Wardrobe Freeeeeedom

In which I wear whatever the f**k I want - it was a short week, with a party at the end!

Hello, my friends, and welcome to my little corner of the Substack-O-Verse, where you can take refuge from all the crazy stuff going on in the world, and look at pretty clothes and wacky outfits, while I wax rhapsodic about why I wore what I did, how I felt about that, what I’m done with, and what I’ve found, et. cetera. You can expect to see mostly secondhand, much of it from many years ago, plus vintage and the wildest shoes this side of the Rockies. I’ve been at this outfit picture thing since I started my blog, Ephemera¹, back in 2008, and well, 4.6K posts later, I’m still typing away.

This week was a short one due to Family Day on the Monday, and then only two days of work and woo! onto the weekend! This means only two office fits and the rest were free-form (*jazz hands*).

Ready for the excitement? Gird your loins!

---

Blue Leopard

After a week of THEME, I was ready to wear something, anything, different. Sick of red and pink? No, not really, but I’m ready to move on.

That can lead to spiraling², so the easiest thing to do it just pick one thing and build the outfit around it. In this case, it’s this new-to-me thrifted skirt that I found on a five-minute shop while Logan waited in line at the diner.

Blazer is Jacob, skirt is Laundry by Shelli Segal - both thrifted. The top is from local boutique Baden Baden and was consignment.

One of my colleagues noted that I was looking very professional today - it’s the blazer, which I was also not feeling.

Great Scott, is my love affair with blazers over?? Pass me the smelling salts!

Naaaaahhhh…I’m still highly enamoured of a cool jacket, but I think this business-y style is just not cutting it for me. At least not this particular one, which is gorgeous, nothing wrong with it! No offense! But blerp blerp, it’s grey and as with navy…do I really need grey in my closet? I feel like it’s a colour I could skip.

Suede coat is by Tadmor, from the 60s, an old piece of deadstock I found NWT in a now-gone antique mall.

But not in my outerwear, where I adore it primarily because of this bigass pouff of a faux fur hat. I like how it contrasts here with the blue suede coat. I wear this grey stuff all the time.

Furry bits, blue heels. The belt of truth. Blue things. A bull-dog clip in action. Boot swaperoo! And a purse for the theatre, forgot the damned brooch.

Branded items: Hat is M&S. Shoes are the Big Presence Desmond by Fluevog. The belt is also Fluevog (call the Rohesia). Crystal cuff is Swarovski. Necklace is by Heidi Daus. Wendy Brandes’ two blue rings have graced my fingers for over a decade. Black boots are the Groovy Huysmans, another Fluevog design. Bag is Coach. Brooch is Boucher.

The Fluevog stuff was bought new, as were the Wendy rings.

---

Grey-Green-Lime

Wasn’t I JUST pooh-poohing grey? And here I am wearing it again.

But this is a Romeo Gigli 100% wool dress (it has a constellation of tiny moth-holes I’ve never bothered about but should really sew shut one day…), and it’s definitely more special than an Office Blazer.

Like I said, the dress is Romeo Gigli, likely vintage 90s, bought on consignment many years ago. The cotton turtleneck was also consignment, and is Zara.

I don’t feel neutral towards all that lime green, that’s for sure. This felt utterly me, every bit. I was cozy, badass, full of Drama and also felt outré.

Down-filled puffer coat was thrifted.

I prefer to wear 3 colours at a time, so I incorporated dark olive with the tights (snake-textured), gloves and jewelry. Hard to see in the pics, sorry.

Gigli's known for extra-long arms. Love these shoes! A trendy necklace from 2004.

Branded items: Monet brooch. Parkhurst gloves. Krizia silk scarf. Classy Bach shoes by John Fluevog. Midzo brass cuff. Silver/smoky topaz ring is by Swedish silversmith Anneli Neuman. Bronze 70s ring is by P. Sarpaneva of Finland.

Shoes, hat, gloves were new, as was the necklace. I bought the earrings for Mom 16 years ago and she gave them back last year.

---

Work Outfits, a bit grey this week..

Pushing the office envelope since 1999, yo!

---

Triple Brooched

I headed out to Mom’s place on Thursday, bringing beef stew for lunch, and ready to help her set up online grocery ordering, plus some other tech-y things³. It was far too fucking cold, so I bundled up in one of the “will it ever be cold enough to wear this?” pieces that’s been sitting in a corner of my closet waiting for the temps to drop.

The angora-blend Muppet sweater has no label; the black sparkly turtleneck is Jacob; the wool skirt is by Marc Cain - all THRIFTED.

I am not keeping this orange sweater in my “regular” closet - it’s too big and although I love it, it has such a narrow window of wearing opportunity.

You know I never walked around like this. Coat open - pshaw!

Instead, I freaked out people right and left as the Crazy Orange Lady⁴.

Welsh wool coat (the pattern is Eclipse) is from the 1960s and was consignment.

Whatever possessed me to SKIP a scarf…well, I felt pretty silly when I was sitting at the bus stop, freezing my neck off.

SHEEPS. New boots were fabulous! Robert Larin Brutalist stuff. Mom’s kilt pin, c. 1956.

