Thrifting has been a part of my life, on and off, for over two decades. As I’ve mentioned before, I grew up wearing thrifted clothes by necessity as a (totally unstylish) teen, and rediscovered thrifting as a fashion-obsessed adult. I’ve been shopping almost exclusively at thrift (or otherwise secondhand) since 2018, and so far this year I have made no retail clothing purchases at all. Even so, my thrifting habits are constantly evolving. It’s one of the things I love about thrifting: it’s not just for clothes, and success is very much a personal determination.

My home province began to lift its COVID restrictions back in May, which included the re-opening of retail stores. Although for the most part, I have continued to stick with the “quarantine lifestyle” (staying home and away from people who are not part of our “cohort”), I have started to dip my toe into thrifting again. I go once a week – taking all recommended precautions, of course – during off-peak hours to avoid crowds. It’s been a welcome stress release.

As I had expected, I’ve noticed that my focus has largely shifted away from clothes. This is not surprising. My wardrobe needs are different now – there are whole categories of items that I don’t have much use for, like jeans or blazers or high heels. My closet is well-stocked. (Though I will always have room for another potato sack dress – it’s my new uniform.) So, clothes-wise, I have become super picky. Other than some long-term “holy grail” items, such as a black velvet waistcoat (just found one!) or a tulle skirt (still looking!), I am limiting my purchases to pieces from my favourite designers. Since my favourite designers are not easy to come by, I haven’t been buying very much.

Clothing, that is.

I have been buying plenty of other things, and I won’t lie: there’s nothing like the thrill of a good find after being unable to do any “hunting” for months. Shopping online doesn’t come close. As I expect there will be another lockdown coming in the months ahead, I am indulging in my current privileges.

Jewelry

I’ve mentioned before, I think, that I’ve been wearing jewelry a lot more often even though I’m at home 95% of the time. It cheers me up. My obsession with collecting Rafael Alfandary pieces has also resurfaced, and while I haven’t lucked into finding any more of his pieces at the thrift store, I remain ever hopeful. In addition to looking for jewelry to wear, I am also searching for pieces suitable for upcycling for my art/craft projects. This, in fact, is another new obsession. I have made embroidered/beaded jewelry pieces before, but now the added element is incorporating upcycled bits and bobs from old costume jewelry. I love taking an existing necklace or pair of earrings, deconstructing it and then using its “guts” to create something new. It’s a different level of creativity, and I can’t get enough. Hmm, maybe that’s another post …

Books

The money I saved in the first 3 months of quarantine by not buying clothes … I spent on buying books online. My library is growing at a wonderful rate these days, but I won’t lie: I am happy to have access to inexpensive secondhand books again. Shoutout to my local Goodwill, which is now pricing all adult books at $2.50. That’s a deal you can’t beat! I’ve been reading so many great books lately, and discovering topics and authors that I might not otherwise get to explore.

[Note: I have made a concerted effort to support Black and Indigenous authors by purchasing books at retail, and in particular through local independently owned book shops. I will continue to include these in my What I Read updates for anyone looking for recommendations. I’ll have a new post up soon.]

Home Decor

I had been looking forward to “refreshing” my house with a few new treasures, but “home decor” is a category that has been disappointing lately. I had expected differently, given how many people seemed to be using their quarantine time to declutter theirs homes. Oh well. In lieu of new thrift finds, I’m re-arranging my existing collections instead. Here’s my personal tip: if you feel like you want a change, and can’t get a haircut, re-arranging furniture can be a satisfying alternative. Hashtag kiddingnotkidding.

In general, my observation about post-lockdown thrifting is, while some stores have reduced volume in certain categories – jewelry, sadly, being one of them – it’s mostly the same as before in terms of inventory. I have been able to find some real gems, but the stores are not some overflowing Aladdin’s cave as some of us might have hoped. But they are, for the most part, well stocked and generally not more over-priced than usual. [Value Village remains the biggest culprit here. I recently saw a Lululemon jacket for $80. I mean, whut? Meanwhile, a cashmere blend Jil Sander jacket was priced at $12, and you can bet your fancy yoga pants that I bought it in a heartbeat.]

