Spring Has Sprung
In which I play around in my closet and build some spring outfits with the items I missed last season. Terribly exciting. Oh, and I may have bought a few things.
Hello, my friends and welcome back! This week we are looking at outfits that I built with things I didn’t quite get to before the Closet Swap-Over last week. I see I have new subscribers, and I’d be remiss if I did not send a message of appreciation to every one of you readers. Thank you for your time here. My articles are long and full of pictures, so please do click through and don’t miss a single one! Of course, you can always get the jump on these weekly musings at my blog, Ephemera (est. 2008, not a typo), where I post almost daily.
Ready for some clothes talk? Let’s go!
Spring is here! And for me that means loads of colour. Before you run away in fear, please be assured I’ll still be wearing black, grey, white, brown, navy1…all very safe, non-scary colours. But I think you know by now that I’m pretty fearless when it comes to colour, pattern, texture and shine.
Shoes Left Out
In last week’s post, I highlighted a bunch of clothes and shoes that I’d missed wearing in my fall/winter closet season. I had visions of building outfits with them all, featuring the missed items, and while that’s a laudable goal…eh, I’m just going to have fun playing in my closet for a while.
I did endeavour to wear these orange Fluevogs and built this outfit around them.
So, shoes selected. What goes with them? More orange! This is a sleeveless silk top with the label cut out2, but it’s a good layering piece to add a pop of colour. Black and white patterns go with pretty much any solid, so I landed on this awesome vintage 80s Louis Feraud skirt. The chevrons are made from mitered striped panels that have been lined up thusly. Amazing!
My coat closet is still part winter, part spring, and I will start to wear my jackets and blazers as outerwear at some point.
When I cleaned up my belts during the closet swap-over, I pulled out this baby blue suede belt - it tickles me that it’s by Lady Foot Locker. One, I’d totally forgotten that LFL was a thing. Two, they sold leather/suede belts? What kind of alternate universe did this come from?
And while you might recognize the blue belt, the silver/kyanite ring and my Wendy Brandes lapis lazuli ring, everything else here is a result of my accessory and jewelry swap-overs.
Again, I mourn the loss of Vanity Fair Antique Mall, where I bought a LOT of my cool vintage jewelry over the past 15+ years. The orange pearlized plastic cuff/ring are Italian, from the 1960s, and the steel cuff with purple glass pearls is by Moda and was handmade in Malta.3
By the way, if you haven’t ever explored stainless steel as a jewelry option, it doesn’t tarnish, rarely scratches and is light and comfortable to wear.4 The earrings are also steel, a gift around 8 years ago from a coworker.
Jammy Blue Velvet
Despite the previous day’s waffling about wearing the Poor Lost Souls5, I went ahead and wore one anyway. This is a COS silk/viscose dress with pockets in a gorgeous shade of blue, your basic Jammy Dress.
Hard to see in the shitty light in our den, but I’m wearing brown tights and boots to tone with the copper accessories.
I risked Velvet Rage with my leather trenchcoat, but I wore the coat open on the way home to ameliorate the velvet’s stickiness.
This isn’t a very exciting outfit, but Tuesdays are busy at work, and I appreciated the armour provided by the copper. The velvet dress is also kitten-soft, so I petted it and imagined Vizzini curled up on me. One of the (many) reasons I don’t shop online is that I really appreciate soft, luxurious fabrics, and I need to touch them and know they will be a tactile wearing experience.
My turquoise copper set, starting with the clip-on enamel/copper earrings, which I remember my Grandma J wearing in the 1970s when our family visited her and my (very scary) Grandpa J.6
One of my blog-friends7 in the UK has this exact same pendant, inherited from her granny; I found mine locally in a consignment store. They’re by Bell Trading Company, from the 1960s/70s. Small world!
Peachy Try-Hard
I’m a firm believer in leopard print as a neutral, and while the natural brown/tan/black colouring is lovely, it’s always fun to find variations. This bias-cut skirt is a warm peachy tone, with bits of caramel shading the black spots.
The orange blazer is a Dots find from 4-5 years ago - it goes with everything, has big pockets, and I like the cut of it.
I was so sure that I hadn’t worn these shoes in the fall/winter, completely forgetting that I had worn them with a 90s floral dress only a couple of weeks ago. Oh, well, whatever, they’re still cool and I definitely did not wear them enough.
These red leather gloves make me happy, and keep my hands and wrists warm. I had to slip my biggest ring into my pocket, though - it didn’t fit in the finger!
My colleague Kayla was wearing a black bias-cut skirt today with black boots and a baggy grey cashmere sweater - hooray, a new Fashion Person in my office!
When I complimented her, she said, “Skirts are so try-hard, but I love them!”, which caught me by surprise. Of course, I encouraged her to wear whatever she wants8, but it got me thinking.
I admit that some of the subtlety of this is lost on me. What exactly are we trying so hard to do here? Get dressed? Look Fancy? Am I try hard?9
It’s an interesting insight into how people can place an article of clothing into a category where simply wearing it means you’re perceived as being overly ambitious or eager to “belong.”
