Purple Shoe Week Concludes, Double Boots, Heart Balls, and Some Shopping

Are you ready? This is a big post - I did mention it was going to be a busy weekend!

Friday concluded purple shoe week with these spat-inspired Fluevog beauties.

I last wore them here in March with a yellow and blue combination.

The top half is my leather vest, last seen here in March with leopard and lace, and my floral blouse that I last wore here in February with pink velvet.

I had planned to wear a different blouse with this outfit (this one), but then I remembered that I had a blood donation appointment, so I went with a shorter sleeve.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to donate blood because my iron/hemoglobin was too low. Whoops, I guess I should have had a proper dinner the night before instead of snacks and wine at Book Club.

The skirt was last worn here with my Vivienne Westwood shoes back in March also.

Vest (CAbi, thrifted), blouse (Esprit, consignment), skirt (Optionelle, consignment), boots (Libby Smith Bellevilles, Fluevog), necklace (Raven's Roost Studio).

After work, L and I napped then we roused ourselves to change into party clothes for our friends' Caro and Ronnie's party. It was Newfoundland themed, so we had fresh-caught Pacific cod (for kissing on the lips; it's some sort of tradition - I did NOT do that!) and Screech to drink (I also skipped that).

For parties lately, my goal has been twofold: wear the heck out of my Fluevog boots, and wear some of my older party dresses that I haven't worn much.

Yowza! This dress got high marks from the partygoers, so it'll stay in my closet. It's a London Times dress, bought at The Bay department store back in 2009. I don't remember how much I paid for it, but it was probably in the $49-69 range.

Here's how I've previously worn it:

• October 2009 for my 42nd birthday party - standard black accessories
• May 2010 for our helicopter trip to Vancouver for our friend Tony's surprise 40th birthday party

I love the crazy pattern of it - it reminds me of Mars or space storms.

The late afternoon light was weird for pictures. Lots of odd shadows.

I walked several blocks in my boots and stood for the whole party (till past midnight), and my feet felt pretty good. I am totally impressed at how-well balanced these are.

I wore them last weekend here.

Here's a look at the dress' construction.

It's that Herve Leger bandage dress type of construction, but the panels on this dress aren't elastic, and they actually work beautifully to shape. The dress doesn't have a lot of stretch, and it is fully-lined.

The stuff:

Rock and roll, baby!

Dress (London Times), boots (LA Malibu, Fluevog), studded cuff/snake ring/spider ring (homegrown vintage, 80s), leather cuff (Guess, thrifted), red stone ring (Oscar & Libby's), earrings (consignment).

Okay, so this bit is me being silly. You know how people make that *heart* gesture with their hands to show love? One night a few weeks ago, L and I saw someone on TV doing it, and I said that more than heart was needed - you had to have balls!

Thusly, I have invented *heart balls*:

*heart*........................................................................*balls*

Make the heart, then turn it upside down for balls. Spread the love that is *heart balls* - or, just give *balls* if the occasion warrants it. Use the gesture that shows, "Oh yeah, you are really special."

This is my "Visible Monday" link-up - go check out Patti's Not Dead Yet Style to see all the gorgeous women there! Ha, Patti is looking "wholesome" - me, not so much.

Props and thanks to my super-mojo-riffic friend, Carollyne (check out her awesome blog and her amazing art), for the pictures above. Carollyne's the best marketer - she wants to make *heart balls* go viral. Hee hee!

We had no Ulty game this week, so L and I slept in a bit then went to our favourite diner for brunch. I went loose and casual.

A big ol' flowy skirt, a couple of fun top layers, and walkable shoes for my slightly tired feet. I did a bit of shopping after lunch.

I wore this kimono-style top 3 times in the September 2012 capsule (recap here).

It was windy out, so this skirt billowed and swirled (and only tried to do the "look at my panties!" once).

This is its second wear - it was last worn on another shopping expedition (with stripes) here. It brought me good luck - I found some awesome things.

Much as I would have loved to have skipped a jacket, it's far too chilly (but I'm still doing bare legs! take that, Spring).

My orange leather one was perfect, with fingerless gloves and a scarf.

The stuff:

These Aldo shoes are fabulous for walking around. The woven leather has stretched to fit my feet exactly. I can't remember if I've worn them since the July 2012 (recap here), but I suspect I have. Ah well.

I had a nice shop. I find shopping very relaxing and soothing.

In keeping with my ethical shopping practices, I scoped out the booths in Bastion Square to see if there was anything interesting. I found some amazing jewelry at "About Tine" (not time, tine). Shahn makes stainless steel art jewelry out of spoons and forks (get it? tine?). I love the idea of re-using vintage and thrifted cutlery to make new jewelry.

