OMG you GUYS!!!!

Look what I found! 

A Zandra Rhodes silk dress! WHOOOOOOO!!

It's not zany like some of her other dresses but it has shells on it. Reminds me of my Atlantic Canada life.

and a pretty ruffle on the top. For $70!

I'm pretty chuffed!













My apartment is drying out and today I went to Canadian Tire (a hardware store that is a Canadian institution) and bought some plastic bins to put my shoes in. I'm having my carpet cleaned on Tuesday because my place smells like a swamp but after my apartment gets back to normal I'll be much more confident about putting them back under my bed.

Only one pair is truly ruined and they were not very expensive so I'm thanking my lucky stars.

Here's what I wore on Friday.

Blouse: Love Charles Vintage
Skirt: H&M
Shoes: House of Harlow 1960 (from Gilt)

I saw these shoes at Hudson's Bay a few weeks ago and loved them so very much but they didn't have my size. So I "Binged that shit" (googled them) and found them on Gilt.com.

So flappery. So pretty. I figure that since I threw out a pair of shoes this week and lost a pair in my flood that it was ok to bring another pair into the house.

Now I need a proper flapper dress to go with these beaded beauties.

I'm not sure if this top really matches the rest of the outfit but it was nice and cool to wear on a hot day. I don't own very many blouses. I tend to buy dresses but when I do buy skirts I forget that I need something to wear on the top. I need to rectify that.

Catching up

Sorry for the radio silence. I've been enjoying living in the city and spending more time outside of my apartment than inside. This is probably a good thing since my apartment is in a basement so it's not exactly bright. It's great for sleeping but not so great for the Vitamin D acquisition.

Although this was a short week, it was a busy one. Not just with work but with the socialization which is good since I tend to be a hermit if I'm not forced to interact with people.

Here's Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday's outfits. I skipped Thursday since I was totally uncomfortable all day.

May 21

Cardigan: Club Monaco (last worn here)
T-shirt: Joe Fresh (worn a lot)
Skirt: Smoking Lily (last worn here)
Shoes: Fluevog Mini | Gorgeous (last worn here)

Pretty nondescript and totally serviceable. Jersey t-shirt, jersey skirt,

I feel a little bit guilty about wearing Joe Fresh ever since the Bangladesh clothing factory collapse. Such a terrible tragedy where so many people died in the aid of making cheap clothing for those of us in North  America. I haven't shopped at Joe Fresh or any of the other companies that were linked to that terrible event in quite a while. Now that I'm in Toronto I've been trying to shop at store that sell locally made items. They might cost more but I know I'm supporting my community.

Some people asked to see a close up of the necklace that I mentioned here.

I love it! My sister really knows me. :)






























May 22

On Wednesday, I wore this. <Chandler Bing> Could I BE any more stripey?</Chandler Bing>

Jacket: The Gap (hangs head in shame)
Shirt: Melissa Bolduc from Fresh Collective (last worn here)
Skirt: Melissa Bolduc from Fresh Collective
Shoes: Vivienne Westwood for Melissa (last worn here)


I wore these shoes because it was supposed to rain. It did a little bit but not much when I was outside.

Maybe I should recreate this with some similarly stripey shoes?

Look! There's a stripey underskirt! Yes, I'm so matchy matchy!

I've bought a few things from Fresh Collective since I moved to Toronto.  I walk past it's Queen Street store twice a day so it's quite enticing to just pop in. I must put blinders on!


























May 24

Dress: Bitter Root Vintage on etsy (last worn here)
Boots: Fluevog Hope | Desire (last worn here)

Today I had to brief my new Deputy Minister on some stuff and then we had a lunch to say goodbye to a coworker and then cake for a coworker birthday. Lots of socializing. That can be too much for a "highly sensitive person". 

I'm very used to briefing senior officials so I wasn't too worried about that. However I ended up on quite the sugar high after the birthday cake.  WHOOOOOO!!!!!!!

I like that I work with more people in my new job than I did in my old job. Everyone is pretty awesome too. It's really helping me leave my hermit lifestyle behind.

