Stolen Goods

Though I'm not quite as late as last time, I'm once again leaving it to the last minute to join Bella's Second Hand First link-up over at Citizen Rosebud.  

The photo is last-minute too. I rushed away to work right after it was snapped. That's probably why my photographer, aka Hubby, didn't mention the shirt.

Of this outfit, three pieces are new to me. The skirt and belt are thrifted. The chambray shirt was lifted.

Last year many style bloggers praised the versatility of chambray shirts. (Or maybe it was the year before. I really don't keep up.) You could dress it up. You could dress it down. Fashionable women were seen wearing chambray with leather, and chambray with tulle. The really brave wore chambray shirts with jeans and risked being accused of wearing a Canadian tuxedo. 

Though I've never paired them with leather, tulle or (yikes!) denim*, I've had chambray shirts in the past and quite liked them, so I happily leapt for that bandwagon... and almost missed it. 

In spite of reassurances that they'd be easy to find second-hand, I didn't find one. I searched everywhere. I eventually expanded my search to include new items and experienced a different kind of failure. They were all more fitted than the chambray shirts of my youth. None of them buttoned over my chest. 

I had given up on my chambray dreams until one day, while peering into our closet, I spotted one. On Hubby's side. Search complete. 

Stolen from your husband's side of the closet counts as second hand, right?

Hope you'll head over to Citizen Rosebud to check out the stylish and resourceful women sharing Second Hand First. 

*OK, maybe I wore it with denim. I had permed hair too. Whatever.

So Not Sophisticated

A while ago, I mentioned my longing for a black sleeveless dress like the one I had seen on Canadian company Miik's website. I still haven't found a similar dress, but I did find some Miik basics at one of my favourite local shops, be. I was so excited to try the items in person that I got carried away and bought three pieces. Kiss that tax refund goodbye!

I'm wearing my new Audrey wrap top below. Pricey? You bet, but I love how it feels and how it drapes.  I also like that the company seems fairly open about the making of its garments. And when the top is worn with a thrifted skirt and a hand-me-down jacket, the overall cost of the outfit is less than that of a fast-fashion equivalent. Or at least that's what I'm telling Hubby. 

I wore the outfit for a lunch date with Hubby yesterday.  We planned to go for pasta at Toscano's Trattoria, but when we got there it was closed. Oddly, about every second time we go there it's closed, yet it's always open when I'm in the neighbourhood on other business. Still it all worked out for the best. We ended up around the corner at Avenue Bistro. The food was great. I had the beef dip with frites. I don't regularly order fries when we're out, and when I do I'm usually disappointed and leave most of them. The fries at Avenue are so good I ate every one. With Hubby's help, of course. 

The people at the neighbouring table were quite amusing. They spoke with classic French accents. I had my back to them, but their dropped h's and rolling r's had me imagining French women à la Mireille Guiliano. The men, on the other hand, had us both flashing back to a fifth season Simpsons episode. Their discussion of the "shaudere" (aka chowder) actually had my normally circumspect Hubby smirking into his coffee. Yep, we're mature that way.

After our lunch we attempted a waterside walk. That was almost immediately rained out, so we topped off our Saturday date with our first gelato of the season at Benino Gelato. Frites and gelato. I feel so sophisticated. At least as sophisticated as someone who can quote the Simpsons can feel. 

For actual sophistication, head over to Patti's Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday. The cosmopolitan crew is sure to delight.

She Started It!

Jan started it with her peppers and ice, though according to her, Alison and Alyssa were first. Then Sue jumped on the navy train. And so did Paula and Lisa and Alice and Tamera. Things quickly spread out of control. Inspiration was everywhere. With all that creative energy buzzing around, I decided that I too needed to take the plunge and play the orange and navy game. 

Just prior to Jan's post, I had bought an orange and navy silk scarf at the thrift shop. Not a colour combination I would normally be attracted to, but the scarf insisted on following me home. I initially left without it, but the scarf beguiled me back to claim it the next day. 

