Birthday Week - Suit Dame

It's my birthday! Yay! I arrived at work to find that my office had been plastered with pictures of shoes and amusing drawings that my co-workers had done for me. Aw, so sweet. I took pictures but left them at work (and I'm off till Tuesday).

Highlights of the day: a VP of my company singing "Happy Birthday" to me over the phone (the whole song, and he sang it well), chocolate cake! and a photo montage with my head photoshopped in on an old lady's body (she was wearing knee-high nylons with sandals - ha!). Too funny.
This is one of my favourite suits - and I seldom wear it all together because it's quite formal, although the faux fur does come off the collar. But I love the faux fur, gotta have the fur! The suit itself is a lovely green silk and wool tweed. I also have pants that go with it, but I don't wear them very much. It's very soft and feels very luxurious. I tend to pat myself when I wear it, haha.

My hair came out a lot darker than I expected, but it'll fade.

Mom stopped by work with my nieces (hi, Zoe! Hi, Hannah!) and gave me my gifts: handmade cards from the girls (so pretty!), and a $100 gift card from Mom, along with this cool copper/rubber link bracelet and this gorgeous Scottish thistle brooch. Very me. Anyway, I'm tired. We just had our football pool re-draft and I have to get up at 5:15am to catch an early ferry. I'm cranky and I need some wine.

Okay, Sheila, deep breath. I'm off tomorrow to shop with Ruth, back late and off to a whisky open house, then my party on Saturday. And Monday's a holiday here! (Thanksgiving).

Suit (Precis Petites), shoes (Unlisted), gold satin top with stones (La Classe Couture), jeweled buckle belt (Plum), brooch and bracelet (gifts from Mom), rhinestone earrings.

Birthday Week - Fall Combo

This jacket and skirt are two of my favourite items in my wardrobe. The skirt is a nice tweed, with lots of red and orange flecks in it, and the jacket is a wool blend so it's nice and warm. And I do love the boots.
Oh dear, I cut the top of my head off. Oh well.

I got lots of compliments on my outfit today. It's kind of hard to tell, but the rust cami, orange wrap tee and the turquoise in the necklace all kind of went together lovely with the brown and tweed. It felt very autumnal.

Just back from my haircut - I'm colouring tonight, so she didn't style it at all or put any product in it. Ack! Naked hair! But I love my hairdresser (I never have bad hair days...well, that aren't weather-caused, anyway!) and it's something I look forward to.

Eeeee....one day to my birthday! I'm so excited. Aside from the visit to the hairdresser, L's grandma sent me a card with a $20 cheque. I told her I would spend it on something fun and wacky.

Jacket (Kenzie), cami (InWear), wrap tee (InWear), skirt (Kenzie), boots (Roberto Vianni), turquoise/natural stone necklace, hammered gold cuff and earrings, leopard belt (Plum).

Birthday Week - Classy Pants

Today's good Birthday Thing: I got a cheque for $100 in the mail from my in-laws! Woo hoo!
It was rather windy out today, so my hair looks like ass. Rather boring outfit, but I like the vest and pants combo.

Striped shirt (Vero Moda), black pinstriped vest (Oxmo), mustard cami (InWear), black pants (Max Studio), gold t-strap shoes (Aerosoles), portrait necklace and yellow crystal earrings.

Birthday Week - Grey Dress

My birthday is this week - Thursday to be exact. I will be 41 years old. Gah - I don't feel that old!

Anyway, I have planned all kinds of nice things to happen for Birthday Week (having my glasses break was NOT one of them), including wearing some of my favourite clothes and outfits. Not too much effort...just comfortable, classy and slightly kooky, just like me. Ha!
This is my favourite pinstriped dress, with a new cardigan that I picked up at the favourite consignment store (it's mohair and wool and is very snuggly). I have a pulled hip flexor from wearing my old craptastic runners for too long (I also got new runners this past weekend), so low heels for today.

I do love a kitten heel. It's just so elegant and timeless...and makes one's ankles look so slim.

Dress (Le Chateau), cardigan (consignment, Jacob), shoes (brand no longer legible), gold filigree hoop earrings.

Wandering Blind...or My Adventure in the Mall

On Saturday, I went to the mall downtown to do some lingerie shopping. As I was coming out of the fitting room, I took off my glasses to polish them and...they broke in half.

First, I kind of just sat them on my nose, and for about 2 seconds, I thought, "I can do this." Of course, they fell off and I was blind.

I can see about 8 inches before things get fuzzy. With no glasses at all, my world is full of fuzzy colour and shapes. I can recognize landmarks and read very large signs, but I can't see people's faces or expressions - and I can't tell them apart. I also have no depth perception.

