Colour Celebrations
In which I choose joyful hues as I anticipate a "WINsider" pop-up sale and a massive love-in with my favourite people.
Hello, my friends! Welcome to my little corner of the fashion discourse. Consider me your Gen X fairy gawdsister - I have a closet full of wacky clothes, a decades-curated jewelry collection and all the funneroo shoes, and most of it is pre-loved. I do not dress like other people, and that’s the way I like it! Take up space, be seen and wear all the colour!
Circular fashion is my ultimate aim - I only shop in-person, locally, 95% secondhand (I have a Fluevog thing). I sell - again, in-person only - clothes that didn’t quite make the grade to other fashiony folks, and the money I earn from my sales is my budget for shopping.
I’ve been at this wardrobe journaling thing since I started my blog, Ephemera [insert service announcement below]*, way back in 2008 - every outfit and purchase have been recorded there, along with major (and minor) bits of my life. Here on Substack (since 2024), I share a week’s round-up with you Gentle Readers, and blather on about whatever’s on my mind. Doesn’t that sound divine?
*Hello, I’m Sheila of the blog Ephemera. I like to swear (clutching pearls and fainting couches sold separately), I link ‘cause I love (no affiliates), and I do not use AI - I’ll make my own fucking typos, thank you!
Monday is a calibration day for me and Logan - we compare calendars and figure out what our week will look like. I relish evenings in, and he connects with coworkers past and present. Plans change, but it helps me (an anxious planner) and him (an overworked extrovert) sort out which days will fill our respective cups. It is also soothing to my brain to muse and ponder outfits for FUN EVENTS like the end-of-week carrot: the Burrito Birthday Bash!
What the hell is that? Read on to find out!
Pumpkin Turquoise
Ho hum, office day Monday. Let’s not pull a style muscle - I wanted to wear something comfy, badass, fun and a little “out there.”
I’d put these three main pieces together when I got home from shopping on Saturday: a sweatshirt, a cocoon skirt and some short boots. Sweatshirt because I just bought it (must wear right away!), skirt because I love it and it goes well with the long, louche line. Boots because it’s still spring and I want to wear all my boots before it gets too hot.
This pumpkin orange sweatshirt (softest fleece inside) is covered in different kinds of beetles, bugs and insects. I will never not like an element of weird (wyrd??) in my outfits.
The pumpkin bookends were fine, but I needed more colour - and so I turned to my accessories. Turquoise to the rescue! I was tempted to add some red as well because it’s so good with turquoise - but my freshly purpled hair was also shouting for attention, so just stick to red lippy, Sheila.
How chuffed was I when my eyes alit on this scarf? VERY.
I love it when I have a pattern/colours that reinforces my colour-mixing and matchy inclinations. Or vice versa - use a scarf as your jumping off point to bringing colour into an outfit.
Come on in, the matchy water’s fine!
Branded items: Yup, that’s an Alexander McQueen skull scarf. The boots are the Official Mittwoch by John Fluevog. Round turquoise stone ring is by Glee.
Aside from the boots, it’s all pre-loved!
Spring Goth
This tulle skirt hit all my sweet spots: roses, black, red, TULLE. But this specific tulle skirt skews more autumnal than vernal, so how to make it spring?
Orange velour, of course. And I let it do aaaaaalllll the talking.
My colleagues liked the hoodie, particularly the dainty puff sleeves, an element that isn’t something I normally like. Now, BIGASS puff sleeves. You know I can get behind that…hmmm…maybe I should wear some big sleeeeeeeves…
The skirt was excellent - I twirled for my colleagues - aside from the usual Bathroom Ballet and Ravenous Office Chair, but no fear, I am an expert skirt wrangler.
Branded items: Vogettes Pina shoes are by John Fluevog. Steel cuff is Lakeland Art Metal Works. Earrings are Brenda Schoenfeld 1992.
I bought the zipper rose new in 2010 at the V&A Museum gift shop in London; the shoes and the lace top were also retail purchases. All of the silver and steel (the cuff) jewelry is secondhand. The earrings, necklace and loopy ring are stamped “Mexico.” Feel free to ask me about any of my pretties.
Fin-Spired Denim
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock (at the bottom of a fish tank), you’ve seen our Julia Benbow and her fish-inspired outfits - go look!
Well, I’m not emulating a fish, unless there is such a thing as the Denim Plaidfish. Maybe there is?? I’m no expert. But I do love fins! Who can resist waggling one’s fins on a busy Wednesday in the office? Not me!
I TRIED ON MY OUTFIT [basks in the applause] the night before, resulting in a much happier camper (me). This jacket is very heavy visually, so it needs something to balance all that weight.
The first thing I did was flip the cuffs WAY up and pin some bigass brooches on them. Skin and the lighter back of the thick denim showing - that felt much better. I also layered a plain pink camisole under it and undid the top buttons to show more skin (and my necklace).