They came in this lovely beaded bag

I bought a leaf bracelet made out of spoons (they've been rubbed with oil to change the colour to a nice bronzy shade), and a ring, also made from a spoon.

The bracelet is nice and small for my wrist - and it does up with a super-strong nesting magnet clasp.

Check out "About Tine" - linking 'cause I love. I got both pieces for $75.00 (the ring was $25 and the bracelet was $55, but Shahn gave me a small discount).

Next, I went up lower Johnson Street. I was excited to find a pair of hemp, sheepskin and recycled rubber slippers on sale to replace my awful junky cheap and worn-out slippers. And - bonus - they were made locally! No picture because frankly, they are practical, not pretty. Heh.

But I'll share my find from the Patch.

It's a fantastic coral-red silk skirt! It was $19.99, and since it's marked a size 14, I'm going to say it's from the 80s. It has wonderful "swoosh factor"!

Check out the gorgeous swirly pattern that's woven into the silk.

I can't wait to wear it!

I also stopped in at the Salvation Army - I don't go there often because it's kind of stinky. But I was in the neighbourhood, and I was disappointed to find that one of my favourite stores, Regalia Boutique, had closed! Aw...

I consoled myself with this gorgeous velvet blazer:

It's by Gap and it was $7.99. I love the multiple buttons down the front and on the cuffs. The colour is a rich butterscotch. Mmmm...butterscotch.

It also has amazing seaming - the fit is great.

The pleats at the bottom are a peplum - and the date on the inside tags says it's from 2005, so only 7-8 years and peplums are back. Why buy new?

After my long afternoon of shopping, we napped again, then got ready for Karen's birthday party.

It was later and darker by the time we left

Shiny! This is a sequined dress that I bought new from Plum on clearance from $129.00 for $20.00 back in January 2011.

Here's how I've worn it before:

• July 2011 (last outfit) for a party, and worn backwards...aw, check out the first picture of Vizzini as a kitten with Inigo
• January 2011, with a fancy t-shirt under it to go see "Black Swan"

It's loose and comfortable, although it was prickly under the arms. Sequins can be scratchy.

I love how the dress looks like liquid.

It is covered front and back with sequins.

I did pink tights with my Fluevogs this time.

Another look at the dress.

I think I'd like to try it with a shirt underneath, and see if I can make it work-appropriate. I definitely haven't worn it enough!

The stars of the party:

I walked 4 blocks each way and then stood for several hours. I need to get the heel cap replaced with a super-high density rubber cap (this was recommended at Fluevog). These boots took a beating this weekend!

My feet are very tired today - I'll be wearing flats and comfy shoes all week to get ready for the big 10K race this weekend.

I wore my red leather coat over this, with my lovely 80s scarf.

Purple leather gloves because...purple!

Dress (Esprit), boots (LA Malibu, Fluevogs), scarf (Adrienne Vittadini, vintage 80s, consignment), gloves (Danier Leather).

I hope your weekend has been full of fun, swooshiness, and colour!

Redder is Better - and Zebra Stripes

Yay yay yay! My red is back! I feel like myself again. Lots of compliments today (and surprise by newer coworkers who'd never seen me red).

Have you figured out my week's theme yet? 

I'll reveal on the weekend if no one gets it, but it's pretty easy.

Another neutral outfit for me! The top half is a repeat of this outfit from the all-neutral November 2012 capsule (recap here), where I wore this sweater 4 times and the jacket twice. The shoes are my lovely Pearl Hart Bellevilles, featured in the April capsule (recap here) 4 times.

The skirt is one I've had for ages. I bought it at Plum new in 2010 - it's made in Canada - for $35.00 on sale. It's unlined and is cotton with a titch of Spandex, so it causes major Tight Creep when I do tights.

It didn't make it into any capsules last year, due to well...just not having enough room! I have a lot of skirts. You probably haven't noticed. Heh.

Here's how I've worn it before:

• July 2010 with emerald green and Manolos
• August 2010 with pink and Fluevogs
• October 2010 with cream and teal  
• July 2011 with marigold cashmere

I think it was packed away with summer clothes as of September 2011 due to the no-tights issue, and then it sat in my closet patiently waiting for a summer capsule to fit in...and alas, it never made it in a 2012 outfit. And now here we are in 2013. Where does the time go?

Eeep, my slip is showing

So, sound off, Fashion Nation! What do you think of the skirt?

My inclination now is to keep it. It's got pockets, I love the pattern, it's a great neutral. I think I need to do some more colour with it - I can't believe I've never worn it with red or turquoise!

