Thrifting – Page 6 – Blue Collar Red Lipstick

Category: Thrifting

12
Jan
2017

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.

26
Dec
2016

Tales From The Thrift: Holiday Edition

categories: Thrifting

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone enjoyed a festive and happy weekend with their family, friends, or loved ones. I am ready to hibernate for a month now in my post-turkey-and-cabbage-roll* haze, but two of my best friends are visiting from out of town and about to descend upon my house for a girls’ mini staycation (with bonus kids and husband, haha!), so I actually have some cleaning to do. Bah-humbug! (Just kidding! Can’t wait to see you, ladies — and Chris Pratt!**) Since thrifting has pretty much “ruined” Boxing Day/Week for me, I’m not missing out on anything. But speaking of which, let’s take a look at what thrifting had in store for me over the last month or so.

Y’all know I love me some Anthro, but this was a hard pass. Not a huge fan of this silhouette.

Some days, amirite? In retrospect, I kinda wish I had bought this, because there are days when the message would have been so “on point”, as the kids say. The kids still say that, right?

The U of A is my alma mater, so I was stoked to see its crest on this blazer. No idea who would have worn this, but it’s cool. Quaecumque Vera!

Gold pumps are cool, but peep toes are not. I didn’t even try these on, but they were probably too small anyway. Also, missing a heel tip. Funnily enough, I spotted them in TWO different VVs over the course of a month. I wonder why the person ended up returning them. Ahh, thrifting mysteries.

These were hella cute, but I try to stay away from colourful round-toe flats, no matter how cute, because they don’t mesh with my style. I also love this aqua shade, but find it hard to wear.

I did end up buying these snakeskin-printed coated jeans by 7 For All Mankind, and probably shouldn’t have. They were only $7, so the regret doesn’t run too deep, but I’ll probably purge them at some point soon. They’re a bit too edgy for me, and the colour is definitely not in my palette. Sigh.

Hey, look! Sometimes I thrift really cool stuff … like this vintage edition of the kids’ classic, Pinocchio. I was actually on the hunt for old hardcover books to use as props for my office Christmas party when I spotted this gem.

Look at these colour illustrations! Amazing. Of course, I had to have this for myself. That’s right; this one isn’t for the kids — it’s for me. (Until they’re old enough to appreciate it, anyway.)

Oh, and I found something vintage and sparkly too. I’m also keeping this for myself … for now. My daughter is exhibiting early signs of magpie-itis, which leaves me feeling equal parts proud and worried. Dress-up time is going to take on a very different meaning in a few years.

Speaking of jewelry, I’ve been on a buying kick lately. I rarely thrift jewelry, vintage brooches excepted, because I rarely see good quality stuff. But after finding that awesome Stella & Dot necklace last month, I’ve been paying closer attention to the jewelry racks — and it’s been paying off. Here, I’m talking about the non-showcase stuff, which is usually hung in one giant tangled mess. Dig through it, peeps; treasures can sometimes hide in there. Case in point: this Felton/Fallon for J. Crew necklace. Granted it was missing one small rhinestone and one of the spikes on the bottom string, but I paid $3 for it. Both defects were relatively easy fixes. Michaels sells rhinestones in all kinds of sizes, and with a bit of tinkering, I glued one in place. (It’s not the same quality as the others, but it’s hard to tell unless you’re looking very very closely.) As for the missing spike, I just removed one of the remaining 3, to balance things out. Afterwards, I decided to remove the last 2 as well, as I preferred the way the necklace looked without them.

I also found some cool earrings, one modern and one vintage-looking, both very inexpensive. I used rubbing alcohol on the posts to sanitize them.

I love aurora borealis rhinestones, and was thrilled to find what looked to be a matching set (although they were sold separately) for $6 altogether. This set would run at least $40-$50 at the antique mall.

Sam Edelman "Opal" pumps — Sam Edelman “Opal” pumps

I really, really need to replace my much-loved and much-worn black Stuart Weitzman pumps, even though I’m having a hard time parting with them. (We’ve been through a lot in 6 years *sniff*) I thought these like-new Sam Edelman d’orsay pumps would be a good alternative, at least until I can find another SW pair. They have a 3 inch heel, and are quite comfortable. I do wish they were not suede, because black suede tends to show dirt and wear much more than patent or natural leather. However, for $8 I am not complaining.

Fluevog "Memories Truly" shoes — Fluevog “Memories Truly” shoes

Yup, my second Fluevog pair in as many months. I liked the retro vibe here, and the colour was interesting. Some lovely peeps on IG helped me identify the style; I always like to know the history of the things I thrift. These shoes are from the Spring 2009 collection, apparently. They are in pristine condition, except for some very light scuffing on the bottom sole. I can’t wait to wear them next summer … wedding, anyone?

This Max Azria jacket was a dubious buy, admittedly, but I decided to take the fashion risk. We’ll see how I feel about those origami-like folded sleeves next month.

My husband has a background in architecture, so I thought he would appreciate the print of this Anthro-brand dress. He was … not as enthused as I thought he would be. This dress is no match for Houzz when it comes to holding his attention. Few things are. Maybe if Mike Holmes was wearing it, it would be a different story …

Last but certainly not least, one of my favourite thrift finds ever. I gushed about this dress when I wore it, and you can read all about it here.

And that’s it for now. I hope the thrift gods have been generous with you this month, and if so — I want to hear all about it. And if not, tell me what you’re still hoping to find before the year is out.

* Cabbage rolls are a Christmas tradition in the Old Country. They would be sufficient to tranquilize an average person into a couch-potatoing stupor, but my family likes to embrace new traditions as well, hence the turkey. Double whammy.

** This is an inside joke. Sadly, Chris Pratt is not coming to my house. My friends and I had a very spirited debate over text for the last month about which movie we are going to see together. I am happy to report that, thanks to the crushing fist of democracy (and a 2-to-1 vote), Chris Pratt won. We are going to see Passengers.***

*** Edited to add: apparently, we are not. Reviews for this movie have been no bueno, you guys. The alternate choice, by unanimous vote: La La Land.

07
Dec
2016

In Wonderland

categories: Awesome red, Favourite things, Love at first sight, style, Thrifting

I know I am by no means unique in this, but I have been low-key obsessed with Alice in Wonderland for many years. I am not precisely sure why. When I was little, it was my fiercest wish to have long, blonde hair; paired with my fondness for Alice’s sartorial choices (that blue dress is on point, is all I’m saying) and admiration for her undefatigable curiosity, perhaps that explains the obsession. Perhaps not. That is actually neither here nor there; the point is that I was instantly sold on this dress because the brand label said Allison Wonderland.

To be fair, the dress itsef is aces.

I blazered up for work (as you can see), but I’m going to post a bazillion blazer-less photos because this dress is worth admiring. It fits like a dream, which is actually a fairly tall order when you consider its silhouette; scratch that. It doesn’t just fit like a dream, it flatters like a dream too. I assure you, I’m not wasp-waisted. This dress makes it look like I am, while at the same time being insanely comfortable to wear. It’s practically magic!

i call it ... the optical illusion dress — i call it … the optical illusion dress

I almost feel guilty telling you that I paid a whopping $8 for this dress … but well, I am anyway. Edmonton peeps, this is what your thrift scene has to offer — get out there and check it out, you won’t regret it. In this case, I got a beautiful, made-in-Canada dress … and I discovered a new designer, Allison Smith (the woman behind Allison Wonderland and sister brand Pillar — thanks, Google!) According to her website, her clothes are made in Vancouver in collaboration with local small businesses, and the (retail) price points are very reasonable for “slow fashion”. Based on how much I love this dress, I plan to keep an eye on her IG for future collections.

every angle is a good angle in this dress