I would love to hear from you, too: if stores have re-opened in your area, have you gone thrifting? And if so, what have your experiences been like? And if you’re so inclined, I would also appreciate a little feedback: would you guys be interested if I brought back my “thrift haul” posts? I have been posting them mainly to my IG Stories in the last year or so, but I’m wondering if it might be something worth covering on the blog as well. Let me know!

Times flies, here is another FabFitFun box to review. To start, a reminder that this post isn’t sponsored in any way; I pay for an annual subscription out of my own pocket, and always have. The cost works out to about $80CAD including shipping for each box, and there are 4 of them every year. As an annual subscriber, I have the option to customize 5 of the items in the box. The remaining 3 items are selected for you. I seem to recall it being the case that everyone got the same set items, but now there is a selection of 2-3 options for each additional item (though you still have no control over what you get).
Here’s a look at my FabFitFun Summer 2020 box.
I look forward to seeing the box design each time. This one was meh. Still, my daughter loves these boxes – she uses them for her doll houses.

This time around, I chose 2 items from the “Add On” sale. Add Ons are items that you can choose to, well, add on to your box at an extra cost. They are usually the same brands that you would typically see in your boxes, available at a supposedly discounted price. [I’ve never bothered to check with regular retail outlets to see if that’s the case. I just look at the FFF price and decide if it’s worth it to me or not.] The first item I chose was a C. Wonder watermelon-print foldable umbrella. My last one bit the dust last year, so I needed a replacement. This one was cute and something like $9USD which seemed reasonable enough. Unfortunately, I later got a notification that the umbrella was no longer available and my money was refunded. Too bad.

The other Add-On item I picked was a set of 3 masks. They were $11USD which, again, I thought was a decent price even after the exchange rate. They are light blue, light pink, and black. My husband has already commandeered the black one. They are very nice – lightweight and breathable. Here’s what they look like:

On to the box!

This Spongelle hand cream was one of the FFF picks. I’m not mad about it, but not super excited either. A hand cream is always handy, if you’ll pardon the pun.
Retail price: $18USD.

Another FFF pick – I guess they wanted to make sure all my extremities were being looked after. This is even less exciting for me than hand cream, but I’ll take it. I am sure it will get used. Maybe I can even convince my husband to give me a foot massage.
Retail price: $24USD

This was an item that I chose and I love it. Does an ice roller do anything? I have no idea. But it feels really nice on the skin, and now I can feel like one of the cool girls on Instagram.
Retail: $30USD (LOLOLOL!)

While this was an FFF pick, it was actually one of the items I was hoping to get. I normally don’t care for make-up in my FFF boxes because I hardly wear any and I’m picky, but I was intrigued by this “universal” brow pencil. Doing my brows is my one remaining daily make-up routine, even now. Not sure if I would consider this pencil truly universal, but it seems to work. It’s a bit darker than my usual one, but not clownishly so (I think). Will be a useful item, for sure.
Retail: $16USD

This was a much anticipated item. I first tried this shampoo and condition duo in either my Winter or Spring box (can’t remember) and liked it a lot. I ran out just as this box was being shipped. I had actually planned to buy this as an Add-On, but when I saw that it was an option in the box itself, I was stoked.
Retail: $64USD

I like ceramic vases a lot, so I wasn’t mad to see this as an option (especially as the other options in this tier were less appealing) but it was a bit disappointing in real life. It’s a little too blah for me.
Retail: $28USD

This was the one tier I really struggled with. There was a wireless charger I was initially going to pick, only to realize that I don’t need more cords in my life. Then I was going to pick an eyelash serum, until I read reviews that said it wasn’t much good. After getting burned with GrandeLash (not literally, it simply didn’t do anything for my lashes), I decided to skip. In the future, if I’m going to spend money on a lash serum, it will only be EyEnvy. The other items in this tier were a towel (meh), an eye cream (meh), and a straw tote (not my style). Anyway, this was ultimately the item I picked by elimination. Thankfully, the scent is fine and not overpowering. I like the way it looks (see below) – it’s nice and sleek.
Retail: $59USD (As if!)

