September Thrift Round-up

It's only halfway through October! I've only experienced 8 train delays this month so far*! Time for a round-up of my thrift purchases last month.

Stop 1: the flea market at De Anza College

Indonesian wide leather belt $5

I don't think this cool flower belt had ever been worn. There were black threads still on it that appear to have been from a tag, and the leather isn't bent or broken in. I am looking for a plain saturated dress in a nice deep green or blue, as I think this would look killer over one.

 

Dana Ashkenazi sweatshirt $1

I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with the sweatshirt. I got it because I like the reverse exposed seams, and quartering on the front like a shield.

I am not gonna sport Che Guevara on my left boob, though. Time for some sort of patch. And I don't know what's up with the Charlie Chaplin graphic on there either, but all signs point to me not being young-hip-urban-blonde-trustfund enough to wear this brand:

Go on and Google image it yourself. It goes on. Haha!

Dear gawd it's so comfortable, though. I've always wanted an IDGaF shirt to pull on over broken-in IDGaF jeans, that would make me look good while clearly still not GaF. I've tried a few (in my head they must be grey, a traditionally underwear and therefore IDGaF color) and it's never worked out. I think this may be the one.

Not pictured is a sheer green top I bought from the same lady that sold me the sweatshirt, also for $1. It took me 20 minutes to untangle, so it was worth the money for the entertainment, but for all the promise that the different panels and wrappy bits and pointy hem promised, it was disappointingly symmetrical and makes me look like a squat tube.

Munro American navy and brown flats $10 

More work shoes! The color scheme of these reminded me of my beloved Naya Lightning boots:

...whose heels are not suitable for scootering to and fro and standing all day at a desk.

Stop 2: ARF (pet benefit thrift shop)

Tahari silk and cotton cropped cardigan $2.50

I call the color Dusty Burga-roon. Pictured here with my skunkfunk skirt I can never get to go with anything for love or money. I'm playing with color triads now. (No, not Triads.)

NYDJ straight leg cut, $2.50 each

I'm trying more straight leg jeans to see if they don't make me look unhappy sausage-like in the way that skinny jeans do. I don't know what to call the color of the pair on the left other than Lake Bottom. Not romantic-sounding, but a cool slightly unusual dark neutral to try with things. I want a set of Pantone color chips like Anne of Spy Girl has so I can know the names of all of these new colors I'm adding to the wardrobe.

akdmcs capris $1.50

Never thought I'd buy capris, but herringbone denim, embroidery, and cool snaps and zippers are enough to sell me on anything, apparently! I also live in an environment in which I would not freeze the lower half of my calves off wearing them, so now's the time to experiment.

motherhood maternity navy shrug $2.50

I was just talking about looking for one of these in my last post, and I found one not long after! It's not my first piece of maternity clothing, though I don't know what's maternity about a shrug. I guess it's like a plus size brand making scarves. Why not make it a one-stop shop for your demographic?

mod-o-doc striped v-neck $2.50

Way out of my comfort zone. Stripes?! Bright colors? No blue? I want this to go with something deep green. The same deep green that I've been looking for in thrift stores for months.

White silk hair clip $1

This bow is half the size of my face. I love that.

Trinkets for my front windowsill $2 each

These two actually came from the Goodwill and Salvation Army. Favourite Joe says the textured glass globe on the left is Pluto. My apartment has a large window looking out on the porch and courtyard, so I've put some pretty things on it to catch the afternoon light.

Total spent on clothes in September comes to a little over $30! Hooray for making budget!

Man, this post got long. I thrift a lot. I think I will break my round-ups into two from now on.

* This isn't enthusiasm. This is inner screaming.

Waist Not, Want Not?

Trying a layered look with this altered crop top and Diesel tunic to see if they can work before I send 'em to the donation bin:

Blue crop top: Treasure Rock (formerly tank top)

Grey tunic: Diesel (thrifted)

Skirt: Express (thrifted)

Boots: ALDO (thrifted)

Some background: both tops are on the chopping block as I persevere in my Sisyphean task of pruning my closet.

The blue crop top was originally a Treasure Rock tank top. I wore it one of my early blog posts:

I wasn't feeling it any more, but I really liked the embroidery, so I tried cutting the bottom off and using the fabric for sleeves. The sleeves worked great, but I cut off too much. I would have liked it if I'd kept the sleeves t-shirt length and left a few more inches on the shirt:

The Diesel tunic, thrifted because it has a sweet asymmetrical collar and these cute fabric buttons running down one strap, defies any attempts at comfortable wear. Its straps sit at different spots on the shoulders, meaning one bra strap is always showing. I have to pin it in place, seen here:

The other problem is the cut, as with so many Diesel things, is for a mutant people who have no chest span, so it garrotes me under the arms. It fits at the waist, but the chest is so badly draped that it makes me look blocky, flat chested, and wide waisted:

It doesn't help that I thought tunic meant skinny jeans, creating the look Underwear Over Sausages

Strategy: cover the problem Diesel neckline/underarm issue with the crop top and add a third block with the black skirt to anchor a long grey waist with blue above and black below. I think the crop top doesn't look too short this time.

