Wednesday, April 26, 2023

New Blue Duo and Trout Shoes

I planned my outfit today for more physical work in the office, but ended being tied to my desk all day. 
That's all right - I can always make another comfy outfit! 

  • Dress - See By Chloe, thrifted; purchased here for $24.95
  • Cardigan - Halogen, thrifted; purchased here for $24.95
  • Shoes - Miista; last worn here (2nd outfit) in September 2022 for a wee shop
  • Suede coat (below) - Tadmor, vintage 60s, vintage mall; last seen here this week

I noticed Bert and Ethel were at their nest again this morning. 
"She's looking at us again, dear."


I hadn't noticed until I was pawing around in my closet last night, but these two new-to-me thrifted pieces are an EXACT match. 
Pockets! 

Seriously, I don't think I could have asked for a better match between these two blues. 
I will staunchly defend the cardigan as purple, but it does look blue in the pics. 

Colleague Stefanie admired how well they went together. 
I can see myself deploying this duo again! 

The dress solo, although I never took the cardigan off. 
More pockets! 

The skirt is quite short (I have nylons on), so the cardi gave me some Thigh Security. 
It was a lovely dress to wear. 

Outerwear - should I wear my shades? Answer - yes! It was sunny by afternoon, and we have forecast temps of 22 for later this week! 
The skirt did ride up under the coat - I had to watch that it didn't creep up, but it wasn't too fussy. 

Accoutrements: 
I realized today that I have FOUR pairs of purple leather gloves. But...they're all different! 

  • Scarf - Fluevog
  • Beret - consignment
  • Leather gloves - Danier Leather

The stuff: 
I walked to and from work in my Trout shoes. They were a good match too! 

Silver bling: 
Some favourites.

  • Silver earrings - Israel, consignment
  • Steel cuff - thrifted
  • Silver hinged cuff - vintage, thrifted, Powell River
  • Silver/amethyst ring - vintage mall
  • Lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Fabulous Patterns and Dots

Today's outfit is just shopping from my closet, wearing things I've owned for years. 
I attended a big lunch meeting of some of the women in my office. As part of the ice-breaker, colleague Kristina said, "Fabulous!" as her first-impressions single word to describe me. 

  • Coat - Desigual by Christian Lacroix, consignment; last seen here in March 2022
  • Top - Beechers Brook, thrifted; last worn here under an amazing blazer in September 2022
  • Skirt - Compania Fantastico, consignment, Vancouver; last seen here with that amazing blazer in September 2022
  • Shoes - Ishshoes Zoomies, Fluevog; last worn here in July 2022 with blue and lilac

I dressed for my favourite coworkers - everyone loves colour - and there were many hugs and twirls. 
I've never worn this exact combo of jacket, top, skirt and shoes before. 

I have worn the shoes and dotted Creamsicle skirt together (here, in June 2019).
I've worn this light coat with the skirt before  too (here, in April 2019). That pattern is all woven! It's a gorgeous textile. 

And I've paired this top and skirt together fairly recently (here in September 2022), although you couldn't really see the top. 
I didn't take the coat off at all - it was freezing in the office today. 

I swooshed the skirt around dramatically. 
I like to have fun with my clothes. 

All done up. Ooh, I look so classy with my beret on. 
I felt fabulous in this. Thank you, Kristina! 

Accoutrements: 
I'm always happy to be reunited with this scarf, which has just come out to play again for spring. I've had it since 2011! 

  • Beret - consignment
  • Scarf - Marc Rozier, consignment
  • Gloves - consignment

The stuff: 
These rubber wedges are shockingly comfortable and very versatile. 

  • Belt - vintage 60s, Mom's
  • Silver/Lucite cuff - Alexis Bittar, consignment, Sidney
  • Leather/steel cuff - Rimanchik
  • Earrings - vintage fair
  • Silver/enamel ring - antique shop, Sidney
  • Lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes


Monday, April 24, 2023

Profesh Purple Pencil and a Mystery Bracelet

I had a physically busy day at work and was glad I'd worn two sweater knit pieces for bending and stretching.

