thrifted

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What I Wore 11/7/2017

I’ve been craving texture and pattern lately.  I like mixing and matching items that kinda-clash and kinda-match in ways that feel pleasing to me.  I enjoy deep, rich colours and fabrics that feel soft to the fingers.  I love throwing all of these elements together into one outfit that is comfortable and sassy.

 

I am wearing:

  • Art deco earrings from Lovisa
  • Black tee shirt from Uniqlo
  • Chevron cropped jumper from Mink Pink (thrifted)
  • Satin lounge pants from Target
  • Sparkle socks from Target
  • Loafers from Target
  • Fox pin (birthday present from David)
  • Assorted bangles (all thrifted)

Rocking loafers and shiny socks just like MJ.  If only I also had his moves.

 

This outfit was worn for an evening of dinner and computer games with my family.  We played several rounds of Murder Trivia Party which has quickly become one of our favourite games to play when my brother comes to visit.  It appeals to both my love of trivia and our dark sense of humour.

This pin was a birthday gift from my love, David.  His nickname for me is “little fox” and for my special day he bought me a whole host of fox-themed gifts.  This pin is just so adorable and the colours are perfect with this jumper.

 

After dinner I enjoyed a brief snuggle with my dad’s cat, Branson.  Branson is an absolute sweetheart, but he’s got to be the most awkward cat I’ve ever met.  He’s got incredibly long limbs and is super gangly.  When he runs down the hallway there are just legs and paws going all over the place, as he slips and slides.  There isn’t an ounce of grace in him, and yet he’s just the sweetest little friend.  He also has such perfectly white paws that look as though they’ve been dipped into fresh cream, which only adds to his appeal.

 

This comfy clash of separates was the perfect thing to wear for a family evening of fun.

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What I Wore: 12/7/2016

I often struggle to decide what to wear when I go to the theater.  It seems like the perfect occasion to dress to the nines.  But often when I head out to catch a show I grab matinee tickets, so full evening attire is a tad excessive.  And I usually have to travel into the city to get to the theater, so I don’t want to wear anything too uncomfortable or cumbersome.  Such were the dilemmas I faced when selecting an outfit to wear to see Singing In The Rain at the Princess Theater with my mother.

Although it went against my every instinct, I decided to go with jeans for the day.  Jeans?  At the theater?  Surely I’m losing my mind?  Well, I like to think that the jeans were acceptable because they were well fitted, in a fun dark tartan print.  I also made sure that the rest of my outfit was polished so that I didn’t look like I’d just thrown any old thing on.  I wanted to look special but still be comfortable.

 

I accessorized with this fantastic Erstwilder brooch I got as a birthday gift from my friends Kath and Evan.  It was difficult to get a good picture of it, but it’s a lipstick and hand mirror joined my a chain.  Kath excitedly informed me that it can also be worn as sweater clips!  I don’t own a single set of sweater clips, so I’m looking forward to trying these out in that capacity.

 

One thing I’ve learned from several years of thinking about fashion and dress is this: striking hair and makeup will take a relatively simple outfit to the next level.  And so I paid extra attention to my coiffure on this particular day.  I arranged the front of my hair into a set of swirling pin-curls and swept the rest back and under a hand-made snood.

 

I swept on a subtle cats-eye liner and let my lips steal the show. This lip colour is Possessed Intense from Lipstick Queen. It’s my current favourite lippie.

 

I am wearing:

  • Red snood (handmade by me)
  • Black cardigan with faux-leopard trim (gift from my parents)
  • Silver hoop earrings
  • Black turtleneck from Country Road
  • Forever 21 tartan jeans (thrifted)
  • Black motorcycle boots from Big W
  • Erstwilder Brooch

I was extremely pleased with my outfit choice for the day.  I was comfortable and still felt stylish.  And as an added bonus, my hair stayed intact even during the simulated rain inside the theater and a real windstorm outside.  I call that a win.

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What I wore 26/4/2016

I have a few in-between dresses that only get a couple of wears each year.  They’re too hot to wear in summer, but a bit too breezy for the chill of winter.  So there’s only a small window each year in which to wear them.  This gorgeous autumn-toned dress is one of those.  It’s elbow-length sleeves make it a bit too toasty for the warmer weather, but the fabric is light and airy so it doesn’t stand up to cold temperatures.  The other night my parents invited me out for dinner, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to break out this pretty dress.