Ok, these Toms sunglasses were the one item I was most excited about. And they look great! Except … I think they are too narrow for my face and they pinch at my temples. Saaaaaaaaad face! I’m debating whether to try to stretch them – is that even possible? – but I will most likely pass them on to my SIL. Siiiiigh.
Retail cost: $58USD.

And here’s everything all together:

Overall, this was a more than acceptable box – sunglasses heartbreak notwithstanding – and I am already looking forward to the Fall box; fun mail has never been a happier event than in the last three months.

Instagram vs Real Life

For the most part, I like working from home but there are a few things I miss about the office. Seeing my coworkers in person, for one. And having a reason to dress up. Most days, I am fine with wearing one of my growing collection of schmattas (loose sack dresses) or something with an elastic waist. But there are days when I yearn for something more. This outfit was a case in point. The dress, by itself, is practical enough for WFH – it’s loose and comfortable, even if it is a bit fancy (silk fabric). The topper, again, is something that would make sense at home, if I get chilly; it’s soft and stretchy and not constricting in the way that a regular blazer would be. But what makes the outfit, IMO, is that third piece: a skirt layered under the dress to change up the proportions and add some texture and visual interest via the peekaboo tulle. Is that something I’m going to wear around the house? No. I could, of course. But I can’t bring myself to do it; it just seems like overkill. [I’ve only recently gotten used to wearing my “nice” clothes around the house.] So, yeah, some days I miss the office.

Butterfly Squad

Now that I have added a weekly thrift outing to my social calendar, I have one reason to make a bit more of an effort with my (casual) attire. This was one such effort, enabled in part by a snap of colder weather. I haven’t had much opportunity to wear my transitional pieces this year – March and April were spent in lockdown, and May was warmer than usual – so I jumped at the chance. I don’t normally wear this much leather all at once, but I think it worked out ok. I’m still really impressed with these Commando leggings; they’re very comfortable (not tummy-strangling at all) and easily elevate an outfit. I am also very much in love with these Ash sneakers, a post-lockdown thrift find. They are my second pair, and they’re one of my go-tos; they’re casual but funky, comfortable but with an edge (and a bit of heel).

Deconstructing Jo March

You may remember how obsessed I was last December with the costuming of the new Little Women movie, especially Jo’s wardrobe. Well, it took a little bit of time, but the thrift gods have delivered an outfit worthy of Jo but also perfectly suited to my own aesthetic. Or so I like to think. The Crea Concept skirt is older (from last year), as are the shoes, but the vest (J. Crew) and linen jacket (Sarah Pacini) are new finds. I told you I would eventually find a nice waistcoat! It took almost 6 months, but thrifting delivered. However, the clincher is, IMO, the white jacket. I thought it was a shirt at first, but it has pockets, y’all. It’s basically a perfect layering piece – lightweight, with very cool little details. I can’t wait to play around with it some more.

Kismet

This COS dress used to belong to my BFF until she decided the length wasn’t great on her. We listed it on our resale page, and had 2 sales fall through on it. I took that as a sign that the dress was meant to stay … with ME. It’s an oversize fit on me, which I love. I also love the contrast of the stretchy knit top, and the striped cotton bottom layer. I mirrored the contrast with the choice of shoes which – full disclosure – were worn for these photos only. Wearing shoes to work from home? Nah! But these Ferragamo heels are so cute, and I do miss them.

Back in Colour

I do still wear colour, you guys! Take this outfit as proof. Colour and bold accessories are my favourite little pick-me-ups these days. I’m also back on the Rafael Canada collecting bandwagon, and have been actively on the hunt for new pieces to add to my collection. This necklace is a piece I got last year, but it deserves a bit of spotlight – just look at those confetti-like sparkles: