Sunday, September 20, 2009

...the kind you find in a secondhand store

The lovely Michelle from stray cat blues (check out her blog for inspiration from this classy lady with impeccable taste) sort of tagged me to list seven things that make me, me. She didn't explicitly tag me, but she tagged all her readers and gave me a special mention, which made me nearly-literally weep with joy and gratitude.
In any case, one of my great joys in life is talking about myself so I am thrilled to share with you, one at a time,

7 Things That Make Me Who I Am - Part One

1. I go shopping at least three times per week.
Thrift-store shopping of course! For myself and my online vintage store - people often ask how I manage to find the wondrous haberdashery that I do and the "secret" (if you could call it that) is simply effort. Well, okay, it's not as simple as all that - I've been to some towns where the thrifting is just miserable. To be a thrift store success as I am, you need the following combination:

  • Good thrift stores
    Living in a more affluent area helps, but it really comes down to the variety of people who would be donating to these thrift stores. I personally live in a community that is both fairly wealthy and full of retiring hippies - a recipe for good thrifting if I ever heard one!
  • Dedication
    Yeah, going thrifting a couple times a month will yield results - but if you go three, four, five times a week, you get to snag the exciting pieces before anyone else. Hell, I'm all for daily thrifting, but with my busy laying-in-bed schedule, it's just not always possible.
  • Sense of self
    It's good to know specifics of what you're looking for - for example, I favour ethnic patterns, fur and beaded jewelry. When you're in a rush, it's easier to skim for what you like.

That's not to say I don't enjoy some good cheap mall jeans, because I overindulge in those $15 Body Central jeans that last surprisingly long. But my secondhand goods add a much-needed shot of soul into my wardrobe.
Let's play a little quiz game to discuss thrift store clothing further - here's a bunch of pictures of me. Which of these outfits do you think were bought at thrift stores and which were bought at the mall?
Photobucket
Answer: Trick question! They are all thrift store finds. All of them! Every last one - shoes, belts, hats, scarves, the clothes themselves...all but the umbrella, I scrounged up at thrift stores.
The most expensive item? The suede, fur-trimmed groupie coat, top row centre - $10.

Bow down.

18 comments:

Michael said...

I'm in love with the black shift with fringing at the bottom!

Very now, very chic :)

Maya (from London) said...

You are actually so gifted. As much as i'd love to be a thrifting queen (and i thnk i could be if i put my mind to it) i just never ever have the time. I especially love the black fringed dress. You are too awesome.

Michelle said...

Yaaaay! This is AMAZING. I hope the next six are nearly as incredible! Your finds are enviable, and I too adore that fringed black dress (and those shoes)! I don't shop nearly enough -- certainly not three times a week -- but when I do, it's always thrifting. LA is good for that. And I rather like my tiny wardrobe, where nothing exceeds $20.

Anyway, I'm anxiously awaiting your next six posts, and thank you for the kind words, darling! xo.

Jaclyn said...

Thanks for the thrifting tips. I need to go more often, I think thats my problem.
Belle

Flavia Flanders said...

I wish I have the time to go shopping that much... I should be so much fun!

Hannah said...

you are quite possibly the queen of thrifting!

i think there's nothing better than a good old thrift store rummage but unfortunately i'm limited to going about once a month because of the limited supply of good thrift stores in wellington. if i check too often, nothing has changed!

xx

Anonymous said...

you have some great finds

Samantha said...

hmm we need to thrifting together, cause when i go thrifting the pieces i'm looking for seem to fall it to my hands, we'd make the perfect team lol.
peace&love

Keith said...

I think it's awesome. I love going to thrift stores. The ones around here are so-so. Sometimes you'll able to find something cool though.

Becky Tjandera said...

wow you shop a lot ! haha . great post dear !

Cafe Fashionista said...

I simply adore the fact that you used lyrics from Prince's "Raspberry Beret" for the title of this post. I think you may be the most magnificent thrifter on the planet - all of your looks are divine. And that groupie coat? I die! :)

Eyeliah said...

Yes, I am all for thrifting, another amazing way to get new clothes? Clothing Swaps! and it's free, you have an open invitation to any of mine in VanCity.

Allison said...

Molly, you make me laugh so hard. "One of my great joys in life is talking about myself"...I laughed out loud.
I'm so jealous of all your fabulous thrift store finds...I never find ANYTHING when I go...but now that I have your fabulous tips, I'll have to give it another go!
P.S. It's just starting to get cold, and I cannot WAIT to wear the sweater I bought from you =)

Lexie said...

i actually live in a town that doesnt have quite the turn around in second hand stores most places do ... so i can usually get by with going once a week and be alright. otherwise, i start to compromise and buy stuff that's really not that cute.

Baybay Mama said...

I love all your outfits...thrifting takes so much patience and time. I love skipping out of nyc and going thrifting.

this wheel's on fire said...

Grrrreat (said in Tony the Tiger voice) title :D

The thrift store is my best friend. If not for thrifting I would have literally two pairs of jeans and an undershirt.

Living Reflection Of A Dream said...

Yay! I love how you're keeping us hanging on with the seven things that make you tick. I can't wait to read the next installments especially if they're as good as this one.
By the way, your finds are wonderful. I don't do nearly enough thrifting, let alone go shoppin three times a week. I envy the clothes that you find.

As said earlier, can't wait for the next posts.

Peace my lovely.

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