Blue Collar Red Lipstick

29
Aug
2016

Tales From the Thrift: All the Pretty (Useful) Things

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about whether I should continue with these thrifting recaps or not. I personally love reading posts of this kind on other blogs, and I know I’m not alone in that, but I am also conscious of the fact that some people may find my shopping excessive and these posts obnoxious. In the end, I decided to keep running these for the time being. Thrifting is a big part of my life now, both as a hobby and as a life/style choice, and these posts are my way of sharing that here on the blog.

First up, a quick lesson in on-the-spot authenticating. I saw what appeared to be a Louis Vuitton Musette at my local VV, and zoomed in for a closer look. The material did not immediately scream “fake”, and felt substantial rather than thin and cheap.

Once I opened the bag, however, things began to look less promising. The lining did look and feel cheap, and there were quite a few loose threads — not what I would expect from LV. There was quite a bit of cracking as well, which seemed incongruous given the external condition of the bag.

What ultimately convinced me that the bag was a counterfeit was the lettering. It may not be immediately apparent in the photo above, but in real life, it was clear that the lettering was not stamped into the bag but rather affixed like a sort of sticker. The lettering itself may have also been “off” (I believe that the shape of the “o” is often a giveaway) but I’m not sufficiently expert in LV to offer an opinion on that.

I was excited to find these MaxMara coloured jeans — in my size! — but they had a few stains, which I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get out, so I passed.

all the designer ties ... — all the designer ties …

I love to buy ties for my husband, and thrift stores are a veritable treasure trove of fancy ones. My husband is very picky about his ties, so I ended up only getting him the Ted Baker one — a score for $8.

This blazer was nothing fancy, but I thought the relaxed style would make it a nice casual option. It replaces an older blazer of similar vibe that’s now too big.

Made in China, 81% polyester + 14% viscose + 5% elastane (100% acetate lining).

I’ve been looking for a pair of white jeans forEVER, but have found it impossible to scope a pair that was sufficiently opaque and the right style (skinny, cropped) for a reasonable (read: low) price. I love white jeans on other people — they look so cool and chic in the summer — but I’m not convinced that they would be a closet staple for me, so I’m not willing to invest hundreds of dollars in premium denim to find out. These Pilcro pair was an odd cut (cropped but slightly flared, what the hell?), but only $12. I took the chance.

Made in Guatemala, 92% cotton + 7% polyester + 1% elastane.

(I’ve noticed that Pilcros tend to be stiffer than other jeans, and now that I’ve looked at the fabric composition, I see why. I find that the most comfy jeans I own have a higher elastane content.)

I know what you’re thinking and you’re right: this is way too young for me. But it’s also hella cute and comfy, and even though the summer’s almost over, I really want to jump on the romper bandwagon AT LONG LAST. For $5, new with Winners tags still attached, I’ll take the risk. That’s one of the great things about thrifting: low risk (and low impact) experimentation.

Made in China, 54% cotton + 46% viscose.

I originally pulled this from the rack for Cassie, but it didn’t work for her, so I tried it on — and loved it. It’s soft and unstructured, and perfect for casual Friday or weekend wear. I’m fresh out of blazers, too. [No, no I’m not.] I think this is another Anthro brand, which is amusing; my sixth sense is still as strong as ever.

Made in Vietnam, 60% cotton + 40% polyester.

I love a good blue and red print. That’s all.

I found this Swarovski necklace at a Calgary VV, and got really excited when I spotted the tell-tale swan. I love Swarovski jewelry, and I liked the look of this particular pieces a lot — win, win. Or so I thought. I should have known better; it was priced at a whopping $45, and I immediately walked away. But, as it happened, the following day was my birthday, and I was in a YOLO frame of mind (with some birthday cash burning a hole in my pocket) so I went back for it. In the greater scheme of things, the price wasn’t a dealbreaker, but the sticker shock was real — I’ve been thrifting for so long, this counts as a huge splurge.

I found this necklace at the same store, and it was more reasonably priced at a mere $12. The quality looks better than average for costume jewelry, and the design is really cool. There is a stamp on the back which appears to read “Butler” but I haven’t been able to track that down in any way.

Total impulse buy, but I was intrigued by the print. It looked vaguely Mexican to me — probably because of the bright colours and striped pattern. It’s not particularly minimalist, but I decided to indulge my boho side this time. I think this is a brand sold at Nordstrom, but not one with which I’m familiar.

Made in Vietnam, 100% polyester (100% poly lining).

No lie: I bought this dress primarily for the belt. At $7, it was a good deal. Still, the dress itself is growing on me. The top and lining is made out of what is basically t-shirt material, so it’s super comfy. I can see getting a fair bit of use out of it on weekend dates.

Made in China, 100% silk (contrast & lining is 95% polyester + 5% elastane).

Another Calgary splurge, this Ted Baker tote set me back $20 at Goodwill. I’m a sucker for rose gold and metallic bags. This one is in pretty good shape, minus some hairline scratches (which are to be expected given the delicate foil coating).

I bought these vintage gold Ferragamo Varas (in mint condition) for my mom … and kinda wish I could fit my ginormous, ugly stepsister feet in them. In the end, they sadly turned out to be too narrow for my mom, so they’re now up for sale on the blog shop page. Sigh.

How did your thrifting go this month?

Unrelated sidenote: the second chapter of my free weekly serial is now up on my author blog, and you can read it here. Hope you like it!