Branded items: Picabo hat. De Pastille-Silvestre gold/silver/enamel brooch. Jose Saenz boots. Robert Larin bracelets and necklace.

As I noted…in Notes…this outfit was 100% secondhand. I didn’t buy any of it new. Even my tights were thrifted!

Did you spot all the brooches? The big black one was on the coat; the vintage 70s enamel one was on the purse, and I used Mom’s old kilt pin to pull my sweater hem up to a more jaunty angle.

---

Sweetums Shop

Ah, the freedom of a day off! I had no clue what I’d be wearing, and let myself take the time to built an outfit “free-style.” Since I’d planned to walk to town and have a Wee Shop up Fort Street, I started with outer wear, then worked my way backwards, thusly:

• Cape (did you peek? it’s Sweetums, you might remember her).

• Jacket to wear under cape.

• Boots to match the jacket that I can walk in/stand/shop for 4+ hours.

• Top (sleeveless) to match the boots.

• Long-sleeved vintage silk thermal top so I don’t freeze my arms off.

• Quilted neutral skirt with big pockets.

• Accessories (inner).

• Accoutrements (outer accessories).

Ricochetjackets upcycled jean jacket; quilted skirt is by Ilse Jacobsen - both were consignment. The sleeveless sparkly sleeveless sweater is by Jessica and was thrifted.

Logan bought this jacket for me 3-4 years ago - Rich Rags had a wall of them and I picked this one for the purple fringe, the urn, the lips (and eyes) and the horses on the collar. Stellar!

Please embellish everything. I’ve added three brooches to this jacket permanently: one from Caro’s mum Hazel, an S pin from the 60s (found at a vintage fair with Cat and Elaine), and jade-body fly pin (thrifted with Logan). I carry all the love with me.

I only looked like that as I ate lunch, but it matters to me that both the “regular” outfit and the outerwear work as separate ensembles.

Hello, Sweetums⁵! Since I had two ginormous pockets on the cape and zip pockets on the skirt, I skipped a purse entirely. So decadent!

Sweetums is a mohair/wool blend coat with pink satin lining, made in Canada, no brand labels, sorry.

I’ve been encouraged by all the excellent brooching I’ve seen on Substack - y’all know who you are! It’s you! You’re so inspiring! I have three copper brooches in my fall/winter collection, so why not WEAR THEM ALL?

Three perma-brooches. "Is purple your favourite colour?" Three copper brooches. Grandma J's set and ring, plus a couple of acquired bits.

Branded items: Parkhurst beret and gloves. Original Samedi boots by John Fluevog. Renoir hinged cuff (the more rounded one).

I enjoyed my wee shop, and found a few exciting things. I visited Dots (a sample clearance store), then meandered through a few of my favourite secondhand shops on Fort Street waiting for something to jump out at me, but I only had luck at the Velvet Crease.

A $100 Matinique lavender suit for Logan! A $19.99 Soya Concepts marble-print mesh top. Sportalm dress for $45. Naturel lambskin leather jacket with hood and collar was $125.

Notes:

• The Matinique suit is a wool blend and claims to be washable, which is handy for a pale lavender suit⁶. I bought this without Logan there to try it, so good thing I know his sizes and tastes.

• A marble-print layering piece for me. I think I need to stop with the mesh tops. I have enough.

• The dress is by Sportalm, an Austrian brand that’s been around for over 70s years. Julia Benbow, do you know this brand? The style is very early-to-mid 00s.

• I gasped over the leather coat! Wow! The colour! And the hood can be zipped off and swapped for a regular collar. It was pricey, but I LURVE it.

I was a bit disappointed that the regular collar on the jacket has a zipper that doesn’t fully mesh…hence, it gapes open, BUT it stays put and you wouldn’t know unless I told you, so PFFT, whatever. Even the flawed pieces need love!

---

Shedding Accessories

Working my way though the backward hangers (just over a month to go!) and making sure I really love all these short Jammy Dresses⁷ that I tend to accumulate. I like the pattern of this one (plus the pockets!), which is why I call this my Eyes Without a Face⁸ dress.

Dress is by Little Moon, an Aritzia brand, bought on consignment a couple of years ago.

I built the outfit specifically to go with my green wool pillbox hat, which I’ve had since 1986-ish? The years are a blur, but I do know I never wore this back then - it was not my style - but I kept it! I’ve worn it more in the last year than all the previous 4 decades.

Coat is vintage 80s as well - brand is Tibor, and it was on consignment at a vintage store in Fan Tan Alley last June.

I felt so cool with the cheapass crown/cross/chain double brooch on the hat. I hear pillboxes are a THING again, right, Danielle? Put a Lid On It! How hilarious to be “on trend.”

Note to self: Put a Lid On It

I’m late to the party and it only took 40 years. And hammering in that lesson again: this is why we do not pay attention to trends - keep things because you love them.

Cat-blur. I think that’s Whateley?

I had an annoying day of accessories, starting with the little beaded purse. I bought it for $6.95 back in 2019 and this is the FIRST time I’ve worn it. That’s…yeah, I don’t need to keep something that I never wear, so off to Limbo that went.