The back is flat, not as flouncy as I feared - the jacket overall is a couple of pounds, I’m sure. Weighty.
I wore the cuffs down for my walk to work in the morning, but left them shoved up on the way home. It was very windy, so my fins shimmied and bounced. Fun with clothes!
Branded items: Wonders sandals. Smoking Lily 90s silk scarf. Pastelli brooch. Boucher feather brooch. Crystal heart bangle is Juicy Couture. Soul Flower round crystal ring. Sherman crystal necklace and earrings.
I bought both the filigree cuff and the square crystal ring (both vacation souvenirs) new, and stalked the sandals at a local store on my lunch hour for 2 months in 2017.
Mom-Day Brights
I knew Thursday would be a long, exhausting day, so I dressed accordingly. I was up early to bus out to Mom’s place, and then we drove out to the University of Victoria (aka UVic, Mom and I are both grads) to visit Finnerty Gardens, a magical place that is in full bloom right now.
More Spring Goth, what can I say, it’s my thing. I had this fit above going, and I was all, “I need a jacket!” and so why be boring, let’s go ORANGE.
I had oodles of comments about all my colour, which is always nice. Mom and I had lunch at a local pub after our visit to the garden, then back to her house, and then another bus back to town.
Branded items: Michael Kors purse. Lakeland Art Metal Works steel cuff. Shoes are by Trippen.
Everything is secondhand except for the blazer. Mom’s lobster brooch got the most attention - she bought it as a souvenir in the 90s from Bermuda.
I had a wee round at the bit Women In Need thrift shop in town before I hopped another bus home.
Notes:
This bit of awesomeness was in with the skirts - but it’s pants! Big swooshy ones, too. It was a little tight in the waist, but then I noticed that someone’s taken it in on both sides. Fetch me the seam-ripper! It’s by Anthropologie and was $19.95.
With a short interval at home - spent uploading pictures - I headed back out to meet with buddies Cat and Rosanna for a special “WINsiders” shop at the Cook Street Boutique.
We were thrilled to see 3 racks of vintage clothes, plus a couple of tables of vintage accessories. The regular store stock was also there, but the store was only open for members. They had drinks and their lovely staff (hello!) took good care of us as we pawed through the racks with other like-minded clothing appreciators. We all found treasures…and here are mine!
Notes:
Weren’t these fish pendants trending for a hot minute last year? I remember them being sold in Chinatown in the early 80s for about what I paid. A quality tip: the silk cord is original. How can I tell? Because the cord had to be threaded through the jump-ring before the clasps are attached (way too big to pass through). Also, the clasp has “Pat. Pending” and a “Silver” stamp on both pieces, I’m guessing they are brass-plated silver. I did not see a SINGLE other fish on the same type of cord on the internets, but I remember that the cords often became fuzzed out from rubbing on the other necklaces’ clasps.
My heart leapt and I GASPED when I saw these like-new turquoise/green leather gloves. They are stunning, and just the right amount of tight (they’ll stretch out and match my hands over time).
A cutesy fringed scarf (you will recognize Laurel Burch’s cats) with sequins, handrolled edges and a big signature. I could tell it was silk by the feel.
A cotton vintage 80s cami with nylon trim. Will happily expose my skin to show this off.
A 20-year-old mall store brand polyester, but the shape of the skirt (a long pencil - no slit) is good and will be very rock & roll. There’s a tab/button at the top of the zip, and it’s fully-lined. Remember when that was de rigeur??
Super-stoked about this skirt (yes, yes, another black skirt…but it’s DIFFERENT), by San Francisco pleating entrepreneur Babette Pinsky, who seems to have had a bit of a rivalry for Pleat Person with Issey Miyake as the reviver of the Fortuny pleat style. (I gleaned all that online, but I’d advise reading Eleanor’s post below for the full scoop.) This skirt is a TREASURE and feels incredible, and OH the movement! This is marked a Small and fits me generously, in case you want to go find one of your own.
Eleanor wrote a post about Babette two years ago! Run! Read it!
Right? I feel like this brand - Made in the US! Pleats machines! Quality! - is going to have a renaissance. How have I never heard of Babette?
Anyway, I was very happy with all of my goodies. Got a fave? I wanna hear!
Never Neutral
A common misconception about us maximalists is that we are always drenched in colour, never in neutrals. Beige? Shudder! Heavens, no.
NOT SO!
I dove into patterned, bold and geometric neutrals for my Friday office outfit. I attended a colleague’s retirement lunch with some clients and coworkers, and I didn’t want to scare anyone.
Sometimes, it’s not about me. (But it usually is).
(but I’m working on it)
If I’m going to be doing the neuts then I need SOMETHING bold to amp things up the big snore that is just the sweater and skirt. Pattern to the rescue.
The Madras plaid blazer has a sad memory attached (my dear Vizzini the cat’s last day), so wearing it helps me process and turn the sadness into memories of joy. This garment cradled my sweet boy.
