Tales From The Thrift: New Year’s Tidings

The end of December and beginning of January were a bit of a thrifting wasteland, to be honest. I always enjoy checking out my local thrift stores, whether or not I find something neat to buy, although after a series of “busts” a bit of fear does creep in — what if I never find anything awesome ever again? Pure silliness, of course, but I’ve been spoiled with thrifting luck too long, I suppose.

So many shoes, so many Cinderella’s-stepsisters moments. I was particularly sad about the Frye boots being several sizes too small. The west end Goodwill is a treasure trove of cool shoe finds. Speaking of which, let’s take a closer look at those gingham flats in the top left corner.

That’s right. My first time thrift-spotting Bottega Veneta — sadly, not in bag form.

In the spotted-not-thrifted category, we have a couple of tunic dresses, including the Theory number on the right. The tunic silhouette is not my favourite, and both of these pieces had other drawbacks for me. The one on the left was too cutesy for this 36-year old, with the bow and the whimsical bird print, but would look darling on someone with a different aesthetic and/or age bracket. The sweater dress was a great colour, but I tend to avoid long, heavy sleeves, and I hate dropped waists.

Guinevere (Anthro) cardigan; cashmere cardigan

Two more pieces that had potential, but did not come home with me. I loved the colour of the Guinevere cardigan, but the condition was pretty woeful. The vintage cashmere cardigan was cool just for the origin story, but it was shrunken (either deliberately or through some laundering accident) and I don’t wear that style typically. Also, it had mismatched (and missing) buttons, which would not be a huge problem except that I’m lazy; this is the sort of thing that would become an unfinished project at my house.

These cute shakers were at the antique mall, and I tried to convince two of my friends to buy them with no success. In retrospect, I deeply regret not buying them for myself. The kitsch is strong with me, what can I say.

I did buy this pretty butterfly brooch at the antique mall. (The pink Wedgwood box was a gift from my friend — thanks, J!) It is not secret that I am obsessed with butterflies, so this brooch fills a very important niche.

Talk about a blast from the past! Who remembers the heydays of those Juicy Couture velour track suits with writing on the arse? I am going to reconfirm my basic bitchness here and confess that I really wanted one of those for a hot minute back in the early ’00s, but was too cheap/poor to buy one. Thank goodness. This charm bracelet is pretty cute, tho.

I’ve mostly sworn off pony/calf hair pumps because they always end up shedding like crazy and going bald (no matter the original price point, it seems), but I could not resist this CK pair. I love the black/white combo, and the fact that the “animal print” is very subtle and unusual. The pumps were in like-new condition, which should buy me a few extra months before they start to disintegrate. For $10, that’s a bargain I’ll happily accept.

I also got these cool Tod’s loafer-style kitten heels for my mom, who is lucky that my “Cinderella’s big-footed sister” syndrome struck again — otherwise I would have kept these for myself.

I remember the Phillip Lim for Target collection — it was the first Target designer collab we ever got in Canada, and I ran to the store early on the first day it arrived to see it for myself. I still have the cotton pieces I bought that day, although I only use them for loungewear around the house these days. I’ve been seeing more and more pieces from the collection turn up in thrift stores recently, but I’ve avoided the 100% polyester ones. This dress, on the other hand, is 100% cotton and struck my fancy for some reason. The orange will probably clash terribly with my skin tone, but I decided to indulge my $7 whim anyway.

These J. Crew Sydney sandals fit perfectly and may be just classy enough to wear to the office come summer. Maybe? I’ve never done open-toed footwear in a work setting before, and will probably chicken out and save these for fancy date nights and such. If you work in a semi-formal business environment and you’ve taken the plunge, so to speak, tell me all about it.

5 Comments on Tales From The Thrift: New Year’s Tidings

Jonathan says:

January 12, 2017 at 12:52 pm

Everyone’s work atmosphere is a different, I say use your best judgement on how conservative the ladies work attire is at your office. I actually think these sandals would be perfect paired with cropped trouers or maybe a midi skirt? Looks like the block heel would be comfy for all-day wear too!

xx,

Jonathan
Laura says:

January 12, 2017 at 9:15 pm

I love that dress at the end. The pattern and colour are awesome! I see other ladies wearing open toe sandals to work in the summer, but I can’t bring myself to do it. I don’t feel professional enough – but maybe I just need the right pair of shoes. Or I’ll start small, with slingbacks, and work up from there.
D says:

January 13, 2017 at 7:25 am

What is a Wedgwood box and why is it so pretty?
– D
http://www.styledtour.blogspot.com
- AdinaJ says:
  
  January 13, 2017 at 3:29 pm
  
  Wedgwood is an English company famous for its china and porcelain. They make all kinds of products (plates, pots, boxes, vases, etc.). Their best known are probably those made from jasperware (non-glazed porcelain-like material with white relief decorations). I collect the blue jasperware (which I think has come to be known as Wedgwood blue), although I’ve also seen the green versions around. This was the first time I saw pink, and fell in love with it.
  
  From Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasperware
  - D says:
    
    January 16, 2017 at 3:19 pm
    
    Thanks!

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5 Comments on Tales From The Thrift: New Year’s Tidings