Festive special

Have you ever had a day where you had less than 10 minutes to go from work to an evening out?

Welcome to my life.

Warning, this post is looooong.

I wore this one evening when we went out at a comedy club.  I remember dashing home after work with only a few minutes to change.  Slipping on the velvet maxi (or is it velour?), and layering on my long shearling vest.

And then I started putting on necklaces.

Lots of necklaces.

I absolutely love everything I'm wearing. We had a ridiculously good time that night, and I'll forever associate the things I wore with those fond memories.

shearling vest, le chateau $100
vintage black maxi-dress, thrifted $2
elephant necklaces, thrifted $10
off-white beaded necklace, thrifted $3
black heart necklace, Icing $3
lace-up flats, Ardene $5

The  le chateau vest was a splurge.  I rarely buy things that aren't on sale.  But I fell in love with this ultra-soft vest.  And I had a birthday, gift card, so what the heck, I bought it.

The next event was the office Christmas party.  Absolutely everything was thrifted...and it was mah-velous!!

I had started scouring thrift stores for party dresses back in September.  October and November have the darkest, longest nights, so I was looking for something bright and festive.

This red floral dress was snapped up for $4 at the Sally Anne.  So was the blazer and shoes.  The purse was a Value Village buy.

I dithered over whether to buy this pretty gold and enamel necklace.  

I spotted the necklace dangling off a rack of jewellery.  I held it for a while, then I thought of all the jewellery I had, and I put it back.  Then I thought about it some more...I really liked the geometric design and the careful construction.  So it came home with me.

I was glad I did.  In the flurry of getting ready, I auditioned it with the dress.  It flattered the V-neck of the dress nicely!  

Velvet blazer, thrifted $2
Liz Claiborne dress, thrifted $4
Trifari necklace, thrifted $6
Liz Claiborne purse, thrifted $14
shoes, thrifted $7

When I was putting the necklace away the next day, I noticed it was signed Trifari.  I knew from my ebay selling days that Trifari is a coveted brand.  Imagine my surprise when I Googled "Trifari Kunio Matsumoto"  and saw that this necklace was selling for more than a hundred dollars on the resale market. Wow!

I immediately rushed back to Value Village hoping to find the matching earrings and bracelet. 

This is what I wore to Thanksgiving dinner.  It was crucial that I wore something that would allow me to eat large quantities of food and laugh a lot :)

The sweater is from Cleo, I really liked the chain details.  The black skirt is a nice, heavier weight knit skirt.  The label is Lapis.  It was another $2 deal from Salvation Army.

Cleo tunic sweater, $70
Lapis knit skirt, thrifted $2
DSW boots, $40

The boots were bought a few years ago when I visited Shoe Warehouse in Duluth. I like them because they comfortable, and the metallic studs are subtly decorative.

I was thrilled when magazines started featuring glittery, sequined or beaded sweaters.  I have a collection of 80's sweaters which were cheaply purchased second-hand.  It's especially gratifying wearing something unique, high-quality and trendy.

I wore the black sweater with gold sequins and beads to a surprise birthday party.  I didn't want to be burdened with a coat.  So this lambswool sweater was paired with some glittery flats, and jeans.  It kept me warm and comfortable enough that I could park and walk to the venue in chilly weather.

The lace blouse and vest to the right are also thrifted.  The pink rhinestone broach was an ebay find.  I keep combinations like this ready to wear on hangars.  It's a lifesaver on days when I have to change outfits quickly.

Embellished sweater, thrifted $2
Pink lace blouse, thrifted $5
Vest waistcoat, thrifted $3
Pink rhinestone broach, ebay $25

Shiny footwear is excellent for amping up an outfit.  The glittery flats were a thrift store find from 2 years ago.  The shiny boots were a hand-me-down from stylist.

I love shine.  I was especially glad to find this shimery, lurex blouse at the Salvy Army.  I paired it with a vintage, lambswool tube skirt and wore it to a Christmas party.  For the picture I also added this gold link belt.

I also love plaid. The red plaid shirt is made of shiny velour.  I wore it with stretchy jeans to on Christmas Day.

