Blue Collar Red Lipstick

31
Oct
2016

Tales From the Thrift: The Finds Keep Coming

In addition to my Tuesday Night Thrift adventures with Nicole, I did manage to squeeze in some solo thrifting time this month. Not a lot … but not that you can tell from the results. What can I say? The Edmonton thrift scene is just too good, you guys. Too good not to take advantage of, at any rate.

Now, I did exercise some restraint — not a lot, but some. This orange, linen Anthro skirt did NOT come home with me, for example.

Left: Ralph Lauren dress; right: Michael Kors dress

Neither did these dresses.

This dress was a huge disappointment — so beautiful, so terribly small.

This was also cute, but too body-con for my taste. First time I’ve seen ModCloth in a thrift store here.

Misook is a brand I know of only through the thrift re-seller community. Apparently, it’s a good seller on eBay? I can’t imagine anyone lusting over this pistachio confection, but I’ve been a Jon Snow on more than one occasion.

I loved the colours of this dress, and I might have been able to live with the horizontal ruffle action, but the florettes around the neckline are absolutely too, too much. Pity.

Another cute Ted Baker dress that was a style miss for me. Gorgeous colour though.

Moschino jeans … with buttons (snaps? shudder) going down the pant legs. No.

I had the chance to go thrifting with a friend this month — and it was her first time! Luckily, the starts aligned, and she found some great pieces …

… like this adorable summer dress from Lane Bryant.

And there were more cutre dresses (with pockets!) to be found. We both loved the kooky print of this ModCloth dress. My friend loves the brand, and was thrilled to see the price tag on this dress: under $10 (before our 30% off coupon). Score.

I introduced her to eShakti, and she loved the way this dress fit (she must have a twin out there somewhere) and the cool details. Made to measure is even better at thrift prices.

I also managed to, ahem, do okay for myself.

These BR metallic gladiator sandals are brand new, and will be hella cute next summer. Made in China, leather upper.

Do I need another jacket? No, but this was (a) Cartonnier, and (b) mustard yellow. So, basically a “must buy”.

I was less sure of this Tabitha jacket, but I thought the neutral colour and cropped length might have potential. Made in China, 49% wool, 35% viscose, 16% poly (100% acetate lining).

Mustard yellow? Check. Stretchy, skinny leg? Check. Made in the USA? Done and done.

When it comes to casual pants, my cup (closet) overfloweth … but that never stops me from buying more great pairs. The tan Pilcro chinos on the left are beyond comfy — I can’t wait to wear them on slouchy weekends all next summer. The contrast waistband and panels are a cute touch. Made in China, 99% cotton, 1% spandex.

The Paige jeans on the right are cute, but I might have left them behind, to be honest, if I didn’t see that they were still selling on The Bay website for three hundred freaking dollars! Fancy pants alert! I paid $9 for mine, and will find a way to get a few wears out of them, I’m sure. .

I needed a black blazer to replace my worn out (thrifted) J. Crew one. This AllSaints version looked promising, and was hella cheap. It might be a looser fit than I prefer for dresses, but I think it will work with pants. Made in Turkey, 89% wool, 9% polyamide, 2% elastane (100% viscose lining).

I know this is a skater dress, which is a style no-no for me, but it was far too cute to resist — and the colour palette is right up my alley. I have no doubt I can re-sell it if/when I get tired of it. Made in China, 100% cotton (100% poly lining).

Impulse buy, because I’m a label snob … but also because it’s made in Italy and classy as hell. (75% cotton, 25% silk; 100% poly lining).

These beauties need no explanation. They are simply perfection, in shoe form.

Happy thrifting, everyone!

NOTE: Chapter 11 of A Temporary Engagement is up on the blog — read it here.

28
Oct
2016

Friday Blues

categories: style

Sweater, Vince (thrifted); blouse, J. Crew (via eBay); jeans, J Brand (thrifted); shoes, J. Crew Factory; bag, Arcadia (via eBay)

I mentioned last week that I’ve been wanting a navy bag for a while, and voila: I now have a navy bag. And it’s a beaut, isn’t she? I was crazy about Arcadia bags 6-7 years ago, and used to have 3 or 4 of them, most of which are sadly long gone (sold or gifted). What can I say: after I bought my first (secondhand) LV, I became a bit of a bag snob. OK, a big bag snob. Now, I still love my designer bags, but I’ve recently also rediscovered my love of Arcadia bags. As it happens, I’ve been hunting for one in this particular colour (“Ocean”) on for a few months now. Winners is the only place where I’ve ever seen Arcadias being sold, but this colour never seemed to turn up, so I was thrilled to find it on eBay for a decent price, particularly in this style, since it’s got that handy cross-body strap.

The rest of the outfit was basically thrown together at the last minute, the morning after I got my new bag in the mail. Impatient? But of course. Still, I love how all the blues came together … and how the touch of leopard print breaks up the monochrome. This was one of my fave (and most comfortable) casual outfits in recent months.

27
Oct
2016

Effortless

categories: style

Dress, MaxMara (thrifted); blazer, Theory (thrifted); necklace, swap; bag, Louis Vuitton

Such a loaded word, isn’t it? When it comes to style, “effortless” says so much … and so little. I’ve been thinking a lot lately of what it means to me, and the answer is like a slippery fish; it slides out of my grasp even as I’m confident I’ve (finally) got it down to a succinct one-liner. In lieu of that, I can say this: to me, “effortless” connotes a harmony of outfit and wearer that appears entirely natural, not contrived. It’s as if the clothes are nothing more than an extension of the person wearing them, as if they were made for the person, and made to be worn in precisely that way. Needless to say, I think varying degrees of actual effort go into the making of an effortless look. For every woman who rolls out of bed looking like a million bucks, there’s a woman who is making very deliberate choices every morning. But, in a way, I think both approaches can be considered effortless; it’s the instinct — of knowing which pieces to choose for your wardrobe in the first place, and how to wear them together in a way that’s distinctly “you” — that can’t be faked.

Sometimes, for us mere mortals, instinct is helped along by serendipity. Sometimes, a piece will come along and (metaphorically) march into your closet, pull out its perfect outfit companions, and throw itself at you. Such is the story of this MaxMara dress. As soon as I brought it home, I knew exactly what its inaugural outfit would look like. And it worked like a charm — a compliment-attracting charm.

To be perfectly honest, I thrifted this dress on impulse, because it’s a sheath (my core silhouette), a neutral floral, and made in Italy. Good enough for the $14 I spent on it. The only problem was that I could barely get into it. It looked like it should have been roomy enough (and my eyes are pretty good at guesstimating hip clearance), but I felt like Houdini in a straight-jacket trying to get it on (and off). I eventually realized that the lining was cut smaller than the dress, and decided it was a problem worth fixing. Not a cheap problem, mind you, but $28 later I can now walk (and sit) in the dress, thank goodness. It is such a classy looking number so regrets, I have none.