 

 

I am wearing:

  • Autumn toned dress (thrifted)
  • Silk headscarf (thrifted)
  • Kissing clasp belt (thrifted)
  • Black opaque tights
  • Black lace up boots (thrifted)
  • Gold snake bangle from Tilka
  • Dreamcatcher earrings from Cue
  • Gold tooth ring from ASOS

 

 

 

I paired my dress with a deep brown lipstick.  I’m having a bit of a love affair with dramatic lipstick at the moment, and browns and burgundy shades have been gracing my pout on a regular basis.

 

 

 

 

I normally wear this dress with tall tan boots for a 70’s vibe, but on this night I was craving something with a rougher edge.  So I dug out these lace-up boots from my closet.  I felt that the lacing and the silver hardware were a great contrast to the floaty lines of the dress, and gave a nod to the grunge looks of the 90’s.

 

I felt so comfortable and confident in this 90’s-meets-70’s ensemble.  I’m hoping that the warm weather stays around long enough for me to give this dress a few more turns around the block before it’s time to put it back into the closet until Spring.

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What I wore 15th September, 2015

I am so relieved that Spring has finally sprung.  We got off to a shaky start here in Victoria, as the weather decided to tease  us with a glimpse of sunshine before dissolving into rain.  But last weekend it felt like Spring at last.  And I was extra pleased because it was warm enough to wear this new peasant blouse I got from the op shop a month ago.

I’ve shaved my head a couple more times since my last blog post.  My hair was growing very fast so I decided to splash out and invest in a pair of clippers so that I could maintain my shaved side at home.  It was a very smart choice.  Although it’s been a bit nerve-wracking wielding the clippers myself, I’m much happier with the result.  I’ve been taking my hair all the way back to a bristling number 1 cut, and then letting it grow out a bit.

The detailing on this blouse is just so pretty.  I’ve been after an embroidered peasant blouse like this one for ages, but most of the ones I found were either badly stained or had a gathered waistline.  As I have wide hips and shoulders and a small waist, blousy tops that are fitted around the hips look terrible on me.  But this one hangs in a lovely way and I adore it.  I picked it up for $3 at my local St Vinnies.

These red clogs are another new thrift store find.  They were just $4 and had never been worn.  They will go so nicely with many of my summer dresses and skirts and look great with jeans.

I am wearing:

  • Bambi necklace from Diva
  • Stirling silver hoop earrings
  • Peasant blouse (thrifted)
  • Jeans from Target
  • Red clogs (thrifted)

I wore this outfit to go out for a bit more op shopping and then treated myself to coffee and cake at one of my favourite cafes.  It felt like the perfect outfit to celebrate the beginning of the new season.

 

 

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Daily outfit 25/11/2014

Every cosplayer faces the dilemma of what to do with their costume pieces in between conventions.  I know some people who display their costumes like works of art in their homes.  Others have entire wardrobes devoted to storing their cosplay gems (while their day-to-day clothes are relegated to the floor).  I take a different approach, as I like to work my cosplay items in with my regular clothes.

Today I decided to team the tee shirt from my Tank Girl cosplay with a laid-back outfit for a day of shopping and hanging out with my cousins.

I am wearing:

– Tank Girl tee (bought from Target, modified by me)

– Red and black striped skirt (thrifted)

– Red patent leather heels from Giallo

– Silver ear cuff from Sportsgirl

– Swarovski stud earring

– White resin bangle (thrifted)

– Ruby ring (inherited from my Great Aunt Anne)

– London bus bag from Harrods

Lately I’ve found myself really drawn to crop tops.  I’m not used to showing off my midriff, so it’s a bit of a challenge for me.  I prefer to wear my crop-tops with a high-waisted skirt, to show off a sliver of flesh between my navel and my ribcage.

This handbag was a gift from my old next-door-neighbours, and I’ve had it since I was four years old.  I adore it because it’s a little bit different, and big enough to fit all my bits and pieces in.  It’s also waterproof, which came in handy when my little cousin Abbey decided to turn the hose on me while we were filling up her paddling pool!

I also have a beautiful new ring.  This gem came from my Great Aunt Anne, who passed away recently.  She had no children of her own, and all of her things were sent to my grandmother when she passed.  I always have difficulty finding rings to fit me, because my fingers are really fine.  It seems that I inherited my tiny hands from my aunt, because all of Anne’s rings fit me perfectly.  So I took quite a few gorgeous rings home with me.  I feel quite sad that I never got a chance to meet my Great Aunt Anne, because it seems that she and I would have had quite a bit in common. As it is, I will wear her jewels with pride.

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Daily outfit 25/8/2014

I’ve started op-shopping in my lunch breaks.  I get a long lunch break, and by the time I’ve scoffed my home-made lunch there’s usually a while to go before it’s time to head back to the office.  So I’ve been sneaking in a cheeky op-shopping trip in the middle of each week.  So far they’ve been very profitable.

About two weeks back I spotted this sweet 70’s vintage frock in my local Salvos.  I have another dress that’s a similar cut with the same sheer sleeves in a floral print.  I wear that dress all the time, so when I spotted it’s slimmer-cut cousin in a painterly print I couldn’t resist it.

Vintage 70's frock Nessbow

Last Monday was a struggle to get dressed.  I’d been sick with a cold all weekend and the last thing I wanted to do was head into work.  So I pulled this beautiful dress out of the cupboard and shimmied into it.  The bright pops of colour helped to perk me up, and the cut is so comfortable it was almost like wearing my PJs to work!

Nessbow 70's thrifted dress.

I am wearing:

– Vintage 70’s dress (thrifted)

– Leona Edminson fishnet tights

– Nine West patent leather heels

– Silver hoop earrings

– Vintage bird belt (which belonged to my dear friend’s grandmother)

– Beaded flower ring (gift from my mother)

Nessbow vintage 70s frock

This flippy, floaty dress was just the thing to keep my spirits up (even though my nose was still blocked and I had practically no voice)

I’m looking forward to rocking this baby with bare legs and chunky wedges when the weather starts to heat up.  And I think she’d look divine paired with some huge bangles and sandals too.  What a brilliant find to come across during my lunch break!

Do you do any thrift-shopping in your lunch break?  Have you found any bargains lately?

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Daily outfit: 22/1/2014

Cleaning out your closet has all kinds of benefits.  Aside from the obvious ones (making more space, getting rid of crap you don’t wear) you sometimes turn up a treasure or two.  When I was cleaning out my drawers earlier this week, I stumbled across a rainbow crocheted tank top that I’ve never worn before.

I made this top way back in July.  At the time it was freezing cold, and I popped it in a drawer, thinking that I’d wear it once summer rolled around.  I promptly forgot about the top.  Until yesterday, when I found it again.

DSCF9370I’m especially proud of this top because it’s the first piece of crocheted clothing that I made all by myself.  If you like it and you want one of your own, you can get one made to order through my etsy store.  I can do them in all colours and sizes (and you get a choice of lightweight cotton or heavier acrylic yarn).

But now, back to my outfit…

DSCF9375

DSCF9371I am wearing:

– Rainbow crocheted top (handmade by me)

– Vintage butterfly flared jeans from Threadsville

– Black and gold Novo platforms

– White beads (thrifted)

– Japanese hair ornament (gift from my old housemate)

– Opal earrings (Nana’s)

– Resin ring (thrifted)

– Rock ring (thrifted)

– Swarovski crystal ring (found at uni one day)

– Multi coloured gem ring (gift from a mate)

DSCF9373I realised later that this outfit was especially appropriate, because I wore it on Janis Joplin’s birthday.  Janis was one of my earliest style icons, and I find that so many elements of her style still creep into my outfits.  I love her relaxed, hippie-chick vibe and the slightly tomboyish air that her outfits had.  I think my habit of piling on the rings and necklaces came from my early love of Janis Joplin.  So happy birthday Janis!

DSCF9377In future, I think I’d really like to get a cute bikini top to wear underneath this tank.  I also want to try to modify the pattern to make this into a long-sleeved top for when the weather gets a bit cooler.  What do you think?

DSCF9374Do you ever find items of clothing that you’d forgotten about?  What’s the best long-lost treasure that you’ve uncovered?