Thrift, gift and sale: A short jaunt
Recently, I've been thrift-trolling, picking up sweet baby clothes for the snapper (at six months, no one wears out a onesie).
Late last month, I made a short trip to Almonte, Ontario, to visit my girlfriend Marina, and because this retro-bombshell artist is crazy for vintage, I checked out the women's dresses as well as baby items. I found three hip and immaculate dresses, at $7 each!
Marina insisted on wearing one immediately:
Can you see the planet paintings behind her? Those are her work. She has recently moved into a charming cottage which she's decorated in her singular courtesan-on-absinthe style, sharing the space with Mr. Oreo (rabbit), Bhumi (cat), and Bubbles (immense turtle).
Marina and I are deeply fond of Queen Elizabeth, and she had a gift for me, a china box made to commemorate HRH's coronation.
While I was scouting for her, I found this black velvet blazer, in mint condition. At $7, it's hard to think of parting with hundreds for a J. Crew version, but thrifting means you have to grab it in the moment, and there is no "trying the next size".
I left Marina, the animals and Almonte, hopped on a Greyhound and met Le Duc in Ottawa. Before we drove home to Montréal, we stopped at one of my all-time favourite boutiques, Muriel Dombret (Clothes), where I found a black skirt with asymmetrical side detail on the sale rack. I've had a number of Muriel's black jersey separates over the years and they've never let me down.
Back to black, back to school and back home. Could Frugal Scholar, who visited Montréal this past summer, have left behind a little of her extraordinary thrifting karma?
Or maybe it was first time lucky? Whatever the reason, I've been bitten. All it takes is time, careful inspection and curbing the urge to buy if what you find isn't perfect for you or your friend. Or a six month old.
Late last month, I made a short trip to Almonte, Ontario, to visit my girlfriend Marina, and because this retro-bombshell artist is crazy for vintage, I checked out the women's dresses as well as baby items. I found three hip and immaculate dresses, at $7 each!
Marina insisted on wearing one immediately:
Can you see the planet paintings behind her? Those are her work. She has recently moved into a charming cottage which she's decorated in her singular courtesan-on-absinthe style, sharing the space with Mr. Oreo (rabbit), Bhumi (cat), and Bubbles (immense turtle).
Marina and I are deeply fond of Queen Elizabeth, and she had a gift for me, a china box made to commemorate HRH's coronation.
While I was scouting for her, I found this black velvet blazer, in mint condition. At $7, it's hard to think of parting with hundreds for a J. Crew version, but thrifting means you have to grab it in the moment, and there is no "trying the next size".
I left Marina, the animals and Almonte, hopped on a Greyhound and met Le Duc in Ottawa. Before we drove home to Montréal, we stopped at one of my all-time favourite boutiques, Muriel Dombret (Clothes), where I found a black skirt with asymmetrical side detail on the sale rack. I've had a number of Muriel's black jersey separates over the years and they've never let me down.
Back to black, back to school and back home. Could Frugal Scholar, who visited Montréal this past summer, have left behind a little of her extraordinary thrifting karma?
Or maybe it was first time lucky? Whatever the reason, I've been bitten. All it takes is time, careful inspection and curbing the urge to buy if what you find isn't perfect for you or your friend. Or a six month old.
Comments
Great finds. I'm a veteran thrifter, and it's taken me years to develop the difference to leave less-than-perfect-for-me "bargains" on the rack.
I love garments with a splash of fun...
We are still enjoying some late summer sunshine but the leaves are turning so Fall is on its way.
Will try again.
Your thrifting karma is excellent. I remember the beautiful wool coat you found a couple of years ago, plaid I believe? Happy hunting.
I like the skirt too, though too many asymmetrical garments I've been seeing are destined to wind up on the clearance rack.
Yes, I have an odd fondness for Liz2, and not only because she is short and buxom. Is it because she has always seemed to be strangely egalitarian? Dad dying of smoking when we were young and dad just middle-aged? Who knows.
Here in Montréal, we have certainly been enjoying splendid weather!
hostess: I have had to mentally shift even though it's still hot, to thinking of fall necessities!
LauraH: Thanks for reposting your comment. Yes, it's an Italian plaid mohair. The moths flock to it so I've had to store it in a sealed bag.
Elizabeth E.: You are among kindred spirits in the Passage. Way too much bought and barely worn.
Nelson Bartley: Now that sounds like a magical coat! Could you possibly also wear it over narrow pants and a fine knit top or silk shirt?
lagatta: When we pay $7 some alteration is not a huge deal, but jacket alterations are among the trickier ones. The skirt is a bit of a puzzle as the side detail is asymmetrical but the hemline is same length all round; I don't know how she did that.
Queen Elizabeth- sui generis.
I buy Aeroxon clothes moth traps, which I order from Urban Nature Store. These are fairly effective as I have placed them in all rooms and closets, and keep count. (They trap only the males so reduce breeding.)I also hunt them. They tend to come out more at dusk. (I can go weeks without seeing any.) I also keep clothes in closets clean, store woolens in breathable bags, vacuum like a madwoman and keep cotton balls saturated with lavender oil in all drawers, refreshing those monthly. The SOBs will even eat my cotton damask napkins.
An important thing is to not let things like wool shawls or sweaters sit long undisturbed. I move pieces around, inspect, and air in the sun on my balcony. They attacked Le Duc's wool suit because he never wears it. So far my things are OK, and believe me I am not going to live in fleece either. But neither am I going to fill my home with nasty chemicals.
A plague and more people than ever have them.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jun/20/microfibers-plastic-pollution-oceans-patagonia-synthetic-clothes-microbeads
Very glamourous!
As for the Elizabethan.2 friend, she needs these: http://www.simons.ca/simons/search/search.jsp?Dy=1&Nty=1&Ntt=corgi+socks
Six months? He's six months already? Such a delightful age -- the changes really begin now!
xo,f
s.: My most stylish TO friend shops only at consignment (not thrift, but she still looks astonishing for very little.) Her favourite store is I think on St. Clair. She avoids the most luxe ones and does have things re-tailored sometimes.
Leah from www.thriftshopchic.com