Last Leopard and Buh-Bye Burgundy

And now, it Friday in what has felt like a week of Fridays...it's so strange, this thing we're all living in. 

Well, I went to work today - there were only two of us in the entire office (three by the end of the day). 

Neither of my coworkers batted an eye at my ensembles; they're all used to me. I do my miss my more fashionably-inclined colleagues, though. I know some of you are reading. Hello!

• Sweater - Karl Lagerfeld, consignment; first worn here in February with florals and fringe
• Skirt - Rena Rowan, vintage 90s, thrifted; last seen here in January with a teddy top and other animals
• Shoes - Mini Qtee, Fluevog, consignment; last worn here in October 2019 on  a spooky Friday 
• Sleeveless coat (below) - Only, thrifted; last seen here at the beginning of the month

As we are nearing the end of the month, I'm wearing some of my favourite fall/winter things one more time before I do my spring/summer swap-over. Each of these pieces is a keeper!

I love the bigass sleeves and the rich burgundy colour of this cotton sweater. But, buh-bye! To hot for spring.

The plush faux fur finish of this skirt knocks me out. I spent much of my day petting it (it's no substitute for purr therapy, but it helps!).

I love leopard with a solid colour. But this fabric is a little heavy for hot weather, so this is the last wearing until September.

I'm not back at work until Tuesday, so I'm about to go into a long weekend. How lovely!

We'll be staying inside and amusing ourselves with music, reading, TV, movies and board games.

Outerwear - I struggled with the sleeves on this sweater when I first wore it. They simply do not fit inside coats.

 Voila! I am so smart. And that's why you need a sleeveless coat in your coat wardrobe!

• Hat - Edward Mann, vintage 60s, thrifted
• Scarf - thrifted
• Gloves - Parkhurst

The stuff:

Very comfy shoes, but I really didn't move around much today, aside from dashing to the drugstore quickly to stock up on chocolate and junk food for the weekend. Provisions!

Brassy bling:

I debated wearing a necklace instead of the cuffs, but none of my gajillion necklaces were quite right.

• Brass/leather cuff - vintage 70s, Mom's
• Poe cuff - Jezebel Charms, gift from L
• Spinner ring - Twang & Pearl
• Feather ring - Fossil, thrifted
• Bronze ring - P. Sarpaneva, Finland, vintage 70s, vintage expo
• Earrings - thrifted

And there we go, short and sweet - I'll be back soon with tales of adventure! Have a good one, my friends, and stay safe.

Two-Fer: Fantasy Outfit and ORANGE LEATHER SHORTS

Hello, my friends! Today, I started with one outfit, then switched to another, so you get a "two-fer"...the price of one!.

This is a total fantasy outfit, as in, this is not a real-life wearable outfit for me. It was not comfortable, even just walking around - I took everything off as soon as I was done with my pictures.

• Top - Gorgeous, thrifted; last seen here in November 2018 with a leather skirt
• Leather pants - Gap, 2000, vintage store, Vancouver; last worn here in October 2018 with pink bell sleeves
• Shoes - Shellys London; last seen here (3rd outfit) in December 2017 for a sparkly party in an orange gown

As you can tell by the "last worn" dates above, these are all items that I have not worn in a year or more. The top - while amazing - is a smidge too snug. I do adore the green rabbit fur trim around the neckline, though, and it's just beautifully made, so it's still a keeper for me.

The leather pants are "standing only" - I'd like it if these were a little looser and I could wear them in regular outfits. I had trouble sitting in the stair picture!

Staying positive about my shape, I still think this outfit looks good. It just didn't feel good.

When I don't feel comfortable in an outfit, I'm not going to stay in the clothes.

"Off off off."

But I had fun dressing up in both the top and pants, just to get a wear of them in for this season.

I also thought, "Why not pull out a pair of party shoes?"

These are blindingly sparkly in the sun! Too bad there wasn't any sun today. Clouds and rain. Sigh.

I had fun playing with my hair - I did a slight side part and curled it with clips.

I have a barrette on the side too - a rare hair accessory for me! This also shows off the sweet vintage earrings and my tiger brooch. She really should have been on the shoulder with less hair so she could be seen better.

The stuff:

These shoes are way too high for me these days, but I'm just not ready to part with them. I can wear them if I'm sitting at a party, and that's about it.

Sparkly bling:

My dear tiger brooch will probably get packed away with my fall-winter jewelry - she requires substantial fabric to anchor her on my shirts, sweaters and blazers, and I don't want to pull or damage my warmer-weather garments.

• Earrings - Reiss, vintage 60s, vintage fair
• Tiger brooch - consignment
• Crystal ring - Uffizi Gallery gift shop, Florence, Italy
• Amber ring - c. 1996
• Barrette (above) - Icing

I was up early this morning, and out the door quickly to go for my Mental Health Walk - it was overcast and there were much fewer people out, but I had a good solid 8K walk, done in an hour. When I got home, I grabbed a backpack and some bags and went and got groceries.

"Seriously, you're going out again?"