Both outfits were thrifted.  They cost less than $15 from head to toe.

everything is thrifted

Here is another 80s beaded sweater.  It's IB Diffusion, a label I coveted back then.  It's a beautifully made, lambswool and angora dress with carefully sewn bugle beads.  I bought it for very little (like $5 or so).  I volunteer with the Salvation Army Kettle Campaign and sometimes I work in very cold areas.  So I layered this dress over another sweater, skinny jeans and boots.

The fabulous red velvet drss was $5 (wow!).  It has a neat embossed design.

It makes me sad when I shop at the mall with stylist.  The clothing that is made now doesn't have this quality anymore.  One of the many reasons why I enjoy shopping vintage is the quality of the material and superior workmanship.  

These dresses would have cost a small fortune back in the day.  It was anti-fast fashion.

Haha! It looks like the black dress is touching the red dress.

The fun part of cold weather is cute, novelty sweaters!  

Check out the rhinestone bow-tie!

I bought this sweater and a bunch of other stuff at a heavily discounted sale at Kohl's.  Back in the day, when the Canadian-US exchange wasn't punishingly high, we would shop in Duluth as an annual treat.

I wore the novelty sweater with RW leggings.  RW is one of my favorite, retail places to shop.  The quality and style is great. Their stuff lasts for years, and the colours are brilliant.

It's difficult to see in the picture, but the dark blue leggings have a really cool diamond design. I adore anything that reminds me of vintage neckties from the seventies.

I won't lie, I like my sweats and jeans.

If you like sweats, check out Roots.  Their stuff used to be made in Canada. Nowadays not so much.  Yes their stuff is eye-wateringly expensive, but they do have an outlet.

Back to parties.  I paired this dress with a velvet blazer and hung it on a hangar so that I can quickly grab it the next time I have to go out. The dress is RW, the blazer is INC International (both thrifted for a few dollars).

The last outfit I'm going to show you came from Value Village.  I gasped when I found the kilt.  It's green and brown and it's ultra-long.  It's vintage and the quality is fantastic!

The brown top was found further down the aisle and it matches the skirt exactly. 

Wow, I wonder if the same person donated both items!  If so, thank you!

the brown sweater has a touch of Lurex

Luurrrve this kilt!

Whew! Thanks for reading this extensively long post.  I'm going for a walk.

happy thrifting ;)

the end of summer

The summer we enjoyed this year was spectacular.  

Then the weather got a little cooler and the air a little crisper.  I remember the first day I had to reach for boots.  Ugh.

The good news about fall is ponchos!!

When people say, "the best thing since sliced bread", I feel they are doing a disservice to ponchos.  Anything that feels like a blanket, which can be worn at work and while running errands, should have it's own idiom.

Enjoying snuggly warmth while impressing people with my fashion acumen is always a big plus.  Usually when I'm this comfortable, I'm wearing sloppy, over-sized, sweats.

One day when I was trawling through the Halloween costume rack at Value Village, I stumbled across this beauty. 

$25...what??

I peered at the label and was delighted to see it was made in the USA.  Bemidgi Woolen Mills is in Minnesota and judging from their website, they sell all manner of cozy things to keep you warm. Technically this isn't a poncho, it's a cape. But whatever.

I wore the cape during an especially chilly 5 degree Celcius day, and it kept me toasty warm. It's the perfect thing to wear if you plan to spend extended time outdoors.  If I were going to a daytime, outdoor event, I would wear it over a heavy sweater and jeans.

If you walk or commute, it's the best thing ever.  It has pockets where you can keep your cell-phone and bus pass.

If you drive, you will have to take a few minutes to tuck the folds of woolen material around you. 

I found this lovely in the beach-coverup section.  I guess it pays to check all the weird aisles to find ponchos.

$15...yes!!

I refuse to acknowledge cold weather (until I really have to).  So if wearing a poncho means delaying putting on a coat, then it's all good. 

Other great things about fall are boots, sweater dresses and road trips with amazing blue skies.

Roots stripey poncho, vintage silk blouse, RW leggings.

Most comfortable boots ever.

American Eagle sweater dress (thrifted $5!) Plaid coat (thrifted) Canadian made boots (Hudson's Bay)

If you are visiting Ontario during the autumn, you're in for a treat!  The fall colours are so beautiful.

Wardrobe staples for me are silk blouses over cotton t-shirts, my favourite RW leggings and boots.  Toss on a poncho and you're set for chilly offices or a walk outdoors.