I admit, I swapped out these fabulous, totally profesh pumps for my Geox walking shoes partway through my chores. 


  • Sweater - Iris Setlakwe, thrifted; last seen here in May 2022 with Eaters of Hosiery
  • Skirt - Diane Von Furstenberg, thrifted; last worn here in July 2022 with purple tigers and Kermit shoes
  • Shoes - Big Presence Desmond, Fluevog, consignment; last seen here (2nd outfit) with snakeskin and purple in September 2022
  • Suede coat (below) - Tadmor, vintage 60s, vintage mall; last worn here in January

I'd planned on wearing this sweater with a different skirt (the one from this outfit) but I hated it on - off to the giveaway pile for that skirt! 
Realizing I needed something quick that would work with the sweater, I grabbed this plain purple pencil skirt. 

The top has sheer silk sleeves, and that's a cutout in front (I have a camisole on underneath). 
The skirt has nice big slits on either side. 

It was a quick swap and it made the outfit 1000% better. 
No, I'm not posting a picture of the previous combo - I took it off immediately! No pictures! 

Outerwear - it's perfect weather (a little bit everything) for a nice vintage suede coat. 
"Also, the hallway should be open to me at all times."


He made a break for it again this morning, little rascal. 

Accoutrements: 
I wear my gloves long into spring, as I have Raynaud's (link here, for info) in my fingers, and it's very painful to warm my hands up and make the "ghost fingers" go away. 

  • Silk scarf - Fluevog
  • Leather gloves - Danier

The stuff:
I no longer have grey shoes, so these are as close as I get. 

Purple bling: 
All of this was selected with the Bad Skirt in mind and also steered me towards the purple pencil skirt. 

  • Bangles - thrifted
  • Silver/amethyst ring - Mexican, gift from Mom & Dad, c. 1986
  • Gold/amethyst ring - Frances Jewelers, c. 1965, Dad's
  • Filigree bracelet - vintage 1890s-1910s, Gram's 
  • Earrings - Plum

I unpacked this bracelet and added it to my "in circulation" jewelry for this season. I've had it for a long time - I can't actually remember if I "liberated" it from Mom's jewelry box in the 80s or if I got it from Gram (Mom's mother) herself or if I got it after she died in 1997. I suspect the latter. 

It's not high quality, just costume, but I think it is from the Art Nouveau period, sometime between 1890 and the end of the 19-teens (based on a browse through a very good "History of Jewelry" reference book). The main design is two pieces of stamped brass rotated 90 degrees and soldered together, and obviously, this is the back. 
The links are removeable - each is a single piece that folds over on itself. There are no marks on it at all, and the clasp (a "spring ring") is not original (it's very shiny).

The top - that is an amethyst, and it's in good shape, although it's not a symmetrical square but is a little wonky. 
The design elements of the flowers and the ruffled edging are very Art Nouveau, and links are vaguely  shell-like, but not as smooth and geometric as Art Deco. I wonder if this belonged to my great-grandmother or someone else in my family. It has very little wear on it, aside from the replaced clasp - I polished it back in the 90s, I believe, but it's been left alone since.

Have you ever seen anything like this? It's a mystery to me! 

Sunday, April 23, 2023

Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up: Fancy PANK Cowgirl; Geometric Brunch; Book Club in Neon, Leopard and Black Satin

Welcome back, my friends! It's been a lovely weekend, and I have three outfits to share, so settle in and enjoy.

This is Friday's work outfit. I know many of you are fans of my PANK dress. 
It's so pink - it's PANK! Get it? This hugely tickled my coworker Leah, who snapped a pic of me as I twirled at her desk. 

