Goals of letting go

Since I've been living away from home for the majority of the past 3 years (around some amazing thrift stores, mind you) with a whole other closet to fill, I've accumulated way too many clothes.  Every time I move back it's very clear that I'm stuffing things as efficiently as possible, and still running out of space.  I suppose I don't need 5 different white dresses and 4 grey blazers and 6 different skinny jeans...  Granted, some of it is things I've still kept from high school and even junior high that either I (or my sentimental mom) don't have the heart to throw away.  Sure it's great to have a ton of variety, but it's been equally frustrating with the literal and figurative weight of all these clothes.  I really need to consolidate, especially as I mature and my lifestyle evolves.  So my goal has been to be practical, get rid of pieces that are poorly fitting, that I can't imagine wearing even for fun.  I will save a lot for my younger cousins to eventually inherit but for the most part, a lot must go.

I've been slowly donating to thrift stores and selling through Poshmark and Thredup, revisiting my closet regularly and biting the bullet.  There are a lot of closet clearout videos on Youtube that I play in the background to keep me motivated and objective.  I've been trying to be much more choosy in my thrift purchases - is this in good condition, does it fit right right now or is it worth tailoring, does it make sense in my wardrobe, does it spark my mood when I wear it?  In the future while I'll still go thrifting, I'll also treat myself to higher quality pieces at consignment stores.

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Featured

Thredup featured my Instagram shot on their blog!  #claimtofame hehe

Almost that entire outfit was secondhand: 

Lace top by JCrew Collection (Thredup)

Slim pants by Banana Republic (Thredup)

Shoes by Salvatorre Ferragamo (found at Goodwill for less than $5!)

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Again Thrift

Again Thrift Shop

712 W Division St

Mt Vernon, WA 98273

After all the ridiculous moving in the past couple of months, I stopped having to drive down this one road in town.  In that time, this adorable little vintage shop popped up and I can't believe I just discovered it!  

Again Thrift is a mix of modern and vintage pieces - women's and men's clothing, accessories, furniture, housewares, local artwork - curated to be cute and quirky.  Everything is in great condition, hand selected, and organized, which seems more like a vintage, shop, but the prices are a lot more reasonable than many vintage shops that I've ever been to.  The owner was very sweet and even refurbishes or repurposes some of the items herself.

Loved the 70's vibes and free coffee.

I ended up just having to buy this embroidered burger patch cropped t-shirt (originally by Zara) as a gift for Jenni... but might wear it a little before I see her haha.

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27 Dresses

The fashionista in me is cringing at all these proposed bridesmaid dresses...  Who would want to wear an office dress made out of shiny taffeta?  Why do the rest look like soggy caveman chiffon?  Did they really need to add a puffy flower there?  Is this really how I want preserved in someone's photo album forever?

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Upcycled DIY culottes

The culottes trend has slowly grown on me; they're not quite gauchos (*shudder*) but wider throughout and generally more structured and voluminous... therefore somehow more flattering than the bell flare of gauchos.  Maybe I'll shudder at culottes in 10 years too, but so it is with trends.  Since this one is fairly difficult to pull off and style, I didn't want to spend too much money.



I found these very long, high-waisted, wide-legged pants (that came with a belt) at Goodwill for $2, and simply cut off about 10" from the bottom and finished with an invisible hem.  It was difficult deciding just where to crop them - culottes come in all sorts of lengths nowadays from more of a shorts style to just above the ankle - but there's enough room for me to take them lower or higher it in the future if I want a change.

They're fun to wear, and as you can imagine, super comfortable.

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Armor

"Fashion is the armor we wear, it’s a very powerful communication device. So there must be creativity to create clothing to create inspired clothing and creativity in communicating the story behind the clothing as well. Without creativity clothing is just a commodity, something functional to cover our bodies." - Maxine Bédat, co-founder and CEO of Zady 

My military jacket used to be my default "uniform," especially when I had no idea what the day was going to bring, or when I just wanted to go unnoticed.  Sometimes I want to switch characters like a person in a stageplay.  Nowadays though, there isn't much of a time or place to wear those things, because I'm called to represent something bigger and prouder and make stuff happen.  Slowly my clothes reflect how I'm growing and changing, but yet somehow these clothes are still very me.  There's a difference though - they're not necessarily to keep things at an arm's length, but rather to propel me out there just as I am and be who I was meant to be.