Thoughts on the triple layer? Should I keep 'em or donate? Also I just noticed I'm wearing the same black skirt with the blue Treasure Rock shirt two years ago. Man, I gotta up my game. 

Riders of Rohandmade

This dress looks like something a shieldmaiden would wear:

Dress: handmade (thrifted)

Sandals: Eastland Shoe

Necklace: gift

Bracelet: Paris

Ring: defunct Etsy shop

I overexposed myself (ha) to show the panels and the stitching on the dress that gave me this impression :

It appears to be handmade, fully lined, and made for someone almost my size, save the chest is too small so I feel like this:

I can't wait to have my own place where I'll have room to set up my sewing machine to let this out. There appears to be more than enough seam allowance.

How does one accessorize when preoccupied by thoughts of leaving Rohan and winning glory (and mebbe the heart of Aragorn) in battle?

A Celtic knot necklace, which was a gift from a friend for my 16th birthday:

A brass bangle that has a metal BB inside, so the chiming strikes fear into the heart of mine enemies:

And a silver ring of leaves! Looked very Tolkien-appropriate. Pardon the funky knuckles; we've been doing bagwork on Fridays and I'm not great at wrapping with my off hand yet.

Certain cuts of clothing, prints, or details can be really evocative. This is an extreme example. I know when I pulled this from the thrift rack in SF, I exclaimed the first line of this post aloud. Do you have any clothes that evoke a certain time period, genre, or character for you?

Shades of Gravender

I backed the camera up in an attempt to avoid the lens flare and backlighting. MISSION FAIL.

I made this outfit for Spygirl's 52 Pick-Me-Up challenge: layers. Also because it is freezing in my room. Man, I look so proportional when sleeves are the correct length. Japanese clothing all the way.

All the dangly pointy bits of cloth made me feel like curtsying.
I hope I did patron saint of masterful layering Shawna proud.

Where to begin?

Purple heattech undershirt: UNIQLO (gift from Mom, Japan)

Grey bamboo dress: Natural Life (Purre at The CAMP)

Double layer vest: MOUTH valley (thrifted, Japan)

Outermost long vest: LUX (clothing swap)

Wide belt: pellemelle (thrifted)

Jodhpurs as leggings: Ariat (thrifted)

Boots: ALDO (thrifted)

Cloisonne necklace and enamel earrings: unknown (thrifted)

If you haven't seen these before, that's right, jodhpurs! (Thanks, Excelsior Goodwill!) They are by the company Ariat and so comfortable and warm. They also have deep front pockets. Rich people really know how to live!

The wide leather belt is one I thrifted a few weeks ago in SF, by pellemelle. The end has a tendency to start slipping out of the buckle, but otherwise I am really happy with it. It's comfortable, the right size, and the soft leather has enough stretch that I don't garrote myself in the midsection when I sit down.

The outfit was so neutral that I tried to add a little color with the cloisonne jewelry, but overall I think it's still pretty "Look, ma! I'm greyscale!" That isn't to say I don't like it; purple and grey is one of my favorite combinations*! I'm just obsessed with trying to up my color game recently and I don't want to feel like I was backsliding.

* In fact, know what I'm gonna call it? Gravender. Shut up. Clever! ᕦ(ಠ_ಠ)ᕤ

A weekend of San Franthriftco

I recently visited the Bay Area for the weekend. Thrifting was involved, so I'll report back on what I did there. :D

Here is my first successful capsule wardrobe:

Citizens of Humanity sweatshirt (thrifted)

7 for all Mankind jeans (gift from brother)

ANAC mesh top (eBay)

OCCO Paris teal top (free)

Nancy Giallombardo denim skirt (thrifted)

Fitzwell Laura sandals (6pm.com)

I also had my trusty New Balance sneakers. Everything went with everything else! First time I've been able to do that. (My usual method of outfit selection is 'waaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh I wanna wear thisandthisandthisandthis') I also figured since I'd be thrifting during my time up there, that I could add stuff if I wanted.

I actually went up to visit my favorite Joe (srsly. I have met no other Joes I like better.) for his band's show and EP launch. The band is called The Hangover Brigade, they have a folk rock sound, and they are immensely talented and fantastic. (Which is good, because it'd be really awkward if I thought they sounded terrible.)

You can listen to the entire EP on CDbaby (they are also sold on iTunes, Amazon, and other large vendors) and you really should. I had the first track stuck in my head for 48 hours after the show, and that's an endorsement.

