Midwest

The most stylish person in the thrift store today...  That looks like a beautiful vintage Coach bag T_T  Also, an interesting multi-tone boot with a practical heel.

As seen at Valley Thrift Store in Dayton, OH.

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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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Cardio

I never thought I'd say this, but sometimes regular shopping is much more exhausting than thrifting.

The difficult part about retail is that you have to wade through everything - each piece which catches the eye, and could theoretically be a good buy to some degree - and discern what you actually like and what you're actually being tricked into liking.  It's harder to pinpoint what pieces are actually special.  After a few stores you start recognizing the same trends and wonder whether you should've bought it from this place instead of that one, whether it really makes a difference that this brand put an extra ruffle here.  When they don't carry your size, you try to convince yourself that either you can squeeze into the smaller one or make it work with the bigger one.  And of course, there's the eternal struggle of "Do I really like it thi$ much"?

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Supermodel

Possibly one of Brooke Shields' earliest modeling gigs?

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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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The value of style

Saw this woman in a fabulous furry vest at Value Village today (Veteran's Day sale!).  She was a mom (with a baby in her cart) and yet still so put together, fun, and bold with her style.

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Dummy

I gasped in excitement and ran across the store when I saw this at Goodwill...

Then, I realized it was $50.  And it was too big.  AND it wasn't the dress form for draping (where you can stick pins in and such), but simply for display.  Sadness.

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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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Designer thrift haul! (Isabel Marant, Zara, COS)

Click above for the Youtube video~

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Novelty knits

My tastes went a little wacky this time around at Value Village.

The weather is cooling down now, and something about Fall makes me want chunky, warm and fuzzy everything.  Thick, homey knits always remind me of holidays spent baking and drinking hot chocolate outside in the chilly air.

White Stage sweater - $3.99

I know this looks like a grandma sweater (it probably is) but I just thought it was SO cute.  I had gone through all of the usual sections without any luck, then on my way out this caught my eye. 

I always see these types of sweaters come back into style every year at trendy stores and sold for a lot more and often with lesser quality yarn.  The flowers stand out ever so slightly against the oatmeal background, so give great 3D texture.  This one is perfect because it fits like a long tunic/short sweater dress without looking bulky, so I can wear leggings and cute boots with it and still look pulled together.

Rug - $4.99

This is the first home item I've gotten from the thrift store.  It was actually brand new, with tags still on, so there was no worry about sunken kitchen stains.  It's multicolored with hints of metallic thread woven throughout, giving a lot of visual interest.  I desperately need more color in my apartment.

Last but not least, the most questionable purchase of the day... this Little Red Riding Hood-esque cape.

Sweater Bee by Banff Ltd sweater cape - $5.99

First of all, it's bright firetruck red.  It falls all the way to the knees.  It has fringe.  The armholes come out front, making arm positioning a little bit of a conscious process.  I thought it was perfect. 

In addition to those details, I loved the simple silver buttons and the pointelle knitting in front and back.  Plus when I put it on, it just fell over my frame in the loveliest inverted bell-shaped way.  It makes me want to go for a stroll in the woods.  The best clothing items induce a visceral, emotional reaction.

This is what I consider a "truly thrifted" piece - vintage, an unknown/bygone brand, weird, but quality-made and it somehow works if you're willing to take the risk.  (I don't want to go thrifting just for current brands or current looks - then it just feels like a cheaper version of Plato's Closet).

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Throwback

Found some retro sewing patterns at Value Village today that made me laugh.  I actually did buy a bomber jacket pattern from the 80's that I will attempt in the future though!

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DIY distressed skinny jeans

There's something about distressed jeans that adds just the right amount of edge and off-ness to an outfit.  I didn't want anything with crazy patches, just something lightly worn like what Olivia Palermo is wearing above.

I started with a pair of A&F jeans that I thrifted for $4 from Goodwill, which were my size and had a nice worn in feel to them.  (Since these were a flare leg, I first turned them inside out, pinned while on, and sewed the legs from around the knees down to a skinny taper.  Then, I trimmed the excess seam allowance and turned them right side out again.)