I couldn't imagine wearing the scarf. In my mind the colour combination and the pattern were just too unusual, at least too unusual for me. 

Then I saw Jan's outfits. Her timing was perfect. I had the scarf, and by golly, I was going to find a way to make it work. It took days of pondering, and the inspiration of all the stylish women listed above, before I got up the courage to try my own orange and navy outfit. 

I actually had all the pieces of this outfit in my closet. It would have never occurred to me to put them together. Another reason I'm glad I found Patti and the inspiring women who take part in Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style. 

This week is Patti's 100th hosting of Visible Monday. I only wish I had found her sooner. Go check out the amazingness. The sooner the better!

Really People!

The last time you saw my red-and-white-polka-dot skirt I had paired it with black. Black tank, black blazer, black bracelet, black shoes.  Given that Minnie Mouse is traditionally black and white and red all over, I had expected to get a few Disney-esque comments when I left the house that day. Surprisingly, if anyone noticed my similarities to Ms. Mouse, they didn't mention it. I thought had safely passed the mouse test.

This time I went a little wild with my outfit choices. White, bright blue, denim and gold were brought into the mix. Bright blue and red is a bold combo for me, but I was really pleased with how it went together. (A few days later I saw that Sally McGraw of Already Pretty had outfits featuring red and turquoise and red and cobalt on her colour pairing inspiration board on Pinterest. I felt a little less bold, but much more confident about my colour choices after that.)

I felt so good about my appearance that I tucked in my tank. When wearing this pencilish skirt previously I had left my shirt loose in a vain attempt to disguise my belly.  

Yep, I felt pretty darn good about my outfit. 

I fielded Minnie Mouse comments all day.

Really people. Minnie Mouse wishes she looked so good. Or she would if she wasn't, you know, fictional.

I'm linking up with Patti and the not-at-all-mousey crew for Visible Monday over at Not Dead Yet Style. Head on over and check it out! 

Let's Do the Time Warp Again!

An old photo this week. I thought I'd share it here, as only four people have actually seen this outfit.

Jazz hands!

In October of 2011 the art gallery planned a screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Some friends asked me if I wanted to go. You bet I did! I hadn't been to Rocky Horror in more than twenty years. I was stoked. I went often in my university days. Heck, I still know the words to all the songs.

Of course, none of my original Rocky Horror outfits were still in existence, nor would they have been suitable for a woman of a certain age, so I hit the thrift shops. I was thrilled to find a twelve-dollar, second-hand tuxedo on my first try. A trip the the dollar store for glasses and a wig, plus a trip to the dancewear store for a bow tie and a hat and I was set. I was going to be one rocking Transylvanian. I don't think any of my outfits were this awesome back in the day.

Then they cancelled the show. Boooooooo!  Hiss!  Boring!

All was not lost. The four of us who planned to go the the show still got together. We wore our costumes, ate Chinese take-out and watched Rocky Horror on DVD. We had a great time. 

Still, only four people saw the costume. I think we can do better than that! Such an awesome costume deserves to be visible, so I'm sharing it over at Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday. Stop by and see what Patti and all the rocking women are wearing. 

Rockabilly Pin-up Mouse?

My first impulse was to walk away when I saw this skirt at the thrift shop. The label says it's a size 6, and I am not. Still, I found a few other things I wanted to try on, so I went back and grabbed it on my way to the fitting room. It was the only item I took home that day. 

In my excitement at fitting into a size 6, I didn't consider what I would wear with a red-and-white-polka-dot skirt. My closet didn't offer any ideas, so I hit the interwebs. Google brought me images of pin-up-girls and rockabilly style and Minnie Mouse. There is a disturbing number of scantily-clad Minnie Mouse impersonators on the internet. 

I decided to go with black and white and red all over. My choices must have kept my polka dots professional. I didn't get mistaken for Minnie Mouse once all day.

Linking up with Patti and the Stylistas over at Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday.