Girding My Mental Loins
In which I charge my batteries through clothes in readiness for busy social things that I love doing but take a sh*tload of energy.
Hello, my friends! Thanks so much for being here and reveling in all things clothes with me. My posts run long and have lots of pictures, but I also throw in polls every so often and I am the Queen of Footnotes1, so if that doesn’t sell ya on clicking through to read the whole thing...well, you can’t please everyone.
And if you simply can’t get enough, you can also check out my blog, Ephemera, where I’ve been yakking about style, secondhand shopping, and my life since 2008. Not a typo.
This week I’m pre-charging my mental energy through happy colours and clothes that make me feel confident and give me a boost. Why? Because a whole bunch of fun things are in the calendar and while I want to do them all, they are A LOT for an introverty introvert2 like me. I push myself to do things, and not stay home all the time. For one, it’s good to build memories with my loved ones; for two, they’re opportunities to dress up; and for three…no, I have no three. Getting dressed up is the BEST.
Aye, Blossom, I Will3
I needed “comfort food” in my Tuesday work outfit. Often that’s a Jammy Dress, but I get the same feeling from clothes I know really well. This beautiful pleated skirt was a consignment purchase in 2019, after spending an afternoon having tea with my friends, so it comes with that initial memory plus all the other times I’ve worn it since. Warm fuzzies.
I swooped and swirled, and walked with my head down so I could watch the full circle skirt’s pleats undulate and flutter like petals in the wind.
Incognito and annoyed that I do not have a single pocket in this entire outfit. I shake my fist!
The pink shoes are velvet with an ankle strap and a block heel, a rare retail buy in pre-pandemic 2020 after stalking them for months4. The dusty pink colour goes with a lot in my closet, but the overall style is more office-y than my current vibe.
Extra armour in my jewelry with my lime and pink pieces, which also carry the memories of people I love. The green bracelet and rings belonged to my Mom in the 60s/70s, and the round crystal brooch (it has matching earrings) belonged to her mum, my Gram.
Logan bought me the gold/pink cuff as a Christmas gift a few years ago, from one of the “point at everything you like then turn your back” shopping expeditions we did at Vanity Fair Antique Mall (RIP) back in the day.5 The necklace and earrings are by Sherman6, and I found them for $22.00 at a vintage fair with Cat and Elaine in 2014.
I find strength in holding all of these people with me through my jewelry.
Paisley and Pink
More pink - it’s a power colour for me, energizes and invigorates me - plus a second wearing of a pale turquoise Etro sweater that I thrifted in the fall. The skirt is also thrifted, and it’s 100% shantung silk, a sumptuous fabric.
The sweater is 70% silk and it was utterly lovely and luxurious to wear. The feel of good quality garments cannot be duplicated with synthetics. Plus you get exciting design features like:
Patterns That Are Mirrored (the sweater)
Massive Pockets (the skirt)
I liked the skirt - but I did not LOVE the skirt. It’s very work-y so it’s good for my office outfits, but it doesn’t really feel like me anymore. Oh, the vicissitudes of the changing body, brain and attitude. Life is change.
Better add some more toughness for my outerwear - now this is more like it! Oh, yeah, this is how I want to feel all the time.
The jacket is lambskin leather, and made in Italy by Maison Rabih Kayrouz, a Lebanese designer. I found this amazing piece on last year’s anniversary trip to Vancouver, while shopping with pal Kim. It was $180.00 which is not cheap, but I always splurge a bit when we travel.
As always when I buy something that’s obvious quality, I do my research. I was thrilled to find a video of the FW 2012/2013 runway (it’s hideously lit: YouTube - my jacket appears at the 4:30 mark).
My friends, meet the Prepare Guides, by Fluevog. I have had these since 2012, bought on that year’s Vancouver anniversary trip by Logan, even though he hates them SOOOO much.7 True love!
Of the shoes, he wrote:
“These turquoise monstrosities have everything I don’t like in a shoe: chunky heel, rounded toe and – in this case – a stitching detail on the toe that makes them look like a folk-art project. I love the colour and to see it used for evil is truly disappointing. These shoes are all the more awful because I actually bought them for Sheila on one of our wedding anniversary trips to Fluevog. I see these shoes often, since they are one of her favourite pairs.”
Tough beans! And they are a favourite pair, with a massive cork inner platform, and a very doable 1.5” heel (Shoe Math!). I’ve worn them 68 times in 13 years, and they are still going strong.
The Pink Memo
I spent Thursday afternoon strolling with Mom through Finnerty Gardens at the University of Victoria, one of our favourite haunts8. I usually build my outfit with Mom in mind - she likes my “girlier” looks, although she doesn’t mind when I’m sporty.9
I had two goals in mind with this outfit:
To redeem this Bossy jacket. The last time I wore it was with my winter wardrobe and it popped against a grey/black ensemble, but not in a good way. It’s really a spring/summer piece, and I loved wearing it in the bright sunshine this time round.
