Thursday, May 30, 2013

Buy me a martini

Just back home from dinner at a diner nearby. Burger, poutine, and cherry pie with ice cream. I am very full.

It's too darn hot, too darn hot here so going out to a place with air conditioning was a good idea but I ate too much.


Dress: Bettie Page via Modcloth (last worn here)
Shoes: Swedish Hasbeens (last worn here)

A hot day called for a sleeveless dress. I take medication that tends to make me sweat so avoiding the dreaded "pit stain" is important to me. Seems like I'm going to need to get a few more sleeveless dresses if it's already 30C at the end of May.


This dress has cocktail glasses on it and I got it from Modcloth a year or more ago. It's a nice bright yellow, as are these shoes.

I had a secret under the dress. This very relevant slip.



Buy me a martini, indeed! Alas, I stuck with beer tonight. Hope everyone is keeping cool.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Monday night excitement!

So here's what I wore to work yesterday. La la la la la.


Dress: from Fresh Collective a few years ago (then called Fresh Baked Goods) (last worn here)
Tights: American Apparel
Shoes: Fluevog Big Presence | Desmond (last worn here)

La la la. Here's the back.


Someone at work asked me how I found tights the exact same colour as my shoes. Just luck!
































After work, I walked home and though I perfectly intended to wear this out at night to a MOST EXCITING EVENT but I ended up having a wardrobe crisis and I changed because I had been invited to a party. At the Fluevog store. In the Distillery District.


WHERE THIS HAPPENED!!!!!!


Yeah, that's John Fluevog and me. Whateves.  Just a normal everyday thing.

Except it WASN'T! It was so very exciting! I was so nervous and I may have been a little star struck. That's strange isn't it? The manager, Andrew, was so sweet in coming with me to get my photo taken and then John signed my shoes.


My crazy vintage purple pointy toed Fluevogs that I got in ebay a few years ago. I'm so glad I changed and wore these because I learned that these were from a shoe line in the 1990s.


Really, he was very gracious and lovely. I'm glad I finally got to meet him. My only regret? I forgot to tell him that we share a birthday!  I think he was in Toronto for the Air Canada announcement since Fluevog will be providing the shoes for the new flight attendant uniforms.

I hope his staff don't think I'm totally crazy. I didn't stay very long since there was a big crowd and I'm not good in crowds. I'm very happy that I was invited to this event.

And here's what I wore today. Blah blah blah.


Cardigan: my purple one I wear all the time
Dress: Dorothy Perkins (last worn here)
Tights: Pretty Polly from Peek Brooklyn
Shoes: Fluevog Bellevues | Laura Evans (last worn here)

When I bought these shoes I had no idea how perfectly they would match this dress but they do. It's the pink buckle that really pulls it together. You're a genius John Fluevog!
A few months ago I won a $100 gift code from Peek Brooklyn these are one of the pairs of tights I purchased. Pretty Polly tights are great quality. I've worn these about 4 times and they look as perfect as when I opened the package.

So very cheeky!

Anyway, that's my story!

Friday, May 24, 2013

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!

Monday, May 20, 2013

Tulle and a Teacup

This morning I was getting caught up on blogs today and reading Amber's post I was reminded that I had wanted to do a "tulle and a teacup" post. (I'm also hoping to get in on that Traveling Yellow Skirt action...)

I thought this would be a good opportunity since it's a beautiful day and no one seems to be around in my flat.

I live in the basement flat and this is the stairway down into the laundry room and into the backdoor to my place. It's dirty so I'm sitting on a plastic bag so my fabulous tulle skirt doesn't get all mucked up.


Skully shirt, skully teacup and saucer, and my heart shaped flerp floops. And my "workhorse" cardigan.


I'm being a bit cheeky here since this is my upstairs neighbour's patio. I moved their lamp so I could take the photo. If they had come outside I would have offered them some tea and then tried to get a photo with their doggie Marlow.

My sister bought me this cup at a one of a kind craft show. They are very piratey.


Outtake! Looking at the strawberry plant. And the damn dandillions!

And now it's just noon, I've got caught up on Game of Thrones, have had a walk, drank a latte and did my dishes.





Now what?



Saturday, May 18, 2013

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!


Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Monday, May 13, 2013

Confetti dress

This is the second dress that I ordered with my gift card from eShakti. It's called the confetti dress which is a pretty apt name.


Dress: eShakti
Shoes: Miss L Fire (last worn here)

The dress is nice but the shoes really outshine everything else. Or maybe the tights. I was walking down Queen St at lunch time and two women in a restaurant pointed at my feet so I stopped and did a little "ta da!" pose for them. Shameless!






I'm back in boardroom 3A today with my map since the lunchroom has apparently become a hotspot for eating and crafting. Don't they know I need that space for my photo shoots?? I'm going to start blocking the room off as a space for important meetings in the late afternoon.

Currently watching the hockey game and the Leafs are beating the Bruins 4-1 in game 7. Totally unexpected! The Leafs haven't been in the playoffs in 9 years and weren't expected to make it past the first playoff round. There's still 11 minutes left in the game so I hope they can hold on and eek out this win!

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Celebrate good times, COME ON!

Howdy! I spent the weekend at home with family celebrating Mother's Day, my BIL's birthday, and my birthday, which is on Wednesday. I got all my presents yesterday so I won't have anything to open on my actual birthday. BUT, it also happens to be International Fluevog Day so maybe I need to buy MYSELF a present? Because I need another pair of shoes like I need more caffeine at 8pm.

