Thursday, November 21, 2024

Mom-Day at Home in Tigers and Colour, Plus a Wee Shop

Welcome back, my friends - no Mom-Day Adventure in "the wild" this week as Mom had to be home for her art group to pick up display racks from her garage for an upcoming show. 
Erm, that's a little blurry, sorry! But Mom and I had a lovely afternoon, which I'll get to shortly. 

First the outfit! My non-office days are always my favourite for building outfits - I just browse in my closet for what I feel like wearing. I knew I'd have to walk a fair bit and that it might rain, so dressing for the weather is also a factor. 
I started with my Kenzo tiger sweater, picking out the blue in it for the skirt. 

  • Tiger sweater - Kenzo, thrifted; first worn here in February with yesterday's bronze skirt
  • Skirt - Lord & Taylor, thrifted; last seen here (2nd outfit) in February in sneaky Adidas
  • Boots - Doc Martens; last worn here (2nd outfit) for brunch with Run DMC
  • Puffer coat (below) - Stormtech, thrifted; last seen here in February

I like putting primary colours together. Let's add yellow!
The butter yellow Docs go with all the gold thread in the sweater's embroidery, and they're good for walking (and rain).

The skirt is a really stretchy tube shape. 
Good for walking, getting on and off the bus, shopping at the WIN Boutique on Cook Street. 

Rock on - I have a tiger on my back! 
I love that detail. Hannah, our server at Floyd's, said this is her favourite outfit out of everything she's seen me in. High praise! 

I looked like this while shopping - and I was HOT.
It was a little too warm for a down-filled coat, even though the chartreuse colour worked really well as a yellow variant with the rest of the ensemble.

I needed to be fully bundled up when outside.
I had oodles of comments on my colours as I moved through the world. 

Accoutrements: 
Blues and reds, lots of faves here. 

  • Leather purse - Danier Leather, thrifted
  • Silk scarf - Halston, vintage 70s, thrifted
  • Wool beret - consignment
  • Wool gloves - Parkhurst
  • Tiger brooch - consignment, gift from L

Here's a better look at the tiger brooch as worn pinned to my beret. 
She was a little heavy, causing the beret to slide around a bit, but I did LOVE her on there. Must do that again! 

It was a day of being clever with my accoutrements; I had a lightbulb moment recently for saving my tights from popping their toes - I wear a pair of thin socks UNDER them. 

You can see the hole in my black tights here (klassy!), with my pink sock showing. The tights help the socks stay put, so they don't slide off my heels, and the socks protect my tights from popping holes.
I was also patting myself on the back for layering these thrifted red lace knee-highs over my black tights, to mimic the marled red yarn of the sweater. I'm so darned clever! 

The stuff: 
I swear by Docs for any weather! I love the soft leather of these. 

Gold bling: 
I had another bracelet on, but had an unpleasant surprise. 

  • Bird/eelskin hinged bracelet - vintage, consignment
  • Earrings - thrifted
  • Gold-plated sterling ear-cuffs - consignment
  • Necklace - Givenchy, vintage 80s, vintage fair
  • Silver/green stone ring - consignment, Sidney
  • Silver/red stone ring - thrifted
  • Lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes
  • Silver/kyanite ring - consignment

When I arrived at Mom's and took my gloves and coat off, my other bracelet fell out of the sleeve. 
Dammit, one of the links snapped in half! Boo! 

  • Bracelet - Banana Republic, vintage fair; purchased here for $12.00

Oh, well. it was only $12.00. Sigh, into the Free pile - someone might want to turn it into a purse charm or something. 

I hopped off the bus and walked to Mom's house - she lives in a semi-rural area out of town. 
Sheep! Hello, sheep! 

The one in the middle spotted me! 
I'd better move along...he doesn't look very friendly...

Bare branches and crows overhead. 
It was a crisp, quiet walk. 

