Vintage Swimsuits

Remember this swimsuit I posted about a little while back? It was exciting in part because it's so cute and flattering, but also because I own, like, no bathing suits. I had one bathing suit for years - this half-sexed up, half-frumpy brown Calvin Klein swimdress - before Peter pointed out the chlorine had eaten a giant hole in the side of it. So I had no bathing suit for a short period of time.

Then things kind of turned around this spring: thanks to several bouts of good thrift luck, I came upon these four swimsuits, top one included. All are fun, vintage, and my favourite proportions (high waist, low back, boy cut or slightly skirted). Check out the others!

Polka dotted black and white peplum one-piece, Value Village

  

Nautical striped navy boyshort one-piece, Value Village 

My very first real bikini! From the Garment District.

Looking forward to some beach days in these!

Uninsightful Fashion Tip!

I read a lot of fashion magazines, and one thing I tend not to enjoy is when there is an article on "remixing your wardrobe" or "shopping your closet" or "get more out of your outfits!" because usually all the tips are the same and most are, for lack of a better word, like DUH. Yeah yeah, wear a blazer "for night" instead of for day. Wear a t-shirt for a fancy thing. Wear a scarf as a belt. Groundbreaking! (Actually, irrelevant - like, all those tips are from 2003 but I still see them in these articles - and condescending.)

I find it is usually tips from fashion designers that are the most condescending. I'm pretty sure I once read Tory Burch recommend wearing things inside out - if you're such a poor plebeian that you can't afford her $800 tunics in order to mix things up, well, jeeze, I dunno, maybe show off all the seams and tags of that Old Navy t-shirt, that will be so tasteful!

(On second thought, it might've been Isabel Marant, but I could see her actually doing that so it's not as condescending. Or it might have been Kelly Wearstler and that is pretty much the same as Tory Burch.)

Anyway...

I do have one of those tips that I just needlessly ranted about. I found this 90's dress at work and thought it was just so almost cute, but not quite what I'm looking for... until I turned it around! The front is just a little too My So-Called Life, but the back is kind of dreamy fifties, no?

 Could it work? Well, let's take that Dalmy's tag off first and find out...

Verdict: yes, it works. A lot dressier than wearing it the conventional way - as Pete says, good for a wedding reception!

I love the high boat-neck neckline and the 1/2 sleeves, and even the little shoulder pads. Plus, the back is now a deep-v with lace, and it buttons all the way down. Kind of blah as a front, but quite pretty as a back! 

And finish it off with a little belt (found at Ardene) 

Remixing is fun! Looking forward to an occasion to wear this dress!

Homemade Gifts: Upcycled Sweater Hat

Every year for Christmas, I find myself over-buying for people, stressed out about whether I've gotten enough things for enough people - holiday performance anxiety! This year, I decided to get ahead of the game, starting early in November to plan gifts, and bought materials to even try making some presents. I made some candles (another post), some pocket warmers (on the right in this photo), and experimented making a hat for my sister.

It was really simple - simple enough for ME to make, after all. The best sweaters will be a little slouchy, and have a bit of stretch around the bottom (the ribbed hem on the sweater I chose is the perfect amount of snugness). Also, you want a fine knit - too loose and it'll get tricky to keep sewn together. I liked this one too because of the requisite trendy minty-blue colour, and the soft acrylic texture. Just lay the sweater flat, use a favourite hat with a fit you like as your stencil, cut out (with a little bit of extra room), sew up inside out, and voila, an upcycled sweater hat!

Obviously there are much fancier ways of doing this, but it's a beginner level craft that's easy to do and produces a fun, cute accessory. Enjoy!

O Xmas Tree

My / our first tree! I am officially going to spend all of my time in here.

(Yes, it's real - balsam fir!)

Peter putting up our awesome tree topper - an exact replica of the topper I grew up with that my dad massacred accidentally smashed one year. It's even made in Poland! Last one at Winners. Success story of the season.

Most of the ornaments are antique mercury glass balls, some inherited and some lucky thrifted finds from work. Some are embroidered and beaded silk ornaments, made in India, bought at How Bazaar over the course of a few years. There are some pretty neat ones...

...like this turquoise-and-gold one...

...and this sort of ironic Islamic crescent-moon-and-star...

,..and, possibly my favourite, this red bird (reminds me of another ornament I grew up with).