I'm currently watching the Ottawa-Pittsburgh hockey game. I'm conflicted because I kinda want Ottawa to win so a Canadian team will still be in the playoffs but I like Pittsburgh because Sidney Crosby is from Nova Scotia. Realistically I should say "Go Pittsburgh" but in my heart I want Ottawa to win.

Happy Weekend everyone!

42, the Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything

I haven't been blogging because I've been socializing and getting older.

On the night of May 14th, I went out to a concert - the Airborne Toxic Event. I'm sure you've all heard of them but in case you haven't here's a video of their song All I Ever Wanted.

So the outfit I wore to work was possibly more appropriate for a ROCK AND ROLL concert!

Dress: Emily Ryan (last worn here)
Shoes: Messeca (last worn the same day)


The necklace was a gift from my sister for my birthday which is from Missy Industry. It has a razor blade, bone, chain, and pill capsule on it.

I'm not sure I like this mullet type dress much anymore. Maybe I could get it shortened to one length at some point.






























May 15

My BIRTHDAY! I turned 42. WHOOOT!  So I got a bit dressed up!  And it was also Fluevog Day so I went to the Queen Street store with a coworker and bought the shoes I'm wearing in this photo.

Blouse: from Winners
Dress: Jonathan Martin (last worn here)
Shoes: Fluevog Bellevues | Laura Evans

I've never really been interested in these shoes before but when I went to the store, they seemed to be a good choice because they matched my outfit.

I bought this body chain from a store pretty close to my apartment called Armed. I really like the detail on the back. Like pearls.

M birthday dinner was at a restaurant called The Saint and I had a few cocktails. Yum yum!

Catching up.

I finally have cable and wireless internet! WHOOOOO! Donovan from Rogers is a wizard! He set up the modem fairly quickly but the cable/PRV installation took a little longer. Turns out my TV is a little old and it didn't like the HDMI cable that he was using so he had to jigger something out of regular coaxial cable. I spent most of yesterday getting caught up on Game of Thrones. Go TEAM IMP! :)

I may not have been blogging but I've still been taking outfit photos. This is a long one...

April 22

Dress and belt: Anthropologie (last worn here)
Boots: Cydwoq from Gravity Pope's Toronto store

I bought these boots on a bit of a whim. They were on sale and in my size. I'm not sure about the "furry" uppers and I'm not going to be able to wear them again until fall. I do love the metal heel though.















April 23

Dress: Desigual (last worn here)
Shoes: Hush Puppies (last worn here)

You will see these shoes a lot this week. My feet were a mess from all the walking in bad footwear so I just stuck with these shoes which are very comfortable. Maybe not the best walking shoes but certainly better than what I had been wearing.
























I like this dress but I think I'll be putting it aside for a while. I wore it a lot during the month I was in TO with only a few things. Plus I'm not as comfortable wearing it without tights and it's definitely too warm right now for anything other than bare legs.



























April 24

YAY! "New" clothes!!

Dress: Charlotte Taylor (last worn here)
Shoes: Fly London (last worn here)

This outfit was appreciated by my work mates. I'm not sure if everyone realized they were giant ants but no one said "yuck".

I need to replace this cardigan soon. It has served me well but it's starting to pill and lose its shape.






























April 25

I was glad to be reunited with these striped shoes!

Shirt: Smoking Lily (last worn here)
Belt: from Lut Boutique in Vancouver (last worn here)
Skirt: Chalet (last worn here)
Shoes: Poetic License (last worn here)

I have decided. I hate this belt. I hate the zipper, I hate that it's mostly elastic, I hate how it fits. So I'm going to purge it. Out out damned belt!

I took a back photo but it just showed how wrinkly this skirt gets after a day of sitting. DELETE!

April 26



Here's my "Canada Day" dress. It was starting to get HOT.

Dress: thrifted (last worn here)
Shoes: Franco Sarto (last worn here)

Stripes are big right now. As are asymmetrical hems so even though this is an older dress that I found in a consignment store in Halifax, it feels pretty "current".

True confession time (and a PRO TIP). I had to hold the front closed with a big paperclip. Quite a fantastic improvisation if I do say so myself.

And I quite like the back of this. Whoever designed it was thinking when they matched up those stripes into "consummate Vees".






























April 29

This is a long post. I'm running out of stream.

