Personal Style, Vintage & Thrift finds
Based on this post about changing style direction from leather and studs to softer and more feminine, I decided to pull a few items from the back of the closet to see if I could reappropriate all the gray and black into something a bit more douce.
Dress, Victoria’s Secret; sweater, H&M; tights, Forever21; socks, American Apparel; belt, vintage; earrings, The Little Mahatma
I see lots of grays and taupes in my future…What do you think?
Personal Style, Vintage & Thrift finds
Do you ever forget you own stuff? Sometimes I come across a blouse or a dress or a pair of shoes I forgot even existed, and a weird shameful/joyful feeling of discovery washes over me. On one hand, there’s the “Woo-hoo, more clothes! It’s like I went shopping!” feeling; on the other hand, I wonder why I get to have so much that I forget about it, when other people surely need more. Still trying to figure that out.
I came across a vintage velvet suit I got from a former co-worker when I was going through some random bags in my closet, and was immediately reminded of the black velvet looks on the runway at Chloe:
Hmm…I was hesitant at first, but I figured there was a way to make the Sassoon suit a bit more modern. Though I have an unreasonable aversion to suits (something about two-piece dressing doesn’t sit well with me), I figured if I wore the jacket and skirt separately I’d get more wear out of them and avoid looking completely retro.
I paired the skirt with a sparkly cardigan, lacy hose, and velvet heels.
Vintage cardigan, skirt, and heels; Hustler tights; thrifted belt.
I wore the jacket with high-waisted harem pants and vintage clip-on earrings. Damn, I have a lot of vintage!
Vintage jacket, ASOS trousers, vintage heels
Interestingly enough, the suit, cardigan, and heels all came from the same coworker. Thanks, Patti!
Walkin’ on velvet
Do you ever come across forgotten treasures? What do you do with them?
Personal Style, Vintage & Thrift finds
I came across some old(er) photos while backing up my computer, which I’m supposed to do weekly but am more likely to do quarterly. Ah, well.
The skirt and top are both thrift store finds–the skirt stood out because I’m always drawn to bold stripes, and little boy’s oxford shirts are permanently on my “I need more of these” list.
I picked up this sweater dress (again, while thrifting) because the embroidery reminded me of something Consuela Castiglione would send down the runway at Marni. Plus, I have a thing for cozy sweater dresses–really, I have a thing for any kind of clothing that feels like a lounging robe sans the fear of flashing the neighbors.
Which I would only do if they were willing to pay.
Interviews, Personal Style, Vintage & Thrift finds
These old school Liz Claiborne trousers are so Miss Denecke (my second grade teacher), whose life goals must have included looking like an extra from the set of “Knots Landing” and teaching us to properly write cursive. I’m wearing teacher pants and a blazer. It’s (almost) like I’m a grown up!
Speaking of growing up*, have you ever thought about what it would be like to spend your childhood as an unpaid laborer or sex slave? Neither had I until I had the opportunity to sit down with Emily Hill of Stop Traffick Fashion, an online shop dedicated to raising awareness about human trafficking through the sale of merchandise created by survivors, who are often sold/kidnapped as children.
Emily with Stop Traffick Fashion merchandise
My heart sank into my toes when she pointed out that much of the world’s supply of cacao–you know, used to make chocolate–was harvested by slave children. I almost cried when I went to ChainStoreReaction.com and saw that Haagen-Dazs…mmm, dulce de leche ice cream…wait, what was I saying again? Oh yeah, so the tears flowed when I noticed that Haagen-Dazs hadn’t yet responded to the Producer Pledge, and I promptly added my name to the letters to several companies on the site.
No one’s saying you have to be perfect, and it’s pretty much impossible to know the entire supply chain of every single item you use, but I figure the least I can do is try. Even if that means scaling back on the desserts and Forever21 binges.
Check out the full article on my Examiner page and try to think of ways you can make a difference. If nothing else, you can get some holiday shopping done!
*Need to work on my segways, huh?