27
Aug
2016

Weekending

categories: Uncategorized

Jacket & jeans, Anthropologie (thrifted); top, Joe Fresh; shoes, ory Burch (via consignment); bag, MbMJ — Jacket & jeans, Anthropologie (thrifted); top, Joe Fresh; shoes, Tory Burch (via consignment); bag, MbMJ

I wrote this post because I finally made it to the Old Strathcona farmers market not long ago, and I wanted to show you all the gorgeous stuffs I found there. I don’t even love veggies that much, and yet I had a hard time stopping myself from buying enough of them to feed a small army.

So, yeah, I also wore some clothes. I’ve been trying to get as much wear as I can out of these white jeans before summer ends. I like the visual results in most cases, but the stress is getting to me. Small kids + klutzy me + white anything just doesn’t mix. I am constantly checking myself for stains, and even when I don’t find any, the anxiety is always there. Lovers of white jeans, how do you do it?

My stain-phobia stopped me from wearing my white jeans with this next outfit, although I think it would have been a killer combo. I wore my light wash skinnies instead, sigh.

Top, Deletta (thrifted); jacket, Club Monaco (thrifted); jeans, AG (thrifted); shoes, Steve Madden (via consignment)

This floral Deletta top was one of my faves a couple of years ago, but I haven’t worn it much lately. Last week I thought to myself, “Self, we need to do something about this!” and thus this outfit was born. And, yes, all my internal monologues are that thrilling.

the ubiquitous khaki jacket of summer 2016

26
Aug
2016

BCRL Book Club: Bargain Fever

categories: Book Club

Let me start by saying: sorry. This is going to be another super short book club post because I just. do. not. have. time right now for more *sobs* I feel like a broken record writing this yet again, but life has been kicking my butt lately, and I feel like I’ve reached my limit of balls feasibly juggle-able. Projects like the BCRL book club, though certainly dear to my heart, are simply not high enough on the list of priorities … which makes me very sad, but sometimes c’est la vie. Without further hue and cry, here are my thoughts about Bargain Fever.

What I Liked

Books like Bargain Fever interest me a great deal; I love reading about the psychology behind social behavior, and in particular in relation to the things we buy and consume. Bargain Fever is written in the easy, breezy style that I prefer to read for “fun”; it was easy to finish in a couple of sittings. There was a TON of fascinating information and insights into both retailers’ and customers’ behavior. (Perhaps too much, but more on that in a minute.) A lot of it was instinctively recognizable to me, based on my own experiences with the retail industry (as a consumer), so from that perspective it wasn’t “new” information, per se; however, I enjoyed the way in which the book tried to connect all the dots.

A few of the highlights:

The discussion of the physiological/psychological feedback loop that makes bargain-hunting so addictive to many people. I am definitely someone who is very susceptible to it, which is a huge part of why I love thrifting – and why I never miss 50% off days at Value Village (and collect stamp cards at every thrift shop that offers them), even though I can certainly afford to pay full price.
The issues around the relative value of money. People are highly irrational in the way they approach/value money, and that’s endlessly fascinating to me. Someone might go to great lengths to save $5 in one situation, but not another. And that brings me to another interesting concept, which is that of anchoring – we perceive prices differently depending upon the context in which they are presented to us. None of it makes sense when you stop to think about it but it is, nonetheless, immediately familiar – if you do a gut check, you’re likely to admit that you’ve been guilty of the same reactions.
The exploration of the connection between perceived cachet (of designer brands) and whether they are subject to sales. I am fascinated by branding as a science (or an art, depending on how you think of it), and enjoy reading analyses of what goes into determining which brands thrive and which don’t. In this respect, Bargain Fever covered some ground that was not addressed in great depth in Deluxe: How Luxury Lost is Lustre.

[I’ll pause here to say that, 6 or 7 years ago, when the Coach outlets first began popping up everywhere, I predicted the downward slide of the brand without the benefit of any scientific analysis. I was happy to read in this book that Coach has been working on “righting its ship”, with some success, in recent years. I do have a soft spot for the vintage Coach bags, and I hope they eventually go back to their roots. One can only wonder what will happen to Michael Kors, since the brand doesn’t have the same “roots” as Coach. Or Kate Spade or Tory Burch, which might be sliding down the same path of market over-saturation and declining (perceived or otherwise) quality. And don’t get me started on J. Crew. Or do. I could talk about this stuff all day.]

What I Didn’t Like
There was a lot of information in this book. Like, a LOT. I felt that there was a constant barrage of it flying at me in every chapter, and the chapters themselves were fairly short and zippy. This isn’t a criticism, necessarily; but I feel like Bargain Fever is the kind of book that mostly just skims the surface of a lot of interesting topics, leaving you feeling simultaneously overwhelmed (maybe that’s just my default these days, though) and intrigued to read more. On that note, if you guys have any recommendations for good reads along similar lines (particular around branding), let me know in the comments.

So, back to you: did you read Bargain Fever and, if so, what did you think? Did you gain a better understanding of your own and others’ shopping behaviours? Any especially interesting revelations? What, if any, aspects of your own shopping did the book cause you to reconsider?

As I alluded to at the beginning of the post, I’m finding it more and more difficult to keep up with these book club posts (and “fun” reading in general), so I have decided to press “pause” on them for the next few months while I try to grapple with the rest of my life. I may do some shorter version of a “what I’m reading now” post over on my author blog from time to time and, of course, will continue to publish my (free) weekly serial there too – I hope you’ll check it out!