The Hangover Brigade's last show!

Here's their cover of No Diggity, that they played as an encore:


Before the show, we drove into the city and walked up and down Haight St. looking for gig-type clothes and accessories for Joe. The only thing more fun than thrift shopping for me is thrift shopping for someone else. Even competing with the pre-Halloween crowd, we had great luck!

Here's what we found:

Exhibit A: grey 5 button vest from Goodwill

Exhibit B: Fuzzy black J's Awake shoes from Wasteland. The soles are red!

Exhibit C: Marshall Collins flatcap from Goorin Bros. Not thrifted, just awesome. I'm pretty sure flatcaps were put on this earth for men with van dyke beards.

We also found these low grey Alfani boots and the following day Joe found the sweet Olympique Marseille track jacket at one of my favorite thrift shops. Soccer's his favorite sport, so extra win. It was in great condition, with a plastic tag loop still inside. I think it was new! I found another picture of it online:

Happily, Joe dug my style suggestions, and the things I thought he could rock he totally rocked. I thought he looked great, he thought he looked great, happy shopping vibes all around.

The items are all multipurpose and can be used for music gigs, work, or everyday. There was a coat with tails briefly tried on at a Steampunk shop because when it comes down to it, I think everybody should wear Regency style clothes, but maybe for another time.

And because I had a few hours to kill during soundcheck before the show started, I tootled back to the Goodwill down the street and went shopping for myself this time. >.>

Whee! My haul from two thrift shops that weekend:

I've been looking for mustard skinny jeans or jeggings for a long time to wear with sweater dresses & boots in the winter. I'm slowly taking steps into the world of color. Thanks to style blogs, I know colors I'd never wear near my face because of my complexion can be worn on my lower half.

These jeans are by Margaret M, and still had the tag attached. I found out it's a Canadian brand that makes their products domestically. Any northerners heard of the brand?

The wide leather belt is by Pellemelle, and thanks to alert readers, I know 'pelle' is Italian for leather. :D Italian leather, it says on the inside, and made in the US.

The grey and black checked vest is from TRF, which I think is a collection within Zara. It's size L, but it has criss-crossing straps in the back that let me cinch it in to the correct width.

The Forever 21 Japanese print shirt shell was a go back behind the counter that I pointed to excitedly as we were checking out. Instant sell! I'm not sure how I feel about the red lace, but the print and the long square fire hazard sleeves absolutely do it for me.

Check out the luster on these fake pearls! I don't often have luck thrifting jewelry, but I thought I hit it big with these. I want to wear the blue pearls with the lace-feather-ribbons flower pin with my dark blue OzzOn dress.

Lastly, these Candie's green and brown platform boots fill another hole in my wardrobe- casual sturdy boots in the brown color palette. My thrifted Doc Martens chafe my Achilles tendon something fierce, so onto eBay they go.

I put so many holes through my October budget that it's curled up in a corner somewhere licking its wounds, but I regret nothing. Sometimes I've thrifted things and gone 'aww crap, that wasn't a good idea' but this time, all items feel like practical fits within my existing wardrobe. Vest, wide belt, shirt shell, boots, jeans... this is basically Couturgatory right here in one thrifted heap. What's your latest treasure or your latest 'aww crap' purchase?

They see me rollin', they bustiertin'

It's cool enough to wear pants again! (Trousers for our UK reader. Hi, Curtise!)

 I feel this outfit could use a brown bowler hat. It feels subtly everyday Steampunk to me.

Denim bustier: Guess (thrifted)

Buttondown: Salsa Jeans, 1st Level collection (thrifted)

Trousers: Citizens of Humanity (thrifted)

Bracelet-as-choker: Foxy Originals

Boots: Two Lips (thrifted)

The layering is because the denim bustier is short and leaves a good inch of midriff bare. The laces are also let out all the way in the back, so by itself this is more skin than I'd like to show, even in sun-worshipping Southern CA.

The material is stretchy, the detailing is fun, and it's quite comfortable though, so I'm glad I figured out a way to wear denim on top. :D

This outfit's actually a twofer: I also dig the trousers but don't know what to wear with green pants, so I stapled the two elements together with the brown shirt as a connecting piece.

Love the contrasting stitching and the leather side cinchers and buttons on this shirt! It has a Western/Steampunk feel to me, though the brand, Salsa jeans, is Portuguese. :D It's another one of those brands I'm sure I'd never have come across if not for thrift shops.

The decorative buttons on the side of my green trousers. Hooray useless buttons and zippers!

I think I like lots of decorative elements on my clothes to have something to fiddle with or stare at. It started because I was a terminally bored child in school, and even though those days are long behind me, having jewelry to touch or interesting shiny bits on my clothes brings me comfort.

What elements draw you to your favorite clothes? Texture, details, visual appearance?