Blue Collar Red Lipstick

14
Jan
2016

Tales from the Thrift: Cinderella’s Sister

When you’re a thrifter, some days you’re Cinderella; and other days, you’re Cinderella’s sister. Which is to say: sometimes, the thrifted shoe doesn’t fit, no matter how much you’d like to wear it. I’ve been having a few of those days lately.

Vince Camuto shoes ($**) — Vince Camuto shoes ($10)

So cute, right? And, unless I’m mistaken, brand new. Too bad they were 2 sizes too small.

Small dealio with these pewter beauties. I texted Cassie to see if she was interested, but no dice. I hope they found a good home.

These Fluevog pumps were too big, on the other hand. I’m not much of a fan of the brand, but I know a lot of people love it. Surely, someone somewhere would adore these.

You guys know I’m a label snob, so I got very excited for a moment when I spotted these. But on closer inspection, I realized that they were in rough shape (some of the bits and bobs attached on the front were missing), and that VV wanted a whopping $50 for them. What the what?

Then, there was a bunch of dresses that also didn’t work out for me:

Cute, but the style was all wrong for me. Still, Boden quality is usually great, so this would have been a good deal.

This BCBG dress was a terrible fit on me, but potentially very cute on someone else.

I hesitated over this one for a while. It was floral, and 100% silk, and it had pockets. Very tempting, but ultimately I passed because I didn’t love-love it, and I felt the style was too young for me. But for $15, it was a steal.

I also hesitated over this Deletta dress. You know I love me some thrifted Anthropologie. In the end, I just didn’t see myself wearing it enough to justify buying it even though it was only $10. Better for someone else to buy it, enjoy it and actually wear it.

So, did I find anything in the end? Well, yes. This is thrift we’re talking about, after all; there is always something to be found.

This J. Crew Super 120 blazer was a steal of a deal for $8. It looked barely worn. For blazers and jackets, you can usually tell by looking at the armpits; even with dry cleaning, there will often be telltale signs of wear. Hashtag: the more you know.

This Banana Republic knit blazer also looked new, and also cost $8. I love the cropped length, which will go nicely with some of my skirts and dresses.

This custom made, vintage dress was one of my fave finds ever. The silk fabric looks and feels amazing, and the finishing touches (lining, hems, etc.) are exquisite. It was only $10! The top fits me perfectly, but the skirt part is a tight fit around the hips. A dress this beautiful, however, is worth the torture of Spanx.

I also scored a veritable treasure trove of pencil skirts at Red Pony, which is NOT a thrift store (but I couldn’t resist throwing this into the post):

scarf ($12) & No. 2 double serge wool pencil skirts ($40-42/piece)

I now have 6 of these pencil skirts, including the new ones (top 3, and bottom one), and I love, love, love wearing them. Their sizing also turned out to be super wonky (sensing a theme here, J. Crew), but that’s a tale for another day.

Your turn: how have the thrifting gods been treating you lately? Any happily ever afters?

13
Jan
2016

Greyed Out

categories: style

Dress, Pink Tartan (via consignment); necklace, BR; shoes, Nine West; bag, Ferragamo

There’s a whole lotta grey happening here, and I love it. This colorblock (does it count if it’s all different shades of the same colour?) dress by Pink Tartan was a real consignment score: beautiful, made in Canada, and only $30. The fabric is a 96% wool/4% elastane blend, so it falls nicely on the body. As a bonus, it’s lined. Really, the construction is quite impeccable. It’s one of the few examples of this dress style I’ve found where the waist actually hits me at my natural waist as opposed to several inches higher. (I have a long torso, sigh.) The only things missing are bra keeps – a minor quibble.

Of course, because it’s the middle of winter, and Edmonton might as well be called Winterfell (House Stark 4evah!), I threw on a blazer for not-freezing-my-butt-off purposes. It worked. And then I added a red bag, because there is only so much monochrome a girl can take.

Blazer, Banana Republic (via consignment)

12
Jan
2016

New Times Two

categories: style

Blazer, J. Crew (thrifted): top, J. Crew Factory; skirt, Anthropologie (via eBay); necklace, BR; shoes, Ferragamo; bag, YSL

I got new stuff, you guys! The skirt is old Anthropologie via eBay, and the blazer is thrifted J. Crew. It’s the Super 120 blazer, and it looks unworn – a real score for $8. The cut is fantastic. Here is a weird outtake that gives a better sense of the way the blazer fits:

checking on my pigeon-toe stance ... yep, still good — checking on my pigeon-toe stance … yep, still good

In other words, like a glove. I have fairly broad shoulders and a comparatively smaller waist, so that is no small feat. Here’s the really weird thing: the blazer is a size 0. I almost didn’t try it on because, let me tell you, a size 0 I am not, even at J. Crew. (The skirt I’m wearing here is a size 6, to give you a sense of my actual proportions.) And yet, this blazer fits. ‘Tis a mystery. Has vanity sizing really gotten so far out of control? The only things that took some time to get used to are the rather high armholes. At least, they feel, um, high. I’m pretty sure I don’t have armpit fat, so this must be a quirk of the style. That reminds me of something I’m almost certain I read somewhere (with a 5% chance I may only have imagined I did): Coco Chanel used to cut the armholes of her jackets high, because the result looked … Better? More chic? I forget. Anyway, the moral here? Before you pass on a thrift find, try it on because you never know.