Casual Friday - A Stab at Steampunk

Casual Friday is such a fun way for me to push my look a little further. Unfortunately, it was far too chilly today to wear what I'd originally planned, which was much more summery but also with a maxi skirt, coincidentally.

I felt great in today's outfit, even though it was thrown together pretty quickly this morning:I love that maxi skirts are in style right now - it gives me an excuse to pull out this awesome skirt again (last seen here).

The jacket is so cute - love the back:

Someone at work actually came up and touched it. I love the equestrian vibe of it. I last wore it here, but today is actually the same way as I first wore it here. I definitely like it best worn with a belt.

I wasn't really thinking of steampunk when I put this outfit together, but the wide belt and the sort of Victoria-era look of the shapes seemed to work right with that aesthetic.

*sigh* I thought I was done with boots and had to haul these out from the bag for the cobbler to wear in the rain today:

I'm wearing knee-high socks, but I've got bare legs!

The stuff:

My trusty boots, all buckle-y goodness and such. I liked the pearls, but I would have preferred a more steampunk type of necklace, maybe one of Grandma J's instead.

A close up:

This is my new snake ring - it goes across three fingers! It was a little tricky for typing all day, but not too bad for mousing. The other ring is another groovy Club Monaco sale accessory. It's like a bent brass nail.

Jacket (Armor Jeans, thrifted), lace blouse (Noa Noa), cami (InWear), skirt (InWear, thrifted), boots (Miz Mooz), necklace (Aldo Accessories), snake ring (local boutique), nail ring (Club Monaco).

Colourama AKA I Sear Your Retinas

I got together with my former co-workers today. Man, in hindsight, this was the best group ever. I miss you guys so much.

Anyhoo, I thought I'd wear something that they'd say, "But you're so casual." Hee! And they did! Yes, I'm pushing the new company's dress code already, what a surprise. I wore my infamous red jeans (last actually see here) - but I wore heels at least! I think this outfit is very boho.

I last wore these jeans during Leopard Week, and I'd be remiss if I didn't give a huge thank you to Wendy Brandes for featuring me (again!) in her article on the Huffington Post. Wendy, you rock!

The top is new - I picked it up off a put-away rack in the changeroom at The Bay (always a good source of quality items) - for $35.99, regular $120. A bit pricey for new, for me, but it's washable, I love the colours and the painty look, and I can think of at least 4 outfits I can do with it.

Of course, I had to be brighter than bright:

I see a kitty!

I was very happy to have my nice warm leather jacket because it actually SNOWED last night, can you believe it? Get out of town. My toes froze all day in my sandals (last seen here) but it's April and I am willing Spring into being here.

The stuff: I love those shoes (last seen here)! They only get out in the warm weather, sadly. That's my mom's vintage belt (discussed here).

Jacket (Danier), blouse (Jones New York), jeans (no label), shoes (Portia), belt (70s vintage, Mom's), ring (Aldo Accessories), earrings (gift from L).

Let's Move On...to Another Venue

...Like Iceland, or Hastings, or, or this place! (Double bonus points if you can name the song and musical that quote is from).

I realized today many of you guys in other parts of the world don't actually get a full Spring as a season. As in, three months of rain, wind, sun and blossoms galore. It will not be 80 degrees here for at least three more months.

It's chilly in the mornings (I'm still wearing gloves, although not a scarf and toque), slightly warm-ish during the day, and it cools down substantially at night. I am eager to wear my summery stuff, but it's really...Spring! And it has sprung.

And here I am in yellow again: This is a new-to-me blouse that I picked up on my last big consignment shopping trip a few weeks ago. It was $14.98. I love the buttery yellow and the ruching down the front.

I've done this strapless dress over most of my button-down shirts - it's one of my favourite easy-peasy go-to looks, and I've done it at least five times. I last wore it here.

Here's my change of venue! I hate how the late afternoon/early evening light is making my den half overexposed and half too dark when I do my pictures, and our condo is full of windows so the light is either really glary or non-existent.

