Thursday 29 November 2012

Look! Free Coffee

Today I was an observer for my workplace's candidate interview process.  To ensure fairness - that all applicants are treated equally, I sat in on the interviews.  This is a month-long process; I can see how it can get very gruelling asking the same questions over and over.  

Pink Calico - St John

I have on my usual workplace "uniform": skirt, top, jacket.  I went for total black and white which I think is one of my winter stand-by colour combinations (the other is brown).

Pink Calico - St John

The jacket is a casual faux suede with eye-catching white stitching and gold buttons.  It's also a very dark black.

Pink Calico - St John

It was rainy and since I also had some client meetings, I didn't want to wear my army boots, so went with Franco Sarto double-zip booties.  Whoever invented the double-zip shoe - kudos.  Soo easy to put on.

Pink Calico - St John

And why do I have such a silly grin?

Well, our coffee supplier decided to toss out their packaged coffee today - yes, toss out.  They were introducing a new seasonal blend, so out with the old, in with the new.  Such a waste.

I stepped in and volunteered to take it home.  There was quite a bit so I sent round a note for co-workers to help themselves.  Even so, there was a lot leftover -- quite the haul for a thrifty person like me!

today i wore:
flower shirt ... jacob
scarf ... ?
jacket ... st john
skirt ... jessica
tights ... dollar store
booties ... franco sarto


Wednesday 28 November 2012

Dex by Any Other Name

It was Jeans Day for United Way so I wore my grey jeans.  Instead of collecting money like in previous years, we just got stickers to wear.  I think it was more an awareness campaign to donate by payroll deduction.

Although they have more than 1% spandex, these jeans are still not bagged out, so I can wear them in public.

Pink Calico - Dex Tunic Sweater

I teamed them with a short-sleeved tunic/sweater.  The sweater has funny pyramid shaped studs across the front.  It's Dex, but I think of it as Dexter for some reason.

Pink Calico - Dex Tunic Sweater

The sweater is thick but short sleeved, so I never know what to wear underneath to avoid the cold arms syndrome.  I wore two long-sleeved t-shirts: a black one with a light grey one underneath.

Pink Calico - Dex Tunic Sweater

The black t-shirt is actually a hand-me-up from my oldest son.


Pink Calico - Dex Tunic Sweater

Then I tied a hair scarf round my neck - not sure if I like the result.  It's a little too shiny and bow-like. 

today i wore:
grey t-shirt ... kenneth cole
black t-shirt ... generations
tunic/sweater ... dex
jeans ... calvin klein
booties ... doc martens

Tuesday 27 November 2012

That Paisley Shirt Again

Do you like to match your clothes to your bag?  I certainly do; so today was another brown day so as not to have to change my purse.

I think all the items in today's outfit have been seen before.  I have on my Wanko jacket again.

Pink Calico - Paisley Shirt

It has become a favourite; it's a knit jacket, so is curve hugging and the best part is that it fits easily under my coats.

Pink Calico - Paisley Shirt

I also wore that paisley shirt from Spain over a reddish/burgundy t-shirt.

Pink Calico - Paisley Shirt

It was quite cold yesterday so today I wore a longer skirt and my big-mistake tights. 

You can't see them because I also wore knee-high socks over them but here is a pic:  They are from the dollar store - can you tell? 

Pink Calico - Mismatched Tights

Actually, I think the dollar store got them at a liquidator's or something because the price stickers were stuck on (instead of printed on) and the tights had a manufacturer's name and address.

Surely this was a production line mistake?  Why would they make tights with a mismatched print?  and a big seam down the side of the leg?

I'm glad they only cost $1 and not the suggested retail price of $15 which was on the package.  Now I'll know to check the pattern before buying.

today i wore:
reddish t-shirt ... old navy
paisley shirt ... ? ... mercadillo, spain
brown jacket ... wanko
long skirt ... london fog
tights ... dollar store
knee highs ... secret
booties ... pera mela



Monday 26 November 2012

Floppy Snake

Finally we have some non-rainy weather so I decided to wear something other than army boots.  It was also flu shot day, so I needed something with roll-uppable sleeves.

Pink Calico - Snake Floppy Paisley

This jacket has an interesting texture and print - its sort of snake-like, but is glittery too and catches the light with movement perfect for Visible Monday

Pink Calico - Snake Glitter

I like the jacket's casual comfy roominess - great for layering other items underneath.  And it is quite soft - almost a faux suede.