I didn't do a "stuff" picture as I'm dashing off to Book Club shortly, but I'm wearing a long necklace (fair trade, thank you, Mom!) done up shorter and gold hoop earrings.

Jacket (Alison Wonderland, consignment), sweater (Hawick of Scotland, consignment), skirt (Plum), shoes (Pearl Hart Bellevilles, Fluevogs), necklace (gift from Mom).

We have two parties to go to this weekend, so I'll be doing an update on Sunday - happy almost-Friday!

One More Day of Bland - and a White Top

I am so happy to go back to red hair! I dyed it tonight, so just pretend it's red in today's outfit pictures, m'kay?

This is a sort-of repeat of an outfit from last June:

Both the seersucker skirt and the grey jacket/vest thing were featured in the all-neutral June 2012 capsule (recap here). I wore the jacket twice and the skirt thrice, including this outfit where I wore both of them together (my red hair looks so good there!)

The white top is new-to-me, purchased on consignment for $15.00 back here in January to console myself after Vizzini ate my Fluevogs. It's by Le Chateau and it zips up the side and is fully lined - I adore the bands of lace, the lace trim, the little buttons up the front and the great cut. It was really nice to wear, stayed put, covered my cleavage and yet wasn't dowdy. I'm looking forward to a warm day so that I can wear it on its own.

I am gradually replacing my crap-quality camisoles with nicer and better-made ones with more special detail, and this fits the bill nicely. I have a feeling I'll wear this a lot as a layering piece.

I also wore my newly-thrifted $2.00 Beechers Brook silky scarf in my hair to cover up the horrid ashy-blonde grossness.

You are all too kind to say nice things about it - your mothers all raised you well, hee hee.

This skirt is supremely flouncy! We had a fire drill today and the edges ruffled as I went down the stairs. I can resist twirling when I wear it.

The stuff:

These lavender booties are so crazy-cool. I wore them three times in the January 2013 capsule (recap here). They were not the most practical shoes on such a busy day (over 13,000 steps on my pedometer), but my feet feet fine. I loved how they worked with the purple shades in this scarf.

I also really liked wearing my homegrown vintage 80s amethyst jewelry. It makes me think of my dad.

 Except for the key and the chain, all gifts from Mom & Dad.

Jacket/vest thing (Leshop, consignment), white cami (Le Chateau, consignment), skirt (Y, thrifted), scarf (Beechers Brook, thrifted), booties (Feud), jewelry (except for the chain and key, vintage 80s, gifts from Mom and Dad).

I went looking for Vizzini this morning. Not on the deck, not on the bed, where the heck could he be?

"I'm sleeping on a mofo pillow, woman."

I had to give him a little cuddle. It was worth being a few minutes late at work. Aw.

Oh, and preview:

Red red red red RED!

Dishwater Blonde Disaster

When I dried my hair after rinsing all the dye out last night, I cursed a blue streak. I HATE THIS COLOUR. Really. Hate. This. Colour.

Bad bad bad colour on me. I can't redo it tonight (I have my WW meeting), so I have to live another day with this awfulness on my head, but then I am going back to RED. I don't feel "me" as a blonde, although it was fun to play with.

So please, hold your hand over my head for these pictures and pretend that my hair looks good. Don't even try to sweet-talk me about it - I know it looks bad. It's a horrid colour for my skin tone.

Let's move on, shall we? I like this blouse and I like these shoes. More purple!

Vizzini in for a blurry visit

I wore the blouse three times in the February 2012 capsule (recap here). The shoes were last worn here in February 2013 with even more purple.

This is the second wear of the olive suede skirt (last done here with a white/grey leopard cardi and a pop of yellow). I am still liking it - no issues with it today. Your thoughts?

These are one of my favourite pairs of shoes. They are fabulously comfortable and an amazing dusty purple.

This necklace is getting a little worn, but I still really like it.

Blouse (The Limited, thrifted), skirt (Danier Leather, thrifted), shoes (Camper), belt (Nygard), necklace (Plum).

Swirls of Colour and Matching My Specs

First of all, check out this awesome sketch of me! This is from the lovely Anne of SpyGirl, who's so very talented and generous! 

She drew/painted my Friday outfit, seen here - love it! Thank you so much, Anne! 

This is another depiction of me or my clothes that I've received from readers/bloggers/friends over the years. The last was the drawing by Mary Walker from one of last summer's outfits, and I've been the subject of drawings/doodles from Megan Mae: this one last year for my birthday, this one in August 2011, and of course the one that is in all my inside photos, of me and my dear old Inigo, who we lost just a year ago. I know that one was also a birthday present, because Inigo has a party hat on.

