Ties and Bows and Ruffles, Oh My!

I wasn't so much into this outfit today. I think this top has to go. All the ruffles and the bow are just too foo-foo. I feel like George Washington when I wear it.
I got this skirt ages ago, in the summer, and as it's wool, I've been waiting for cooler weather to wear it. It's probably from the late 90s, I'd guess - the last time long skirts were in style. I think the length is redeemed by the big ol' slit.

Inigo wants out of the den (we shut him in here for feeding so that he doesn't eat all of Othello's food).

The stuff:
My obi belt from Smoking Lily, burgundy shoes, gold accessories.

I used to hate gold and grey together, but now I kind of like it.

A pre-Hallowe'en scare:
Ah! Psycho kitty!

Cardigan (Jacob, consignment), blouse (Vero Moda), skirt (Jones New York, consignment), shoes (Bleka), cuff (The Bay), earrings (don't recall), obi (Smoking Lily, consignment).

The Mysterious Green Tweed Leaf Logo Skirt

Today's outfit was built around the new-to-me skirt I got in Seattle: $12.50, people! Do I rule at quality bargains? Why, yes, I think I do!

Here we go: The Infamous Wendy B. cardigan makes another appearance, but the skirt is the star.

However, it has me stumped for a few reasons. It has no slit, which makes for a wicked sexy pencil skirt, but also makes it unusual - almost all pencil skirts have slits. It zips on the right side as opposed to the back or left - check your skirts, chicks, it is super rare for a skirt to zip on the right! It has no label, and no content tag (it's a silk/wool blend. I know this as I am able to ascertain the composition of nearly any fabric just by feeling it due to my Mad Skillz from when I worked in retail women's clothing). It doesn't feel old or vintage, in fact, I'd say it's barely been worn. It has off-centre seaming, too - a nice detail - done with a zig-zag stitch. The waistband is neither high nor low, just in the middle.

Oh, here's the back:

It also makes my bum look good, but no mystery there, hee. The cardi is a little boxy, so I borrowed Kasmira's trick of putting a pin there to gather up some of the excess fabric.

Back to the skirt. The only marking on it is this little bitty tag of a leaf:

What the heck? Does anyone know what brand this is? I Googled a bunch of stuff and got mostly pot leaves, ha! Put on your Sherlock Holmes hats - we have a mystery on our hands!

The stuff:

My lovely neutral nude shoes and check out the lovely embroidery on the skirt. The embroidery is machine-done, not home-done (I was in Brownies and Girl Guides, I know this).

A close-up:

The colours are a little more vibrant "in person" - you can definitely see more of the green in the leaves (the pic of the tag shows the greens in the tweed most accurately). I pulled out the bright green in the leaves with my green cami, which I wore underneath my blue silky top.

Cardigan (Wendy B., consignment), silky top (Tristan), cami (Esprit), skirt (leaf!, thrifted), shoes (Seychelles, consignment), brooch (already forgotten, either the Bay or Plum), earrings (Plum).

I Always Wanted to Be a Librarian

Okay, I had to showcase the amazing shoes I got in Seattle - and I held fast and only shopped in second hand, vintage and consignment stores!

I built the outfit around them:
Steve Maddens, brand new, for $22.50? Get out of town! Ha! I did!

The thin wool sweater is also new (got it a couple of weeks ago, and now it's cold enough to wear it), and the blouse is a repeat from this weekend. Of course, I had to throw on some sparkly stuff so that I didn't have ruffle overload.

The stuff:
Oh, man, I love those shoes!

Speaking of shoes, here are the shoes I wore out in Seattle:

They are Linea Paolo, and are apparently sold at Nordstrom's - I've never seen the brand before. That's pony hair and the heels are burgundy as well. By the way, thank you for the kind comments on the dress - I wore it for my birthday last year too!

Sweater (Chinese tag, consignment), blouse (Kaliko, consignment), skirt (Kenzie), shoes (Steve Madden, thrifted), necklace and earrings (Aldo Accessories).

Weekend Outfits - Long Weekend Edition

I'm home! I had a lovely birthday!

I was sung to by the entire staff of my favourite diner (and they brought me a cup of whipped cream with a candle in it), I got a tattoo gift certificate (woo!), and a gift certificate for shoes (oh yeah!). I was spoiled.

We arrived in Seattle on Friday night:
I was in my travelling clothes:

The belt is another Shi Studios item, but I didn't take a close-up of the buckle - it's a damsel with two cowboys facing off over her.

I wore my whackadoo python print leather coat all weekend:

I kind of wish I'd worn tights, but it was pretty lovely and sunny all weekend.

I changed up the top for shopping on Saturday:

Those boots were so comfy! We walked all over Seattle, hunting down vintage and consignment clothing shops. I found a great skirt and a pair of shoes.

We always go out for a nice dinner when we travel, so I brought a pretty dress:

I have already had a few glasses of wine there, so am a bit silly. "Oh, go on!" New shoes (from a few weeks ago).

