Big Clothing Energy
In which I wear big, bold, bright things, and fill my cup with a weekend of special events.
Welcome back, my friends! If you’re here, you know I love clothes and talking about them, and showing you what I wore, and sharing my delight in colour. Well, settle in and get ready for more of the same, with a reminder that if you’re reading this by email, do click through to see the whole thing on the Substack app. My posts are picture-heavy and I yak a lot - if that’s your jam, then you might also enjoy my original blog, Ephemera1, still going strong after 17 years.
This week I didn’t really have a theme - sometimes I just want to wear things and not think too hard about them - but I did have two big events on the weekend that I was warming up to. I tend to front-load my weeks with simpler outfits earlier on, and saving my “favourites” for later as I build up mental energy for Busy Life Stuff.2
Why Not Red?
I’m drawn to the unusual when it comes to clothes - when I used to shop retail, the things I liked would always end up on the clearance rack. Give me the weird, the bold, the brightest.
This orangey-red tunic is linen and you can see the interesting cut of it. DRAMA!
The trousers are waft-y silk with a bit of stretch, have big pockets and are a swanky designer find: Stella McCartney! I bought them in Vancouver in 2024 on consignment for $76.
My clothes were far too light for the weather, which shifted from warm and summery to “oh yeah, it’s spring” again. Suede to the rescue!
It rarely gets that hot here, so I keep wearing coats well into June.
I reached for these wooden-last sandals because the green in the patterned leather matches the trousers, but I was shocked to discover I didn’t wear them at all last year. Admittedly, they’re tricky to style with that mishmash of colours and the “stripes” of the laminated wooden shoe. The crisscross straps secure them firmly to my feet and they make a loud clopping noise when I stomp around the office.
I mix and match my jewelry on a whim. The day’s discovery was that my vintage Monet gold chain worked beautifully to display my 1970s gold-plated pewter and enamel Robert Larin pendant. Friends 4-ever!
Also, did you notice I wore SOCKS AND SANDALS? It felt so wrong…but I loved it!
Ghosts in the Machine
On Tuesday, I wore an outfit and it was pretty solid (the new mustard silk blazer with a red leopard silky swooshy skirt, fishermen sandals, gobs of accessories…you know, my usual) and we were doing okay, getting the ol’ blog post done. Tappity-tap-tap-typing.
And then…as I was about to upload all of them - they disappeared, and I was left with the three image shortcuts you see here. Not in the trash. Searched the entire PC by the image names. Ctrl+V (which is what I’d JUST DONE to upload them) resulted in nothing. It’s as if they never existed.
I swear, the computer is haunted.
Anyway, that catastrophe3 caused my brain to go into a Death Spiral of Unworthiness With Potential Crying and Feeling Rather Sorry For Myself, so I laid on the bed, doing belly breathing to calm down4. I abandoned all plans for the evening and called my mom.
The end.
Crinkle Comeback
Back to our regular programming, everything’s fine5, I’ve unscrambled my brain.
Wednesday’s office outfit reminds me of Fashion Plates6 - the top half of it could work with all sorts of bottoms, like white jeans, black pants, olive skirts, beige things.7
The bottom is fairly bland8, colour-wise, and I’d had visions of bright orange shoes, but then went neutral with the boots. Seeing the pics, I do now wish I’d gone with a bolder colour for my footwear - my green leather 80s boots would have been awesome - but the bomber jacket is a true bright neon and I thought it might terrify my colleagues if I had too much colour on.9
Put on your shades! And a scarf.
The relative simplicity of this outfit let me go on with my day with minimal fuss, aside from having to unroll the skirt from my chair’s wheels periodically.
An advantage to repeating the top half combo of bomber jacket + green sleeveless top is that I could back to my previous outfit (via blog post) and read that last time I wished I’d worn more jewelry, as I’d eased up on my bling back then due to the loudness of the jacket. Mission accomplished - gobs of jewelry.
These boots stay out all year long - I never know when I might need a neutral boot. They’ve been with me for 14 years and are still going strong.
Denim Leg Curtains
My funky Friday outfit was hugely popular, both in the wild and in the office, and my boots got loads of compliments. I’d been champing at the bit10 to wear this patchwork skirt since I bought it.
I delighted in telling a couple of my coworkers and a bemused Fluevog store employee that I was wearing leg curtains. “It’s like a puppet show for my legs,” I said, waggling my feet.11
The weather’s rather changeable this time of year, so I always need a scarf, whether I wear it at my neck for warmth, on my head for rain - or sun! My hands are cold in the morning until around June.
I covered a lot of ground downtown after work, picking up gift cards, birthday cards, and fizzy drinks. These boots were absolutely fantastic and performed beautifully. I walked to and from work and can happily report that they are utterly comfortable and very good for all that walking. They’re basically flat if you do the Shoe Math.