Sniff. Smile.
PICKLE!
Sorry, did I shock you? You didn’t think I’d abandon colour entirely, did you?
The fucking weather did not cooperate with my plans of chic cotton in the sun, and I was forced to don the Pickle (not a euphemism) for my walk to work. I was champing at the bit to get home after work, so I shoved the Pickle in my bag and hopped the bus. Take that, weather!
Branded items: Boots are by United Nude (a Turnabout consignment find). Studded gloves are Danier Leather, bought new 10+ years ago. Aarikka brooch, bought a week ago on consignment.
Not all pre-loved…but the retail stuff is all 10+ years old. The snake ring is from the 80s, bought when I was a teenager and a volunteer at the local museum gift shop (before the BC Museum got “Royal” designation) for $25.00.
Weird Adidas
After a raucous evening of board games and music, Logan and I joined best buddy Nick for brunch at John’s Place diner. Whatever shall I wear?
Ah, the pleasure of just wearing what I feel like in the moment - both the skirt and the cropped jacket are longtime favourites, and look at that, the new cotton cami works perfectly!
Red and turquoise is a colour combination that just screams summer, right? I adore the bias-cut swoosh of this long, drapey maxi - it’s lined in black, which tones down the bright blue/red/turquoise/white splattery print.
I was sleeves down for most of our time out, including the grocery store. See note above about the weather.
Proudly wearing my heavily patina’d thrift store Coach purse. It does not stay on my shoulder…
Branded items: Belt and shoes are both by John Fluevog. The Infamous “Shoes My Husband Hates”1 are called the Prepare Guide, and I’ve worn them over 100 times. Coach purse. Earrings bought from Tania Gleave on Granville Island.
Logan bought me the shoes new in 2014; I bought the belt on a massive sale with gift cards. I’ll always support buying directly from artists - these earrings are a souvenir of That Time I Met A Bunch of Bloggers In Vancouver.
Birthday Bash
Many of our dear friends have spring birthdays, so we tend to celebrate them all together with a gathering of our Chosen Family. We’ve done High Tea, Tea in the Park, brunch plus “Legally Blonde, the Musical,” and this year we did the inaugural Burrito Birthday Bash.
Screw the tiny sandwiches, let’s all manhandle some burritos.
I’m not one of the birthday people so with my “It’s not about me” mantra burbling through my head, I toned my colours down to some pretty blues and warm brown shades.
A swooshy vintage skirt for strolling on a windy Sunday afternoon and with room for a gigantic burrito and a handful of salted caramel saucy donuts. A structured top to rein things in. A mesh vintage top for pattern and sunblock.
The skirt is iridescent blue/orange and shimmers when I walk - like the long column skirt I just found, it has very intricate pleating.
I’m a sucker for fringe and studs, and since spring is prime Leather Weather, I actually built the outfit around this jacket. Some days you just NEED FRINGE.
I had a slew of compliments on my outfit while we hung out at Boomtown for several hours with 12+ of our favourite people. What a grand time!
Branded items: First outing of the thrift shop leather Margot New York bag. Banana Republic silk scarf. Donald J. Pliner canvas and leather boots were found in a consignment boutique in Sidney. Myka pearl/turquoise/crystal cuff. Smoky topaz ring is by Swedish silvermaker Anneli Neumann.
The silk scarf was a lifesaver throughout the day. Ali wore it on her shoulders to protect from the sun, and I wore it a la Axl on my head (pic below) for a time, as well as around my neck twice for warmth in the wind on the way home.
This is a 100% pre-loved outfit! Woo! Ending the week with a bang!
These Are My People
Best humans ever.
I think my heart might burst.
And These Are My Cats
These dear creatures fill my heart with joy.
What, done already? Well, if you made it this far, WELL DONE, you! Thank you so much for being here, and if you enjoyed my writing, outfits or craptastic photos (it’s totally okay if you are just here for the cats), kindly do mash the heart button, leave a comment or let other folks know they should check me out.
Stay tuned for next week - I’ve got a short workweek due to the long weekend, but with a couple of events for dressing up, including a birthday party. Funneroo!
Cheers,
Sheila
Worth looking at that 2014 blog post for my amazing brooch game, creating a “necklace” on my yellow dress.
“Shoes my husband hates”, I’ve got a few of those. Mind you, the same goes in reverse.
That’s an outstanding jacket, it’s got the perfect balance of individual, witty, and flare. I love how you have styled it and I’m a fan of those trousers on you. I’m sure there’s a corresponding fish out there.
I also very much like the cropped jacket and long skirt silhouette and colours. It’s a classic but with enough “Sheila” to make entirely yours.
Wow! A great week of wonderful and inspiring outfits! Spring is one of your seasons, just loved so much here. Especially inspired by the great leather jackets, I need more of that in my life!