  • Dress - Essentiel Antwerp, consignment; last worn here in November 2022 with lime boots
  • Boots - Coach, consignment, Vancouver; first see here (3rd outfit) last weekend with sequins for brunch
  • Coat (below) - L'Atiste, consignment, Vancouver; last worn here in March

Pockets! I wore this dress to properly showcase the boots, which had only gotten a brief test run last week. 
The shorter hemline puts them front and center. A few colleagues said they looked rather Western. 

Uh, yeah, I wore a bolo tie! I am fully leaning into Cowgirl here. 
This bright colour feels good to wear. I'm a PANK Cowgirl! 

I like the mullet hem, and the box pleat in back for that mid-century swing-coat look. 
I wore purple tights to match my accoutrements. I also have a tank-style cami plus wee sporty shorts underneath for extra thigh security. 

Incognito. 
I also forgot to photograph my accoutrements, even though I laid them out artistically. 

  • Beret - consignment
  • Silk scarf - Ed Hardy by Christian Audigier, vintage 90s, consignment
  • Suede gloves - vintage, thrifted

The stuff: 
I am fully in love with these amazing boots. They were super-comfy all day.

Silver bling: 
The cuffs of the dress hid my bracelets in the pictures, but they were very noticeable in person. 

  • Silver/gold cuff - JPL, vintage fair
  • Silver earrings - Brenda Schoenfeld, 1992, vintage mall
  • Silver/stone bracelet - Salt Spring Island, gift from L
  • Silver/amethyst ring - vintage mall
  • Silver balls ring - Sidney
  • Hematite bolo tie - Lawrence's

The bolo tie belonged to L's stepdad - I pinched it for the day out of L's collection. 

Speaking of L, he called me over while I was doing my pictures to see what was going on at the computer. 
"Now the Man can't go to work."


L's wearing his bespoke Dolce & Gabbana black suit pants (the jacket's at work) that we bought on consignment recently, along with a vintage tie paired with a silvery-grey shirt. But of course the best accessory of all is a cute kitty! 

I dawdled on the way home and had a browse through Rich Rags consignment. I spotted this yellow leather purse the moment I walked in. 
And lo, it was mine! It has a long strap for cross-body action, and the leather is really soft and supple.

It has a frame opening and is shockingly big inside. The clasp is magnetic. 
The inside of the bag is pigskin suede (you can tell by those dotty marks - that's the hair that's been removed), and it has a nice big satin-lined zippered pocket. 

The label says "Julia Sanchez by Vendome" and it's made in Canada. Vendome was a high-end costume jewelry company from the 40s until 1979, when the parent company, Coro (which you may recognize if you love vintage jewelry), went bankrupt (about them here, link 'cause I love). 
I couldn't find anything about Julia Sanchez online, and I only found two bags with this label. Both were selling the purses as "vintage 1980s" and "faux leather" but they are WRONG due to the Vendome dates. This purse is from the 1970s, and that's real leather, inside and out. I happily paid $40 for this. 

L and I stayed up late and played boardgames and listened to music till the wee hours (some old Rick James and Pat Benetar Japanese import CDs), and met up with Nick for brunch at the Ruby on Saturday morning. 
I wanted to wear my new-to-me thrifted leather blazer right away. 

  • Leather blazer - Danier Leather, late 00s, thrifted; purchased here for $38.95
  • Top - Kokomarine, consignment; purchased here for $38.00
  • Skirt - Tatum & Olivia, consignment; last seen here (3rd outfit) in September 2022 for a Mental Health Shop
  • Boots - United Nude, consignment; last worn here in March with another black, white and red outfit

A little fitted blazer always looks good with a fun skirt. 
The silver-coated linen tank top is new-to-me as well - it's an excellent layering piece and a good colour, very versatile.

I love this length of jacket. 
The skirt is all separate ribbons of fabric, tacked together onto a black sheer silk backing. 

It was cloudy but warm (double digits!). 
I didn't need another coat over this. 

Just my gloves and a big silk scarf. 
Ready to brunch and then grocery shop. What an exciting day (har har). 