Cardigan: Knit by me (last worn here)
Dress: forevamore on etsy (last worn here)
Belt: from a store in Winnipeg
Shoes: Hush Puppies (see above)


























I like how the back drapes down.

And fishnets! Whooo!

May 2


Ok, this is the last outfit since I forgot to bring my camera on Friday.

Dress: Thrifted (last worn here)
Leggings: ?
Shoes: Hush Puppies (AGAIN!)

Black two days in a row. Must be feeling dark.

I was wearing my "I believe you have my stapler" Office Space pin. Only 1 person in the office got it.

Ok, my next post with be later today with today's outfit and the opening of the new Fluevog Store!

I apologize for how this post formatted. I messed around with it trying to fix it but I mostly failed.

Free sweater on the bus

Today was my last day of work. Nine years at the same job, nine years working with a bunch of the same people. It's been a very emotional day capping off a very emotional week. So draining.

You're probably be seeing a lot of this cardigan and dress since both will be accompanying me to Toronto. Most of my clothes have been packed for storage so I'm already sort of living out of a suitcase.

Cardigan: Pretty Things Boutique
Dress: Emily Ryan Ballerina Cut-out dress (last worn here)
Tights: ?
Shoes: Messeca (last worn here)

I was starting to wear through the soles of these shoes so I had the cobbler put rubber soles on them. So I've lengthened their lifespan and they are also much less slippery.

Today was my last trip to work on #BusNo5. One of the people that I sit with, knowing my love of skulls, brought me this cardigan. She had ordered something from ModCloth and they sent her this in error. Rather than having her return it they said she could keep it. She's a public librarian so she didn't think this would fly in her workplace so she gave it to meeeeeeee!  Free Cardigan! Free SKULLS!

HUGE SKULL on the back! Such generous people here. I bet no one on the subway in Toronto would give me a free cardigan.

Prove me wrong Toronto! Prove me WRONG!

I sold the Renoir and the TV set

It was a coldish day here on the Atlantic ocean. Brrrr... should have bundled up in all my woolies. But no, I wore this.

Dress: Bitter Root Vintage on etsy
Shoes: Fluevog Presence | Impulse (last worn here)

I bought this dress in January 2012. It hasn't fit until now. I almost consigned it a few months ago but now I'm glad I held onto it.

I like how Sheila gives her clothes names so I'm going to copy her and call this my Mondrian dress.

Ok, I did wear a cardigan with it so I didn't completely freeze.

I'm sure you can guess why I like this dress. Red? check. Black? check. Shift dress? check. Geometric pattern? check!

Did I mention that I'm glad I kept it?

I wore these flats because I thought the diamond shape on the heel fit well with the squares/rectangles on the dress. However, one of my coworkers (male) suggested it would be a better option to wear heels to make it more "elegant". Huh. Sure...whatever.

I have tomorrow off of work so I'm getting my hair done. Might treat myself to breakfast out. Livin' la vida loca!

Gingham style*

(A few people asked me about the comment I made on yesterday's post about "my list of purchases". When you buy stuff on Etsy, it records it in your "Purchases" so I can see everything I've ever bought on that site. I don't record all my purchases in a spreadsheet.)

 Here's a dress that I found in my "off season" closet when I was swapping out my spring clothes for my winter things. It's another Etsy purchase (October 2008).

The top of the dress is jersey fabric but the skirt is a weird microfibre/faux suede fabric that picks up cat hair like crazy.

The accents are a red/white gingham.

Dress: Etsy store idea2lifestyle
Fishnets: Sock it to Ya (local store)
Shoes: Cydwoq (from San Francisco)

One thing I find confusing about this dress is I don't know what is the front or the back. Nor do I know if it matters. This morning I put it on both ways and this way seemed the best.

The side of the skirt has a cord in it so you can gather it up a bit to show the underskirt. Sassy!

What else is sassy? Fishnets with red seams! Work appropriate? Sure! Why the heck not.

I like how the fishnets and the gingham squares complement each other.






























* apologies to PSY

Blue Sheep

According to my list of purchases, I bought this dress off of Etsy in June 2008. It was too tight in the hips so I had never worn it - until today.

