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!

Etsy Shop You Need to See: The Sparkling Sparrow

Oh man, guys. I know as much as anybody that there is a lot of awesome stuff for sale on Etsy, but sometimes I get pretty excited about it. This is one of those times. The Sparkling Sparrow, in Appleton, Wisconsin, offers these amazing hair clips, hair combs, and more fashioned out of vintage and reclaimed jewellery. I feel like I stumbled into a diamond mine.

I always pictured I would have a hairpiece like this for my eventual wedding, made out of all the sentimental (but maybe broken or mismatched) jewellery I've been saving. Looking at these lets me know that it is very much possible, and will look stunning. Yay!

Here are some favourites, but check out the shop yourself - I'm drawn to a particular look but there are more varied, interesting pieces too.



The first one I found - stunning!



Pale blues and gold, fave combo

White & gold botanical, beautiful

A little bit mid-century, a little bit Grecian, a little Edwardian. Love it!

White, ivory, cream, blush, rose, gold. So pretty and feminine.

Something blue :)

I might just need to stop drooling and buy one of these!

Thrift Week 2012: Mid-Century Modern Edition

This week's haul has been mostly about fashion, but there were some neat finds for the home, too. Take this mid-century modern-style vase I found at Value Village for $2.99. I've been seeing this shape everywhere, in design magazines, on Etsy, blogs, you name it. But it's not like I can just go shopping at Hollace Cluny and buy some designer ceramic vases that cost as much as rent, so you can imagine my delight at finding a knock-off here in PEI for so little! Good things come to those who thrift.

Cheers! Happy hunting!

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! 

Thrift Week 2012: Half Off Sales! (Also it was pay day.)

First post of Thrift Week 2012: November Edition: 50% Off Sale Edition: Ridiculously Fantastic Boot Edition.

These boots are what heaven looks like, if heaven were real and maybe a half-size too small. I have been desperately wanting a pair of flat brown leather ankle boots, preferably not a hundred dollars, preferably not too shiny and fancy, preferably vintage, preferably pointy. What a dream come true!  And, half off their 19.99 original price to boot! (huh huh) 

+ Thrifted men's leather ankle boots

+ Old Navy Rockstar Jeans in Ruby

+ Thrifted Alternative Apparel men's waffle-knit long-sleeve tee

+ Thrifted vintage London Fog Aztec-print wool coat

Morning Free

I'm not sure which I like better: working an early shift and having the evening free, or working a late shift and having the morning free. Honestly, the mornings are hard to beat, even if they do feel too short. This is pretty much my mornings on late-shift-days: sitting in bed under the duvet, wearing something ultra-comfy (like this recently thrifted Alternative Apparel waffle-knit shirt I found in the men's section), having a cup of coffee/tea/water/grapefruit juice (one  of those, not a combo, haha), with laptop in hand.

Oh look, I figured out I have a webcam on this thing. Cue the unnatural photos!

+ Thrifted Alternative Apparel shirt (!), made in USA

+ Thrifted vintage psychedelic floral mug, made in Japan

+ Thrifted vintage bright orange corduroy pillowcase

Mid-century Modern

Found this neato mid-century modern tray at Value Village for only a couple of dollars. Over the last year or two, I've taken an interest in mid-century design, and am starting to know what to recognize when I'm out thrifting.

The tray is silver, made in PEI (!!), and I'm pretty sure the legs are butterscotch Bakelite (!!!) - so I might have really found a gem.

Antique wooden tobacco pipe; The Body Shop Shea lip butter, Ginseng pulse-point lotion, and satsuma antibacterial lotion;
McDonald's free drink; PEI Music pin; Fortune cookie fortune; Genuine Order box;
vintage German verb die; vintage polka dot bow tie.

