shop til you drop

just a brief weekend update:
our good friends sara and jazz over at used & abused are putting on their first trunk show featuring one of a kind and re-worked vintage clothing. there will also be vintage jewelery and accessories for sale. the best part is they're offering 10% off when you rsvp. if you're in nyc stop by for some shopping, a glass of wine, and a hello to the girls of used & abused and rara.avis.

details:
used & abused trunk show
saturday december 6th
1-8pm
soho
620 broadway, 2R
btwn houston and bleecker
email sarawidya@usedandabusedshop.com to rsvp and to receive 10% off all day

follow their blog and check their website for more details. hope to see you there!

(also, more examples of their vintage clothing can be found here on our blog)

the past in the present

i hope everyone had a nice thanksgiving! it's definitely nice to have a break and do nothing for a few days. the time off from work just gives me more time to play with clothes :)

this dress below was a thrift store find from a few years ago and i have always wondered what it was originally. it has the appearance of a choir robe of some sort, minus the fact that it is so short. i don't think any choir would have robes this short, but it is definitely uniform-ish. there were actually a few of them at the store when i bought it. i have worn this thing a million different ways but can never seem to find a way that i love for this particular piece. i've worn it with big belts, small belts, cardigans, hoodies, sweaters, scarves, boots, flats, etc. this is just the latest in the series.

this shirt is also from a thrift store and every time i wear it, it makes me smile a bit because it reminds me of one of my great-aunts. she always had a million of these thin cotton plaid button ups hanging around and she would put them on over whatever she was wearing when she was cooking, cleaning or in the garden. i am definitely channeling her in this outfit. haha











(dress: thrift, button-up: thrift, tights: h&m, boots: danielle's closet)

H&M Spring 2009

i ran into these images over at nitro:licious (via modefeber) and had to re-blog them here because they really are just THAT amazing...

is it wrong that i want everything?

layers and more layers

the oversized layers return! this time they are varying shades and textures of cream. i have to say, i am loving this overabundance of fabric. it's so much more interesting to wear, you know? i am finding that i can be much more creative with the layering since it's so oversized and it's visually much more appealing (at least to me it is).

the cardigan is a recurring piece that many of you have seen before, but the dress is actually one that i made a few years ago. one day i just decided i wanted to make an oversized, comfortable summer dress and this is what happened. actually took awhile, it is handsewn because i didn't have access to a sewing machine at the time. haha, it's crazy i know. i just sort of made up the pattern using an existing, basic dress that i had. there was really no science to it, it was a complete experiment but i am happy with how it turned out.











(dress: handmade, strapless slip:thrifted, cardigan: thrifted, tights: h&m, boots: danielle's)

more inspiration...

outfit posts will resume tomorrow--i promise!

in the meantime, jennine over at the coveted has a great interview with indie fashion photographer courtney brooke hall. head over there and then check out courtney's flickr for even more amazing photos. all of her work has this unbelievable vintage feel to it--it's incredible. i am much more of a fan of this 70s-style vintage feel than the more dainty stuff from the 30s, 40s, 50s (sorry anyone who's ultra-girly and loves that stuff--it's nothing personal!) this is just much more my style. :)



(all photos found randomly via the internet and copyright, of course, belongs the lovely ms. hall)

...and the theme continues

so i guess it is "dress in your boyfriend's clothes" week for us. totally not intentional, but i like how the theme has just come up out of nowhere. :) i promise, next week it will be all pink, girly and involve lots of bows and ruffles (not true).

anyhoo, i found this army jacket at a thrift store this summer and had to have it. it is originally from target (i think) but i just love how ridiculously huge it is. i am not sure where my sudden fascination with extremely large sweaters and jackets came from, but i can't seem to get enough. maybe it's that i find the weird proportion of such a large garment on such a short person amusing? who knows. i kind of like to feel like i'm being swallowed by fabric, it's oddly comforting, especially during winter. (i have no claustrophobia issues, obviously. ha)