Here's my outfit from Friday, May 10.


My "super secret" lunchroom isn't so secret after all so I found an empty meeting room. I was making shadow puppets on the flip chart. See, I made a left hand!

Top: Love Charles Vintage on Etsy (last worn here)
Dress: Vero Moda from M for Mendocino on Queen Street
Boots: Fluevog 11th Hour (last worn here)

This dress was uber cheap but I can see myself wearing the hell out of it this summer. It's just a plain black jersey maxi dress but it's so comfortable and easy to layer things over. Like this top.



And I had to wear my spatty boots with my spatty top. I was super comfortable all day, and pretty darn cute.

True confessions? I wore the dress again on Saturday and again tonight. Maybe I need to get another one in grey or red?

Gonna watch hockey now.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Thursday I don't care about you.

I'm writing this post while watching Game of Thrones. I should be packing since I'm going home for the weekend to celebrate a few birthdays and Mother's Day but I'm tired and thinking about what to pack is too taxing. All I can do is sit on my bum, watch TV, and blog. I'll probably be in bed within the hour.

Today was quite humid. This dress was even too heavy since its double layered.


I certainly didn't need this cardigan.

Cardigan: Smart Set
Dress: Noa Noa (last worn here)
Shoes: Fluevog Rivers (last worn here - a year ago)

I'm wearing beige fishnets again. With this light coloured dress they make my legs look slightly orange. Should have gone barelegged.



See how my hair reacts to humidity. Ugh! I also need a haircut. I have an appointment next week and I can't wait. I'm liking my longer hair in some ways but my bangs are in desperate need of a trim. And colour on my roots. I'm getting greyer by the day.

Looking forward to Friday.

Going to finish watching GoT and then off to bed.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Yeah, Poppies

Tonight I made a new friend. It's name is "rubber mallet". It's a long boring story but suffice it to say, I ended up buying a mallet and making a crappy clothing rack my bitch. And the lesson learned today is "don't buy anything if it doesn't fasten together with screws or bolts" if you want it to stay together longer than 10 minutes. Also, don't expect a $20 clothing rack to hold an excessive amount of clothing.

Moving on!

A few months ago, eShakti asked me to participate on their customer panel where I would need to look at pictures of new designs and answer questions about them. I was pretty happy to do it and it was kind of fun. In return, they sent me $100 gift certificate.  Here's one of the dresses I got.


Cardigan: Pretty Things Boutique
Dress: eShakti
Shoes: Franco Sarto (last worn April 26)

It's just a plain shift dress but I liked the poppy embroidery and it has pockets. Pockets are happy making.

I took these photos in Boardroom 3B because my secret lunchroom seems to be being used more often. Nice map of Toronto behind me, eh?  The sticky notes have the first 3 digits of postal codes on them. Not sure why.



I'm wearing beige fishnets. My legs are still kind of bruised from moving boxes and furniture around my apartment so the fishnets provide a little bit of coverage without being too warm. I tend to bruise very easily. You just have to look at me harshly and I get a bruise. Oh, so sensitive.

I was in Ottawa yesterday with my new bosses so I didn't feel comfortable enough to take photos. I wore this dress, this jacket, and these shoes so you can image it for yourself.



Monday, May 6, 2013

May the Forth be with you and the Revenge of the Sixth

On Saturday I went to the opening of the new John Fluevog Shoes in the Distillery District in Toronto.

The store was set to open at 11am but I arrived at 10:30. I had to take a bus and a streetcar and then walk about 3 blocks. I was the forth person in line. Shoe geeks, Unite!



 There was a guy in line ahead of me who found this crate lid that was being thrown away. He was going to take it home.


There were limited edition men's and women's shoes that will only be sold at the Distillery store. I was smitten. Yes, I bought a pair! They are from the Miracle family.


Compared to the Queen Street store, this one is positively huge. It might even be larger than the Gastown store in Vancouver. It's big enough for this huge chandelier. I also loved the design on the back wall.


Because it's in the Distillery District, the store has maintained a rustic feel with unfinished wood and exposed brick.  This makes the shoes look all the more shiny!


There was a table full of Minis.


And the Queen Transcendent Elizabeth with the Kitschy Kitschy Boom Booms and some Acid washed Angels.


I only stayed for about 30 minutes but I left with two pairs of shoes. The limited edition Miracles and the Integrity Arabella.  It's a bit of a trek for me to get there but I'll definitely go back to visit the awesome sales staff.

And here's what I wore today, including the new shoes. Sorry about the blurry shot.


Cardigan: from Value Village
T-shirt: American Apparel
Skirt: Studio Gang on Ossington Street
Shoes: Fluevog Miracles | Marvel

Studio Gang is an awesome store with clothes designed and made by the owner Deborah Korosec. She told me that these pockets were inspired by watching Apocalypse Now. I'm guessing she meant the military lapels. I went in for the clothes and stayed to pat the shop dog!  Doggies!

I'm 100% more likely to visit a store that has a dog or a cat in residence. True fact!




Pinstripes and floral? Not too bad if I say so. The shoes are quite comfortable.

Tomorrow I'm going to Ottawa for about 6 hours. Not sure if I'll get an outfit photo or not.

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.