This is our exterior staircase; my little camera is perched on a ledge four floors from the ground (it's a wide ledge, don't worry). I look all leggy in these! And it was very chilly! But it's natural light, so I'll do a few shots outside when I can.

The stuff: My lovely orangey-yellow Tsubos (last seen here). SO comfy!

A close-up: I love this belt - it's got flaming skulls on it! The buckle belongs to L (I bought it for him for Christmas a few years ago) - I just took it off his belt and snapped my belt to it. I love it when you can change up buckles.

Blouse (Le Chateau, consignment), strapless dress (Club Monaco), belt (consignment), buckle (local leather shop), shoes (Tsubo "Erebus"), ring (Plum), earrings (locally made).

A Return to Form - and A Folex Miracle!

After yesterday's debacle of an outfit (okay, it wasn't as bad as this gawdawful mess!), I knew I had to get back on that fashion horse with some tried and true Sheila style!

I got this awesome leather vest on consignment a couple of weeks ago for $18.98 - I couldn't believe the score! I love a snug fitted vest! They hold everything in so nicely, especially with a belt over top.

The blouse underneath is another one of my "mystery" items - it has no label. This is the first time I wore it - there may have been one other time, but I can't find it. I do love a swooshy skirt: I adore this skirt. If I ever do a 30 for 30 challenge, this skirt would go in it in a heartbeat. I've worn it many times, last time here.

The stuff: My glorious red boots make another showing (last seen here).

The jangly bits: The reds kind of match. Close enough, I say!

Blouse (mystery, consignment), vest (CAbi, consignment), skirt (Marc D'Alcy), boots (Miz Mooz), belt, bracelet and earrings (Plum).

I had to include this picture of Inigo, playing on his new scratching post last night: Hee!

Oh, and I had to show you - I got pen on my lovely skirt today: A big long streak of black pen, that sat there all day. Boo...my skirt is ruined. (sad face)

But wait! We have Folex!Folex to the rescue!

I've written about Folex before (a long time ago), and I swear I am not getting any kind of kick-back from them. This is an amazing product! It removes pet vomit from carpet, red wine from anything, and yes...pen from my faux suede polyester blend skirt.

Check it out: I sprayed it directly on the fabric. I've used it tons before on all kinds of fabrics, and have never had a bad reaction - if you are nervous, try it on a spot where no one will see first (spot-test it, is what I'm trying to say...it's late). It doesn't smell, it's pet-safe and it is non-toxic. I buy it at the grocery store - it's about $9.99. L and I give a bottle of this in a wine bag as a house-warming or host(ess) gift for our friends.

I gently rubbed it in with my fingers: It's already starting to disappear!

Several years ago, we had a party and my friend Michael spilled an entire glass of red wine down the front of his white linen shirt. I grabbed the Folex, a handful of paper towels and stuck my hand up his shirt (I asked first!). The Folex took out every spot of red wine - to the kitchen full of drunk people, it was like a miracle!

I blotted the area with a paper towel: I can still see a little bit there, but not much.

I hung it to dry and an hour later.... I actually had to look at the previous pictures on the camera to know where to look! Isn't that amazing? It's like new! And no damage or stain at all on the fabric.

Skulls and Bows

It's Monday, which has never been my favourite day of the week. I didn't like my outfit today either. I love the parts of it, but not the whole: Sorry about the light - it's the time of year. This is my skull sweater previously seen here, and this is a new blue skirt. I fell in love with the colour and the pouffy shape, but I think this outfit needed a belt to define the waist.

The cardigan got baggier as the day went on.

The stuff:

I love the shoes - they are so comfy. This is my second wear of them (last seen here).

Some new sparkly bits:

Jacob had a bunch of their jewelry on sale. The bracelet was $9 and the earrings were $3.50.

Cardigan (Kersh), skirt (Fenchurch), shoes (Jeffrey Campbell), jewelry (Jacob).

Casual Friday and Weekend Cat(ch-Up)

Whew! Busy weekend! I need another weekend to recover - thank goodness Easter is around the corner.