Pillbox hat from 1986. A neverworn purse. Gawdamn bracelet! Only one ear-cuff survived.

Branded items: Fairweather wool hat. The Bay beaded purse. Ralph Lauren gloves. 7th Heaven Mega Racer boots are by John Fluevog. Anne Klein 80s necklace. Dior ear-balls.

The stone/bone/brass bracelet fell off as I was getting myself out of the coat at John’s Place - one of the pins holding it closed had disappeared. Well, I’m screwed, I thought, and although I could add a brad⁹ to it from the tool stash, I was so fucking annoyed with it, that when I found the missing pin in my giant coat pocket I STILL put it into the accessory Limbo bag. Fuck it! DONE.

And then one of my vermeil ear-cuffs fell off somewhere between the diner and the car. SIGH. HEAVY dramatic heavings! Whoever finds it will get a nice surprise - I hope they wear it and love it.

---

Party Puffed SLEEVES

I try not to fall into the old trap of buying something new when I have a party to go to - I learned many years ago that it’s more fun to build an outfit out of my existing stash, or pull out a dress I want to revisit, but I had a strong vision for how I wanted to wear this new dress, and it would just be WASTED on my office colleagues (no shade), so there we go. Party outfit!

These little body-con dresses are all over the thrifts, usually in some garish floral in a bouncy jersey polyester - they were hugely popular in the late 00s (I’ve had many of them myself). I knew I wanted to layer a shirt under it to yank it out of that “I’m only for parties!” vibe.

Recollections vintage repro blouse was thrifted. The dress is is by Sportalm and was just bought on consignment.

SLEEEEEEVES…Anne Shirley would be proud¹⁰! And I knew Rosanna would enjoy the shape and construction of it all. It fully unzips - I could wear it as a vest¹¹.

Leaning into the DRAMA with Elmo! Coat is by Maeve, consignment, Powell River.

I ended up shucking my shoes after about an hour, and chatting and munching snacks, while I visited with my dear friends. Both Greg and Katya were celebrating birthdays, and I will never say no to a party. These times are precious.

S, here to save the day (note the tights). A trio of greys. Strong silvers and ssssnakesssss.

Branded items: M&S hat. Aldo suede gloves. Rebecca Minkoff purse. Big Presence Desmond shoes by John Fluevog. Alexis Bittar bracelet.

This is a 100% secondhand outfit, aside from the silver snake ring I bought for myself in 1986.

---

Spontaneous Outfit Vote!

Have extra feelings? To the comments!

---

These Are My Family

My rock, my love, Logan (check out his music reviews at Logan at Creative Maelstrom). “This will never be a work suit!” he proclaimed. Rock and roll, baby!

Logan in Lavender. Rosanna, my Artner, in black and white Fauxtier. Hide from the world if you need to. Or look at a wire intently. You do you.

My heart belongs to my Chosen Fam. And Logan (the OG Chosen Fam!). And my kitties.

---

Well, well, welly-well, my droogs¹², that week is now in the rearview mirror, and I’d like to thank you all so much for being here. There have been a whack of noobs this week (thanks for the kind mention, Asta / Aastha) and I hope this hasn’t been too much of a shock to your delicate constitutions. Fuckin’ A!

As always, my gratitude for your presence knows no bounds. I’m appreciative of every like/heart, will always respond to comments, and give big kitten eyes to you restackers (I see you Rebekah King, and Good Humor by CK Steefel). THANK YOU.

So! How did I feel about all this wardrobe freedom I crowed about? I absolutely loved the “freeform jazz” outfit planning, but that comes with a time cost that I can’t always afford. I do need to get out of the grey rut - maybe a rainy week ahead will cure it?

Who knows? Until next time!

Cheers,

Sheila

1. Welcome to the footnotes, freaques! I link ‘cause I love (and I will not steer ya wrong), I am a salty and cynical Gen Xer, I fucking hate AI (my typos, go, me!), but I love my cats and husband. Vote in the polls, leave me comments, gimme a heart if you liked this.

2. I love my wardrobe, I hate my wardrobe! Nothing fits! I hate myself, and shall sit inside my closet with a fistful of chocolate and go, “Oh, woe is me.” AKA Death Spiral. A bad place to be. I’m not there, don’t worry.

3. It is scary that I’m my Mom’s tech person. She has a much higher opinion of my abilities than I do!

4. Utter baloney. No one said boo to me.

5. Named after the family Volkswagon van we had in the 70s, which was named after a Muppet character. I’m so sentimental!

6. Ahem, Mister Spillypants McGee over there…

7. A dress that can be styled a bajillion different ways, works with oodles of shoes/boots and accessories, ideally with pockets, AND makes you feel great.

8. Les Yeux Sans Visaaaaaaage…YOU’RE WELCOME for the Billy Idol earworm (heh heh heh).

9. A little nail. I know my tools!

10. I will never not reference Anne of Green Gables!

11. But WILL I? Doubtful.

12. An early influence…Kubrick, Clockwork Orange…