Category: Friday ReBlog

Friday ReBlog: Keeping a Piece Past a Year, Anti-Hauls, and the Bag I Should Not Have Bought

A couple of interesting bits for you today on this lovely Friday.

First up: the comments in this post over at Un-Fancy are a great discussion on when/why/how you let go of a piece – do you follow the oft-cited “if you haven’t worn it in a year, let it go”?  Or do you stash away classic faves to see if you love them again in a year?  I tend much more towards the former, but I have stashed away one or two pieces (e.g. sailor pants) of which I’m not currently enamored but have a lot of personality and that I can see myself loving again.

 

Next: have you heard of “haul” videos on You Tube?  The idea is to go out and buy a bunch of stuff (or thrift – but usually these are retail affairs), and then make a video showing off your clothing/makeup/shoe purchases.  It’s a weird blend of consumer excess and vicarious living and I can’t bring myself to watch them.

(There’s some hypocrisy here of course because I do monthly “thrift finds” posts where I show you what I thrifted in the last month. I imagine they do inspire more consumption when you see a look you’d like to emulate, but since you won’t be able to go out and buy the same exact thing, and I don’t make money off of you clicking through to buy a piece I found, I’m okay with it.  Plus I love seeing what others have thrifted even when it’s totally not my cup of tea.)

To the topic at hand: apparently there is also the anti-haul, pioneered by Kimberly Clark and profiled by Anna of The Anna Edit here.  Kimberly’s anti-haul mantra is “Don’t need it.  Not gonna buy it.”  The idea is you go through products (in this case makeup) and describe why they’re not worth buying.  I love that there is someone out there doing this.  It’s a good corrective for those days when I waltz into a thrift store, see a bag that fits the parameters I’ve been looking for, and then realize I am happy with the bag I have and have no reason to purchase a new one (I thought I needed two, one for winter and one for summer, but that is a lie).  “Don’t need it.  Not gonna buy it.”  Thanks Kimberly.

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But it was snakeskin print…

But whoops, I did buy that bag because it was before I read about anti-hauls.  (That’s no excuse, I should know not to buy bags I don’t need.)  Luckily for me, though, the purchase went to a great cause because I was shopping at Out of the Closet, a new (to Atlanta) thrift store benefiting the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.  Look for a post about it next week!

 

Alright y’all, I’m off to enjoy the weekend.  Happy thrifting!

 

Friday ReBlog: Bits & Pieces

This isn’t really a ReBlog (although it is on Friday).  It’s more of a random assortment of stuff I wanted to share with you.  I enjoy reading this kind of mishmash on other blogs and hope you enjoy it here!

First up, a couple of real-life fashionistas I’ve spotted in the last few weeks and wanted to share with you.

This woman at Costco was wearing several shades of “red,” from pink to mulberry to purple, and pulling it off with aplomb – I think because she married so many shades.  Two might have looked off, but several made it obvious this was intentional.

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Even her bag trim is mulberry!  Style note: the lighter colored shirt (blush pink or white? hard to tell) worked to balance out the intensity of the other shades.

 

This gentleman browsing the book section at the Goodwill had the plaid/vest combo down.  And that short scarf gave it some verve!

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I would not have thought to pair yellow-toned cords with the deeper shades above, but it works – the light mustard leavens the heaviness of the other tones while the texture still says “cold weather.”

 

Here’s a sparkly top I couldn’t resist buying that would fit in perfectly with my fantasy style (and that I will likely never wear in real life):
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Sequined fabulousness by Jean for Joseph le Bon.

Why do I buy these things (occasionally, but still)?  I try to stick to the maxim “you don’t have to own to appreciate,” but sometimes I get so smitten with something that I am not successful in resisting.  I enjoy looking at it hanging in my closet for several weeks or months, maybe wear it once, and then redonate it.  I guess if the money is going to a worthy cause, it’s not that bad of an occasional habit.