The stores are much less crowded in the middle of the day, so this ended being a smart move vs. going after work or on the weekend. Everything went successfully, with minimal stress, and I spent the afternoon creating outfits to detox from being out.

Since I couldn't hang around the house, blog or make stew in the above outfit, I made another one!

This actually feels much more like me - it's fun, relaxed and oh, did you notice my ORANGE LEATHER SHORTS?

• Sweater - Nor; last seen here (2nd outfit) in January with these same shoes and silver pants
• Tee (underneath) - Ted Baker, thrifted; last worn here (3rd outfit) in September 2019 with a space jacket for Vero's birthday bash
• ORANGE LEATHER SHORTS - Danier Leather, vintage 80s, thrifted; last worn here (3rd outfit) in January 2018
• Shoes - Star Wars Collection, Irregular Choice; last seen here with this sweater in January

Sorry to shout at you, but the ORANGE LEATHER SHORTS get very cranky if I don't give them all caps.

As I haven't worn the shorts in over a year, I was pleased to find that they are still very comfy - not binding or tight at all.

I nearly always wear them with tights, as that makes me more comfortable than baring my thighs to the world.

I layered my stretchy tee with a sweater over it due to hot flashes. If I have to take the sweater off, I want to still look good!

It's a sparkly navy blue - the sparkle can be seen through the open knit-work of the sweater.

Big pockets, good for jamming my hands in 'em.

Ah, they made nice deep pockets in the 80s!

Check out that massive rise!

High-waisted AND pleats! Oh my! Be still, my 80s heart.

Left hand bling:

 My wedding ring and amethyst/gold ring are almost always worn.

• Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes
• Cuff - vintage 80s

Right hand bling:

I layered on my leather wrist gear - total badassery!

• Crystal/silver ring - Soul Flower
• Top wrap - Kipling Leather, thrifted
• Cuff - BCBG, thrifted

Shoes:

I rotated the picture 180 degrees so that you could see the pictures on the toes properly. Just chillin' out on the deck, hoping for some sun.

As you can see, my curly hair had completely fallen by the time I did the second outfit. I did discover that my leather/chair wrist-wrap works beautifully in my hair as a head-band! It has weight from the chain but stays put, since the backside of the leather is suede, which doesn't slide in my hair. Nice!

"Live long and prosper!"

• Earrings - consignment
• Chain/leather bracelet/headband - local
• Star Trek communicator badge - MoPop gift shop, Seattle

My beef stew is bubbling away on the stove, and L will be home from work soon. Guess what's for dinner?

"Chicken paste with tuna juice? Kitty treats?"

He hasn't moved from that chair all day! What a lump of cat he is.

Wear Real Clothes All Day

Hello, my friends! From being ultra-colourful yesterday, today it's about feeling good in my clothes and feeling good about my body. 

This is my "work outfit" even though I'm at home and not working. I did clean out a drawer today, though, so that felt good - I found a calculator!

• Cardigan - Joseph A, consignment; last worn here in November 2019 with long olive
• Leather peplum - H&M, consignment; last seen here in March 2019 with a wooly transfer
• Trousers - Pariscope, vintage 90s, thrifted; last worn here in a horrendous outfit in March 2019
• Shoes - Celestial Communication Andromeda, Fluevog; last seen here in March 2019 in a goldenrod smokeshow

I started my day reading this excellent article (here) by Sylvia of 40PlusStyle (who I met at the Vancouver Blogger Meet-Up in 2015), which made me feel a lot better. I know intellectually that I can only control myself and my own actions, but it's harder to know that emotionally.

From reading that, I very much enjoyed Pam's article (here) about dressing for dinner. What a great idea! 

I went from that to play in my closet - I still have a few days left in my fall/winter wardrobe and there are still a few items that I haven't worn yet this season, like these whackadoo plaid trousers. The last time I tried them on, I had trouble zipping them up (it's an accursed side zip). 

I have also been feeling not so great about myself/my body/my shape, because I've been defaulting to wearing my "around the house" clothes so frequently when I'm home during the day.

Part of that feeling is missing my daily walking commute to and from work, where my job is quire physical (it involves a lot of stairs between floors). I need to remedy that by going on my Mental Health Walks more often.

Part of it is also not wearing clothes that make me stand up straight and sit better. Real clothes.

I was shocked to find that my leather peplum was not as tight as it was before, and I could not only button the waistband of these non-stretchy vintage pants, but I could also zip them comfortably.  

I have been consoling myself with chocolate and popcorn, but it seems to have been countered by my veggie and fruit eating, and generally healthy diet. Go, me!

I'm wearing this outfit to blog in, and I plan to leave it on until L gets home.

He rarely sees my outfits in person due to our different schedules. I think he will like this one - my booty looks good!

Totally feeling this leather peplum, and this slouchy green cardi is a nice change from the hole-y cashmere that I usually wear at home.

The trousers are fairly comfortable, although the very high waistband digs a bit if I slouch...which is a good reminder not to slouch!

I've done this cardigan and trouser combo before - they just go well together.

This feels very me.

 Right down to the pockets.