Determined not to panic, I went downstairs to the LensCrafters in the mall - maybe some glue? a pin? to hold the frames together until I can figure out what to do. No, sorry, they can't help me. If I can get my prescription, they can whip me up a pair - in about an hour! The lovely gay man helping me was so sweet - he could see that I was getting upset, so he steered me to the optometrist.

"Go get your prescription," he said soothingly (as I had actually gotten my eyes checked at This Very Optometrist in the mall), "and I'll fix you right up, honey."

But no. The Evil Optometrist would not only NOT give me my prescription (as it was 3 years old), but they would not even fit me in for an emergency appointment! At this point, I started to become teary. "The soonest we can fit you in is Monday," said the unhelpful harpy at the desk, not swayed by my tears.

It was then that I became irrational. I shall continue to shop, I thought. I'll go back and buy the lingerie I'd already picked out. I actually managed to find the bras that I'd left behind, but the tables of panties were beyond me. I had to get so close to see the texture and sizes that I'm sure I traumatized a few shoppers.

Back to the Evil Optometrist's office. Tears welled up as I pleaded for them to fit me in. "But I'm blind!" I wailed. The harpy's heart could not be turned.

Back to the sympathetic lad at LensCrafters, who gave me a Kleenex and steered me to another optometrist...outside the mall. It is a scary thing to be wandering the streets of any city, even one you are very familiar with, when you can't see anything but fuzzy blobs of colour.

The Wonderful Optometrist had me in and out in 10 minutes (and $75 later, thanks) with my prescription, and back I went to my LensCrafter Knight who steered me over to the $99 frame section, whispered, "I'll get you a deal on the lenses," and gave me a candy.

An hour later...
I don't love them, but they are better than being blind. I'll go get another funkier pair once I've paid these off.

New glasses (Brooks Brothers).

Special Occasion - Dinner & Drinks

Friday night was dinner out with some of L's coworkers, out from back East. Of course, we took them to our favourite steakhouse - which is a fine dining establishment. This means a fancy outfit! Woo hoo!

Naturally, I'm not going to be dressed down for this occasion - break out the strapless party dress and the rocker chick accessories! Yeah, I know I wore the boots & belt already this week, but only my co-workers saw them.

I bought this purple taffeta dress from Jacob last Christmas (I wore it for our Festivus party) and have not worn it since. Inspired again by Kasmira's daring, I put it together with harder-edged accessories to make it still appropriate for fine dining, but very much unexpected. And this is always my goal: blowing people's expectations.

A close-up of the bag (from last Christmas as well), and the cross necklace, last seen at Alice Cooper: And a shot of my silver snake ring and my ear cuff, both of which are well over 20 years old.
I got the ring when I was a volunteer in the local museum gift shop - it was all of $35 - a lot of money for me when I was 18 years old! The ear cuff is a remnant from my metal days, haha.

Special Note: This is the last picture of me with these glasses.

Dress (Jacob), shrug (Debut), lace nylons (Hue), boots (Breckelle's), belt (Jacob), purse (Aldo), necklace (Plum), crystal stud earrings, silver ear cuff and snake ring.

Casual Friday - Dressed for Lunch with Mom

A dark raining morning today, so that meant a sweater and a jacket. I am not very well-supplied on fall/winter sweaters. I need more! I guess I will have to go shopping...oh, twist my rubber arm, haha. Note the purple flower on my lapel.I love these pants. I also have them in a brown plaid as well, which I bought first, then I found them in grey. The burgundy sweater is actually too big - it's one of my mid-weight loss purchases - so it's best underneath things (otherwise I'm constantly having to do bra strap checks), but I do love the sequin and bead detail at the neck.

Funny, when Mom showed up at work to go for lunch with me, we were wearing very similar outfits: she was in black suit jacket, red top, black pinstripe pants. She's so fashionable...thanks to me! Ha!

Man, I looked pretty sleepy this morning! Must have been that 1/2 bottle of wine last night.... Here's my lovely denim trench:And a shot of my earrings and my new-ish burgundy shoes.
Denim jacket (Bisou Bisou, consignment), burgundy sweater (Esprit), grey plaid pants (Vero Moda), denim trench (Jacob), shoes (Bleka), earrings (vintage store ages ago).

Rockin' Celia's Skirt

I love it early in the boot season, when it's still a novelty after months of bare legs. This is a very fall-textured outfit. The sweater is a cashmere blend, the boots, and of course, Celia's skirt.
When we were over at Steve & Celia's months ago, we explored her closet and she gave me this wonderful skirt. It's wool herringbone tweed and I just love it. It fits like it was made for me. I am looking forward to a lot of outfits with it.