Today, I wore two new-to-me and not-yet-worn pieces.

The sweater is by Bandolino and was thrifted back here in January 2013 for $13.50. I layered a bright purple cami under it - I really liked how the rusty-brick shade of the sweater popped against the purple.

The shots indoors were murky due to copious amounts of rain this morning - this sweater is more red than it looks.

I was really enamoured of the skirt - it's majorly swooshy and is a thin airy silk. Swoosh Factor 11!

It's by Corey Lynn Calter and I bought it on consignment here in March for $22.98.

The shoes - well, I just had to go with purple suede shoes! The skirt has purple and the cami was purple and my glasses are purple! Ah! Purple!

I love purple and reds together. Always have. I remember wearing purple and red together in high school in 1985.

The stuff:

Swirly insides by Dr. Scholl's

The shoes are by Friis and Co. and were featured twice in the April 2012 capsule (recap here).

More red bits to go with the reds and oranges in the skirt.

The earrings reminded me of cherries today.

Sweater (Bandolino, thrifted), cami (InWear), skirt (Corey Lynn Calter, consignment), shoes (Friis and Co.), belt (Plum), ring (Oscar & Libby's), earrings (locally made).

Wardrobely Oxygenated; An Ultimate Weekend; and Stained Glass Boots

First up: Totally Exciting News! I've been featured and interviewed on Wardrobe Oxygen* as one of Alison's "True Fashionista" series. 

I'm truly honoured to be included, thank you, Alison! Check out the post here. Welcome, new readers, and thank you for your kind comments!

*linking 'cause I love - I don't get anything but a little notoriety from this.

Now, I mustn't let this fleeting fame go to my head (hee) so let's settle down and get back to the business of clothes. This is what I wore to work on Friday.

I'm test-driving this new-to-me denim skirt that I thrifted here last weekend for $13.50. It's by Talbot's and I am so happy that it doesn't have any slits. No accidental hoo-hah flashing, no worry about bending over and exposing  god-knows-what. Why is this never an issue with regular pencil skirts, but when it comes to denim skirts, it's all like "let's put in a massive slit"?

Anyway, tell me what you think of this skirt. I wore it again today (pictures below), so you can get a good look-see at it.

But the big star of this outfit is COLOUR. Woo, pink legs and orange-yellow shoes! I loved the brightness of these colours together.

The blouse and the shoes were both featured in the April 2012 capsule (recap here); I wore the shoes 5 times and the blouse once. I wanted to give the blouse another shot because I like all the colours (and I wanted to see it on me as a blonde).

Back shot of the skirt.

 Not too bad - I don't mind the lack of pockets (just flaps).

Although it was rainy, I wore my orange leather jacket and red leather purse.

Bring on the colour! I had a lot "Oh wow!" compliments on this outfit. I definitely brought my own sunshine to a cloudy day.

The stuff:

These are the only Tsubos I've owned that have worked for me (I've had two other pairs that I've passed along). The chain belt is from the 60s - it used to belong to my mom. It had big chain links and tassels that I removed in the mid-80s (regret!).

A close-up of the rings.

Um, a blurry close-up

The purple stone one was my dad's. I got it when he died in 1997. The other one is a $5.00 cheapy ring that's never gotten tarnished.

Blouse (Jones New York), skirt (Talbot's, thrifted), shoes (Tsubo), belt (vintage 60s, Mom's), ring (Francis Jewelers, vintage 50s, Dad's), ring (purchased in the late 90s).

I had to rush home from work on Friday to get my glam on for our friend Alison's surprise birthday party. I went all out!

BAM!

My penchant for adding rocker accessories to ladylike dresses continues. Also: crazy hair (which I love doing).

This wonderful dark green satin dress has been in my closet since February 2010 - it's by Club Monaco and was $40 on consignment. It looked like a big boring sack on the hanger, but it's so cool on. I love the deliberately uneven shoulders and the looseness of the top of it; the bottom is cut just like a snug pencil skirt.

I first wore it here in Feb 2010 for our friend Ronnie's 40th birthday party, and then again in November 2010 to see "The Wizard of Oz" at the theatre with my nieces (crazy Auntie Sheila always dresses up!).

For accessories, I stuck with silver: my "teeth" necklace, silver bird skull earrings and a silver cuff.

Hee, look what I found in the background of the above picture:

Vizzini is trying to get into my purse! He knows how to open zippers. Little devil!

The back:

Showing my ink

I know - *gasp* - the boots are so freakin' awesome. I cabbed out to a restaurant to meet L and friends for dinner, then we got a ride to the surprise party house. I did the diva thing and clutched arms for support on the rainy sidewalks.