TIP:  It's important to buy light washed jeans.  Holes on dark washed jeans just don't look quite as believable.

To begin distressing:  Cut two parallel lines running across the leg as large as you want.  With a tweezer, pull the vertical threads out one at a time.  At the beginning, it helps to loosen the fabric edges with something rough before starting to pull.

The vertical threads in denim are a mixture of blue whereas the horizontal threads are all white.  I didn't want to expose the white threads completely since the distressing would fall apart more easily with wash and wear, so I varied the rows that I pulled, pulling less around the ends of the holes.  I used pinking shears (but you can use something else abrasive like sand paper) to fade out around the holes, make them blend in better and look more naturally torn.

Repeat as many times/wherever on the jeans you'd like.  I put two small holes at the hip and one large complete cut on the opposite knee.

Lastly, I cheated a bit and dabbed Fray-Check glue on the corners to prevent further pulling and fraying.

(Sandals - Report)

Taken from my new apartment at school!  It's going to be crazy so... updates will be much less frequent.

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DIY Blazer Upcycle

One local thrift shop has 99 cent clothing Sundays, which is almost as good as free.  I figured it wouldn't hurt if I bought something to experiment on, so I got this oversized blazer.  It was made of nice material and quality construction, but of course the fit was horribly dated.  I'm not sure what brand Paul Stanley is.  I couldn't find anything online except for this old 80's rocker guy from KISS.  Maybe he got into fashion back in the day...?

I wanted something long enough to especially wear with leggings, and was inspired by a lot of "boyfriend blazer" looks such as these:

  

    

  

There was a lot of trial and error.  A LOT of seam ripping and learning as I went.  First while wearing the blazer, I chalked on the sides, shoulders, and arms where I wanted to take them in.  Measured how much I needed to "pinch" in each area, which was about 3 cm all around.  

I took a deep breath, seamripped the inner lining where necessary, and removed the shoulder pads.  I also turned the sleeves inside out and sewed a new seam (on the outer sleeve and the lining) 3cm from the old one, and took 1.5 cm from each seam at the sides (there were two per side).  

After a very frustrating time with trying to fit the shrunken sleeve into the old arm hole (it kept on puckering or poufing, which isn't what I was going for with a menswear blazer), I realized that I would have to shrink the hole at the shoulder seam too, and that it was easier just to simply take the whole sleeve out and realign it, instead of trying to minimize sewing.

(The whole sleeve removed, with lining still attached).

Because the pockets were originally located right at the edges where I took the blazer in, I had to remove the pockets, cut the hole further inward and slide the pockets over.  The blue "right side" that I'm touching was sewn to the bottom flap interfacing side.  The top portion attached to the lining "wrong" side of the pocket would be flipped to the outside of the blazer, and then be sewn to the top flap of the blazer.  That doesn't quite make sense, but you need to plan to keep the pocket open at any rate and you can reason it out that way.

Finally I trimmed and pieced back the lining using a slip stitch (tutorial here).

And viola!  It's a little lopsided (and not very neat on the inside) but when you wear it you can't tell too much.  I'd say a good first attempt!

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New Dress a Day (and more)

 Marisa from New Dress a Day is a woman who has spent years re-designing thrift store finds into wearable pieces.  At about one piece a day, her budget is only $365 a year (aka $1 a day).  I love her quirky "before" photos of her outrageous finds, and the surprising ways she re-invents them.  Once I improve my sewing skills, I might try this out...

These thrift haul videos are making me eager to go thrifting again...  But I need a patient buddy! :(

I like how these girls take more of a current-day approach to vintage and style the pieces for now, instead of going all-out old-school.

ThriftDrifter is my favorite - plus she often includes refashion/upcycle ideas.

This intro from Riannstar gives a good explanation for why you should choose wisely between thrift stores.  Also good explanations for why she chose all her pieces, how she will style them and such.  Her hair and makeup is so pretty!

LaMadelynn's style is super cute and slightly minimalistic.