(hat:f21, army jacket: thrifted, cream oversized sweater: thrifted, black dress: danielle's, tights: h&m, boots: danielle's)

seriously, why do I keep wearing men's clothing?

two of my current favorite things: my new vintage ebay jacket with puffy sleeves and gold buttons and a mens t-shirt from forever 21 with "stripes" made out of boomboxes. i look really painfully heinous in my photos hence the odd neck and waist shots...

the old standby

kristin did a post a few weeks ago about her favorite go-to outfit for the fall/winter season, so now i am going to share mine with you guys. i know everyone has a certain outfit or clothing combo that we all grab when we are running late, oversleep, are feeling indecisive or uninspired, etc. (i usually have at least one of those things going on every morning, so this outfit gets out more than it should!)

lately it's been a basic dress (99% of the time it's black) and a super comfy, super oversized cardigan (i have many that i've picked up at thrift stores over the years). since it's wintertime, that also means tights and boots, both in black usually.

yeah, it's a bit boring and super basic but it gets the job done you know?

p.s. the cardigan below was picked up this weekend on my thrifting adventure and i noticed when i was doing laundry that it's actually an armani (or maybe a knock off?) i have no idea and don't care either way, it's just amusing to me. actually, i hope it's a knock off, owning an armani knock off from the '80s is much more entertaining that owning a real armani.






(cardigan: thrifted, dress: danielle's, tights: h&m, boots: danielle's)

grandma, meet the boyfriend

i have a rather odd obsession with my boyfriend's sweaters. cardigans from old navy to be more specific. which i find strange because i'm not a big old navy shopper and i pretty much despise what is usually considered the traditional women's cardigan. as i am sure you guessed, this is one i've borrowed from him. i really love it paired with my grandmother's old nightgown from the 50s. she giggled when i told her i would wear it as a dress in nyc. she'd probably laugh even harder if i told her i wanted to wear it with a men's sweater!







old navy men's cardigan, club monaco belt, grandmother's nightgown, aldo shoes

back in black

hi everyone! we are officially back this week, after being unofficially away for the first part of november. life just gets crazy busy sometimes, you know? we missed you all immensely! :)

so, on to why you are really here...i found this crazy tunic/dress shirt contraption this weekend when i was thrifting with my lovely friend pamela. i will admit, she saw the beauty of this thing long before i did. it took me a hour or so to warm up to it (luckily, they had five of them for some odd reason). pamela and i are both proud owners now.

despite being hesitant about it (the shiny threads threw me off) i really, really love this tunic. i wore it immediately out that night, over my roommate danielle's perfect, all-purpose black dress that i have now claimed as my own. the sleeves on this thing are crazy. i don't know if the pictures do it justice, but they are really wonderful and full but banded at the cuffs. my number one complaint with most full sleeves tops is that they lack structure at the cuff and just float and flutter about and i'm just not into the floaty and the fluttery. nor am i that into the metallic shimmer either, but the structure was just too weird to pass up and i think the black:metallic ratio to sufficient enough so i don't feel like a walking disco ball.

(oh! and i never, never wear jewelry but something about this ring got to me. i look very boho, i know, but i love it. it was a big night of being outside of my comfort zone. haha!)





(tunic:thrift, black dress: danielle's closet, huge ass ring: f21, tights: h&m, boots: danielle's closet)

originality always wins

well it's election day here in the good old united states and whatever your political views, i urge you to exercise your right to vote.

in keeping with the theme of personal choice, i ran across this article on style bubble this morning and i think it is very refreshing. susie (along with agathe from style bytes) was the first fashion blogger that i started reading and i have long admired her originality and creativity when it comes to fashion. i could never wear half of the stuff she does, but she always looks fantastic and i am constantly inspired by her choices. fashion would be much less interesting if everyone looked the same--even if we all look really chic and sophisticated :) just a thought.




(all photos from style bubble)