To see if I could style this skirt to overcome an unwelcome clash with a bulky sweater the first time I wore it. I tried olive green, pink and white, but ended up with just pink and white.10
I only wore my jacket around my waist for my final walk home, as I was sweating in the hot sun. It felt so good, but I also don’t really enjoy being damp.11
Hands in pockets, standing tall, sunnies on, and feeling like a badass. The Converse sneakers were bought on consignment a couple of years ago; they are sequined and have a squishy platform, good for lots of walking.
I looted my jewelry box for a mix of springy colours. I did mention that I don’t limit my love for “critters” in jewelry to just October, right?12
I put the brooches on my jacket and then piled the rest on. I admired the sparkle in the sun - it makes me happy.
After lunch, I headed down Oak Bay Ave to pick up a gift card, and ended up having just the teeniest Wee Shop.13
I believe the socks were all new, although I bought them in a consignment shop - I don’t like buying mass-produced items, but they were so cute and I’ll never find socks like this in the thrift shops, plus I supported a local brick-and-mortal store14. The denim skirt was a result of “just a look around” at Turnabout…since I was already there…and Logan’s birthday is coming up, so I’m cruising for interesting things for presents too.
I know, I know, me and jeans are not really friends, but this has a TRAIN.15 I am a fan of the open front, as I have a bunch of really cool shoes and boots that will be shown off to perfection with this skirt.
Sculpted Shapes
I have been a fan of sculpted or deconstructed shaping in clothes for many years, so when I spot something that’s asymmetrical, I snap it up. Friday’s office outfit incorporates two such items - one is a new-to-me purchase that’s going straight into Limbo for resale, and the other is a garment that I’m in total love with.
The skirt is a fancy-schmancy Australian designer and I know this because I did my research when I thrifted this 95% wool skirt, and noted at the time:
Woman I Love is one of the brands created by Megan Salmon, a Perth, Australia designer since 2000 (link here). I actually found the collection online at her site (here, lovely clothes!) - it's from the "Fountainhead" collection for Winter 2020, and you can find this exact skirt on page 7 of the lookbook here).
Of course, I giggled with glee to find out that complex designs like this run up to $350, and I’d only paid $11.95. Score!
I layered one of my Weird Adidas jackets over it as outerwear and rather wished I’d done this as my outfit instead. Ah well, there’s always another time!
I chose some of my Brutalist and gold accessories to go with the sculptured clothes, including a Vera silk scarf and my gold Fluevogs.
I rushed home after work to get ready for…That Thing I Girded My Loins For.
Urbanite Returns!
As our friend group’s Org Queen, I sussed out the folks in our group who were interested in going to the return of the famous “Pop-Up Party at the Art Gallery” - Urbanite! It’s a fund-raiser for the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, and has been on hiatus since pre-pandemic. It ran for over a decade prior, with Urbanites happening 2-3 times a year. The “Warhol to Banksy” exhibit is ending soon, and attendees were encouraged to be “on theme” with a Pop Art/colourful presentation.
Cue Ben Day dots16! I enjoy playing with make-up to enhance party looks - I’m not an MUA or pro17, and just used what I had in my stash to draw dots and cel shading lines on my face and neck.
I reviewed the internet18 for ideas then set to work - it took me about an hour to do my full face19.
I pulled the outfit from my closet - you know you have the perfect wardrobe when you don’t need to buy anything for a themed or special event. The minute I saw this sweater, I knew I’d be wearing it, my prized Kensai Yamamoto treasure.20 It’s a bull…with a buzzard perched on one horn. You know, your usual sweater imagery. Oh, 80s, what a wild time.
I pulled the sleeves down here to show the design, but I wore them shoved up past my elbows to show more skin and balance all this fabric.
I call the bottom my Mondrian skirt, because…it looks like Piet Mondrian’s art. I’ve worn it to work a bunch of times, and I’d definitely do this sweater/skirt combo again.
Without the make-up, this is just another ho-hum colourful outfit.21
We had a blast at the event - about 14 of our friends were able to snag tickets (it sold out within hours22) and we spent our evening cruising around the galleries, taking pictures, chatting with people, posing for admirers, queuing for drinks, dancing, noshing on snacks, and generally carousing. I had a “Your face!” “No, your face!” moment with a drag queen.
If you’re curious to see more outfit and make-up details, what my friends wore, who Mondrian Steve is23, or what I drew on the graffiti wall, please check out my post. I also did a Flashback24 in it on all the outfits I’ve ever worn to every past Urbanite, going back to 2011.
I posed all of my accoutrements and stuff for their picture, primary colours plus black and white.
I was inspired to wear this hat for the first time in over 2 decades (enjoy two pictures of me wearing it in 1999-200025) - how have I never pinned one side of it up to show my face? - by seeing a similar hat in the movie Practical Magic. I took pictures of the TV screen and then referred to them for my hat sculpting. You can get ideas from anywhere!
This picture is for you,
! These are a set of four sterling silver “swear rings” by Wendy Brandes in her trademark font.26 I wear them whenever I’m in a big crowd of people to give me strength.