Pink Calico - Snake Floppy Paisley

I teamed it with a turtleneck tunic and a floppy sleeved print blouse.

Pink Calico - Snake Floppy Paisley

I am thinking of adding small buttons with a loop to this blouse so it stays in place under jackets. It is on my refashion, mend, sewing to-do list, which seems to just grow and grow.

The shoes are a bit hard to see, but they are the 3 button slipon booties from Franco Sarto.

The other item in this outfit is this wonderful purse:

Pink Calico - La Diva for Town

The photo really does not do it justice. It's a wonderful rich brown colour with tones of burgundy - I just had to use it today.  The bag was super-cheap and some of the zipper pulls still had those little plastic protector thingys on them!

today i wore:
jacket ... ?
turtleneck ... joe fresh
blouse ... beechers brook
skirt ... reitmans
tights ... zellers
shoes ... franco sarto
bag ... la diva for town shoes

Thursday 15 November 2012

Tapestry Handbag

I was rushing home from convention and for some reason, as soon as I got home I changed out of my clothes, so today's post is going to be a bag post.

As you know, I'm a tapestry bag addict and am always on the look out for a cute bag.

Pink Calico - Tapestry Bag

I found this one the other day - it has beautiful brown tones and is a small hand-bag size. 

Pink Calico - Tapestry Bag

The name all over the bag is Diverso Italy - I think it is one of those names which manufacturers use for a designer sound.

Pink Calico - Tapestry Bag

The bottom is protected with a liner, and it's quite roomy for a small purse.

Pink Calico - Tapestry Bag

It even has one of those credit card pockets, but I prefer to use a wallet.  There are lots of zip pockets, so it can hold keys, transit pass etc without everything getting all jumbled up.

I've already used it once - it's so cute.  and it was such a good deal that I was smiling the whole time.







Wednesday 14 November 2012

Faux Royal Turkey

I have been so unbelievable busy, aaargh!  But, thought I'd better do a post today.  This top is one of those which I think of as "not sure if it's ugly or cute  but I really like it" prints.

Pink Calico - Royal Turkey

It sort of reminds me of peacock feathers.  Did you know that in Spanish, a peacock is called a "Royal Turkey"?  I know, strange right?  Maybe it stems from the Peacock Throne expression.

Pink Calico - Royal Turkey

I originally thought it was a cardigan because it has buttons down the front, but no.  It's a faux cardigan!  I didn't wear a scarf - thought it would be too much.

Pink Calico - Royal Turkey

Here's a closer look at the print and belt.  I had to take this pic separately because my pics are just not coming out as clear as I'd like. 

Pink Calico - Royal Turkey

But you can see how the print looks like stitching - but it's not.

Pink Calico - Royal Turkey

We had a nice leaving lunch for a couple more staff members at a fabulous Indian Buffet, so the top was in its element.


Thursday 8 November 2012

Curvy Purple Sweater

When my brother was little, one of his favourite colours was purple; today, it is one of my favourite colours.  It's been getting colder, and I've been wanting to wear this sweater for a while, so today was a good day.

Pink Calico - Purple Sweater
What caught my eye in addition to the colour was the curviness of the lines.  The shawl collar also has scalloped lettuce trim edges.

Pink Calico - Purple Sweater

It's really soft too and light.  There's just one giant button in the middle to hold it closed.

Pink Calico - Purple Sweater
I like how it opens up to highlight the waist area - although I didn't have any special belt or anything to show.  I teamed it with the grey skirt so as not to look overly dark.

Pink Calico - Purple Sweater
I also really like the sleeves - they are super long and stick out from my coat sleeves, which I think looks more modern than when they don't.

Pink Calico - Purple Sweater

today i wore:
l/s t-shirt ... kenneth cole
curvy sweater ...striking
grey skirt ... kenneth cole
nubby tights ... calvin klein
shoes ... privo?
+ "silk feeling polyester" scarf !



Wednesday 7 November 2012

Wanko ?!?

Today is Take Your Kid to Work day, so my younger son accompanied me to work.  The company arranged some activities and then for part of the day he followed or job-shadowed me.

Pink Calico - Wanko

I wore this WANKO jacket - don't you just love the name?  But mostly open for most of the day.

Pink Calico - Wanko

What does my son think of my work?  Boring.


I missed yesterday's post due to being super busy but here are some pics:

Pink Calico - Mango

As you can see, I'm trying out Melanie's "bra" look - it was purely by accident as I wanted to wear the tube skirt up - to avoid the thickness around the waist.