Then last night we went to see "Zombieland" (loved it!), and it was colder so I did a lot of layers:

My first wear of my dark cotton trench and these cool boots this season.

A long cardi for keeping warm in the theatre:

And I dyed my hair too:

I'm tired! But a great weekend...thank goodness for a short week!

She/Shi Week - She's Got Legs

And Birthday Week draws to a close...I'm off to Seattle for a couple of days tomorrow, so have a good weekend (and Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canucks).

Sheila Fact: I have never had a drivers' license.

As noted, my birthday present to myself was buying a whole bunch of lovely Shi Studio designs when they had a big clearance a couple of weeks ago. They're a local studio and I love their designs, so I'm shamelessly pimping them. Please check them out and order a piece! Every item features a gorgeous piece of silk behind glass, and all leather is locally done as well.

Today's outfit was built around the choker:
I also decided that, screw "What Not to Wear" and their "no mini skirts after 35" rule - I want a mini! I thought that the dark tights helped keep it more modest, as did the cardi.

Okay, so the high-heeled gladiators maybe pushed it over the edge, but what the heck.

The stuff:
Yup, that's stuff, all right!

A close-up of the choker:

You can also see the flecks of yellow, blue, green and red in the herringbone tweed.

Cardigan (Express, thrifted), blouse (H&M), skirt (Jacob, consignment), belt (Jacob), tights (eh, don't remember), shoes (Listen Up "Ivanna", Fluevog), leather choker (Shi Studio).

She/Shi Week - It's Bird O'Clock!

Birthday Week continues! Sheila Fact: I loathe parsnips.

As noted, my birthday present to myself was buying a whole bunch of lovely Shi Studio designs when they had a big clearance a couple of weeks ago. They're a local studio and I love their designs, so I'm shamelessly pimping them. Please check them out and order a piece! Every item features a gorgeous piece of silk behind glass, and all leather is locally done as well.

Today's outfit was built around the leather cuff:
I've really been inspired by the Capsule Wardrobe Challenge to try to mix things up more, and be more adventurous with my colour combinations. I wanted to wear the turquoise cuff with purple or another turquoise tone (like Sal did recently). I settled on this grey wool pinstripe strapless dress with a darker turquoise cami underneath it and purple tights.

This is also a solidarity outfit for Jane, who is doing International Dress Week, and for Kasmira, who is doing Tights and Toes week.

See? Purple tights and peeptoe shoes.

I have such a tough time with lighting in this room, so I tried something different:

Hey! Those colours are accurate! I am fixedly staring at the camera (not being pose-y) hoping that it doesn't take a shot of my boobular region in extreme close-up. This is in my closet, looking out at the den.

I thought the mustard cardi was a fun third colour, and the tattoo belt helped tie all the colours together, much like a good rug does.

The stuff:

Big ol' shoes, belt, earrings, and the new Shi Studio cuff. It's silk under glass, attached to a strip of leather that threads through itself. I wore it on my left wrist, hence "bird o'clock. "

A close-up:

By the way, yes, I do have two fake front teeth. It was Valentine's Day, 1985, I was 17. I had the flu and had a fever, so I turned the cold water way down in the shower, and promptly fainted, slamming my face into the edge of the tub. I broke one tooth in half and the other was pushed behind my other front teeth. I had over a year of dentistry to fix them including a couple of root canals, gum surgery and walk-in clinic surgery, at which point I discovered what had happened to the other half of the tooth that broke: it was embedded in my lip.

This is the reason why I didn't go to the dentist for a long time prior to this year.

I still have a scar on the right side of my bottom lip - I don't have any feeling there. The fake teeth are pretty good - most people don't know unless I tell them. Funny bit: after having emergency dental work, and being checked out at the hospital, I still went to the school dance that night. I don't remember it.

Cardigan (Jacob), dress (Club Monaco, consignment), camisole (RW & Co.), tights (Hue), shoes (JLo), earrings (Plum), cuff (Shi Studio), belt (consignment).

She/Shi Week - She Wore Blue Velvet

Birthday week continues! Woo! Sheila Fact: two of my front teeth are fake.

As noted yesterday, my birthday present to myself was buying a whole bunch of lovely Shi Studio designs when they had a big clearance a couple of weeks ago. They're a local studio and I love their designs, so I'm shamelessly pimping them. Please check them out and order a piece! Every item features a gorgeous piece of silk behind glass, and all leather is locally done as well.

Today's outfit was all about these lovely black and white earrings and necklace: I'm also wearing probably my favourite pair of shoes that I own, my Fluevog "Listen Harlow" shoes, long discontinued. Last wear of these nylons as they are all snagged.

The jacket is new - $12 in the thrift shop! - I love the rich blue colour, and I can never resist velvet.

A close-up of the jewelry: I think I would wear these separately more than together after this - the earrings have kind of rocker 80s vibe.