I jokingly said I was wearing blue to commemorate the win of Barack Obama. I find it strange that blue is the colour of the Democrats in the US, which are the more "liberal" of the parties when blue = conservative in Canada and the UK. So very confusing!

Dress: Etsy
Blouse: Dept (last worn here)
Boots: Fluevog Presence Intuit (last worn here)

The print on this dress is trees and sheep. Cute. It's not immediately noticeable unless you come up right close at which point I'll either say "they are sheep" or slap you. ;)

I wasn't sure about the blue tights but I think they're ok. It's just a lot of blue.

YAY for being able to wear clothes you've had for 4 years!

Day late

Here's my Thursday outfit. I'm late with it because yesterday after work I just scooted home and changed so I could go to the Atlantic Fashion Week Emerging designers event. My husband is the event photographer so I thought it would be a fun evening out looking at clothing.

June 7

Necklace: etsy
Tunic: Lüt Boutique in Vancouver
Belt: from China
Pants: Lilith (last worn here)
Shoes: Fluevog Prepares | Guide

 I love these shoes about as much as Sheila loves hers. I don't know how she can go without wearing them again while she's doing her clothing challenge. She's made of stronger stuff than I!

I think these shoes match these pants perfectly which makes a nice long line.

Two years ago my husband went on a photography trip to rural China, near the border with Tibet. He bought me this belt for next to nothing. I love how colourful it is.

I'd like to do a longer post about last night's event but I have to get ready for tonight's Designer Showcase. I will show you my favourite pieces from the Emerging Designer's show though.






















 I loved this dress from Mitchell Gilroy.

and also this dress from Blue Ladybug.

All all of this body jewelery from Overman who is from Charlottetown, PEI. It was gorgeous! Such amazing metal work. This was my favourite piece of the entire show.

I seen a lot of things, That make your chicken curl

Today I got some good news! My staff person (HEY L!) who was supposed to be finished at my office at the end of the month was just extended 6 months! So glad to not be losing such a great person from my team. Sometimes things do work out!

OH! and I also got Duran Duran tickets for their two shows at Casino Rama in Orillia on August 31 and September 1. Rows 10 and 7 respectively! WHOOOOO!


This skirt makes me smile. It used to be a dress but I had to bodice removed because it was a bit snug. Who doesn't love a good chicken motif?

Necklace: Pretty Chic (present from my sister)
Blouse: Etsy
Skirt: Store in Victoria
Shoes: Fluevog Alli | Alison

I call this my Chicken Lady skirt - not to be confused with the Chicken Lady from the Kids in the Hall.

I like clothing with prints of animals on them, as opposed to animal prints. Some might find that juvenile but they make me happy. Isn't that what clothes are supposed to do?

It's still cold and rainy here - part of living on the ocean I guess - so I'm still wearing tights and I have my propane fireplace on tonight. My cat Dougal seems to be melting into the floor.

Maryjane shoes also make me happy especially if they're Fluevogs.

Just a reminder that May 15th is International Fluevog day (so named because it's John Fluevog's birthday). It also happens to be my birthday. This year I'll be 41. Last year I celebrated at the Gastown Fluevog store in Vancouver. This year I'll just be working like it's a regular day. BLAH.

Sunday

My photos from Friday will unfortunately never see the light of day because my photo card broke. Too bad since my outfit was so cute.

Here's a crappy iPhone photo that I took of my skirt and shoes.

Porcupine! I got this skirt from etsy from Salmon Street Studio which seems to have closed.

I was wearing my emerald green Smoking Lily blouse with it.

I may have mentioned on here that I have 3 cats - Dougal, Merlin and Jetta. Jetta was quite old when we adopted her - the shelter guessed she was about 10 - which was about 4 years ago. She's the sweetest cat in the whole world. On Thursday we noticed that she was off her food which is very unusual for her since there's nothing she likes more than food. Yesterday we took her to the vet and the news isn't great. She's lost almost a kilogram which is a lot when you only weigh 3kg to begin with, she was a bit dehydrated and there's lots of nastiness in her urine. Tomorrow she's having an ultrasound of her bladder to see if she has tumours and she's being tested for hyper-thyroidism. Poor little thing.

Spare a thought for my Jetta-girl tomorrow if you can.