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Update on thrifting

I visited my first Value Village today.  There was a red and black fit and flare dress I was really tempted on getting because it fit perfectly, was made out of a good weighted cotton, seemed brand new, and was only $15.  However, there were several different dresses from that same brand (eShakti?) which seemed sort of suspicious.  Does VV get their clothes from manufacturers as well as donations?  That's a little weird.

Ultimately, I decided not to get the dress.  Although I loved the cut, something about the red and black made me wonder if I would regret looking a little gothic (or at least, too hard-lined, which isn't my personality) in the future.  Also, the prevalence of the dresses of the same brand made me wonder if I was being tricked somehow.

Toughest decision of the day.

In regards to my question in this previous post:  I like how Goodwill is all priced the same, while Value Village tries to assess the cost more to maximize profit (and even at a mere $15, I wasn't sure if it was worth it.)  Goodwill's items are clearly donation only, whereas VV seemed mixed with some bargains they managed to find for their stock to mark-up a little as well.

However, I did like how VV sorted clothing by size.  It made it easier to go through.  There were also a lot less noticeable defects.

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Thrift shop - I'm gonna pop some tags...

Thrifting is slowly becoming my newest area of "fashion study."  Compared to normal retail shopping, it might be considered the true test of creativity and intuition.  I like the challenge of looking past grungy surroundings and a appraising piece for what its true potential is.  When each item is one of a kind, you both have to keep mental focus in the clutter and keep an eye out for shape, size, and wear and tear - none of which are guaranteed.  Once in awhile, you can get lucky.

Here are my finds, all bought within the past year at Goodwill stores in Georgia:

1.  The mini crossover bag is genuine leather, and still in very good condition.  An unfamiliar brand, which I'm totally fine with.  The convenient inner pocket dividers and vintage cuteness sold it for me.

2.  I specifically remember longing for an expensive pale yellow version of this Martin + Osa rain jacket several years ago, when the company was still in business.  Now, I scored it for only a few bucks!  It might be a tad bit big but the look of it is still pretty sleek, and it feels like no one's ever really worn it before.

3.  This Peter Pan collared shirt was luckily hung at the front of the sea of white blouses so it was like it was waiting for me. It also felt crisp and brand new.  The fit is perfect in the shoulders, and has just the right volume in the sleeves and body for a perfect but modern Pierrot feel.

4.  Lastly, this large parka caught my attention right away because of the shock of royal purple lining which can actually still be seen when it's zipped up.  I'm also a sucker for anything army green.  It looks huge, but judging by how it is a size Small, it was probably meant to be so.  I tried it on, and to my happy surprise, it fit really well!  It has an adjustable cinch at the waist, falls to mid-thigh, and doesn't overwhelm my frame.  It reminds me of typical Asian styling - it's flattering because it's oversized.  Magic.

On an interesting side note, both #3 and 4 were from Land's End (a brand which I believe is sold at Sears,) but the labels looked slightly different.  I wonder which one is the older one... probably the parka?

On my last thrift store visit, I curiously found myself wondering whether I could incorporate an embroidered Indian tunic into my wardrobe, and considering literally vintage pieces, such as a midi teal blue blouson dress while imagining how a young girl in those eras, such as my mother, would have felt wearing it. 


Some personal strategies:

-  You have the best luck if you go thrifting in nicer neighborhoods.  Donations trickling down from wealthier households = more brand names, and likely pieces that were worn less, if not at all.

-  Search by feel.  The number of things to look through can give you a headache, so use your sense of touch to catch good quality fabrics.

-  Don't be fooled by sizing.  Juniors, misses and ladies all are sized by different numbers.  Thrift stores don't always sort their clothing this way, so be a good estimator.  


Some questions:

-  Is there a difference between Goodwill, Salvation Army, Value Village, etc?  Are smaller thrift shops with smaller donation pools worth trying?

-  Isn't it amazing that once you strip away the nice displays, trendy music, and strategic organization that you see the bare bones of the clothes?  You see down the road how fabrics will hold up, and how much money items are actually worth.

-  What are some of the better thrift stores in the Seattle area?  I'm planning on visiting the Goodwills in Lynnwood and Bellevue, as well as Second Chance.  I've been to St. Vincent de Paul and only found a belt, but I might give it another try.

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