What I Wore & What I Found at Work & Earrings of the Day

Another fall day, another sweater-and-skinny-jeans combo. But not just any jeans! Thrifted Cheap Monday (on Monday, huh huh) jeans from work for only six dollars. Plus, they (more or less) fit!
I am also sooo happy with my new vintage suede-and-leather purse - which I will go ahead and refer to as 'oxblood' even though I agree with Kristin that it's totally overused. At least it's less pretentious than 'Chianti'?

+ Vintage Chanel-inspired wool cardigan

+ Vintage brown scarf, inherited from Mom

+ Thrifted Cheap Monday skinny jeans (!)

+ Vintage Givenchy clip-ons

Vintage Givenchy clip-ons, holla

Only six dollars at work! Never thought I'd find a pair
somewhere other than online, let alone here in little old PEI.

Vintage oxblood (yeah, yeah, I know) suede & leather cross-body satchel

What I Found At Work

Working at a thrift store is what I should have been doing since I was a teenager - it just suits me. I am already passionate about what we do and sell, so it feels like "Finally!" And hey, we all know the perks: getting to see all the neat stuff that comes in, staking out the real treasures... So expect What I Found at Work (WIFAW?) to become a recurring segment.

Today's edition: a sunny yellow vintage souvenir t-shirt for my birthplace for $2.95! Love me some retro Canadiana like this gem.

The CA ID number is registered to Teesta Intl of North York, Ontario. Provenance!

Coral skinnies

Just got these in the mail from Old Navy - they was just a great sale, got a dark indigo pair and a slouchy vintage-y lavender v-neck too - and now I'm trying to figure out what to wear 'em with. Grey? Big comfy sweaters? Other pastels? Button-ups? Can't wait to try 'em all!

Find: Maybelline Superstay Golden Shimmer Balm

A few years back, I bought a tiny golden tube of shimmer balm at Shoppers Drug Mart for about eight dollars. It is totally elusive on PEI now (believe me, I've looked) but it can be ordered online, hurray! My parents were nice enough to order me several tubes on eBay for my birthday in March, so I'm set up for a few years at least! The find:

Maybelline Superstay Golden Shimmer Balm.

It's true,  I trekked everywhere to find this when my tube ran out, but to no avail. Most cosmeticians had no idea what I was even asking for, let alone whether or not they had any in stock or coming in. Why am I so crazy for this stuff, you ask? It's not the shimmer part, it's the balm. It's supposed to be layered over lipstick, but I use it as a highlighter around my eyes and blended in with my bronzer. You get the perfect sexed-up, dewy look. Trust me, you'll go through a stick of it like I did in no time! 

Find: Beauty loot at Shoppers Drug Mart!

About a week ago, I spent about 38,000 Shoppers Optimum points at Shopper's Drug Mart, taking home an exciting haul of new beauty products. Some of my finds included:

Kings & Queens Caspar Myrrh Shimmering Body Milk (on clear-out!). Smells like spicy, sweet chai lattes, and has itty-bitty sparkles for a delicate shimmer. The scent is awesome, but can be overpowering if you load it on, so I mixed it with the Body Shop's Buriti Baby Body Butter (their best body butter, in my opinion) to make the scent more subtle.

Next is the Gosh Giant Sun Powder (on sale at the time for about $18). I am not a bronzer person, as I burn to a crisp if not careful and am otherwise happily fair-skinned, but this one caught my eye. It is sheer, and rather than depositing tons of pigment, what you get is a nuanced set of shades (pinky, bronzy, and light foundation tones). It reminds me of the light on your face from a sunset in the summer... on a date. That's an effect I'll try to mimic any day!


Also picked up Gosh's Nail Lacquer in Wild Lilac (regularly $6) - my favourite lilac/lavender polish yet (albeit I might only have one or two others around here somewhere). Creamy and opaque just like I like 'em.

Looking to make a few more splurges when I receive my RBC gift card for Shoppers. Thinking of picking up Annabelle's Smoothie Eyeshadow Pencil in Mokamirage (the perfect taupe).

Ah, cosmetics and toiletries, how I love thee.