 

Here’s a great piece by someone who uses thrift stores as her family’s primary source of clothing out of financial necessity and has some thoughts on what folks with more resources should donate.  It made me think of our discussion on whether thrifting contributes to gentrification (part 1 and part 2).  The author echoes what I heard mentioned by several financially strapped folks and employees of thrift stores – that people with more means shopping at thrift stores means their doors can stay open for people with fewer means.

Another secondhand shopping option has just gone live: ReStitch, the online thrift store run by Goodwill of North Central Wisconsin.  They have tens of thousands of items up, so go check them out – and if you decided to buy anything, come back and let us know what you think!

Last but not least, the spouse and I are headed to Ireland next month so I can officiate a friend’s wedding.  We’ll be flying into Dublin and the festivities are in Co. Clare.  Any suggestions for places to see/things to do?  I’ve already noted addresses and opening hours of three charity shops (aka thrift stores) in Ennis (surprised?) but the only other thing on my list are the cliffs of Moher.  I need help.
PS Get excited for a travel wardrobe post before the end of February!

 

Have a great weekend, Thrifters!

 

Friday ReBlog: 12 Months of Thrifting Challenge & Mile High Thrifter

Links fixed – thanks Caitlin!

Dina from Dina’s Days is at it again with another 12 Months of Thrifting Challenge.  The idea is to build a comprehensive wardrobe by thrifting a specific item each month – e.g. this month is a cashmere sweater in a neutral color.  (Here is last year’s challenge if you want to mix and match categories depending on your style/what’s already in your closet.)  You can get inspiration and share your finds on Instagram using the hashtag #12MonthsofThrifting.

What I like about this challenge is that it encourages you to thrift slowly.  You have a whole month (well, 2 weeks for the first one since we’re already halfway through January – sorry, too many New Year’s-related challenges to blog!) to focus on looking for one item you really love, so you’re not as tempted to grab the first (cheap, ill-fitting) neutral cashmere sweater or statement coat you find. There are some good tips at the bottom of the post to help you embrace this method.

Dina is partnering with Mandy of Mile High Thrifter for the challenge.  Mandy is a social worker with a touch of Fleetwood Mac vibe to go with her dress-and-boots Colorado style.  She posts more regularly on Instagram than on her blog, but there are some great outfits in the archives!

 

Will y’all be doing the 12 Months of Thrifting challenge, or some such other strategy to build up your thrifted wardrobe this year?

Happy weekend, Thrifters!

 

Friday ReBlog: A Year with No Shopping

Janice over at The Vivienne Files is doing another year-long shopping ban.

Her previous year-long ban covered buying nothing new – secondhand allowed – while this time around it’s buying nothing at all except running shoes, using up gift cards, and clothes necessary for any unexpected ultra-formal events. (PS: the comments on that first post are great inspiration for thrifters, while the comments on the second are chock full of solidarity for anyone else who wants to drop shopping for a year.)

Her motivation?  Too many great clothes she already loves – no need for more!

Her approach to getting the most out of what she already owns?  Identifying each month’s “building blocks” – basics she can wear all month long – and then “targeting” certain supplemental pieces to show them some extra love during that same month.

Check out her post, then let me know what you think.  Anyone up for a year of no shopping? (If so, this post might give you some further inspiration.)

 

Happy weekend, Thrifters!

 

Friday ReBlog: No Sew DIY Ugly Christmas Sweater Arm Warmers

Yes this is a day early.  If you get inspired by these awesome arm warmers, I want you to be able to go get supplies TODAY and make them TOMORROW in time for any last-minute Christmas shenanigans.  Or, you know, they’d make a nice DIY Saturday AM to cozy up your arms for Christmas Eve.  Your call.

My friend Tracy is an avid thrifter (surprised?) but also much more of a DIY badass than I am.  We went to a holiday party at the house of a mutual friend last weekend and instead of merely thrifting an ugly Christmas sweater to wear (or completely missing that part of the invitation and showing up in regular clothes…whoops, that was me), she thrifted two ugly Christmas sweaters and MADE ARM WARMERS OUT OF THEM.  WITH SAFETY PINS.