Muddy paths (glad I had my Docs!)
Most of the trees have been de-leaved by the recent storms. Another is on the way for Friday, oh yay. 

Mom was resplendent in her shades of teal. 
She's showing off her new velour cords (with pockets!). Looking spiffy, Mom! 

She showed me her latest works of art - she's been painting and drawing like mad lately. 
As we were talking, she said suddenly, "SQUIRREL!" Oh, that's where I get that from...

There are a total of 8 paintings and pen and ink plus watercolours here. Many of them are from pictures I took. 
Mom "steals" my pictures off the blog, what a thief, heh heh. 

I took a picture of this Royal Victoria Marathon poster from 1984. The picture was of runners on Dallas Road from the previous year, 1983. 
My dad is number 1207, right in the middle of the picture between the two pylons, in the navy blue tank. Mom framed the poster for him, and it's always been displayed with his actual race number. I noticed for the first time that there are only men in the photo! And this is the middle of the pack, not the elite runners (Dad specialized in Ultras). Weird. 

Mom at Floyd's, showing off her cool necklace (another that I covet). It's made of horseshoe nails and she's had it since the 70s. 
That was a wonderful, relaxing day, thank you, Mom! I love you! 

I spent about an hour in the WIN Boutique, looking for Christmas presents - I have my nieces' gifts all done now! I still have more to pick up for L and for Mom, but I'm getting there. Of course I did find a few things for me...

This is a short burnout velvet (or Devoré if you're classy!) duster/open robe.  
I gave the fringe a haircut as it was rather ratty-looking. I love the plummy burgundy shade of it. 

I was surprised that it was Forever 21! But I think it's OLD F21, by that label, probably from the early 00s, as I got zero hits for it online.
I thought $11.95 was a good price. 

I grabbed this viscose dress right away! I LOVE this colour mix and that bold leafy pattern. 
The colours are black, cream, taupe, burgundy and lavender (yes, it matches my hair). 

Luisa Cerano for only $19.95?? What? 
It's from Autumn/Winter 2023, so it's not even old! It's called "Purple Rain" and retailed for over $600.00! I knew that $19.95 was a deal.

This plaid peplum top appealed to me - it will look good over a shirt or turtleneck, as a layering piece.
The plaid is obviously Burberry-inspired, with two lines of dark purple instead of red. I like the rotated plaid on the peplum, a nice detail. 

It's by InWear and is a wool blend (and fully-lined). 
$14.95 was my price.

I found a few accessories for myself.
A pewter candleholder, a ring and a cream beret.

The candleholder is marked Norsk Tinn Pewter and it's probably from the 70s. It holds two different sized candles, which is handy - both taper and short/stubby.
The decoration is an acanthus leaf. 

It was $8.95 - I spotted a few online for over $25.00. 
I might give it away, as I am not much into candles. 

The beret feels like wool.
It was only $9.95 - I have paid up to $25.00 for berets.

I fell hard for this brass leopard ring. 
She's chomping my finger! 

I like the carved out "spots".
This was $7.95. I saw one online for over $65.00.

And - saving the best for last - this sweater made me catch my breath. 
Check the design...yes, it's very symmetrical. 

The colour is a soft teal with darker teal, purple, black, white and mustard yellow. 
I have all those colours in my closet! This will go with lots of stuff and hopefully make many friends. 

Oh, that's an exciting label. Etro, Milano, Italia, 85% silk! 
Made in Italy. 

And of course, it is Etro! Um, WIN taggers, this is a fail. There is zero cashmere in this sweater. 
While $46.95 is a very high price for a thrift store, I know that Etro's pieces are gorgeously made and not cheap. On Ebay, similar ones range between $69-200.00. 

The real "best for last" is, of course, Vizzini. 
"Sending everyone cuddly vibes."


I'm off for the weekend now, Gentle Readers - please do check back in on Sunday and I'll regale you with tales of adventure. Thank you so much for stopping by! 

