This Calls For Fancy!
In which I slog through the last full work-week, talk books with besties, and attend a party! Whatever shall I wear?
Hello, my friends! Come in, grab a seat, and make yourself cozy. I see a lot of new folks here (“THANK YOU,” she stage-whispered), some old faces (oh, that’s me in the mirror, lol), and a whole lotta people who seem to enjoy this creative sartorial ride I’m on in this game of life. If you’re NEWnew, then here’s what you can expect: I’m a Gen-Xer who shops 99% secondhand and vintage, I love sparklepatterntextureshine and gobs of jewelry, and I’ll never say no to colour. I’ve been blogging my life and my outfits for 18+ years (that’s not a typo), via my OG blog, Ephemera1, and yakking about fashion and stuff on Substack for over a year. Good times!
This week is full of hustle and bustle, including my annual Book Club dinner, a play-sesh in my closet for coming festivities, and Nick’s annual Christmas party. Lots of opportunity for fancy, and you KNOW I love the fancy!
Let’s go!
Cowgirl, Honey
Kicking it off my last full week of work with sparkle! There are the studs and snaps on this cowgirl-inspired shirt, the honeycomb pattern of the skirt is outlined in silver sparkle, and I have studs all over my boots.
I was torn over this shirt. I have a leopard camisole under it, and originally had more snaps at the neckline undone, but that felt too open/bare, so I did the neckline up and then I lost the fucking vibe2. Dammit!
What to do? Do I keep the shirt, and save it for non-office shenanigans? Once I asked myself this, it was clear. Absolutely! I still like the shirt - I just screwed up the styling. The bones were there, but I needed to muck around with the outfit more. This is what ya get when you’re tired and just slap pieces together without really thinking.
Whatever! Let’s move on!
Can I inspire you to wear more exciting coats? How about a little fringe?
I’m so sick of looking at dog-walking coats. I see so many AMAZING coats in consignment stores just crying to be given a good home. I wanted at least 20 of the ones at Turnabout last weekend, all of them gorgeous. My closet isn’t big enough! Please, puh-leez, wear more interesting coats!
I’m still wearing silk scarves because I have a huge blind spot about dressing for the weather. I’m often overwarm, soaked or freezing. I’ve come to see it as a charming character flaw. *snort*
Bold Blue
And now we wear colour! Lots and lots of it - the blue is so BLOO and the orange is nearly neon. Put on your sunglasses, kids, this one’ll sear your retinas.
The cardigan is a go-to when I need cocooning - it’s thick but not too warm, it has big pockets and they don’t sag. The colour is heavenly. The moths ignore it3!
My sparkly blue/orange skirt is fun to play with. It’s a stretchy velvet base (note the ginormous thigh-slit; hence the blue tights) with rows of paillettes that stand up. One side of the paillettes is blue and the other is orange. I like to run my hand back and forth on them and watch them shimmer. JOY is spark(l)ed!
My region’s being lashed with Atmospheric River(s) all week, with rain warnings and flooding and ginormous puddles and such.
I’m unfazed4 by this - I was born here, I’m used to it - but it does mean I’ll be wearing this coat a lot when it’s REALLY raining. I know a lot of you lurve this gorgeous vintage trench so you won’t suffer overly. *wink*
Pro beret tip: Tuck all your hair in there. It says dry! Plus you get to shake it out like a Breck Shampoo ad from the 80s!
Branded items5: Parkhurst angora beret, scarf is Givenchy, Jenny Bird leather/chain bracelet, rings by Wendy Brandes, necklace is Heidi Daus. I bought the rings directly from Wendy; the rest is all secondhand.
Non-Seasonal
Ever since I separated my wardrobe into two seasons (fall/winter and spring/summer) several years ago, clothes that I buy out of season have just been shoved into a corner of my closet until the next swap-over. But I really like to try and get a wearing in before those items become permanently ensconced in their “proper” season.
This colourful silk-blend top screams summer to me and I can picture it with just a light cami underneath and a swooshy skirt or white jeans for a hot day. But why not at least TRY to winter it up?
The black “catsuit” of tights + long-sleeved turtleneck are a formula I learned in the 90s when we wore little miniskirts over it, and it’s been a handy one I’ve used ever since for styling those “what the fuck do I wear with this?” clothes.