And...I am all about the buckles. I just love them. I have to be careful not to overload. I think this is just pushing the envelope. Aren't those boots gorgeous? Although they reeked to high heavens all day! I think my nose was extra-sensitive all day: I smelled EVERYthing in the office. It was really weird. I felt kind of nauseous...I hope I'm not getting sick.

Sweater (Tobias), skirt (Mexx, gift from Celia), boots (Breckelle's), belt (Jacob), silver hoop earrings.

Finished Painting: "Down the Alley"

My art teacher goes on hiatus in the summer - how dare he have a life with his wife and kids! haha - but now I am back to class and loving it. I finally finished my picture!
My buildings are not quite plumb, but I like the feeling of the man going from the real to the slightly surreal...the alley looks ominous.

The original photograph that I did this from was torn out of a National Geographic magazine. I was attracted to the deep shadow and the gorgeous oranges and yellows and reds in the sunset? sunrise? light.

I'm going to hang it in the bathroom.

Black and Brown Made Interesting

The goal for today's outfit was to wear the shoes again. These are so over-the-top; the pony hair zebra, the jewelled crest, the green trim! Ah, it makes my crow soul caw with joy. I thought I'd keep the clothes to a dull roar and pull out the interesting bits from my shoes into the other accessories.Not to sound (too) vain, but I really like that picture of me.

I'm wearing the moss-green textured tights (they're like fishnet only not fishnet, capiche?) to pull out the green trim on the shoes. The long copper and acryllic bead necklace was picked up on sale in one of my favourite shops last year. The earrings (clip-on) and bracelet are Grandma J's; she gave them too me around 1985. There is also a necklace with multiple links of the earring shape. The bracelet is marked (c) Renoir. My research tells me this is probably from the mid-50s.
Neither the necklace nor the earrings are marked, so I wasn't sure that they were also Renoir until I Googled copper Renoir vintage jewelry. Check out this ad from 1956:That bracelet has the same spring hinge as mine. And it's real copper - cool! I think the earrings and necklace, while similar, are not an exact match to the bracelet (the bracelet is a lot more polished).

Sweater (consignment, no tag), black skirt (Kenzie), shoes (Hale Bob), tights (Hue), copper/acryllic necklace (Plum), vintage copper cuff and earrings (Grandma J.).

Boho Last Gasp of Summer

We've been having unseasonably warm weather for the last couple of weeks, and I know it won't last forever, so I'm squeezing in as many summery things as I can before the rain comes.

I've only worn this skirt twice since I got it while on holiday in July:
And gotta get those sandals in before my toes are shut away for the next 7 months! I actually planned this outfit around the top, a plain navy rayon tee that I got on consignment over a year ago - I was cleaning out my t-shirt drawer (it's bulging at the seams) and found it, and felt completely guilty for not wearing it for months and months.

I have very little navy in my wardrobe, so voila! I paired the two items together, after agonizing over a belt (Red belt? too formal. Ah! the groovy belt Mom got me in London!) and jewelry for about 10 minutes before bed last night. This outfit had the potential to bomb, because I didn't "test drive" it. I had worries about how it would look at the waist, but I am pleased with it overall.

Here's a shot of the bohemian-inspired accessories: I always forget to put the bracelet on my right hand for photos - dang.

Ha, there's often a surprise in the outside edges of the pictures when I go to crop them:
Inigo in the hall, licking his paw after his dinner. Aw! Kitty!

Blue top (Zara Woman, consignment), gypsy skirt (no label, consignment), metal/stone belt (gift from Mom, London), brown leather sandals (Nine West), wood rose earrings, red bead bracelet.

Fluevogs and Preppy

Whenever I wear the sweater-vest, I feel like a totally preppy keener. Coincidentally, my office-mate also wore a black one today, so he and I were all matchy-matchy. Hi-larious!
I got this skirt on consignment a couple of weeks ago - I just love it. The classic houndstooth, the pencil cut, even the length is just perfect. And it's washable! It's going to get a lot of wear.

The blouse is t-shirt material and was also consignment. I like that it has a couple of rows of ruffles down the front.

Have I mentioned how much I love Fluevogs? I've been a fan since John Fluevog created the super pointy-toed shoe back in the 80s. I remember going to Vancouver and wishing I could afford to buy some of the crazy punk shoes they used to make. Now, I treat myself once a year (more, if I'm lucky) to a pair.

These are the ones I got in Vancouver when we were there for Alice Cooper. I felt so chic all day with my green satin shoes on!

Sweater vest (Esprit), t-shirt with ruffles (Pink Martini, consignment), pencil skirt (Nygard, consignment), shoes (Fluevog), silver/black bracelet, silver filigree earrings.