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Curiouser

Dress - Armani Exchange

Being Alice in Wonderland (at the High Museum in Atlanta).

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The Mirror

Dress - Armani Exchange

Piece by Anish Kapoor

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Cannon Beach

Two-tone anorak - JCP (thrifted)

Jeggings - Kenneth Cole (thrifted)

Leather backpack - Aurelia (thrifted)

Hiking boots - L.L. Bean (thrifted)

Beanie - Gap

Scarf - Anthropologie

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(Future) Wardrobe Investment

Whenever I go shopping with my mom, I always hear her say how things have come back in style from her youth, and how she used to have a piece exactly like such-and-such but she threw it away.  While I can only dream of the clothes my mother might have handed down to me, I decided to start putting aside clothes for my own (possible) future daughter.  I still love these pieces but they just don't represent my style or person anymore, and I didn't have the heart to donate or sell them.  

Clothes hold a lot of sentimental value for me - if there's not a specific memory attached, there's at least the spirit of the girl I was for those years.  I hope that one day, they will bring as much joy and fascination as they did for me.

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When Poshmark sellers don't ship when they say they will...

And even worse when they don't respond...

Edit: and when there's a delay because "there's no post on Sundays"--

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Pass it on

Showed one of my friends the beauty of thrifting today at the Value Village MLK 50% off sale.  She even ended up buying twice as much as I did haha.

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So I made a thing...

My Youtube channel - ThriftTherapy

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Tomorrow's a holiday... (plus a brewing idea)

...  That means thrift haul marathons on Youtube.  My life is glamorous.

I really like writing on this blog, but there are some things that you just can't convey with words and pictures.  So I kind of wanted to start my own Youtube channel.  Mainly to show my own thrift hauls, and to maybe find other people who are a little too interested in style like me haha.  I don't even have a fancy camera or a cool video editing program.  It'd probably be the same 3-4 friends watching each time (although that's not the point anyway).

Bad idea?  I don't know.  But it might be fun...?

Stay tuned!

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Collateral

Promising my parents that if they bring my sewing machine, I won't touch it until after my test block...

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DIY dress - McCall's pattern M6789

Made this awhile back but never posted it.

McCall's pattern M6789

I adapted it to an A-line, and did not add peplums or use contrast.  Just wanted a simple look.

 

I'm not quite sure why the back bunches a bit - maybe the back bodice is a little long for my torso?  I still think it turned out really well.  I learned how to insert a lining, understitch, and French tack.

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Rut

I always dress based on my mood.  Lately, it's almost always, I'm exhausted but it's too late to cancel, or, I'm pissed at you but I'm not going for you anyway.  How does that calculate, outfit wise?  Not that great.

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NYFA of Seattle

This past month I took basic sewing classes at New York Fashion Academy in Seattle.  Although I've been sewing by myself for awhile, I wanted to see if I was doing things correctly and get a proper foundation in order to learn more complicated techniques by myself later on.  

NYFA was the only place I could find that offered something other than sew-your-own-pajamas sort of classes.  This is a legitimate fashion school, with graduates going on to start their own lines, constructing for different businesses, etc.  It's not like a major university like FIDM or anything, but it has the essentials, which is still pretty great.

I just really like the space.  There's a constant creative, forward-feeling atmosphere from the students as they master their different levels all in one small space.  Plus, it's located in Ballard, which is a pretty quirky and fun neighborhood and adds to the eccentricity.

Sewing I taught me 20 basic techniques, and showed me a lot of things I was doing wrong.  They had us compile a mini binder to reference later. 

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Random OOTD

Sheath dress - The Limited  /  Military jacket - Rubbish (from Nordstrom) 

Bag - Liz Claiborne  /  Sneakers - Calvin Klein  /  Necklace (seen here)

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The stages of heel pain

1.  Oh, these new heels are pretty comfortable!  I can twirl around in them.  No feet scrunching, gaps, all is good.  I can wear them for the interview day, no problem...

2.  Did my feet get smaller?  Why am I sliding down into the toes?  Why do my heels keep popping out?

3.  Just pretend I'm a ballerina and power through the pain.

4.  My feet are so swollen that the heels fit again.

5.  Take off the shoes, see the ugly results.

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