We start off with me barely awake Friday morning. I did bare legs and man, they were chilly. I rocked the booties, though!

This is my wonderful stripey top (worn many times!) layered under another tee, and my acid-wash skirt (last seen here). I used to own high-waisted acid-wash jeans back in the day - they had pleats too!

I'm having fun introducing my co-workers to my own special brand of Casual Friday; first the Gothy side, then the Indie side, then the Leather side, and now my Rocker side.

It's really interesting to see how a new group of people reacts when all they know of me at first is my appearance. There are definitely different reactions.

This is my new purse again. It's my third Matt & Nat bag (one, two) - I really like their quality and that they're vegan.

It's furry! and studded!

I wore my boyfriend blazer for outerwear during the day:

This is a belt I bought at the Gap last week - it was marked down to $24. I am a sucker for a cool leather belt.

I also love the grey with the hint of brown in it. It's super soft too.

And it goes perfectly with the boots!

That strap on the heel makes me paranoid. I always think I'm going to walk on it or trip over it. Last seen here.

I had an impromptu gathering with some friends on Friday evening.

I switched bags and added gloves and a scarf. I love stripes, can you tell?

Jacket (Banana Republic, thrifted), striped tee (Majestic, swap from Caro), tee (Plum, gift from L), skirt (Cache, thrifted), belt (Gap), boots (Libby Edelman), brown bag (Matt & Nat, consignment), black bag (Licence 71195).

I walked to the bus stop and realized within 10 minutes that I'd missed the bus - had to catch a cab instead. At least I got a couple of good pictures on my little jaunt:

The city has been full of these beautiful blooming treeslately. There are species that bloom at different times over a two-month period, some with white blossoms, some with deep pink. They smell heavenly, but make me sneezy.

Check out this awesome Victorian house:

There are houses like this all over the city. This one is broken up into apartments.

It's all spooky looking with the oak looming over it!

I would like to live there.

On Saturday, I worked reception at WW for the morning:

Coffee needed!

This is the second wear of this cool Bodybag dress (first seen here) and a repeat of the belt from the day before.

These shoes were pretty good but after a long day of work, lunch out, dashing a couple of blocks and back for a quick eyebrow wax appointment, my feet were tired. Last seen here.

Dress ("Love Dress O" by Bodybag by Jude Clothing, consignment), belt (Gap), shoes (Aerosoles).

My mom had her cataracts done recently and now she doesn't need to wear glasses anymore - which is awesome, but made her face feel naked. I've been bugging her for years to let me get her brows done and do all her make-up and this time she gave in! Mom, thanks for letting me give you this! You looked beautiful - Happy Early Birthday!

Because I knew I'd be walking around a lot (I also had lunch out with L and got groceries), I gave my feet a break and did flats.

This is my first blog wear for the top - I got it a couple of months ago on a thrifting trip for $11. It's hard to tell but it's actually a fine cream and emerald green striped cashmere-blend sweater.

These are my awesome Noa Noa sail pants (seen here, here and here). Of course, they got dirty immediately. Immediately! What is up with that?

I did my jean jacket for outerwear:

Sorry, no close-up of the shoes...next time. It won't be long!

Jacket (Ann Taylor Loft), sweater (Banana Republic, thrifted), pants (Noa Noa), shoes (Kenneth Cole Reaction), bag (Matt & Nat, consignment).

My dear friend Sherylyn is moving to Vancouver, and gave us her most amazing cat scratching post:

Yes, it's leopard! I love all the levels.

Someone was not too sure about it at first:

Hee, he looks very startled, but he's actually looking at that black stick.

The black stick is Inigo's mortal enemy.

He liked the rope texture on the posts.

And the nice view out the window:

He seemed disinclined to check out the lower levels, though.

Higher he went!

But what is this little house?

Inigo purfectly fit in it when he curled up:

Kitty in the sun!

His purring was very loud.I sat on the floor and watched him.

This made me laugh: That's a little house for a big cat!