Here are some pictures from my fall road trip.  Driving across Ontario makes you really how really BIG Canada is.  I stopped to take some pictures.

It's common not to see anyone for miles on the highway.  So when I saw this train, I had to take a picture.

Canadian or what?

Small town Ontario.

If you look closely, you'll see stacked rocks on top of the rocky outcrop.  I saw scads of Inuksuks  and stacked rocks along the highway.

Spectacular sky.

happy thrifting everyone ;)

Thrifted dress bonanza!

Freeow!  It's almost the end of the year, and I've almost finished watching the entire season of "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency", again.  I'm not saying I've been a total, Netflix sloth...spending hours and hours supine on the couch. But then again, I'm not NOT saying that either.

I am saying that it's inarguably the BEST time to thrift, as the thrift stores are positively BURSTING with amazing clothing.  

In the past three months I went on several shopping sprees and I literally left loads of scrummy clothing behind because I found too much good stuff.  Sigh.

I've been obsessed with dresses and velvet...and the 90's. Here is a selection of amazing dresses that I found.  Prices ranged from $2-$25.

In no particular order.

I bought FOUR black dresses at Value Village.  I originally had many more in my cart (yup, it was a dress-apalooza). But I exercised great restraint and put most of them back.  

Here are two of the dresses. The dress on the left is particularly becoming.  I have never owned a dress with asymetric details before - I am quite happy with it. The dress on the left is a thick cotton knit with jewelled neckline.  It still had the tags on it!

I bought two other black dresses.  One with a sweetheart neckline and mesh, beaded shoulders.  The other was a floaty, long 90's dress...I love the 90s!!  

Have you ever had one of those dreamy, thrifting moments?  You know, when everything is incredibly inexpensive?  And the aisles are loaded with everything you could possibly want?  Welcome to my Salvation Army shopping spree.

I sorta regret not buying this 80s tafetta for $2.  It would have made an amazing sleeveless, dress.

I came home with this $2 velvet maxi.  I wore it to a comedy night.  It was excellent for an evening of laughter and great food.

I nipped into the Sally Anne during one of their 50% off sales.

Imagine my surprise when I found this lurking amongst the Old Navy and George.

I squealed when I saw the label.  Which may explain why I'm holding the dress so close in this picture - I wasn't going to let it get away!!

This St. John dress likely retailed for a pretty penny.  It came home with me for $5!!

Hello, is that jacquard?

Why yes, I'll take you home with me.  And that crushed, grey velvet dress too.

This bright green, silk sheath came home too.  It's J Crew, hurrah!

Nothing is more practical for our Canadian climate that a loose, sweater dress.  Especially when it's made of easy-care acrylic.

Joe Fresh $5

I've already worn it to work. Paired with leggings and boots.  It was a hit!

I also came home with some yarn, a couple of scarves, and some china.

10 skeins of Canadian wool

Four scarves

Feeling lazy, I threw the mohair scarf in the washing machine on the delicate cycle.  It did shrink, but in a good way.  It's dense and lightweight.  I wore it on an especially chilly, windy day and it did an excellent job blocking out the Artic air.

I also find that washing mohair helps blunt the extreme, hairy itchiness.

Forgetful idiot that I was...I unrolled the scarf forgetting that I had this china cup rolled inside.  The cup cracked, so I threw it away.  I still have the tidbit saucer, which I've used to hold my tea-time dainties (which is a fancy way to say Kit-Kats).

Back to my thrift haul.  I found some extraordinary items which did not come home with me.  But I took pictures to show you.

Fabulous vintage coat

English made "Official" velvet halter dress.  If only this vintage beauty could talk!  I bet it went to wonderful parties!

The neckline was embellished with glittery stones.

The quality of the velvet was amazing.  I hope it went to a good home.

I also found this vintage maxi.

And this more, modern leopard print.

I did buy this Liz Claiborne.  I do like a lined dress that you can scrumple up and squish into ball for packing.  It doesn't wrinkle!!  I packed it away for the spring. 

This black watch, tartan dress joined the other tartan items in my wardrobe.  It's a tad snug, but I can wear it unbuttoned as a duster.

Last but not least, this Ikat print, Anne Klein dress.  Also, packed away for the summer.

Whew! That was a long post.  I could use a cuppa!

happy thrifting ;)