thrift store couture

2007-01-22T11:19:00.000-08:00

i just watched 'wassup rockers' and throughout the whole movie one of the kids, jonathan, wears these skinny jeans in the awesomest grey color. and of course, all i could think about were these proenza schouler for target grey pants. i couldn't help it. but proenza schouler aside, this kid's outfit was so 80s skater and rad, i can't be blamed for suddenly wanting to tie bandanas around my ankles and wrists, right? RIGHT?

2007-01-17T11:41:00.000-08:00

i think out of all the proenza schouler pieces coming to target in february, i'm most excited about that $14.99 yellow shirt.

2007-01-17T10:43:00.000-08:00

before:

i love these shoes, they were $16 on sale at the columbia road payless and having worn them four or five times, i really feel like i got more than my money's worth. they're white (and a little scuffed) and they're kind of memorable, so i felt like it might be a good idea to try to change them up a bit. and having paid so little for them, it wouldn't be a tragedy if i seriously messed them up. i decided to try for a high-heeled version of a saddle shoe. i used a dark charcoal acrylic paint i already had and an on-the-small-side paintbrush (small enough to slide under the scalloped overlaps of the 'leather'), painted two coats on, then finished it with a coat of glossy sealant (mainly so the paint wouldn't crack and flake off, and also because the acrylic ended up drying very matte).
after:

i'm really happy with the outcome, though honestly i think they look less like saddle shoes and more like brogues - i'm considering either filling in the section of white 'trim' that runs between the two painted parts with the charcoal color (to make them more saddle-y), OR painting everything that's still white a light brown and calling them spectators. sike i'm TOTALLY doing that when i get home tonight - haha consider these still a work in progress; i'll post the REAL 'after' picture when the paint has dried.

2007-01-09T06:45:00.000-08:00

i'm so excited about these shoes i got for $3 from a goodwill.

i'm currently in the process of turning my white payless booties into saddle shoes, i'll give before and after pictures next post!

2006-12-11T11:26:00.000-08:00

i have no idea how long these have been available, so i could be THE LAST ONE TO KNOW: american apparel is apparently selling skinny jeans, the slim slack, in a very limited number, and only online. the 'dark peacock' color is really great and different, haha then again so are the 'fluorescent yellow' and the 'poppy.' they've also got basic black ones. at 68 bucks they're not super cheap, but they are comparable to cheap mondays and far, far less expensive than most other denim. they're unisex, every size has a thirtyfour inch inseam, and refreshingly, the waist looks like it actually hits NEAR THE WAIST. i want them, bad. i can imagine that these are going to sell out almost immediately, so get on them quick before all the other aa kids add them to their christmas lists.

2006-12-08T07:09:00.000-08:00

i found little paper planes just this morning and i'm really excited about it. they have simple, lovely jewelry by urban bloom; my favorite of which is the 'love me tender' necklace, above, for $28. i'm especially stoked because in addition to the requisite screenprinted shirts, charming jewelry, and adorable printed and knit bags (all at Very Reasonable prices) they also sell neat little books and prints - including several by one of my favorite artists, rachell sumpter. 'big city girl,' below, is 4x5 and only $12.

2006-12-07T13:34:00.000-08:00

i found these fred flare rings after seeing this on popgadget, by way of parasol party. they have some killer rings for around ten bucks, but of course my favorite is the only one over fifteen - the $40 'peter pan skull ring.' the one pictured below, however, is only $14 and is almost as good. i hardly ever wear jewelry (other than the occasional necklace or two) but i AM comfortable with wearing a big huge ring for a night and i feel like those are both great alternatives to classic (read: boring) cocktail rings. don't get me wrong - i love big vintage costume jewelry as much as anybody else, and i own my fair share, but i feel like these are a fresh way of getting the same effect. check out the rest of their accessories; the prices are right on and they seem to have something for every personality.

2006-12-06T18:55:00.000-08:00

and speaking of sequins (and ebay), how cute is this??

2006-12-05T14:45:00.000-08:00

i have been horrifically absent as of late, and there's no real excuse, so i'll just pretend that this whole time i've been too busy struggling with what to wear to upcoming holiday parties to update - which is somewhat true.
the beauty part of thrift store shopping is that you're able to justify wearing something only once because you paid so little for it to begin with. so after being blindsided by an improptu-holiday-party-invite this past weekend (and having to repeat-wear a dress) i realized that i need to get on buying some cheap stuff (that looks great) to wear over the next few weeks.
for any adult-party invites (is it still okay to say that when you're a month shy of 26? because clearly i'm talking about people's parents' parties and not my friends') i actually just bought this american apparel turtleneck dress to wear to WORK. at $40 it's definitely NOT a wear-once and never-again purchase, but it's a blank slate; you can style this however and wear it many many many times until spring comes. put a necklace on, then some tights and some flats, and you're ready for grandma's. or that office party where you're expected to only get 'tastefully drunk.'
i absolutely am in love with flashyshinyridiculously sequined ANYTHING right now. i really feel like you could put this on over tights and whatever heels you have around and it would look fantastic. or ANY version of that - shorter ones over skinny jeans and longer ones...well, take a pair of scissors to it. thrift stores live to sell these things exclusively to you and crazy grandmothers for like $12.
if you're not a brat and don't mind wearing the same dress to more than one holiday party, make sure to invest in something you can style a bunch of different ways. even if each party consists of different people and you're the only one who knows your dress is a repeat, HOLIDAY UNIFORMS are boring and all your pictures will look exactly the same - so make sure to change up shoes/tights/jewelry/outer layers each time. the remix has a ton of formals, and other vintage shops in the area do too. if you're in the district try meeps and polly sue's also, and, as always, i'm a HUGE fan of ebay. good luck y'all.

2006-11-15T07:47:00.000-08:00

my sister kept telling me about these AMAZING shoes she got at payless and it's not that i didn't believe her but i was not expecting these granny booties (above). they're basically perfect: the heel's not too high, the shape is totally NOW, they're all black, and they were like $16. i especially like the cute cut-outs in the front - perfect for wearing colored tights. they actually look a lot of these calvin klein 'classifications' shoes i thrifted last week (right); the only real difference being the heels. i haven't decided yet if i'm going to keep them or ebay them. i like them a lot, they fit perfectly, and nylon tells me everyone is going to be wearing similarly-shaped JAZZ SHOES, but i have yet to figure out how to wear them without looking like a nun.
in other cheap shoe news, these ridiculously high heels are at target for $30. even though i'm kind of over the whole patent leather/ louboutin knockoff thing (this summer, though, i wanted some SO BAD), the leopard print ones are awesome in a christina aguilera kind of way. they're 30bucks, which is more than i'd generally pay for target shoes, but the leopard ones might be worth it. and check the cute peep toe!

2006-11-13T17:04:00.000-08:00

the behnaz sarafpour collection has been in at target since the beginning of the month and i didn't get a chance to check it out until this past weekend. i wasn't really expecting much; i'm not so much a fan of her designs and i definitely wasn't that excited about the other designers' stuff thus far (with the exception of a luella motorcycle jacket and a paul & joe capelet). so i mean it's not a big shock that i wasn't crazy about this collection either. i WAS surprised, though, at how like, OLD NAVY it all was - everything just looked like low-priced 'work separates.' and what DIDN'T scream old navy just seemed OLD. i was kind of excited to see this online:

i thought the shape was really great, but then i saw that it's FAUX PERSIAN LAMB. check the ren-fair closures. and the stuff that was supposed to be CUTE AND FUN, i guess, were the strapless, voluminous cocktail dresses, but they were essentially the exact same as the ones that were in the luella bartley and the paul & joe collections, just in different colors.
i mean, like i said, i wasn't majorly disappointed because i wasn't expecting to love it or anything. and it wasn't unredeemable - there were cute pieces, i guess, if you appreciate that whole ann taylor thing. i WAS bummed, though, because i swear to god i saw a dope leather hoodie in one of the print ads, and i didn't see it anywhere in the store or online. i would kill for that thing, if it actually exists. and i kind of wish i had one of her charm bracelets, but only if it consisted entirely of the pizza slices.

2006-11-07T15:22:00.000-08:00

i'm really stoked right now on thrift store nightgowns. there are always a ton to have to sort through but it can be totally worth it - i found a great red flannel plaid one and cut about two feet off the bottom to make a longer shirt (i was trying for a dress but, as is my nature, accidentally cut it about three inches too short) that i plan on wearing the rest of fall with black skinny jeans and flats. the longer ones, when cut, have a great shape that's really of-the-moment and wearable - and the heavier fabrics (again, my vote goes to flannel) can be layered over henley-style long sleeves, and look great with textured tights or leggings. come summer i'm totally going to be wearing sweet cotton nighties with cowboy boots; i found a ton with little cap sleeves and rosebud prints. and yes. cowboy boots. old, dirty, broken in, anti-glam, anti-2005 mall version, anti-j.simpson cowboy boots. no arguing. they're the perfect summer boot.

2006-10-31T06:13:00.000-08:00

i love ebay models.
the first two pictures below are from plastic pony vintage. while this girl manages to look totally cute in the rest of her pictures, these are the hilarious exceptions. i actually really like the second dress - it goes with the 'fall 06: hipster woodsman' esthetic i've been trying to pull off since seeing vetiver at warehouse nextdoor. and yes, i WAS ebay searching 'overalls.' is that embarassing?

the third picture is from hotdiggity dog vintage and looks like part of the press kit from the first season of blossom. this store has some okay stuff, a really cute pair of flats in particular, but i think it might be run by a 15 year old. case in point. also, they don't accept paypal.
the guy in the fourth picture is my favorite ebay model of ALL TIME: "jason" of killermerch. they always have really good shirts but even if i can't spend any money i'll sometimes check them just to make sure he's still completely disinterested/see how his roots are growing out. the best part about him is that he looks like that ALL THE TIME. every picture is exactly the same; it's like when you scroll over the available colors when you're shopping online for a couch or something- the shirt changes but nothing else does. amazing. killermerch rules though, i've bought from them a couple different times and they ship like 11 seconds after you pay. plus this guy has WORN YOUR SHIRT.

2006-10-30T07:49:00.000-08:00

leggings were EVERYWHERE so quickly that they were deemed ‘over’ before they really had a chance to get started; fall is their primetime. they’ll extend the wear of summer dresses for another two months, and come winter, they’re cozier than tights (and can be layered on top of them) and can be worn with boots. and with anna sui, behnaz sarafpour, imitation of christ, and jovovich-hawk showing leggings with their Spring 2007 collections (to say nothing of nearly every major fall06 show), they’re legitimately fashionable and not going away anytime soon. the trick to separating yourself from the legions of forever 21 teens (i’m not hating. i shop there. you shop there. but admit it; we are not their target demographic.) is to wear them WELL and wear them AS YOUR OWN. tips:
no mas jean skirt. when leggings hit street fashion last spring/summer this was a really fresh look, but it's now been done to death. if you can’t give up the leggings-and-denim combo at least try something new: leggings under a pair of otherwise-too-short jean shorts, frayed (with converse or hightops and a t-shirt; though i admit, it's getting a little cold for that) or cuffed (with a longer top, cropped jacket and boots) would both look sharp. or be the one to find a new interpretation of the skirt idea – just avoid at all costs the longish, ill-fitting jean skirt worn over leggings that are bunching, very unfortunately, at the knees.
get fit. leggings can be flattering on many different body types, but they are a purposely body-conscious style and you’re not doing yourself any favors when they’re too large or small. they should fit like tights - skinny jeans look great bunched at the ankles and knees but if your leggings are doing the same then you need a smaller size. too small, though, and you'll get that sweet bulge at the hips and where ever they hit on your legs. Very Unattractive. if you’re having difficulty finding a pair that fit well, try buying low-rise knit tights and cutting the feet off. this is also a great alternative to those “footless tights,” which tend to be banded at the bottom a little too tightly - and this way you can also customize the length. and while length is another point of contention, as a general rule i’d go with the shorter the top, the longer the leggings.
don’t even consider: above-the-knee cuts (grunge is back, but the biker shorts of the early 90s are NOT), running shoes (save it for the gym), flip-flops (save it for the west coast), or wearing anything on top that doesn’t cover your bum. stilettos are also, in my opinion, Not Good, but you do what you like.

if you're still of the i-hate-leggings camp (and many, many people are) try tights instead, they're available in all the same colors and you'll probably run less of a chance of inciting anyone's anger. both tights and leggings can be found on the cheap at target (around $8), and while my favorite pair of leggings i got for around $1 at a thrift store, my american apparel ones ($26-$36) run a very close second.

picture 1 from american apparel; picture 2 lifted from the cobra snake.

2006-10-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

one of my favorite scenes in the movie 'mean girls' is when regina george (rachel mcadams) is posing in her playboy bunny halloween costume for her mother's camcorder; her father looks on, distraught and close to tears. lohan's voice over explains that 'in girl-world, halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it. the hardcore girls just wear lingerie and some form of animal ears.” it’s sooo true. halloween IS a free pass to wear something you normally never would (or secretly want to), but instead of trying to find a new variation of the ‘sexy cat’ costume you've been rocking since twelfth grade, this year try to experiment and come up with a stylish and creative alternative. some ideas and shopping tips:
decades. while i hold the firm belief that a decade is NOT a costume, it is a good starting point. DC area vintage shops like glad rags in takoma park, junction and meeps in the district, and the remix in alexandria all specialize in decade-specific looks. you might spend a little bit of money, but you can probably find costume pieces you can work into your regular wardrobe. some stylish icons of each era include marianne faithfull, jean seberg and francoise hardy for the 60s; ziggy stardust-era david bowie and pam grier for the 70s. if you’re going to go 80s don’t even consider like-a-virgin madonna (or britney) - think lita ford, think joan jett, think about grabbing two more friends and paying tribute to the runaways.
pop culture. i’m convinced that thrift stores are a gift to the stylish-but-broke contingency, and even more so around halloween. pop culture costumes are good but there’s nothing worse than having to explain who you are all night because you’re just wearing some mixed up version of your own closet. guys can get cheap-looking suits for borat costumes, or get three and go with friends as stella. at this point all the fall and winter merchandise is out, so there are a ton of margot tenenbaum-worthy fur coats (real and faux) to choose from. or buy one of those crazy-elaborate wedding dresses they always seem to have, dye it in the bathtub, and go as marie antoinette. the thrift shopper is probably the best online resource for thrift stores, ever, in the history of the world.
my boyfriend has a theory that girls will just throw the word 'sexy' in front of anything and there's their costume. if you can’t resist using your free pass to show some skin at least try not to be generic about it - no mas kitty/bunny/nurse/devil costumes, please. and come to think of it, i do have a one-piece safari shorts suit i thrifted months ago and have been dying to wear…sexy jane goodall, anyone?

'marie antoinette' as interpreted by jessica olympia sheridan. photo: rory sheridan. makeup: allie maddox at kibana salon & spa in silver spring.

2006-10-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

i love this viktor&rolf for h&m dress but at $99 it's still kind of expensive for a statement dress - people are going to REMEMBER it (hello, neck ruffles). i guess you could change the belt up, but it's so cute i don't know why you'd want to; it also seems a little TOO girly (despite the color) to wear it with a heavier shoe (though some simple, brown, heeled boots would work). all their other stuff is like thousands of dollars so if you can justify a hundred bucks it's a steal, comparatively. of course, you could always buy it and resell it on ebay for gazillions of dollars (which is what happened to large chunk of the stella mccartney for h&m collection), but you'd probably have to fight for it. literally.
*okay i thought about it, and i admit that you can probably style the dress a hundred different ways - but the fact remains that i shop at h&m because the dresses cost like $40. if you have a job where you have to dress up, you might consider this an investment piece; with tights/boots/vest/jacket combinations it can carry you through fall and winter. but how many times in a row can you really wear a dress with a neck ruffle?*

2006-10-24T07:42:00.000-07:00

highwaisted jeans! i'm so stoked! these have been kind of bumping the edges of mainstream fashion for a while, and i'm not sure if they'll ever totally hit (and if they do, it's going to take AT LEAST a few years to pry the last vestiges of the low-rise flares from both the west coast and the teendeathgrip). it's funny though, right now i feel like fashion is working at these two totally different extremes - slick ankle booties are coexisting with slouchy, above-the-knee boots, and the grey color that is EVERYWHERE right now is offset with 80s skate punk fluorescents. and the same with jeans. i don't think skinny jeans are going anywhere for a while, and those look best in very basic black, white, grey, or in darker washes. so it's rad to see kate moss show up at fashion week wearing highwaisted, STONEWASHED vintage bellbottoms. literally every option is available right now. vintage stores are exxxxcellent resources for highwaisted, 70s-inspired (well, actual 70s) denim, and for skinny jeans i like cheap monday, and i wear silence & noise. i've also heard from three different people that they love their new levi's - especially the skinny slouch cut.
on a side note, i got bazaar yesterday and alex + chloe is featured.

2006-10-22T14:12:00.000-07:00

alex + chloe probably isn't news to most, but with the mad simplification of jewelry of late (ie: layered, unadorned gold chains) i thought it might be worth the reminder. their 'from my neck of the woods' collection ranges from glammy folk-inspired pieces to sleek, sharp-looking cutouts:

i like that they're just enough to wear alone but not so overwhelming that you can't mix them up with a few more simple necklaces. and they've got a wicked sense of humor; check 'alex's octopus,' 'coco is dead: buried alive,' and 'coco is dead: knife fight."