It’s like an ugly Christmas sweater had little arm-warming babies with a punk rocker.  Check this out:  v__d4d6

She basically measured the width of her forearm, doubled it, and cut a piece that size from the parts of each sweater she liked.  Then she cut thumb holes (the best) and instead of sewing, she thought “Why not use this pile of safety pins I have lying around?”  Why not, indeed.

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If you were looking to make them last awhile, you could sew instead of pinning and reinforce the thumb holes with hand stitching.  BAM.

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If you and yours are looking for an easy, thriftable, warm, no-sew, and (most importantly) rad Christmas project, get amongst it.  Thanks, Tracy, for sharing!

What are your favorite holiday-related things to thrift?  Scroll down to comment!

 

Friday ReBlog: Two Stylish Kays

So, sadly, Keren Charles of Two Stylish Kays isn’t currently posting on her blog.  BUT!  – before you walk away from this post because what is a ReBlog without an actual blog? – the archives are fab, she’s active on Instagram (@twostylishkays), and she created a free thrifting app that helps you locate secondhand shopping opportunities in Atlanta and across the country:


Someone please download it and tell me how they like it, because I have a Windows phone and it’s (understandably) only available for Android and Apple.

From the Two Stylish Kays archives: for those of you who’ve mentioned you’re not familiar with thrifting tours, read this post she wrote about her tours.  Those consignment store pics make my statement-blazer-loving heart go pit-a-pat!  Here’s a look at the Diane Von Furstenburg dress that the Duchess of Cambridge has worn and that Keren scored for $7. And a bonus tip: according to Keren, January is the best month to thrift because of all the closet cleanouts and store closeouts from the end of December.

 

Happy weekend, Thrifters!

 

Friday ReBlog: When Style Is an Emerald Faux Fur Stole

Last Friday it was a RePodcast, this Friday it’s a ReVideo – what is the world coming to??

Anna of The Anna Edit recently posted a video of winter additions to her capsule(ish) wardrobe.  They’re all retail (shock!) but the reason I wanted to talk about it here is because of how well one of her picks illustrates personal style.  At just about 4:00, Anna explains how she has a “thing for emerald green faux fur” and that she’ll search clothing websites just to see if they have anything featuring it.

(If you don’t want to watch the vid, just go to this post to see the faux fur at the top and in the last pic before the embedded video – but really the best look at it is in the video itself.)

You can argue that emerald(ish) green is a current thing.  And that faux fur is a current thing.  But the two combined are not exactly popping up in every fast fashion store you can think of.  No, this love of emerald faux fur is an Anna thing.  Just something she personally happens to love. You can tell by the way she talks about it: this stole “makes me feel like Queen or something.” (I will leave it up to your discretion whether she means ERII or Freddie Mercury & co.  Personally I think it’s a combination of the two, because wouldn’t that be how you would get a fur stole (ERII) that’s emerald green (Freddie)?)

I think her words signify that this garment has hit her personal style sweet spot.  Which makes me wonder – what are those pieces you just love, not necessarily for a logical or articulate reason – pieces that no one else will be chasing, because they’re based not on trends but on your personal gut feeling?

Off the top of my head, mine are:

Frida Kahlo socks
Plaid statement blazer
Cartonnier blazer
White/gold v-neck sweater
Gold lame short sleeve top
Graphic cardigan
Snakeskin ankle boots
Blue snakeskin blouse
Velvet rose top
Floral sneaks

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These pieces give my outfits a little funk, adding some pep to my step and ensuring that even when I’m wearing something rather “classic,” I don’t just blend into the wallpaper.  I’d love to know what yours are – scroll down to share!

 

PS I guess with all those metallics I really should have bought these:

A photo posted by LeahLW (@thriftshopchic) on

Ah well.

