Wednesday 3 April 2013

Thrift store haul (so much for resolutions).

Ah, it's April in Northwestern Ontario!!  The temperature is about -5 Celcius at night, and it rises to 5 Celcius during the day.  That is only 5 lousy degrees above zero, but I'll take it!!

We're into the second week of spring here.  I'm noticing a few hardy, university kids are wearing shorts.  Mind you they are wearing Bermuda shorts with a parka on top.  This combination of shorts and parkas is a classic springtime combo where I live.  Nothing feels better than fresh air on bare legs after a long winter of thermals and jeans.

Spring is also the time of year that people clean out their closets.  Sometimes a stylish lady of a certain generation will purge her closet of gems from the past.  At that point I will scoop up these gems, chortling merrily in the process.  Seriously, I chortle in thrift stores.  Don't judge me.

Vintage blazer ($1 thrifted)
The blazer you see above is made of a thin, high quality polyester.  The print is houndstooth with an overlay of ....FLOWERS!!!  Genius!  Although this bold print relegated this blazer to the $1 clearance rack, I saw the potential to transform this oversized blazer into something cute, like this...

Alexander McQueen Houndstooth pussy-bow shirt
I love to sew, which is a blessing and a curse.  I'm the "go to" girl when pants need to get hemmed, and costumes need to get created.  However, I've recently started carving out ME time!  During which I get to sew things for myself.  I'll work on this blouse and I"ll post an after pic when I'm done.

You may recall my feeble attempt at, "Don't buy till July".  The purpose of this resolution was to decrease the alarming rate at which I'm acquiring clothing, purses, jewelery, scarves and shoes.  I have 2 closets, and I share an additional closet with my stylist.  Plus I have a coat and shoe closet.  Plus I have about 5 Rubbermade totes (they are the small totes mind you!) in the shed.  These totes hold my seasonal stuff.

Oh, I also have a sewing room with large piles of clothing to be madeover into fabulous creations.

So I'm struggling with "how much is too much".  I'd like to know YOUR opinion.

And, without further ado, here is the rest of my haul.  Pardon my bad pics, I'm working on it.

Chaps t-shirt with cute side lace
Looking forward to wearing this nautical inspired t-shirt this summer.  If summer ever comes.

Conrad pink blazer
This blazer gets two gold stars.  It 10% CASHMERE, and it's a bold pink.  The pic doesn't do it justice.  LOOOOVE this blazer.

Black and white tweed blazer, Harve Benard
This is the blazer that broke my resolution.  I saw it a few weeks ago on the $1 clearance rack at a charity shop.  I couldn't stop thinking about it.  This blazer belongs in my collection.  I think I'm going to change the buttons though.

Upsidedown shot!
Tooled leather backpack that has PALM TREES on it.  That's right people, I said "PALM TREES!".  A steal at $5.   The purse next to it is a nice straw purse for summer, it was $5 too.

Jaeger Blazer with velvet collar
Argh, another bad pic.  Have you ever watched the sun set?  There's a point where the sun has passed over the horizon, and the sky turns a deep blue.  At the edge of the deep blue, there is a band of deep purple.  This blazer is deep purple.  And it looks ASTOUNDING on me!!  This blazer was made in the UK.  I dunno if Jaeger still exists, or if it still manufactured in the UK.  The workmanship is IMPECCABLE.  A steal at $7.

Some random Kohl's brand
Nice floaty, butterfly skirt.  If the weather co-operates, I'll wear it next week.

Ooops, you can see the tips of my runners.
I took these pics after I finished my morning workout.  You can see the tips of my runners.  This is a vintage Smart Set skirt.  In a yummy plaid.  The material is a nice wool/acrylic blend...and it's made in CANADA! Go Canadian workmanship!

Kasper blazer....LOOOVE IT!
This blazer was the most expensive thing I bought (I think it was about $13 at Value Village).  I looooove it!!  This blazer flatters everything that is good.  It hides everything that is bad.  After I trim the fringe from the side seams, I will wear it every, single day.  Every. Single. Day.

Embroidered Jones of New York skirt. Nuf said.


Have a good day, eh?

:)

3 comments:

  1. I'm into blazers right now and I really like that pink Conrad blazer. You are so blessed that you can sew. I wanna learn that. Someday, I will! :)

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    Replies
    1. Hey MisisD, I can certainly understand your love of blazers. A blazer can take a tank top and jeans to a whole new level. I looooove sewing. I'll post new blogs as I finish sewing projects. I"m almost done working on a quilt from reclaimed fabrics, it's HUGE. Stay tuned for more details.

      Have a FAB day!

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