Accoutrements: 
One of my two fake Louise Vuitton by Stephen Sprouse (Marc Jacobs' era) scarves, likely a souvenir bought off the streets of Rome or New York City, both thrifted for less than $4 each. At least it's silk! I enjoy my collection of fakes. 

  • Purse - Rebecca Minkoff, consignment
  • Silk scarf - fake Louis (Lewis!) Vuitton, thrifted
  • Gloves - Danier Leather

Aside from the gloves, everything I wore today was second-hand. 

The stuff: 
I love these boots - this heel is always more comfortable than I think it will be! 

Black, white and red bling:
Mostly vintage. 

  • Black/white cuff - vintage fair
  • Black/red Bakelite cuff - vintage mall, gift from L
  • Earrings - West Germany, vintage 80s, vintage fair
  • Silver chain ring - Mexico, consignment
  • Silver/red enamel ring - antique shop, Sidney

L and I spent another evening playing boardgames and chilling out - it's our favourite thing to do, just to decompress from the busyness of our lives. I slept in a bit on Sunday morning, then got ready for Book Club. 

While I plan my work outfits in advance, my weekend ensembles are more happenstance with a leisurely approach. Hmmm...what shall I wear?
I started with the shoes, and went from there. 

  • Blouse - Rock & Republic, thrifted; last worn here in June 2022 for a Mom-Day Adventure in Sidney
  • Trousers - Gorman, consignment; last seen here in March by Reader Request
  • Shoes - Fast Cars Mille Miglia, Fluevog; first worn here in April with purple and paisley
  • Coat (below) - Le Chateau, thrifted; first seen way back here (2nd outfit) in October 2016 to see Alice Cooper in concert

I was thrilled to see these green beauties work so well with the loud leopard. 
And this is the blouse I've been meaning to wear with the trousers since I purchased them. 

A good match, right?
I needed a belt, so added the black grommet one I've had for close to 15 years. 

Matchy gloves and studded bag. 
Carolyn picked up Cat, me and Yvonne and we drove out to the wilds of Langford to the House of Boateng (I had the crab benny, menu here, link 'cause I love. The food is so fabulous!) for a Book Club brunch. 

While we waited to be seated, a couple of people came up to compliment me on "all this!" Thank you so much, kind strangers (mom and daughter, I believe, hello!). 
I'd honestly forgotten I owned this long vintage 90s Le Chateau black satin coat that I thrifted in 2016 for $17.95. I am pretty sure this is only the second time I've worn it! It's been hiding in a corner of my coat closet assigned to costume-y things. 

It's an XS, and I've never been comfortable buttoning it up, so I just skipped it.
I adore that long duster length! So dramatic! It has a big slit up the back for striding about.

We had a fantastic Book Club, discussing our last pick, "The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet" by Becky Chambers (Caro's pick - amazing, 5/5, highly recommended). 
Janaki distributed her selection to us after a leisurely 3-hour brunch, "Sharks in the Time of Saviors" by Kawaii Strong Washburn. Excited to read it! 

Accoutrements: 
The usual badassery, same as Saturday's.

  • Purse - Rebecca Minkoff, consignment
  • Gloves - Danier

The stuff: 
I love being so tall in these shoes - they were perfect for the trouser length. 

Turquoise bling: 
I love having all of this back in my "jewelry wardrobe." 

  • Belt - gift from Ruth
  • Turquoise/silver pendant - Mexican, Karen's
  • Silver/gold/turquoise ring - Mexican, Karen's
  • Glass/copper ring - consignment
  • Silver/turquoise oval ring - Glee
  • Silver/turquoise earrings - Mexican, consignment
  • Disc necklace - thrifted

Vizzini lurked around while I took pictures, getting in the way. Right behind him is where I set my camera for the timer. 
"Oh, am I in your way?"


Silly boy! 

I hope you had a fantastic weekend! Thanks so much for stopping by.