busy weekend.

A sneak preview of L and I at my company gala party...

...but let's back this up a bit: here's Friday's work outfit,

Getting my sparkly on, but also ready for a very busy day. I left myself a lot of work I'll have to do on Monday morning, sigh.

• Sweater - J. Crew, consignment; last worn here (4th outfit) in October for a shopping expedition
• Blouse - Talbots, thrifted; first worn here in November with sunset colours
• Skirt - J. Crew, thrifted; first worn here in April with soft pink
• Shoes - Shoe the Bear, consignment; purchased here for $53.99
• Coat (below) - Auckie Sanft, vintage 60s, thrifted; last worn here on Monday

We had a pretty good weekend, and lucked out on the weather. Here's my morning view of the Castle.

It rained off and on, but we missed most of it - and considering how much walking we did every day, I was really happy about that!

I went with colour matching in blues and pinks, but overall, I was rather "meh" about this look.

I layered my pink blouse under the sweater, which took some fussing, but was worth it for the nice bow in front.

I love the brilliant blue of the sweater - it has splits at the sides, and is longer in the back.

Uh oh, I see my sweater tag sticking up in the back - dammit, no one told me all day!

I liked this casual vibe - and who doesn't love a skirt with pockets?

However, I've decided to let the skirt go - the shape is good, the fabric and pattern are fine, but I feel like I've done enough with it. I only paid $12.50 for it and wore it twice, and I am good with that. Time to go to a new home, skirt.

Outerwear - feeling in the pink (har har).

I even put a sparkly blue rhinestone pin on my coat.

Done up and snuggly warm.

 I can't get enough of the Fuzzy Flamingo - and it gets fuzzier every time I wear it.

• Cashmere pashmina - Portolano, thrifted
• Leather/cashmere gloves - Danier Leather

The stuff:

First wearing of these shoes and they were awesome! I did a total of 14.5 hours in them on Friday, and my feet were happy happy happy. A good purchase!

Sparkly blue bling:

I love getting my vintage and sparkly bling into my December outfits.

• Necklace/earrings - Sherman, vintage 60s, thrifted
• Brooch - vintage 60s, vintage fair
• Cuff - Swarovski, consignment, gift from L
• Lapis lazuli ring/Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes

Oh, who am I kidding? I like sparkly bling all year round!

I rushed home after work to quickly change and leave the house - L and I had a concert to go to!

It was a sit-down concert (the best kind, say my feet), so I wanted to be comfy.

• Coat - Paparazzi, thrifted, Vancouver; last worn here (3rd outfit) in September for brunch
• Sparkly turtleneck - Jacob, thrifted; last seen here in November with Gaultier and Balmain
• Flocked velvet jeans - L'Wren Scott for Banana Republic, thrifted; last worn here in November with monochrome wines
• Shoes - Shoe the Bear, consignment; worn same day!

Getting my picture on while L is a goofball.

We caught the bus to the venue, and while we were waiting at our stop, a guy hopping off another bus said, "Hey, that's an awesome jacket." L - who was wearing his Boston Bruins satin jacket (such a klassy guy) - said, "Thanks, man! Go, Boston!"

I pointed out afterwards that perhaps the guys was commenting on my jacket? It's slightly more awesome than his Bruins coat!

It's entirely embroidered on black stretch denim.

Look at the symmetry of the pattern! It makes my heart sing. Such amazing detail.

It had a lot of admirers. I was the dressiest person at the show, although there were a few other spiffy-looking ladies.

While we were standing in line to get in, the lady trading in our tickets said, "Aren't you the colourful one?"

 "This is how I roll," I drawled.

• Scarf - Portolano, thrifted
• Leather/cashmere gloves - consignment
• Leather purse - Danier, thrifted

The stuff:

Same shoes - why not? They were so comfy, I just had to leave them on!

• Earrings - consignment
• Rings - Wendy Brandes

One of my earrings made a break for it at the intermission, while we were chatting with the artist we were there to see! I had to ask him to move so that I could retrieve it from under his chair. I swapped out rubber back stops later to keep them on more securely.

Oh, and in case you were wondering where the title of this outfit came from...

The socks matched my coat so well. That's one of my favourite expressions.

We went to the Oak Bay Rec Centre lounge to see Matt Patershuk (link here, 'cause I love, as with all my links), a Canadian blues/folk/country musician. If that's your wheelhouse, music-wise, here's the YouTube link to the opening number that he played.