 

Friday ReBlog: Closet Intentions with Jess Lively

So this ReBlog is more of a RePodcast.  I regularly listen to Jess Lively‘s podcast about figuring out what your values are in each area of your life and then intentionally living them.  A month ago she interviewed Jennaea Gearhart, a member of the Life with Intention online course, about her intentions around her closet – how it wasn’t meeting her needs and what was behind that.

Jess and Jennaea go deep into the issues represented by the latter’s closet block.  While Jennaea does mention that she’s going through the Curated Closet process from Anuschka Rees‘ new book, the bulk of the interview is about life stuff – which I find fascinating.  Because your closet isn’t going to do what you need it to do or be what you want it to be if it’s really an extension of  something unresolved elsewhere in your life.

Be warned – this was an interview recorded from within a class, so it uses some jargon that requires a little digging to understand in context.  (This primer will help.)

Overall, I think it’s a fascinating discussion about how our closets can represent other struggles in our lives – and how to shift your mindset around those areas in a way that frees up your wardrobe, too.

Take a listen here (or on iTunes or another podcast service) and let me know what you think.

Happy weekend, Thrifters!

 

Friday ReBlog: the Launch of ReStitch

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Cathy from ReStitch reached out to me to tell me about the launch of this new website and to give you all a chance to get in on the good stuff first!

I know many of you don’t have access to great thrifting and/or as much time as you’d like to go to a physical store and try things on.  ReStitch helps you solve that problem with online thrifting.  The brainchild of Goodwill of North Central Wisconsin, ReStitch is essentially an online thrift store that gives more people access to some of the great stuff coming through Goodwill NCW’s doors.

Per Cathy: “The purpose of reStitch is to help deal-lovers and thrifters look great and do good.  Every reStitch item has been donated, making it possible to put 100 percent of profits directly back into the community in the form of employment training, job placement services, financial education, youth mentoring programs and more!”

(We’ve discussed previously whether marking up thrift finds for online resale is good or bad – most of you I’ve heard from think it’s fine, and how much moreso if the proceeds benefit the good causes championed by the non-profit receiving the original donation!)

ReStitch will likely launch in early December, just in time for holiday shopping.  If you go to their website and sign up (righthand sidebar), you’ll get access to their goods before the general public does.  You can learn more about them from their intro blog post & by perusing the rest of their site.

Thanks, ReStitch, for the great opportunity!

 

This post was not sponsored or compensated.  Just spreading the thrift love!

Friday ReBlog: When You’re Uncertain How to Style Something Outside Your Comfort Zone

Hey, it’s Veterans Day (aka Armistice Day)!  If you’d like to honor a veteran in your life, consider donating to Justice for Vets to support life-saving and life-changing veterans treatment courts. 

This week’s Friday ReBlog is really just an excuse to talk about an outfit I wore this week.  But it’s my blog so I’ll just go ahead and claim it.

Caroline at Un-Fancy wrote recently about how to style something new to you that’s a little bit outside your style comfort zone.  Essentially, she said: pair it with other slam-dunks in your closet to help the new piece feel less out there and to help you feel more confident.

In somewhat related news, I stared at one of my favorite cardigans this week as it hung, lonely and unworn for much of the last year, in my closet.  Inspired by The Spirited Thrifter’s minimalist closet game, I was weeding out my closet and it was hard to justify keeping something the colors and pattern of which I love but which never gets worn.  (Traditional cardis are hard for me to style without looking like a twinset – which is just not me.)

Then I looked up to where I keep my blazers – a space increasingly filled with statement pieces – and realized I could style my patterned cardigan like a statement blazer to make it fresh.  So I paired it with a pattern like I had done with my plaid blazer earlier in the week and the print-mixing instantly took it from staid (and a little twee?) to visually engaging:

A photo posted by LeahLW (@thriftshopchic) on

 

So that’s my semi-related revelation for how to mix something that doesn’t really seem to be your style anymore back into your wardrobe.  What’s something y’all have been keeping in your closet that doesn’t really fit your current look but that could be re–styled to play along?

 

PS My newest accessory:

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Explanation here.

 

Have a great weekend, Thrifters!