Pink Calico - Mango

Again, apologies for the photos - but at least I (just now) think I've figured out why - we'll know tomorrow.

today i wore:
pyramid top ... fancy lady
scarf ... ?
jacket ... wanko
skirt ... reitmans
bamboo tights ... ?

yesterday i wore:
t-shirt ... joe fresh
"bra top" ... mango
tube skirt ... jessica
drapey cardigan ... lsw
tights ... dollar store


Monday 5 November 2012

Giant Multi-Sweater

You know how each season you have a few items that you wear over and over because they are super comfy or just seem to go with everything?  Well, I think I found a repeat item.
Pink Calico - Multi Sweater
This giant sweater has all sorts of fabrics and textures combined.  It's actually an XL size.  And it is sooo comfy.

Each sleeve is different, and depending how you wear it, you can twist the pattern to the front or back:
Pink Calico - Multi Sweater

Even the back is different from the front:
Pink Calico - Multi Sweater
It actually looks good worn backwards too.  I love it!

Pink Calico - Multi Sweater

On another note: you can see I'm still looking for places to take indoor photos.  Might need to change the light in this room as everything is decidedly yellow!

today i wore
multi-sweater ... derin
skirt ... kenneth cole
tights ... dollar store
boots ... spanish army boots

Thursday 1 November 2012

Peplum It !

Today I was unsure how to wear a top.  It was not as loose and floppy as it looked on the hanger - poor visualization? or weight gain?  not sure.

My original idea was to wear it solo like this:
Pink Calico - Green Hiatus
But I had pictured it to be looser and more drapey.  Instead it was tighter and form-fitting.  That would've been fine, but we all know how I hate that long-body look - at least on myself.  So I peplumed it by adding a belt and pulling the top up a bit:

Pink Calico - Green Hiatus

It still felt a little body-conscious, so I added a jacket:
Pink Calico - Green Hiatus
And of course ended up with my usual work uniform ... aaargh!

It turned out okay in the end - but what this outfit did show me is that I do not have a scarf for this colour combination!  So I had to resort to black.

today i wore
green top ... hiatus
black t-shirt ... joe fresh
jacket ... jessica
grey skirt ... kenneth cole
tights ... calvin klein
boots ... spanish army boots


Tuesday 30 October 2012

Little Old Lady Vest

I've had this vest for yonks but am always hesitant to wear it because it looks like something a little old lady would wear.  But, I love the subtle colour variations and just hate having something in the closet which sits there so hauled it out for today.
Pink Calico - little old lady vest

It seems to look less little old lady like with a skirt and this time I wore it with brown, so that might be the trick.

Pink Calico - little old lady vest

I had lots of layers and even wore a sweater-jacket over the whole thing, but our unseasonably warm weather allowed me to go sweater-less the whole day.

Pink Calico - little old lady vest

It's also been a while since I put my hair up (it's been in a ponytail for weeks), so today I switched back; it feels better - no hair on the neck.

Pink Calico - little old lady vest

today i wore:
shirt ... ann taylor
l/s tee ... kenneth cole
vest ... nygard
scarf ... tentazioni
skirt ... reitmans
bamboo tights ... ??
booties ... from spain

Sunday 28 October 2012

Orange Puddle Jumper

My mom ordered me a couple of bags with her loyalty points and I received them the other day.  One is a super cute gym/overnighter bag in pumpkin orange.  Perfect for this time of year, and a nice colour for spring/summer too.

Pink Calico - Puddle Jumper

It even has a cute name: Puddle Jumper.

There are tons of pockets and its quite a good size.  There is also an open to the air mesh pocket for soggy towels/swimsuits.

Pink Calico - Puddle Jumper

It's very roomy, with more pockets for water bottle and other stuff on the inside:
Pink Calico - Puddle Jumper

It has feet, and a clear plastic protective layer on the bottom (slightly hard to see) so it won't get dirty or soggy:
Pink Calico - Puddle Jumper

The whole thing is quilted, and best of all it has perfect length handles:
Pink Calico - Puddle Jumper
 
It also has a shoulder strap which probably isn't necessary as the double handles are sufficiently long.

I don't go to the gym much so am considering using it as a work bag - I'm often lugging laptop and books from one office to another, and the bag I use is sometimes not big enough.  The other option of course would be to plan a weekend trip somewhere ... wouldn't that be nice?