My taste in jewelry and accessories runs to the bold, and I like detail, and real materials like stone, crystal, gems. I prefer handmade pieces that have some weight - except for earrings which must be light!12
Phoebe’s Velvet
And the weekend finally arrived! It was a busy Saturday, with our usual brunch and errands, followed by preparing for Winesday13/MANday. I wore the same thing for both events, which is sometimes my jam, especially if my brain is already at capacity for being around people (even those I love).
My outfit for the day was inspired by Kaeleen’s recent post on Fashion for Friends, in particular, Phoebe’s outfit in the 3rd picture:
I recognized the style of her velvet button-up shirt, and pulled this pinky-red silk/rayon top out of my “house clothes” drawer, along with my band tee. Inspiration can come from anywhere!
I wore the shirt buttoned at the neck, as well as pinned off to the side (demonstrated below), and tied around my waist in the evening after trying on some clothes at Winesday14.
I walked down to the Ultimate Frisbee field in the morning15, and met up with L after his game. Folks on the field commented on my billowing skirt, and how dramatic I looked with my hair tied up in the Movie Star Wrap.16 I do plan my outfits around the weather: for warmth, sun coverage (arms, legs, chest) and to Swoosh Dramatically on windy days.
I used an old oversized safety-pin off one of Mom’s old kilts that I “liberated” in 198517 to pin the shirt off to the side to hold it closed and give me a bit more shape than I’d have if just buttoning.
These boots snagged the crap out of the stitching along skirt’s mesh tiers, but fortunately caused no holes. Mental note: don’t wear buckles/zippers with floofy skirts that might catch.
I spent my afternoon writing blog/Substack and making a recipe inspired from Kristen at Older, Wiser, Hotter, specifically, the Fig, Pistachio + Boursin Cheese Dip.
OMG, this was a HIT. I made it several hours in advance and refrigerated it until the event.
As I promote to our Winesday Women, “there’s no shame in buying things other people have made, and there is often whining when there’s no chips or chocolate,”18 but it’s rare that I actually make something myself. I don’t enjoy the kitchen arts, but this was more preparation than any actual cooking - so right in my wheelhouse. My friends LOVED it, thank you, Kristen!19
We partied till the wee hours…my cup was filled both literally and figuratively.20
The Legal Blondes
The Org Queen strikes again! Yes, yet another social event, and like Winesday this was the core group of 621 women plus one, so although it was still a long day, it was not mentally exhausting. We went to see the local Victoria On Stage production of “Legally Blonde: The Musical.” I had seen the movie (many years ago) and vaguely remembered the plot.22
This seemed like the perfect opportunity to wear my metallic Bebop boots again, paired with a fit-and-flare dress I had only worn once before. I walked to town, met up with my women, had brunch, then we did a wee browse at WIN (I didn’t buy anything, but others did), and met up with our final two pals for some pictures, and finally, had a rousing great time at the theatre before walking home.
Fact: I have never had a drivers license. I walk, bus or cab/Uber wherever I need to go.23
This jacket is spectacular, but I haven’t worn it in a couple of years. Why? I get snarled in my head sometimes about How Things Will Fit, especially as my body has changed shape as I’ve gotten older24. This biker shape has a ginormous, circular curved peplum but has always been snug in the chest, and I reminded myself to be a little kinder to myself and not listen to that inner voice.
The jacket is by Baez and was handmade in Tijuana, Mexico, and is a lovely supple leather. The arms, body and peplum have lace appliques machine-sewn on, and the entire garment has tiny steel studs piercing the leather (not glued on). Similar elaborate coats by them run in the $2,700+ range; I paid $348.00 - a LOT for me! - for it in 2021 and have worn it 13 times. It’s truly a work of art.25 I’m really happy I wore it again, if only to reassure myself that I don’t have to do it up if I don’t want to.
Of note is the black stone26 and crystal necklace, which belonged to my Grandma J, she of the copper jewelry. It’s a piece that I got after she died, and it was covered in grime and dust. I scrubbed it clean with a soft toothbrush, soap and water…then had to go to the local beadwork shop to buy new cord to restring it, as the string broke. It’s likely from the late 50s/early 60s, and it’s heavy. I like carrying that warm weight on my skin. Hi, Grandma.
I had to include a shot of me and my gals, gaggling at the fountain before heading into the theatre (the building behind it).
That was a long and tiring week - but so full of good things! Am I going to complain about hanging out with our friends too much? NAH, NEVER.
Tell Me True
I could not include the “outfit photo fail,” obviously.
There are no wrong answers. Need to tell me more? I love hearing from you, and respond to all comments.
That’s My Guy
Logan wears a suit and tie to work every day27, so has 4-6 suits he rotates, and about 40 solid-colour shirts. Some of the shirts are very old (15+ years), and it’s getting hard to replace the bold colours, which he needs to go with his massive tie collection.
I buy most of his ties, and they are 99% secondhand, ranging from 50 cents apiece to $40.00 and up. This tropical citrus zesty tie is a Ted Baker, I believe, bought on consignment. Logan does a rotating “Tie Challenge” to ensure he wears every tie, transferring them to a shoebox as he pairs each one to a coordinating shirt. His shoes with this outfit were Fluevogs (sorry, didn’t catch a pic of them), but he usually wears very plain pairs for the office, and only wears a fancy pair when going out after work.
Weekend bonus outfit! This is what Logan wore to MANday, his “uniform” of jeans, a band tee (The Poor Choices, seen at Rifflandia last year), an open floral/patterned shirt, and a rockin’ jacket (this is a leather All Saints moto-style, consignment from Turnabout).
And there we go, another week comes to an end.
Thanks again for being here, folks!
Cheers,
Sheila
All links ‘cause I love - I do not use affiliate links or make any profit from any link.
Saving the best for last has been ingrained in me my entire life. I always eat my favourite jelly bean flavour (popcorn) last.
She said, catastrophizing her own User Error.
Also checking my privilege and reminding myself that they are JUST PHOTOS, Sheila, for gawds’ sake.
Never believe people who say they are “fine.” Life is jumbly right now, but nothing major, just cat grieving, things moving around in my physical environment (which I hate) to have the rugs and carpets shampooed, and girding my loins for more events the upcoming weekend.
I used to love my set of Fashion Plates - I made paper dolls out of them and copied Bob Mackie’s creations from “The Carol Burnett Show” and costumes from “The Love Boat.” I had a massive shoe box of my paper dolls and their outfits.
Ha ha ha, not beige, ugh, worst colour ever, just checking to see if you’re paying attention.
But is pleated in a very Issey-Miyake-inspired way. I adore asymmetrical garments.
Untrue. My coworkers don’t even blink at my outfits anymore.
“Champing”, never “chomping,” please and thank you. It comes from a horse straining and biting at its bit = eager.
If you’re new to me, I am a deeply silly person.
Warning from the future! Do not wear heavy earrings! Your earlobes will stretch out.
What’s Winesday? Founded nearly 20 years ago, it’s a gathering of women about every 6 weeks (we rotate hosting), where everyone brings a bottle of wine (or preferred libation, about half of us have quit drinking), and a small food item for sharing. The host provides fizzy water only. MANday (or Musical Appreciation Night) is where our partners/husbands pick musical themes (also on a rotation basis, along with hosting), and each get multiple 5-10 minute set-list of songs based on the theme. More music and less food than Winesday, but lots of inebriated revelry at both events, regardless. When Winesday/MANday crews unite, we call ourselves Party In a Box, as there’s nearly 20 of us.
My lovely women often bring bags of clothes for swap/giveaway. I got this awesome top from Sarah:
I played for 20+ years, until the pandemic, and then my heart wasn’t in it…and I feel a little too brittle (literally) these days to slam into big running guys. I might break!
Get used to this - I deploy it frequently to keep my hair from turning into an Einsteinian rat’s nest of tangles in the wind.
Which means it’s probably from the 1950s when she was a teenager.
It’s me, I am the whiner! There had better be chocolate, dammit! I nearly always bring some.
Much more than the Ambrosia I made years ago for a 70s-themed Winesday. You either love or hate Ambrosia (I love it). Will never forget Yvonne’s “spam-apees” (Wonder Bread, Spam and Velveeta). *hurk* They were as gross as they sound.
Filling my cup figuratively = being around low-mental-stress people/my friends, with no expectations or need to be “on.” This recharges my social batteries in a different way than hiding at home (preferred introvert method).
We used to be the Core Four, then added two more - now, we’re the Thick Six. Three spring birthdays prompted this event.
“I know it ends with a comeuppance and a happy romantic resolution,” I confirmed. I coordinated a date that would work for all, and bought the tickets months and months ago. I also wrangled a reservation at John’s Place - they do NOT take reservations, but for me…well, it pays to be a regular.
Or L drives me in our Jaguar convertible (named Vlad). “I don’t drive, I’m driven,” I like to say in a Dramatic Voice.
Spoiler: Menopause will come for you! Gravity is a Real Thing, and your body shapes move around, entirely out of your control. It’s really annoying…just when I was getting used to How My Body Looked too.
An article from the LA Times about Kiko Baez.
I’m not 100% sure what it’s made of - it might be black Austrian crystal, or it might be obsidian. It’s not plastic!
Office job. The suit is his own preference for looking profesh, stylish and colourful. Like me, he changes when he gets home.
Loveee an orangey-red and that grommeted belt.
Oh I was obsessed with my Fashion Plates! They made me think I wanted to be a fashion designer when really I just wanted to mix and match.