Hmmm. I call bullshit. If you like skirts, wear skirts!10
The flat mesh-backed bracelet is also Mom’s, “liberated”11 from her jewelry box c. 1984. I used to wear it with this very chain belt12, plus a coin necklace and earrings to high school with a red off-the-shoulder tee, olive harem pants and red pumps. I was very styling in high school.13
Ringmaster in Rodarte X Opening Ceremony
I managed to get back on track with my theme of Poor Lost Souls for my Mom-Day Adventure (enjoy) and built an outfit with my treasured “Ringmaster Jacket” which has been sadly neglected for over two years! 14
Half of the coat is faux Persian lamb; the bottom half curves away to…
I know some of you love seeing runway pieces or the original look book stylings of the garments I’ve found15. I bought it at the now-closed My Sister’s closet for $42.98 in the fall of 2017 - the CA number is for Holt Renfrew, so it was sold through them, likely from the Vancouver store, in 2011.
You can read about this collection in an old blog post I found a few years ago (linking ‘cause I love, as always), and there are loads of pics there, one of which I pinched for the gallery above. When I first bought it, I found the online listing with a $965 USD price tag.
Wearing it again, I was reminded of two things:
People who don’t put pockets in coats are EVIL; and
I love this coat and need to wear it more!
More spring accessories appear. These Sol Sana shoes were bought retail at a local shop - they are leather and so comfortable. Get used to seeing them, ‘cause I wear them a lot in the warm months.
I found the Mexican silver sun necklace in the tiny seaside town of Powell River a few years ago - it has a nice heft to it. I paid a dollar for the steel cuff, and not much more for the vintage Juicy Couture bracelet with heart-shaped crystals.
The silver ring that looks like a bit of crumpled fabric is engraved inside, “Anneke + Lars Forever.” I hope they both lived to a ripe old age16 - I’ll carry on your love, kids!
1986 Acid Wash Denim
I was in my first year of university in 1986, but I remember acid wash denim hitting like a big trendy wave in the mall stores. I couldn’t afford to buy new clothes back then, especially not something so batshit crazy unique as this glorious 100% cotton dress.
The lovely Sita recently styled a vintage dress, and I promised her I would style this one for her. For me, the key to wearing something that screams “VINTAGE!” is to mix modern accessories with it like shoes, purse, coat and jewelry…and that includes having a current haircut.17
I would not wear this with big hair, bold makeup or same-era accessories…unless I was going to an 80s party, like my dear friend Caro did a couple of years ago. She’s wearing my stretchy gold belt and carrying my Bruno Cucinelli purse, loaned along with the dress.
I thought about her all day as I wore it - it was like getting a hug. My girl had my back. I bet the original owner would appreciate that it’s still being worn and loved.
I had my hair cut after work, so got to show off my ‘fit to Kaitlyn (hi, honey!), who adored the green with the leopard. Leopard and acid wash together? Hell, yeah!
The green silk scarf is the only same-era-as-the-dress piece here. The boots are my Fluevog X Anna Sui Bond Girls, perfect for all that walking. And yes, of course, I wore this to the office. Forget Casual Friday - I do Funky Friday!
Meet my green set. Just as I’ve collected green boots…and a green belt…and a green scarf, so I’ve collected green jewelry. I also have orange, yellow and turquoise sets.
I am low-key looking for a silver/malachite necklace or pendant - I’m sure the Fashion Gawds will smile upon me at some point and one will show up at a thrift shop or vintage fair.
A Shop With Sheila
For the past couple of years, I’ve offered my “Shop With Sheila” services as fund-raising auction lots for both my work and for a friend’s event18, in which I take the winner for brunch, grill them on their style/fashion/shopping goals, and then we tour a couple of thrift/vintage/consignment stores (their choice), finding goodies. I always focus on the quality:
Textiles: real fabrics (silk, linen, cotton, wool, cashmere, leather, suede).
Prints: classic, creative, unusual.
Colour: rich, not faded.
Fit: it has to look good on!
I demonstrate the “hand” of the garment, comparing silk to polyester, or wool to acrylic, to exemplify how you can train yourself to recognize good quality by feel. Sarah was astounded at me just grabbing at the bottoms of the clothes and pulling out “the good stuff.” We talked about labels, looking for hints of vintage (union labels, country of origin), and examining the interiors for quality construction.
I often pooh-pooh pastels, but here I am clad nearly head-to-toe in them. Never say never! I was shocked to realize that aside from a few of the accessories, most of my outfit was bought retail: the jacket is a Dots find as was the skirt, and I’ve had the shoes for over 10 years (this is their 59th wearing!19)
Incognito and done up for my walk to meet up with my coworker Sarah at John’s Place for brunch, followed by a mammoth four-hour shop. I was happy with this barrel jacket20 and the cropped, fitted waist.