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Bronze Pleats, Vintage Cream and Turquoise

Hello, my friends! Would you believe I built this entire outfit around a ring?
It's true! And it was a good excuse to wear this stunning bronze lame (lah-MAY, darlings!) pleated silk skirt. Phew, that's a lot of adjectives. 

  • Wool jacket - Pims, consignment; first seen here in November 2023 with Boss Pants and teal
  • Sweater - Bellissima, thrifted; last worn here in May with Ed Hardy and Vivienne Westwood
  • Skirt - Ralph Lauren, consignment; last seen here in June, layered under a dress
  • Cowboy boots - Donald J. Pliner, consignment, Sidney; last worn here in September
  • Cocoon puffer (below) - B. Young; last seen here a couple of days ago

The Castle was breathtaking this morning. What light! 
It was windy all day and lots of people in the southern parts of the Island have no power - one of my coworkers said there were five trees that had fallen across her driveway. Luckily we didn't loose any of these beautiful Garry Oaks. Lots of twigs on the ground, though. 

Back to the outfit, and I have to share - and Carol witnessed it! - the most awesome compliment that I received today. The FedEx guy knocked, and as I opened the door to take the box, he said, "Wow, you're gorgeous!" Why thank you, kind person! And that was that, interaction over. 
"You're wearing the skirt I like to chew on."


Anyway, I was left with a happy boost, which I tried to pass along to others throughout the day. 

I've had this beautiful skirt for four years and have worn it 15 times, which is a LOT for me. When I clicked back, I loved every outfit - it's Peak Gold Skirt. 
"I photobombed you the last time you wore it."


He did! That's so funny. 

I loved wearing this vintage wool jacket again - I paired it with teal on its first outing too. 
"Why aren't you paying attention to meeee?"


Teal's one of my Fall/Winter accent colours - I have shoes, a belt and a top in teal, which makes creating an outfit easy. Pick a skirt/bottom. Wear all the things. Put on a jacket that goes. Voila! 

I searched for a long time before finding this short-sleeved teal thin sweater. I have it tucked in here - it's quite long. 
I didn't take the jacket off all day, as it would have been A Production, but I know you like to see these things, Gentle Reader. 

Both Glenn and Carole were surprised that I owned a puffy cocoon coat. 
But this is part of my sporty vibe that I've been feeling for a few years. It will be cool with my sporty sneakers, and my Weird Adidas.

I was snuggly warm, even with no sleeves. 
I love the colour - it makes me so happy. 

Accoutrements: 
I pulled my velvet-gloved hands out of the fleece pockets, after taking my Outerwear pics, the pockets turned inside out! Velvet Rage! Ah! Swap to leather gloves now! Fleece and velvet are not friends.

  • Toque - gift from Tammy
  • Brooch - Monet, vintage 80s, thrifted
  • Silk scarf - Banana Republic, consignment
  • Leather gloves - Roeckl, consignment

The stuff: 
And I have boots with turquoise on them! Aren't they amazing? I love the mother-of-pearl inlay on the heels. They're leather and canvas, so I tote them to and from work. 

It's All About the Ring Bling: 
And there she is, the ring that started it all! I loved wearing it and it was roundly admired. 

  • Belt - Emmanuel, vintage 80s, thrifted
  • Brass link bracelet - vintage, consignment
  • Brass cuff with turquoise, crystals and pearls - Myka, consignment
  • Turquoise ring - consignment; purchased here for $26.00
  • Amber ring - c. 1996
  • Pinky ring - Dots
  • Bee brooch - consignment; purchased here for $18.00
  • "Chiclet" necklace - vintage 1920s, vintage mall, gift from L
  • Amber/silver earrings - thrifted

Despite buying them on the same day, the bee brooch was not chosen until I started to hunt for something to wear on my jacket lapel. 

After all that cat-bombing, I had to pick up Vizzini and give him some love.
"How did you know?"


A bit blurry as I kiss his fuzzy head.