That’s a good look at my cel shading and my Ben Day dotting. I wouldn’t let anyone hug or smooch me all night - “Hat radius only, folks!” - which my poor friends missed, but I didn’t want to smudge the make-up or get it on their clothes.
I’m even leaning away from Logan.
One of the things I deeply admire about him is that he’s not afraid to stand out in a crowd - he’s always had a flair for the dramatic, and enjoys dressing up. I can’t imagine how boring my life would have been without Logan’s early encouragement to put myself out there.27
Mental Health Shop
After our usual Saturday brunch, I did a 3-hour shop on my own, just to recharge and Zen my brain out from being around all those people the night before.
Weird Adidas x 2! I dug out a mixed colour tee with the Adidas logo on the front, and topped it with my thermonuclear28 thermoplastic Fiorucci X Adidas collab jacket.
Sorry about the shite lighting here - I forgot to change a setting on my little point-and-shoot camera that I use for timer shots29.
I had a lovely browse in two of my favourite thrift shops, then a quick peek in Rich Rags on the way home.
As my social battery was drained by Urbanite, and my people energy felt like a dry sponge, I spent around 3 hours with my head down, singing along to the 80s music, just focusing on looking for good textiles, interesting clothes and accessories, and quality pieces. Heaven!
No crazy steals this time - the Alfred Sung mustard silk jacket is probably the biggest score.
Exciting! I’ll be incorporating these into outfits soon, aside from the burgundy knit skirt, which is going into the fall/winter stash.
Do you like voting on my outfits?
I’ve left the casual shopping outfit out (easily the weakest, style-wise, IMO), but feel free to express your opinion here or in the comments.
That’s My Guy
And here we are, another week in the can.
Thanks so much for dropping by, my friends! I’m ever so grateful to see you here, and if you enjoyed this, kindly give me a heart or comment.
Cheers,
Sheila
Self-proclaimed! I’m also the Mayor of Matchytown, the Org Queen, and whatever other titles I deem necessary.
I’m not an extrovert, but I’ve learned to fake it through practice. People are exhausting.
Yes, this is a “Braveheart” reference. L and I saw it in the theatres together before we got married, and then went on vacation to Scotland. When I get all demand-y, he uses this on me, and I melt every time. Aw!
Last pair! $79.00!
This is a really good way to get things you want as gifts for Christmas, birthdays or whatever, if your partner is open to it! You get what you want, they know you will love it. By the time I open my present I’ve usually forgotten what I pointed at, so it’s a complete surprise.
Canadian vintage jewelry lovers know this brand! All of our grandmothers had Sherman!
“I see you’re wearing your demented elf shoes,” Logan notes whenever I have them on. Enjoy a “Shoes My Husband Hates” post from 2014 (I’m majorly deploying brooches in my outfit!).
She reacts to them all the same. “Mmmm.” Ah, that non-demonstrative English heritage.
There are little frayed bits of pink around the floral brocade design. I really liked it with olive green - will do that at some point.
I have had over 15 years of hot flashes which seems like far too many years. I am DONE with them! Fuck ‘em!
Wouldn’t want you to think I’m weird or anything. Heh.
SHOCKING. But it wouldn’t be a Mom-Day without a Wee Shop.
Thank you, A La Mode!
Seriously, you should have seen me swooshing about outside the fitting room. I was a beautiful swan, swishing this way and that!
Yeah, you know what these are: the dots that comic book images (for example) are made up of. More info.
MUA = Make-Up Artist. No one is going to shout, “DING DONG, DARLING!” at me. My work is Good Enough for a party, especially if it’s dim lighting.
Yes, the WHOLE INTERNET. All of it.
And I will tell you in all honesty that doing this on a wrinkly face like mine is about a thousand times harder than on youthful skin, and fuuuuck, it made me feel old. It took a lot of patience - pull the skin tight, draw, let it “snap back” (hahahahahhahah), adjust with a wet Q-tip. Repeat.
Recently purchased for $48.00 - Yamamoto designed the Ziggy Stardust costumes for David Bowie.
My ho-hum may not be your ho-hum.
Next time, Emma!
Who is Mondrian Steve? Inquiring minds want to know.
Pics of every past Urbanite outfit, plus links back to the original posts.
I have a couple of old pictures of me in this hat from when I first bought it c. 1998-1999. The one in the black/red velvet poppy dress is when I dressed as Mae West for New Year’s Eve 1999. The snake-print dress was from Fairweather c. 2000, and I’m at a house party. I still have the long black gloves!
Bought directly from her for $125.00 in 2018 but she’s long sold out. Bella Hadid was photographed wearing a set too!
Yeah, I married an extrovert. He was wearing a fedora and tie when I met him and he’s always loved dressing up.
Whoa, wrong one!
True fact: I take all my own pictures.
You guys look great! I love the “tough” look with the leather jacket and pink skirt — it looks like something the owner of a trendy nightclub would wear, surrounded by neon lights with new wave music playing! So much fun.
You’re phenomenal. I love how YOU your style is. I can see the through line from your outfits to your writing so clearly.