The venue is exactly what it sounds like: a lounge at the local recreation centre. See the black curtain on the right? Behind that is a window that looks down on the swimming pool!

In the picture above is (from left to right):

• Daniel Lapp - a local musical genius who stepped in and joined this jam for the evening (link about him here, and you might remember him from his brief appearance in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics opening ceremony, here - he's the dude in the spiky mohawk)
• Matt Patershuk - he wears this embroidered shirt in pictures a lot, so I was happy to see him wearing it for the show - that's why I wore my jacket!
• Steve Dawson - Patershuk's producer, and guitar aficionado 

Lapp played about 5 different instruments throughout the night, including this Stroh violin.

And a trumpet.

He played fiddle and some other kind of squished-looking trumpet (a piccolo trumpet, maybe), as well.

We got to meet Matt at intermission, and he graciously let us take a picture.

I had a nice bonding moment with his wife in the bathroom too (she had a very sparkly shirt on), and exchanged hugs with her at the end of the show.

Check out L's review of Matt's album "If Wishes Were Horses" here, as well as his review of the show, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It helped that it was a "listening only" venue, meaning (as the event producer told us), SHUT UP. No talking allowed during the show, and they enforced it! What a great idea - I've had shows just ruined by idiots chattering around me.

We walked home from the show afterwards in the crisp evening. It was a fun night, but a really long day, so I slept in and did not do my Mental Health Walk - but I did a lot of walking on Saturday to make up for it!

And as you may have been wondering, yes, I coloured my hair pink. It will fade out to a more pastel version of this over the next several days.

This is my entry for "Visible Monday" over at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style. Go!

• Leather jacket - Burberry, consignment; last worn here (2nd outfit) in November for brunch and shopping
• Sweater - Sonia Rykiel, consignment; last seen here in January with slouchy plaid
• Skirt - Pink Martini, consignment; last worn here in March with green bookends
• Boots - Matisse, consignment; last seen here with this jacket in November

Right down to the pigtails, this is a nearly identical outfit to this one here. Different sweater and skirt, but otherwise, same formula.

Since I was not planning on doing any shopping for myself, I added this bigass belt.

I love wearing this jacket when it's rainy out - it completely blocks the water.

 It did rain for a bit when we were walking down to Pluto's for our brunch.

 Hat, scarf and gloves, engage!

• Hat - Delux
• Scarf - Danier, thrifted
• Gloves - Cejon, thrifted

After we ate, I headed off to do my Christmas shopping for Mom and my nieces and nephew.

I'll do the rest of my shopping for L an other day - I always pick up things here and there for him (and Mom) when I'm out and about, so I already have a bit of a stash put aside.

Geared up for a busy day.

It required many cups of coffee, but I managed to get myself in the holiday spirit.

• Leather bag - vintage 80s, vintage mall

The stuff:

Good walking boots - the rain held off while I worked my way up and down Fort Street, but you can see that the toe is still wet.

Bold bling:

The belt is leather and the studs are mixed metals. Isn't it cool?

• Belt - BCBG Max Azria, consignment
• Hoops - consignment

And you can see I've changed the earring backs - no more escape acts.

I picked up a book for myself on my travels, as well as these fabulous trouser socks.

I felt sure that Santa would not have found these on his own. They are by Nouvella and were $10.00 on sale. I shopped for about 4 hours, and made a point of shopping in locally-owned and operated stores as well as second-hand stores, for all of my holiday shopping. It's important to me that I give back to my community.

I had just enough time for a half-hour nap before we got dressed for my company gala holiday party. I did a test-run of all my gown options a few days earlier, and this is the dress that I settled on. Goddess gown to the rescue!

I loved the colour - you can't go wrong with cobalt blue. It's one of those colours that looks good on everyone, I think.

• Dress - Banana Republic, consignment; purchased here (new, with tags) for $20.00
• Shoes - Sol Sana; last seen here (3rd outfit) for my birthday party in October
• Coat (below) - Hilary Radley, thrifted; last worn here a couple of days ago

I didn't feel like anything tight or clingy. I swooshed about dramatically all evening.

 Besides, I kind of wanted the pockets.

I curled my hair, but as you might have noticed from the photo booth pictures (above and below), there was almost no curl left by the time I got to the party.

Showing off my double slit action.

 I have nylons on, don't worry. I'm not about to freeze my legs off.

With my purse - I mixed my metals with gold and silver.

 You couldn't even tell in the dim ballroom.