The weather remained crappy so I wore my other leather trenchcoat over it. I get tired of the caramel one, and so I swapped it out for this lovely green version.
I met up with my Book Club women for our annual Holiday Dinner, followed by discussion of of our last book, and distribution of our next book.6
Branded items: Silk YSL (Yves Saint Laurent) scarf; Echo leather gloves; Parkhurst wool beret; Givenchy 80s short gold necklace; D’Orlan gold tile bracelet; Robert Larin gold-plated pewter pendant/chain; Frances Jewelers gold/amethyst ring (bought new by my dad in 1965); Kate Spade earrings. Mostly secondhand!
After Book Club, Caro drove me home and I worked with her to style up a wonderful handmade vintage dress7 that she’d thrifted in Sidney on our recent shopping expedition.8
She asked me what I was wearing to Nick’s party on Saturday and…ruh-oh! I wasn’t sure! I’ve been percolating a few ideas (there’s that new-to-me gorgeous leather shirt/jacket…) but nothing concrete, and I also have a New Year’s Eve party that will require something spectacular yet danceable and comfortable…and there’s a post-New Year soiree the following weekend. Holy shit, I needed to do some planning, stat!
Test Drive!
I highly recommend creating a Dress Archive for your one-off party gowns and dresses. These don’t get worn often - sometimes only once! - but I find after a few years, I want to wear them again! But I also don’t want to take up Valuable Real Estate in my closet, so I bag them and store them next to my Limbo stock. Voila! Dress Archive!
For the three upcoming parties, I went through all four bags (I have amassed many dresses in the past 18ish years) and pulled out the dresses I’d been thinking of, or that inspired me, or that I thought might fit9.
I stripped down and tried each on, checking to see how they fit, and most crucially, how I felt in them10.
I have probably 20-25 dresses in my Dress Archive - I thought you might like to have a good look at the five that I pulled out, as well as see how I last wore ‘em.
Extra bonus content! I’m feeling all seasonal and generous.
Vintage 60s Miss Elliette
This is a gorgeous party dress, very frou-frou and swooshy, just made for grand entrances and swooshing around.
And here’s me and L getting ready to go to my company’s Christmas party in December 2022, which is the only time I’ve worn it. I thought this might be fun to revisit, and my friends have never seen it on me, but alas, she is SNUG in the boobular region. Curses!
Maybe next year…or the one after that. Back into the Archive she goes.
Vintage 00s French Connection
I picked this beauty up at the Patch back in 2022 (RIP, The Patch! Best vintage ever!), utterly gobsmacked by the elaborate 00s-does-Art-Deco-ish beading and sequins, which are all hand-sewn onto a silk backing.
And here I am in my Android outfit, talking on a shiny chrome landline phone, in October 2022 at our Space Party.
However, I wouldn’t be able to sit, or bend, or eat in it these days, so nope, not going to put myself through THAT. I may sell this one - it’s very short and too beautiful not to be worn!
Vintage 70s The 1300 Collection by Holt Renfrew
RAR, we have a tiger in the house! This is a slippery 70s acetate just waiting for a key party11 after too many mai-tais!
I wore it twice - once in 2016 and once in 2017 - before giving it away to Caro, who wore it to that same Space Party. I took it back as a Regret-Me-Not in late 2022 and it’s been languishing in the Archive since, just dreaming of being swanned about in again.
Being the Klassy person I am, I stapled the shit out of the ratty hem (this was the days before I remembered I could SEW) and Caro spent hours pulling all my staples out of it before hemming it and sewing up the hole in the side seam (she did a half-arsed job of it12, ha ha).
I was happily shocked when the zipper did up, so the Tiger Will Roar at Nick’s party!
Tangerine Jill Post-it Notes Dress
I’ve had this dress since 2018, bought on consignment at now-closed My Sister’s Closet (RIP), and wore it 5 times, including to work a couple of times, once with a white shirt under it.
I wasn’t wearing it much as a regular wardrobe item, so moved it to the Dress Archive a few years ago, after I last partied in it back in September 2022, as shown right here. Of course, I promptly forgot about it, which is the downside to storing things away.