I yanked the tulle skirt off to try things on in the aisles at Women in Need (WIN) - the outfit looked good with just the blue slip, but I have a mental block around wearing lingerie as Actual Clothing. I know I need to get over that! So many possibilities added if I start to include my lingerie collection in my outfit planning…
My “trout” shoes21 have long been shopping shoes and are beautifully worn in, but my feet were very tired after standing on concrete for hours, then walking home. Shopping is physically hard work!
I ended up slipping my rings into my purse, as they were getting in the way. I usually wear minimal accessories when I shop for myself, but you know me, never met a lesson I didn’t learn, har har.
Sarah was thrilled at her finds - a mix of blazers, skirts, a dress and tops, plus a scarf - and was eager to start styling things up with my advice. I was happy she got her money’s worth! Of course, it’s a rare day that I don’t find anything along the way for myself! The first three items below were bought with her.
I was still jonesing for a bit of retail therapy for myself, so I popped into Csinos/Cheers Vintage Collective for a browse. The big score here is that amazing bull and buzzard knit22, by Kansai Yamamoto’s O2 line from the 80s. He designed David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust” tour/stage clothes - I found a similar sweater on a vintage resale site for over $1400! I was enamoured with the batwing sleeves, the low V and the “fin” of fabric in the back.
I’m also smitten with the cotton corduroy “Ron Burgundy” 1970s dress, clearly inspired by Halston’s Ultrasuede dresses of the 1970s. This dress is missing its self-tie/matching belt, but it’s fully-lined and is a house brand from BC/Alberta former department store chain, Woodward’s23. I love finding pieces with history!
One final thing to share with you: I spotted a dress at WIN that I used to own! A gent was helping his partner review lacy-looking garments, and I gasped when I saw this in his hand.
I remember Mom taking me to Woolco24 to buy this for a dance…and here is me wearing it in December 1981 (I’m 14 years old there). It’s clearly the same dress - I recognized it immediately.
I’m about to go to my first-ever Christmas dance at my junior high school, where I got my first kiss25. Note my permed hair26, gold aviator glasses, and I’m wearing a ring and have my nails done in a frosted polish.
Was this my actual dress? We’ll never know, but what an amazing thing to see.
Well, that’s another week done! Here’s a sweet picture of Vizzini, having a nap on the back of the couch. Aw, that face…
As always, thank you so much for visiting my little corner of the Substack-o-verse. If you enjoyed this, let me know by hearting or commenting. I’d love to hear from you!
Cheers,
Sheila
Okay, not so much navy - it’s not a colour that resonates with me.
I suspect it’s Kate Spade from the lettuce-trim edges which match a neon yellow top that I have that’s very similar.
Malta! Have you ever found something made in Malta?
And you can wash it if it gets goopy from sunblock.
The clothes and shoes I didn’t wear last season. My brain immediately starts singing “Poor Unfortunate Souls” (Ursula rules!).
He was a racist alcoholic bigot, with a leg brace and a shaking arm resulting from multiple strokes and heart attacks. Terrifying to a young child - he used to call me Fatty Arbuckle.
Always! Follow your heart!
I know! The horror! I’m clutching my pearls as I type!
Don’t worry, they’ll be in style again, I 100% guarantee it.
Permanently borrowed.
With all the chains and tassels dangling and flipping as I walked. Wish I had pictures of some of my crazy high school outfits - but no one took film pictures of outfits back then, that would have been so WEIRD.
This is my 1985 grad dinner outfit. Note that my skirt has pockets!
So many clothes, so little time. Also, it has zero pockets, which drives me bananas. Who doesn’t put pockets in a coat?
While not possible with every designer piece, if I have that info, I’ll share it.
The cynical side of me suspects Anneke sold it after their acrimonious divorce.
I might have had a bigass perm back then…
This was a hotly-bid-upon auction lot at K’s “Aged to Perfection” burlesque event last October, but the winner never claimed her event with me! Oh, well, it still raised over $200.
You can enjoy a Flashback of the first 44 outfits from 2015 to 2020.
If barrel jeans can be a thing, so can a barrel jacket!
My coworker Frank named them after the classic car colour “Trout”, which is a mix of green and purple.
The buzzard is standing on the bull’s horn. This is completely a normal design for sweaters, everyone knows this!
The local Woodward’s closed in the…late 80s? Early 90s?
Another long-gone small department store, which was replaced by Walmart.
A redhead named Steve, immediately followed by Chris and a bunch of other boys. I was a kissing fool!
This is before my giant perms of the later 80s.
Thank you Sheila for taking the time to write and document your outfits. There is much time and consideration in every one of them.
And you as a 14 year old is simply the most adorable thing 🫶🏼🥰
I saw my junior high school prom dress (age 13) hanging in the window of a vintage shop in Hudson, NY! It was late and the shop was closed and we were leaving, so I didn’t get to check it out fully. My mom bought it for me from either Dress Barn or Bloomingdale’s.