I bought the boots here in March 2013 at the Fluevog store in Gastown (hi, Wes!) in Vancouver, and this is their inaugural wearing. I loved towering 6" above everyone! I was a little concerned about my feet being in major pain after wearing them, but aside from a little soreness on the balls of my feet, they were perfectly fine the next day. For such a high heel, they are surprisingly wearable. They are still on half price at the Fluevog website right now (linking for info purposes only), but I recommend them only for those souls (soles?) who have a good dose of Lady Gaga in them!

The outerwear:

We have a true Spring season here on the wet West Coast, and that means that I can put my winter coats away and wear my mid-weight leather jackets and fancy ones like this amazing Desigual coat.

Tra la! I love how it looked with the boots. I bought this coat for a chokingly high amount of money (over $400) to celebrate getting my current job in March 2011 (first worn here).

I featured the coat in my February 2012 capsule wardrobe (recap here).

I am a robot

I wore purple leather gloves to top it off. I need to wear this coat again soon.

I was so outrageously visible in this outfit - and it felt great! - that this is my link-up to "Visible Monday" at Patti's Not Yet Dead Style. Get yourself over there!

Coat (Desigual), dress (Club Monaco, consignment), boots (LA Malibu, Fluevog), necklace (The Bay), earrings (local, Vancouver), cuff (thrifted), gloves (Danier Leather).

We didn't stay too late at the party, because I'm a responsible team player (*snort*) when it comes to Ultimate. Being hungover and running around for two hours in the sun and/or rain and/or wind isn't fun.

I did my usual "quick change" outfit both before and after the game.

Minimal make-up, wet hair, full skirt and comfy shoes.

Both the blue sweater and the snowflake skirt were worn in the October 2012 capsule (recap here). I wore the sweater thrice and the skirt 4 times.

I also have a black cami and a vintage half-slip on.

I last wore these shoes last Monday (here) with my olive suede skirt. They are excellent on my feet after wearing tight cleats for two hours.

Leather coats are the perfect weight for this time of year - they cut the wind and are warm without being too smotheringly hot.

Jacket (Danier Leather), sweater (Smart Set, thrifted), skirt (J.J.F., consignment), shoes (Enzo Angiolini, thrifted), earrings (local).

I took my camera to the field so you could see where we play. This is Victoria High School. It's the oldest high school west of Winnipeg and north of San Francisco, opened in 1876; this version was built in 1914 (source).

My parents went to school here.

We dump our stuff at the "Girls Entrance". On Saturday, it was rainy, so we put all of our gear up at the top of the steps to keep it dry.

L on the right

I change from my nice clothes into my Ulty stuff there. Everyone gets a gander at my sports bra, but otherwise I'm able to transition quickly.

See? I don't wear fancy clothes ALL the time!

This is my usual work-out gear: board shorts (nice and long), a tee, cleats and my Panthers ball cap. Our practice discs are near me, as are our orange traffic cones for marking out our field. That's our playing area behind me.

It was sunny/cloudy for the whole game - lots of wind, which makes play challenging.

Our friend Chris on the left and me on the right, getting some "catch" in for warm-up before we start playing. We had 10 people show up, so it was a good game. We utilize the full field, with end zones marked out.

Action shot!

I'm catching there, I think. Anyway, proof that I am not always 100% fashionable!

I change back into that same nice outfit and put on a bit more make-up before we go for lunch.

Last night was Winesday at my house! Woo hoo! My gals and I hung out and ate so much yummy food and drank many bottles of wine. We also did a big clothes swap, and I gave away a bunch of clothes. I love seeing things go to good homes!

I slept in a bit this morning, then got ready to head to town with L for lunch and grocery shopping.

More sunshine! I was stopped by a lady in the grocery store who told me, "Those are the most amazing shoes I've ever seen!" They are my Fluevog Prepare Hi Steady "Disco Dutch" shoes, last worn here with my rockin' Etro blazer.

I kept my orange leather blazer on for the entire outing as it was a little chilly.

Second wear of the denim skirt (seen on Friday, scroll up). This time I wore my rocker belt - I do like that this skirt fits at my natural waist, as opposed to sitting on my hips.

This yellow t-shirt was worn 4 times in the April 2012 capsule (recap here).

I am determinedly doing bare legs, even though it's cold out!

I love yellow for spring!

What colour are you grooving on right now?

Blazer (Danier Leather, consignment), t-shirt (INC, thrifted), skirt (Talbot's, thrifted), belt (consignment), shoes (Prepare Hi Steady, Fluevogs).