The verdict is positive - when I tried this on, I remembered how much fun it is to wear. Heck yes, I am wearing this…for New Year’s Eve! I have worn it for NYE before, in 2019, but eh, whatever. No one cares!
Stop Staring Pin-up Polka Dots
I used to really groove on vintage pin-up looks in addition to steampunk, and I still have a few things from that era, including this dress that I bought new in Vancouver on an anniversary jaunt in 2015.
This dress is uber-stretchy and is insanely sexy with oodles of “lock and load” ruching. I wore it to work in 2018 and went to a vintage fair afterwards with a few work-to-play adjustments (the below look). The work version had the silvery-grey shrug covering my arms.
I was thrilled to find that this still hugs my curves and makes me feel like a million bucks! I’m going to wear this to the First Party of 2026, Tony and Alison’s soiree!
Phew! That was fun. Do you have a favourite?
Freaky Friday
From dressy to…whatever the hell this is!13 Exhausted from my try-ons, I threw a bunch of things together for work outfits and settled on this one for my Friday office day.
Logan started his vacation as of Friday, so popped by to take me to lunch - how lovely!
That is the same flower brooch I’m wearing in the polka dot dress picture above. I really do wear the same jewelry over and over and over.
Branded items: Janie Besner silk scarf; Parkhurst wool gloves; San Giorgio leather belt (80s); Myka turquoise sparkly brass cuff; Loren Hope orange crystal cuff; bronze ring is by P. Sarpaneva (70s deadstock); brass/Venetian glass necklace/ring are by Raphael of Canada (70s). It’s all secondhand!
That’s it for the work outfits - shall we vote?
The suspense is killing me!
Roadkill and Sequins
Pulling out one of the outfits I’d created earlier in the week for Saturday’s brunch, and incorporating some very festive sequins in my lewk.
The top is an insanely plush beast that reminds me of roadkill, because that’s just how my brain goes, kids! It’s roasty-toasty WARM to wear, so I have to reserve it for chilly days.
Bold red for the cherry on top, with the bonus of being completely waterproof and able to accommodate my ginormous plush-enriched arms.
I’d totally wear this again - people loved my sparkly look, and I personally love petting my roadkill.14
I literally had less than 5 minutes to pop into the Beacon Ave Thrift Store next to John’s Place and wish May and the other volunteers a Merry Christmas. And I may have found a couple of things…(looks innocent).
I have never worn mittens, said the west-coaster. Please explain why they are a thing. Are they warmer than gloves? Do my fingers feel weird all being together? Touching fingers seems…wrong.
The chambray dress is likely from the 90s and had a tiny coffee stain on the front that I zip-zapped with Folex before chucking it in the wash.
Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright
If you’ve been paying attention, what I wore to Nick’s party will come as no surprise - it’s my tiger dress! Made of 100% highly flammable acetate (it feels creepily cold on), this dress has SEEN THINGS. I’ve owned it for nearly 10 years, off and on, and it’s been through two parties (once worn by me, once by Caro as you saw earlier) as well as an Urbanite where it got nothing-but-side-eye. But it’s been 8 years since I wore it - a long time!
Trepidation. Internalized misogyny, fat-ism and ageism reared their ugly heads. The Ghost of Alcoholic Escapades Past15 whispered in my ear.
I repeated to myself what I’d said to Caro, “Just say FUCK IT and wear it.”
There it was. Time to take my own medicine: The only thing holding me back is me.
And so I said YupwhateverfuckitfuckitfuckitFUCKITwearit!
Some of friends remembered the tiger, there were many smiles, lots of “WOOWWW!”s, and Caro’s face when she saw it was priceless. “We are both part of that dress.”
I look all chic in my outerwear, but this beret was then crammed fully down over all of my hair and I hiked the skirt of the dress up and tucked it into my belt, then bagged up my shoes in favour of my floral Docs. RAIN, baby. One must DEAL.
Branded items: Echo scarf; Thinsulate gloves; Charmant by Deborah Marinoff belt; Raphael of Canada vintage brass/glass ring; earrings by Biko. All secondhand except for the shoes.
Cool Fact: The purse’s image is a German Vogue cover from May 2011. This is the original; the model is Julia Stegner, photographed by Alexi Lubomirski.
