Thrifted: Practical Sweaters + Wool Pencil skirt

 The level of disrespect that this winter is about to show my bones is unreal, or so I've heard. 

In preparation Mr. Thrifter and I went out to get some sweaters from Savers thrift store. Savers was my second favorite thrift store back when I lived in Arkansas. They always had really cool merchandise in great condition for awesome prices. This Savers in Queens wasn't much different from the Savers I reminisc bout. The also had tons of great merchandise for reasonable prices. 

Let me start by saying sweaters are so hard for me to buy. I like to look at them but I don't like to buy them.  I guess I don't like the idea of having to pull something over my head when I get hot. It's just so inconvenient for thrifting, spontaneous running, having the heat on, driving, or when my hair is slicked back. It could also be that I'm extremely picky, and thrifting for sweaters is a real process.

Since I prefer woolen, old, practical sweaters I have to check for holes and unwravling like crazy.

And again I have to have just the right sweater if its gonna ruin my hairstyle. 

Here's what I decided on:

vintage Tricots St. Raphael sweater 

• such a classic navy sweater pattern!
• actually warm
• I can wear it with all of my button downs and the new yellow skirt
• Pattern mixing can happen because it's pretty neutral

Eagle Point rugby sweater

• It's practical
• I can wear my favorite brown velvet blazer with it!
• Super comfortable
• I love this particular shade of green 
• Easy to wear 

  By the way both of those are men's sweaters pulled from the men's section. 

Just another reason to go through the entire store....

90s Ann Taylor short sleeved sweater 

• has detachable shoulder pads 
• short sleeved 
• I can layer under it
• Warm sweater-y material
• I wanna wear my black coated denim pants with this now!

Yay! I bought sweaters you guys. Ones I actually like. Maybe I should say "Yay I bought longsleeved tops". I think its easier for me to just buy short sleeved things because I like jackets and blazers so much.

I have a thing for vintage wool skirts in case you didn't know, and this one really made my day. 
It's yellow... like golden yellow! What's not to love?

In Atlanta I could skate by with short sleeves jackets and scarves on some winter days...I have a feeling NY will be a whole other animal. We shall see...

 Happy thrifting ya'll!

Housing Works, Buy the Bag + Camera Bag

Today ventured to Sunset Park because I noticed the building in the photo below. 

"One bag. All you can stuff. $25."

 Seriously? 

My dad taught me to pack military style... do you know how many outfits I can fit in a standard backpack? Please.

Now I knew It was a bit late in the day to hit up this kind of thrift store but honestly, I only planned on taking a peek, so it was cool.  

I strolled around reading the signs and taking a few photos.
There are some rules like 'the bag has to be able to close', 'no individual sales'...and things like that. One awesome rule that may apply only this fall is 'if it won't fit into your bag because it's either a large luggage bag or coat, it's $5!'  How cool is that?!

  Though they had lots of great stuff, even as late as I went, you should probably go earlier in the day around 11:00 am, when they open. 

 All of these tubs were full of brand new merchandise for the next morning. 

Everything was lightly organized but still kind of mixed up. 

If you are a first time thrifter, or someone that doesn't like to do the extreme searching I'd start with Salvation Army or Goodwill before coming here.

Oh, so apparently there's this thing called Power Hour ....

"Saturday Power HourGet a head start on your bag stuffing! Buy Saturday Power Hour tickets for just $5, and shop from 10 – 11 am before the crowd. Only 50 Power Hour tickets are available each week. First come, first served"

Thrifting is clearly a cardio intensive sport. Didn't you know?!

See it's actually kind of organized

 This interesting vintage handbag was cleanly missing the whole bottom, but It looked completely intentional. A diy gone awry it seems. 

I like this table runner or throw. Someone will probably buy it and take some Rit dye to it! 

Loved this ultra soft leather bag! It had little scratches on the front and sides but it kind of added something to the ridiculously soft exterior. And of course I couldn't resist the structured top of the satchel! It also has a cool push-pinch button closure and those dowel rods that structured bags often have. 

When I looked a the inside pocket pouch flap I noticed its actually a glove tanned leather Coach. I think its a vintage Coach from the 70's. It's difficult to ID Coach bags before 1994 because there's lots of misinformation about authenticity and Coach doesn't seem to have a system that anyone completely understands for dating. 

 I've been looking for a bag large, sturdy, and yet soft enough for my camera and here it is!

I'll probably have to put something in the bag to hold the camera steady.

After I purchased it and took it out of the florescent lighting I noticed it's actually a pretty reddish brown! Cute inexpensive camera bags are hard to find, but I got mine for $5, so I won't complain.

My next trip to Buy the Bag will  probably be on a Thusday when I have more time to kill.Check out their website to find out more about the organization that sells all of this great stuff by the bag!  

www.housingworks.org/events/buy-the-bag/
159 28th Street Brooklyn, NY 11232, 718-840-2923

Thrifted: Men's Clothing & Accessories

Mr. Thrifter is finding some really cool men's wear here in Brooklyn. Here are a few things he's picked lately all from different Salvation Army army thrift stores...

...this silky army green pocket square

...a funky retro tie 

(He said he'd probably wear it with a vest, it's a  pretty wide tie.)

... one skinny vintage "burnt sienna" tie, and a striped Brook's Brother's tie

... a really nice woolen 4 pocket vest

and a vintage bow tie

*I've found you can steam most thrifted ties to get the wrinkles out of them, but try not to get them too damp. Many people suggest hanging them (if they aren't knit) to gently relax the wrinkles. Another method is coiling--wrapping the tie around your palm and storing it that way, to remove winkles. 

I love the details on this vest. The extra buttons and the 4 pockets make it much more interesting than your average grey wool vest. Perfect for this fall! Who's excited for all the fall layering pieces like these!? It won't be long before we can't walk outside without an extra layer. Yikes!

Shop Thriftionary + Ralph Lauren's vintage inspiration spring '14

Hey guys! As I cruised tons of NYFW posts, pins, and articles I saw some really cool new trends on the horizon, specifically from Ralph Lauren. One of my favorite pieces in my Shop Thriftionary store is the Ann Taylor point collar dress, and as you can see Ralph Lauren debuted a strikingly similar one at NYFW for spring '14.   Kinda cool right?!

Ralph Lauren photo via Style.com

Ralph had plenty of other mod 60s inspired looks you should check out too! 

photo via Thetrendspotter.net

 

I love both versions; particularly the styling of the Ralph Lauren shift dress. I will say, I the like details on Shop Thriftionary's version a bit more though. The endless buttons down the back and cuffed sleeves won me over!  And of course the price points make a difference too.  

Also– I just sold another one of my favorite pieces a couple days ago... 

Remember the beautiful woven Orvis vest? It's well on its way to a new obviously stylish owner. :) 

 (Look...I've been working on my packaging skills. 

More on that later...)

Hope everyone is having a great week and

happy Friday!