The stuff:

Well, these shoes are very high! They are good for a quiet day at the "office" - okay, I confess, I didn't wear them for very long! I put my slippers on after I took all my pictures.

D'oh! I should have taken off my earrings and necklace to photograph them.

• Necklace - POLY, thrifted
• Earrings - gift from Lise

I did decide to change up my bling picture, since I wore a my accessories as armour. Usually, when I take my "stuff" and "bling" pictures, it's the end of the day, and I put them away immediately. As part of my day's goal to Wear Real Clothes All Day, I'm leaving them on.

These rings perfectly express my head space at times. F#@!

• Studded cuff - Alexis Bittar, consignment, Vancouver
• Silver cuff - vintage, thrifted, Powell River
• Thumb ring - POLY, vintage fair
• Swear rings - Wendy Brandes

Vizzini woke up from his morning snooze came to see what I was doing.

"You going somewhere, Woman? Where are your slippers?"

• Silver mid-finger ring - vintage fair
• Steel/glass ring - POLY, Art Gallery of Hamilton gift shop
• Silver/aventurine ring - consignment
• Steel ring/jade ring - my daily rings, both thrifted
• Wire cuff - POLY, thrifted
• Silver/gold cuff - JPL, vintage fair

After seeing that I was occupied and not with him (how outrageous!), Vizzini went full "Monkey Cat" and bounded across the living room to his post, where he scratched with ferocious vigor.

"I demand attention!"

He got praise for his very good scratching of his post (and not the chair), and then he started begging for a brushing. I keep his brush in the drawer of our scotch bar, and he stares meaningfully at the drawer until I comply (I am the brusher).

"Mmm...yes, brush time. I must shed this winter coat."

He has been looking a bit scruffy, so he got a good long session. Over the years, I've gradually gotten him very used to being brushed all over, around his face, even on his tum (I'm very gentle and careful).

"You are my favourite. Don't tell the Man."

That's not true - he gets different things from each of us, and he's very much an "equal" cat for spending time with us. He's a handful.

And now, my friends, I'm going to go start a roast for dinner.

"I live for roasts."

I might even read for a while, or work on some art. Every day is a new day. See you tomorrow!

Bringing PANK to the Gloom

Back to work today after five whole days off (including my pre-planned stay-cation in there), and wow, was my office dead. For a few hours, there were only 4 of us there, on 3 floors. 

My boss gave me a quizzical eyebrow when he saw me. "I'm bringing PANK to the gloom," I said.

• Dress - Essentiel Antwerp, consignment; last worn here (3rd outfit) in December 2019 with trout shoes
• Shoes - Enneagram Individualist, Fluevog; last seen here in February for my last haircut (it's going to be a while before I get another one!)
• Coat (below) - Vassali, consignment; last worn here a week ago

I had a reader/commenter request for PANK, so PANK ye shall have!

Why PANK? It's so pink...it's PANK!

It's a lovely loose swing dress.

To which I added very busy floral tights.

It has pockets! Yes!

I loved how my shoes went with this full look.

Outerwear - it was chilly in the morning (and oh, did it ever feel early!).

I am done with this coat - it's got a rip in the back now, and I just don't love it. Off it goes to the giveaway pile.

If stores ever reopen, if the world ever returns to semi-normal, I'll look for a new long black coat.

It'll be hard to top the pizzazz of this one, but I have faith that an even better black coat is out there. Thank you, coat!

I first wore it here in December 2012, and bought it here in November 2012 for $72.00. I've probably worn it at least 5-10 times per year in just over 9 years, so I'm definitely under $2.00 per wear and probably closer to $1.00 per wear. I'm completely good with that.

• Gloves - consignment

The stuff:

I love these shoes, and although they aren't quite PANK, they are still a pretty close match to the dress and tights.

• Necklace - thrifted
• Earrings - Kate Spade, consignment; purchased here for $13.50
• Lapis lazuli ring/Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes

I totally forgot to take a "bling" picture. D'oh! My brain was all scrambled from the stress of restocking "someone's" kitty treats after work. Mental note: go to stores mid-day!

"But did you get me more treats, Woman??"

I had to wait outside Bosley's Pet Food, distanced 6' apart from the other shoppers, as they were only letting in 2 people at a time. The wonderful staff got what I needed, and then I paid for it...except that all the debit machines were down!

"Answer the question, Woman! This is important business!"

I did, little loaf-cat. After running to the drug store to see if their ATM was working (no), or to ask if I could buy some cash (no, they said it was nation-wide, that the system was overwhelmed), I ran back to town and took some cash out at the bank (that worked). Phew! I feel frazzled!

It's a frazzly time, isn't it? I also realized that I forgot to include this close-up of me and Vizzini in my Vampire Anniversary post.

"Woman, you need some serious purr-therapy."

I really do! And I'll have lots of time for it, since my boss told me to stay home tomorrow and Thursday - I'll be back at work on Friday to check in on the office (I had 75 emails today to slog through).

A quick thank you to all of you who are out there reading and commenting! I really appreciate it. Stay safe, my friends.