Time to Vote for the Non-Work Fits!
Gee, do you think the tiger dress will win??
These Are Lovely People Who Matter To Me
So much love to all of my Chosen Family, not all of whom are represented here (not by a long shot).
See you at New Year’s, you crazy kids! May your holidays be merry and bright.
And These Are My Cats
The kittens are best gift I could have asked for this year, and they’ve been a balm to my soul. The furry beasts have filled our home with joy (and shreds of toilet paper), and I am excited to see them grow and mature.
However you celebrate, my friends, Happy Holidays!
I rarely take breaks from writing (blogging is a harsh mistress16) so I will be back in a week with my final work outfits of the year, and a recap of all the secondhand goodies I gave Logan for Christmas.
As always, thank you for being here, Gentle Reader, whether you just found my little corner of the Substack-o-verse recently or have been with me for decades. To those of you here for the style, thank you for encouraging me. For the folks who enjoy my semi-humourous rambling - I didn’t know I was funny, so what a gift that’s been. And if it’s cat pictures you’re after, rest assured, there will never be a dearth of them.
The only thing that matters in life is connections with other people17, so please know that every Like, restack and comment is a present with an extravagant bow on top. THANK YOU.
Have yourself a merry little Christmas!
Cheers,
Sheila
If you’re smart - and I think you are! - you’ll have figured out why I have such a weird handle. While I have your attention: I link ‘cause I love (and will not steer you wrong!), I am a Footnote Freaque, I do not use AI (fuck AI! It’s all me, baby!), and click through to vote in the polls!
And I ran out of time. Hair/make-up, coffee/breakfast, cat-time, pictures then a 25-minute walk to work. Not a lot of extra minutes for fussing, and I gotta get those pictures done before I go because when I get home, those work-clothes are coming OFF.
This feels like I am just asking for a moth attack. Fucking moths!
I realized when I typed “unfazed” that in the previous newsletter, I said, “rain doesn’t phase me” which is CLEARLY WRONG - it should be “faze” as well. My bad! Revoke my Gud Speling Uward and report me to the Grammar Authorities!
Does this work for y’all? I want to share the cool stuff, but I also hate typing every item over and over. If I don’t mention it here, it’s not labeled/signed. Feel free to ask me about any of it! I love talking about this shit.
The last book was “Blob: A Love Story” (meh, didn’t like the protagonist, felt like a short story that was too thin to be a novel). The next book is my pick: “The Power” by Naomi Alderman.
I LOVE helping my friends style their outfits. Caro was also going to her hubby’s work party earlier that evening and wanted to Walk In Like She Owned The Place (#lifegoals). She looked AMAZING!
Here she is! Wee! She also wore my “Grape Ape” burgundy faux fur coat; I loaned her the leather belt and the Fluevog boots, plus some jewelry that she opted out of.
Fucking menopause and this unapproved rearranging of my body!
A perfect fit is no good if you don’t feel amazing in it! Remember last New Year’s Eve?
I was a kid for most of the 70s, and while my parents had a few bangin’ parties, there was never a key-bowl (that I’m aware of).
No shade! So proud of you, honey, for patiently removing over a hundred staples and sewing the hem up. I’m not complaining - I’m a master (mistress) of half-assery!
A hot mess. Calling it!
I have to restrain myself from stroking my chestal region in public.
I’ve been sober for 8 years, go me!
Just to be clear, I CHOOSE to post almost daily, and I’m not complaining. I’m lucky to be able to write as much as I do.
This is the truth.
Love it all but especially love that tiger dress! Fuck it and wear it is always the right call.
So so so glad to see you experiment and have fun, with even the kittens joining in!
Wishing you a merry merry holidays and may 2026 bring more fun closet experiments. Sending you so much love.
Your vintage fringe and leather jackets are such gems. It’s wild that your 2000s era French Connection dress is better made/better materials than some of the luxury items we have in 2025. I’m all over WGSN/Coloro’s 2027 color of the year Luminous Blue and your blue outfit is a prime example of this shade. Happiest of holidays Sheila, I’ve so enjoyed following along with your secondhand skills and wise words this year :) Wishing you a great start to your 2026.