With my walking accoutrements - I swapped out the shoes for my Doc Martens for walking to and from the hotel, about 30 minutes each way.

 All bundled up, and L getting his stuff on too.

It was a lovely crisp evening, and we enjoyed walking through town and admiring all the seasonal decorations. On the way home, we were amidst the club-goers - I do not miss those days!

• Cashmere beret - Club Monaco, thrifted
• Pashmina - Portolano, thrifted
• Gloves - consignment

The stuff:

Comfy shoes for a half-standing, half-sitting night. We left before the dancing started, and came home and listened to music and played boardgames.

Sparkle bling:

My hard metal clutch holds just enough.

• Purse - Reiss, thrifted
• Belt - vintage, thrifted
• Necklace/bracelet/earrings - Sherman "Aurora Borealis" finish, 14K gold, Grandma J's, vintage 60s
• Rings - Wendy Brandes

This parure is one of my treasures from Grandma J - it still has its original box, from the Hudson's Bay Company.

I'm always happy to have an occasion to wear it.

L and I looking spiffy.

 L is wearing an awesome shiny silver long jacket (consignment), his blue suit pants, patent blue Fluevogs, a pink shirt and a thrifted Ralph Lauren tie.

More photo booth pictures - L and I do these every year (our fridge is covered with them!).

This is our Rock and Roll picture.

Yeah, baby, badassery abounds!

Our Serious picture.

I have a bit of a duck-face going there, ha ha!

And my favourite, our Lovey faces.

Aw...much love to my partner in crime.

I hope you had a wonderful long weekend!

Just Call Me Vanna

I see a lot of client "regulars" on a weekly or monthly basis, but we've had some new folks coming in lately who've never met me. It's fun to see how they react - today, one of the gents said, "You're your office's Vanna White, aren't you?"

 I totally am! I loved that comment.

• Sweater - Dalkeith, vintage 60s, thrifted; last worn here in April with a salamander
• Skirt - Zara, consignment; purchased here for $23.39
• Shoes - Channi B; last seen here for Diwali in October with orange and gold
• Coat (below) - Hilary Radley, thrifted; last worn here in November with mostly matching mauves

If you don't know who I'm talking about, Vanna is on the game show "Wheel of Fortune", and she's famous for looking fancy (she wears gorgeous gowns) and turning the letters around, presenting them with a wave of her hand. That's totally me.

I read her whole Wiki page (link here), and was amused to find out we also have crocheting in common. I learned how to crochet when I was quite young - my Mom taught all the neighbourhood kids how - and I've made oodles of blankets and an entire runway line of clothes for Barbie dolls about 15 years ago. I've since gotten away from it; one does tend to accumulate wool, and I already have enough hobbies. But, funny coincidence.

So just call me Vanna.

Wearing one of my favourite vintage wool sweaters (not a single moth-hole - it's a miracle) that I've had for ages. I love the fit of it.

I liked how this new-to-me skirt looks bronze-copper in the pictures. It was delightfully swooshy and billowed when I walked down the stairs. I twirled in it for Fiona.

Outerwear - swaggin' in the Unsafe Ocelot.

I was picking up some things at the drug store on the way home, and one of the workers there gushed over it.

 It is a pretty awesome coat. Very snuggly and warm.

• Faux fur scarf/wool gloves - Parkhurst

The stuff:

The hidden platform in these shoes make them a wonderful height. These are one of the most comfy pairs I own.

Copper bling:

Vintage jewelry always feels right to me during the holiday season. I am looking forward to wearing sparkle!

• Necklace - Renoir, vintage 60s, vintage fair
• Cuff/earrings - Renoir, vintage 60s, vintage fair
• Ball cuff - vintage 70s, vintage expo

I'm off for the weekend now and it's looking to be very busy. Vizzini knows that when we start bustling around that we're going out, and he hides under the bed.

"I do not approve of your plans."

I'll be back on Sunday with tales of adventure! Have a great weekend, and thank you so much for stopping by.

Faux Fur and Real Leather

Now that we're in December, I'll be busting out some of my fancier, sparklier and glitter...ier things.

Black and white - so retro!

• Silk tweed jacket (part of a suit) - Precis Petite; last worn here with the matching skirt in October 2018; last worn with the faux fur collar here in November 2017
• Top - no label, thrifted; can't find when I last wore it
• Leather skirt - H&M, consignment; purchased here for $32.00
• Boots - Rockport, thrifted; last seen here in November with cashmere and leather
• Leather trenchcoat (below) - vintage 70s, thrifted; last worn here a week ago

This is how I looked for most of the day - we had a lot of clients onsite today, so I didn't want to be too wacky.