We have two-tone lights, which we might rectify... or we might just keep the wonky mix. Hard to say.

I'm just happy the tree is here. The presents will follow soon behind it!

Happy holidays! The Twenty-something Days of Xmas will return shortly!

Outfitted: Early winter Canadiana

When the weather starts to hover around the freezing mark, I start to give in to what most other Island ladies are all up in: skinny jeans, work socks, and ankle boots. I would love to get a pair of hand-knitted, made-in-PEI, Island wool work socks from Northern Watters Knitwear, but for now, I'll settle for any old pair. To up the Canadiana ante, I've added a pristine vintage cinnamon Danier suede drawstring jacket and vintage men's flannel. Cozy and very Canadian indeed.

+ thrifted vintage Danier suede jacket

+ thrifted vintage royal blue scarf

+ thrifted vintage flannel from work

+ thrifted vintage men's braided leather belt

+ Old Navy Rockstar jeans

+ Sears-house-brand work socks

+ Leather lace-up ankle boots, Corney's Shoe Store

+ Sky-blue floral earrings from Love Charlie

Thrift Week 2012: Important Brands Edition

Moving along, Thrift Week 2012's third post brings us some pretty fabulous brand-name finds. My two favourite types of brands: high-end designer, and heritage (local, at that). First up, a Great Northern Knitters sweater, possibly vintage but likely not - it's in excellent shape so I'd be surprised. People do take good care of their GNK sweaters, though, so who knows! Either way, they used to run about $140, I bought this one for just under $5. Huzzah!

(For anyone not familiar with Great Northern Knitters, it was a wool products company based in Charlottetown that was famous for its ridiculously thick, cozy Island wool sweaters, mittens, worksock-patterned garments, and more, all made on the Island. It closed a number of years back and has more or less been replaced by Northern Watters Knitwear.)

Next up: Oh, just a vintage Christian Dior Monsieur t-shirt, monogrammed all-over, for, oh, $2.95. Yeah. And it's not the first Dior I found this week, if you can believe it! 

Dig and ye shall find. Happy hunting!

Thrift Week 2012: Silky Shirt Edition

Continuing with Thrift Week 2012: November Edition: 50% Off Sale Edition, I bring you the poly-silk shirt findings I've made recently. First is a button-up polyester beauty: vintage, pink, scalloped collar, bow. Oh, yes.

 Next up: thrifted silk Chico's (lol) top. Pure silk front, cotton back, studded shoulders. Much cooler than what I expect from Chico's, for sure - might be good tucked into some high-waisted pants for professional-ish situations, too.

 

Loving this 30+ year old music console we inherited from my parents - record player, radio, 8-track, tape player... Rad.

Thanks to Peter for the pictures! Oh, enlisting the boyfriend for an outfit shoot, I guess I really am blogging seriously now...

Tomorrow, a hint: an awesome big-name designer find, and a local heritage brand! 

Day-Off Thrift Adventure

Today is just great. It's mid-November, sunny, with a high of - wait for it - SEVENTEEN degrees. You better believe I went out and enjoyed it!

I found these Vera Wang Lavender Label jeans at work the other day. I'm not used to wide legs anymore, but after about eight people told me how much they "slimmed me down" (as if you can tell in this hasty photo), I decided to give them a chance. (I guess those Rockstars aren't exactly made for my shape, but whatever.) They have a nice mid/high waist which gives them little bit of a retro feel, which works with my tastes better than a plain old trouser jean.

On to Value Village. Found lots of neat stuff, including this sweater, which I eventually passed on. Might have to go back for it, it is awesome. Peach, mint, cable-knit, vintage, made in Bermuda. Yep, that ticks off a lot of good boxes for me. But it was $9.99, which for PEI thrifting is blasphemous. We'll see!

Now for the goodies I did buy!

Woven Indonesian fruit basket ($1.99), teak Indonesian incense holder ($0.99), handmade wooden Prince Edward Island spoon-holder ($1.99). Wood!

And then we have this awesome vintage milk glass canister, complete with retro flowers and a sunburst lid. Delightful! And only $1.99!

Also picked up these great thick woven Navajo-inspired patterned cushion covers, for $1.49.

 Lastly, these vintage gold sunburst/floral clip-ons with Aurora Borealis rhinestones for $3.99 - just lovely!

Hope this inspires some thrifting adventures of your own - happy hunting!