The stuff: Dreamy shoes. Check out the crackle finish on the white. These are super comfortable, by the way.

Jacket (KenzieGirl, thrifted), dress (Style & Co.), patterned hose (Hue), shoes (Fluevog), jewelry (Shi Studio).

She/Shi Week - Red A-Go-Go!

This is my birthday week! My birthday is on Friday, and L and I are taking the day off to head down to Seattle for a day of shopping and generally wandering around and avoiding anything work-related.

It's also a week for me to celebrate - me! My birthday present to myself was buying a whole bunch of lovely Shi Studio designs when they had a big clearance a couple of weeks ago. They're a local studio and I love their designs, so I'm shamelessly pimping them. Please check them out and order a piece! Every item features a gorgeous piece of silk behind glass, and all leather is locally done as well.

Today's outfit was based around this glorious belt:
I picked up the top in a thrift store on Saturday ($12!), and the skirt is designer vintage from the 80s.

Check out the cool detail on the belt:

I love the texture of the leather - and the silk on the buckle (which is removeable) is red and purple. The buckle is worn off to the side (so I was informed by Cory, the owner and designer) like so:

The belt can also be worn slung lower on the top of my hips. The top is a fuscia pinky-purple with red dragons, by the way.

The stuff:

Rather than go with the expected grey or black shoes, I chose these mossy green ones. I like how they don't quite go...but they do!

Shrug (Debut), top (Lhasa, made in Nepal, consignment), skirt (Gianfranco Ferre, vintage, 80s, thrifted), nude fishnets (Hue?), shoes (Hilary Radley, consignment), earrings (vintage), ring (Francis Jewelers, 1960s, Dad's), belt (Shi Studio).

A Win-Win Situation

As I mentioned yesterday, I had a Toastmasters competition today. I was rather nervous, but L had a good thought.

If I win - great! I move on to the next level of competition (district). If I lose - great! I'm all done competing.

So, guess what?
I won!

I credit this to my casual yet crisp style - this obviously greatly impressed the judges. Of course, it could also have been that when I got my topic ("You've won the lottery!"), I ran up to the stage, jumped up on it and screamed, "I won the lottery!"

Heh, 'cause I'm a bit of an attention junkie that way.

Blouse (Nicole Beniste for Point Zero), vest (Le Chateau, gift from Ruth), jacket (I.N.C, consignment), jeans (Seven7, gift from Caro), shoes (Rinaldi), gold hoop earrings.

The 2nd Annual Capsule Wardrobe Challenge! Pick Your Favourite

Time to round up this week's outfits and pick your favourite. Will it be...

Monday?
Tuesday?

Wednesday?

Thursday?

Friday - Part 1?

Or Friday - Part 2?

Pick your favourite outfit this week
	Monday
	Tuesday
	Wednesday
	Thursday
	Friday - Part 1
	Friday - Part 2
pollcode.com free polls

The 2nd Annual Capsule Wardrobe Challenge! Day 5

As mentioned before, today's outfit had to do double duty. It had to be "Casual Friday" for work...and it had to go to a funeral mid-way through my work day.

I've layered this tee and stripey top before (it's one of my favourite weekend looks), which was my plan all along for my casual look.
I threw it on over the same black skirt I wore yesterday, added blue tights, the red shoes and the belt over top. I felt appropriately casual.

Then I had to go to the funeral, so I made a couple of quick changes and...

Voila! I took the tights off, took the t-shirt and belt off, put this jacket on and belted it with the black scarf, and added the pin to the lapel. I felt so clever.

I am excited about this weekend for two reasons. One, I am in a Toastmasters competition for Table Topics (speaking about a topic for two minutes - you don't know the topic ahead of time) - I won my club's competition last week, so I am now up against all the other clubs in my city.

Two, I am spending some one-on-one time with my almost-7-year-old niece, Hannah, on Sunday. We're going out for lunch and then going shopping for books. I love that she loves books.

And then next week is my birthday week! I'm doing a theme all week, and I will be off on Friday (my actual birthday) - L and I are headed to Seattle for a couple of days. Happy days!

Have a great weekend!

Link to the full 10 + 5 clothing items and accessories in this year's challenge here.

The 2nd Annual Capsule Wardrobe Challenge! Day 4

And the boots make their last appearance of the week! This outfit was all about the layering. That's Monday's dress I'm wearing as a top. This is the first appearance of the black skirt - it has a big block of pyramid beads at the waistband and is quite high-waisted, so no need for a belt.
I did the scarf in my hair this time, and added grey tights.

Advantage: the dress looks like a top. Disadvantage:

Layer #1: tights. Layer #2: dress lining. Layer #3: dress.

Layer #4: skirt lining. Layer #5: skirt.

I was rather...warm in the midsection all day (and my arms were freezing).

The stuff:

Tomorrow: 2 outfits in a workday. One is casual, one is for a funeral. Can it be done??

Link to the full 10 + 5 clothing items and accessories in this year's challenge here.