I can't believe it's been two years since I last wore this jacket with the faux fur collar attached! The fur is quite snuggly - I didn't need a scarf.

I really love the shape of this new-to-me skirt - it's a bonus that it's real leather.

I'm not a huge fan of fake leather - it's plastic! Have you seen how gross it gets after a few years? *Shudder*

I overheated many times during the day. Our building is having HVAC issues, so I was not just hot-flashing. Off comes the jacket - out comes my ink!

I like how this black and copper sparkle sweater reads as dark brown. It makes it quite versatile for layering.

All buttoned up - that one bright green button is a replacement, as the original square one popped off many years ago. I've had the suit (including pants, long-gone) since 2007 - it's well on its way to becoming homegrown vintage.

I only wore it done up like this under my trenchcoat, for walking to and from work.

Outerwear - it was supposed to rain today, but not a drop hit me in the morning or evening.

Case in point for real leather - this trenchcoat is close to 50 years old, and it's still butter-soft. I'd be surprised if a faux leather version lasted 5 years.

• Fedora - Edward Mann, vintage 60s, thrifted
• Gloves - Parkhurst

The stuff:

I'm getting a lot of wears out of these leather boots - they are insanely comfy, and I like the illusion of a heel even though they are only 1" high.

Copper bling:

I wore the pin on my lapel, nestled into the faux fur.

• Pin/earrings - Matisse by Renoir, vintage 60s, vintage fair
• Bracelet - Renoir, vintage 60s, thrifted
• Cuff - vintage fair
• Jade/bronze ring - vintage 70s, Mom's
• Bronze ring - P. Sarpaneva, vintage 70s, vintage expo

Do you have a preference for faux or real when it comes to fur or leather?

Jammy Dress and De-Oiled Boots

I am mentally gearing up for a really busy holiday season, kicking off this weekend. I don't feel like making exciting outfits, and you know what that means! 

Jammy dress time! I tweaked the colour right out of the stair picture, as it was just sh*te. These dark mornings kill me.

• Dress - Nanette Lepore, thrifted; last worn here in September for some vintage fair shopping
• Boots - Coffee Kope Tiam, Fluevog; last seen here with a ball of sunshine in October
• Coat (below) - Topshop, consignment; purchased here on the weekend for $35.00

Here we are, all in colour. 

I knew that I'd be putting up the office Christmas tree today, and so I also needed something that wouldn't snag and would keep my arms covered from scratchy branches.

This dress is all kinds of comfy: it pulls on over the head, and the neck, waist and wrists are all smocked with elastic.

I love the high-low hem on it too. It is missing pockets, or it would be an A+. It's one of the few dresses in my closet that I kept out from the summer.

I layered this dark red vintage slip under it for extra warmth; you can see a bit of it peeking out two pictures above.

The slip is by Suzette Lingerie and it has a metal zipper on the side (it's a size 36), so I suspect it is from the 50s or early 60s. For a fun flashback, check out the first time I wore it, here in 2010 - nearly 10 years ago!

I had many compliments on this dress - Emily said it looked "very Ted" (as in Ted Baker).

I like the branch pattern on it; it looks modern and has lots of good colours for accessorizing. It was nice and cozy and just what I needed. And I did get the danged tree up and decorated!

Outerwear - I had to wear my new-to-me badass jacket today.

On the way home, I was so warm, I wore it open like this, even with the freezing rain pelting me in the face.

I did it up in the morning for my walk to work, and discovered that all that faux fur is like velvet on a larger scale.

 I was pulling down my skirts all the way to work. Gah!

• Gloves - Cejon, thrifted

The stuff:

The last time I wore these boots, I spilled oily dip on the toe (picture here and here), which left a big oily smear and a dark oil spot on the side. After sitting for approximately six weeks with cornstarch on them in my closet, I'm happy to say that every bit of the oil came out!

Brown bling:

I honestly thought these boots were ruined, and when I pulled them down last night and brushed the cornstarch off, I was amazed to see them so clean. I am so happy that it worked - they're de-oiled!

• Belt - Club Monaco
• Spinner ring - Twang & Pearl
• Feather ring - Fossil, thrifted
• Earrings - LA Express, c. 1994

The belt is a lovely embossed leather, and my earrings are rapidly becoming vintage (ack).