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Personal Style, Vintage & Thrift finds, Work
Thrifted pants, shoes, and bracelets; Iceberg top; Gucci belt
Wearing my old lady pants procured on a thrifting adventure (the high-waisted carrot shape looks so friggin’ good to me right now) and sticking to the color palette:
Aren’t you proud?
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English Countryside
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Shopping, Vintage & Thrift finds
I didn’t mean to go thrifting again, but see, what had happened was, I had some more stuff to drop off at Goodwill. That’s a good thing, because it means I’m purging items that I no longer need and supporting a good cause, right?
I’d never been to this particular location before, so I figured I’d better check it out to make sure my donated goods were going to be put to good use. Plus, I needed some more gray pants and I figured thrift store prices are better than even the best sales.
I definitely found some good loot:
I’m still waaayyy into old lady pants and oversized blazers. The sweaterdress is a size 3x (I never pay attention to sizes when thrifting, it’s almost never accurate due to vanity sizing, etc.) but I figure I can make it work with a belt, and the embroidery seems kind of Marni-ish to me. What do you think?
See how I’m (pretty much) sticking to my color palette? I’m telling you, knowing which specific shades and prints could be easily incorporated into my wardrobe made things so much easier when going through the seemingly endless racks at Goodwill. Definitely a good idea. Plus, I think I may have found my new favorite store.
Do you have any thrift shopping techniques? Share with the class!
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Shopping, Vintage & Thrift finds
Potential lottery winnings notwithstanding (come on, Powerball!), a combination of factors (vet bills, car issues, travel expenses, etc.) have severely affected my shopping budget. However…the urges are still there, and when the craving hits me I need my shopping fix stat! Yes, there are more important things than clothes/shoes/accessories*, but y’all know a girl’s gotta shop sometimes.
In an attempt to stop the shaking and itching and twitching (that’s an eye tick Mr. Wino-on-the-corner, I was not winking at you…but thanks for the Wild Irish Rose) I hit my favorite Goodwill and antique mall. I collected quite a bounty for a very small amount of cash–gotta love half-price day!
Either due to nostalgia or my advanced age, I’ve really been into grandma-style clothes: prim blouses, high-waisted tapered pants, anything reminiscent of the Golden Girls…
After scooping up my octogenarian gear at Goodwill, I hit the Antique Mall, where I found no less than three vintage fur jackets I wanted. Really feeling the fur right now. I showed some restraint and settled on the vintage mongoose/squirrel/Monchichi fur vest (I prefer faux, though I’ll make an exception for vintage), which I’ve been rocking nonstop whenever the temperature drops below 60. According to fellow shopper Ray, a slightly creepy guy clutching an old Thriller album, it was the most versatile choice. Thanks, Ray.
A quick trip to the dry cleaner and the rest of these babies are ready to go into rotation! Anyone else have luck thrifting lately?
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*Yeah, this was news to me, too. I know. I know.
Personal Style, Vintage & Thrift finds
Back when the weather was still warm (you know, the good ol’ days), Cincy Chic sponsored a photo shoot with local photographer Neysa Ruhl. We took some group photos as well as these individual shots, which were used for a story covering local bloggers–I represented the fashion side. REPRESENT!
Seeing the final product, one thing is two things are for sure: 1. I need new black dominatrix-y shoes 2. I am not in the running to become America’s Next Top Model.
Vintage skirt and bolero, Hustler bodystocking, Steve Madden heels
Casual, Personal Style, Vintage & Thrift finds, shoes
The weather goddess was nice enough to give us a break from hair-frizzing 90-degree humidity and grace us with cool breezes and temperatures in the 70’s. All the better to break out the riding boots (I’ve missed my boots and sweaters!) and a thrifted plaid blazer on the way to a late breakfast. Plus Cortez (kitty) is doing much better so I was all “What’s all this, then?” and in a really good mood.
Blazer, necklaces, and purse, thrifted; dress and socks, American Apparel; boots, Dolce Vita
How was your weekend?
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Casual, Personal Style, Vintage & Thrift finds
A few facts:
How was your weekend?
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