Thrift tip: Last chance for winter gear

I know it's still freezing (except for Wednesday when it may or may not get into the mid-50s) but something to consider....all the winter sales happening as we speak. I was in Second Time Around the other day consigning some things and all their winter stuff is 50 percent off.

And fresh from my inbox is this winter sale announcement from Annie Creamcheese that promises only the best in vintage capes'n'such:

See you at the sale rack!

♥

Thrift tip: Invest in alterations

You may remember back in the day that I bought this amazing Badgley Mischka gown for 20 bucks. Very cool the way it was, but it wasn't a perfect fit. Before a fine function this fall, I took it to Ginger Root Design, where Erin took a gander at it and quickly decided it could be made even better.

Before...sorta grumpy

A bit of hemming and some tucks on the side, and it looked as if it was made for me. Check it out:

You can't even tell I was recovering from the plague!

MC looks dapper too!

Dress: $20. Alterations: $80. Shoes: $10. Jewelry: borrowed. Handbag: old as heck.

Piece of cake.

Thrift Tip: Shoe polish in a pinch

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Capitol Hill Style, one of DC's few seriously substantial fashion blogs. A few weeks back, Belle posted about a trick she's learned: Pledge or other furniture polish sprays do a pretty good job if you can't fit in a shoe shine.

I decided to try it out on my new riding boots.

It may be impossible to tell, but the boot on the right has the polish treatment, and the one on the left hasn't been buffed yet. It's tough because these are new boots and they were in pretty good shape. But after a few occurrences of winter weather and the salt and grime that comes with it, I wanted to give these boots a once-over to keep them looking new. 

The best part? I used the store-brand furniture polish that I found tucked in the back of the cabinet. Score!

Thanks, Belle, for passing on this tip!

♥

Thrift Tip: Sammy D shares some even thriftier tips

Sammy in action during a visit to Georgetown

You may think that by shopping in a thrift store, you can't possibly save any more money. Right? Wrong. Our dear friend in fashion Sammy D has a great post about how to save even more when you're shopping in your favorite thrift stores. One key point: Don't shop for the sake of buying. An effective thrifter must have a mission and stick to it.

Check it out!

♥

Thrift Tip: From the lips of Alexa Chung

Came across this video of Alexa Chung providing some tips and insights on thrifting in Brooklyn. The basics: Smell before you buy, and once you buy, wash it.  These should be obvious to you by now, but a gentle reminder doesn't hurt.

Bonus points to Ms. Chung for acknowledging her androgynous style that this blogger can definitely get behind.

♥

Recommended reading: Prep school style

A little bird told me about David Baker's blog, specifically, his post about preppy sports styles acquired from thrift stores. With licensed college apparel creeping up in price beyond something I'm willing to pay for a tee shirt, I think David's on the right track. Thrift stores are full of cast-offs from grads who have a surplus of shirts and sweats from their Ivy League or learning institutions otherwise.

Check it out. It's okay to be a poser. Promise.

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Do you need an ugly holiday sweater? Here's a tip.

A trusted thrifting source has sent this tidbit via gchat from her trip to my favorite shop ever, the Value Village in Adelphi/College Park/Langley Park/Awkwardville MD.

p.s. so many xmas sweaters at value village in takoma park

not to mention they were all at least 25% off

all the xmas stuff is.

and the sweaters and vests were anywhere from 25 to 50 % off

Consider it a tip from me to you!

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Who do you trust with your treasured vintage?

Taken at 14th and U, near the two suggested shops. Aww.

Last week a friend came to me with a question: who would I recommend to dry clean delicate or treasured items like vintage linens or a wedding dress?  I honestly had no clue, so I asked a few of my trusted resources.

I received one suggestion for Sun Cleaners at 14th and Rhode Island. They also have some pretty good reviews on Yelp.

I also got a glowing recommendation for U St. Organic Cleaners. After visiting their website I am probably sold on checking this place out when I need cleaning services next.

What about you? Where do you take your items in the DC area? I'd be glad to put together a post or map of dry cleaners recommended by readers and/or business owners.

♥

Junction Tuesdays: Every shopper needs a little inspiration

First, some housekeeping: Junction has exploded on the social media scene with a Twitter account AND a Facebook page!  Now you can keep up-to-date with promotions, events, and other fun stuff.  So check them out, and then come back here for this week's tips from Shannan:

There’s nothing like being inspired, especially when it comes to thrift shopping and vintage.  I think that opening your mind to an item’s endless possibilities can help you find your own style, creative niche, personal expression. 

And if you’re anything like me, you could spend hours surfing the web in search of this inspiration.  So I put together a list of my latest online finds that have gotten my creative juices flowing.  Hopefully they do the same for you.

www.vintagefashionguild.org – I’ve mentioned this site before in past blogs.  It’s the ultimate reference guide and should be bookmarked by any lover of vintage!

www.queensofvintage.com – Search vintage fashion, beauty, and interior style by location or decade.  This site brings you all that’s fabulous in the vintage world.  And best of all, there is a www.kingsofvintage.com for the guys!

www.design-milk.com – I think this site is excellent for people who like to design and restyle jewelry.  There are a lot of found object pieces on this site that can’t help inspiring creativity.   

www.trendhunter.com – “Routinely sourced by the media, Trend Hunter is a source of inspiration for industry professionals, aspiring entrepreneurs and the insatiably curious. Trend Hunter has been featured or cited everywhere from MTV, The Economist, and CNN to the personal blog of Kanye West, tweets by Ashton Kutcher and tweets by Paris Hilton.”  Great site for creative fashion and vintage looks!

-Shannan Fales is the owner of Junction at 1510 U Street NW. She shares her expertise in vintage and thrift each Tuesday.


♥

Junction Tuesday: Getting personal with lingerie

Find vintage slips and wear more than this baby.
Sorry for the gratuitous photo from vacation.
Plymouth Plantation, y'all. No pants.

Even though some people may not find vintage lingerie very appealing, some pieces are highly collectible and can be very valuable.  I always breeze through the slip and night gown section at thrift stores, looking for regal fabrics and luxurious styles.

From slips to corsets, stockings to peignoir sets, bras to girdles, undergarments were an important part of dressing for women in the 1920s to 1960s.  They were designed with femininity and a smooth, polished appearance in mind.  Although there are impressive pieces from 70s and 80s, I’ve found they don’t have the detail and elegance like the pieces from earlier years.

“Premier manufacturers such as Vanity Fair, Van Raalte, Barbizon, Lily of France and Warner’s took great pride in creating lingerie and foundations for their appreciative customers. Lingerie fashion design was an art in terms of style, construction and materials that cannot be duplicated today. The sensuous nylon fabrics were nearly sheer and buttery soft, woven on looms that are now obsolete. Lace trims were quite exquisite and used generously to adorn lingerie. Quality and attention to detail was of the utmost importance to the major lingerie manufacturers of those decades.” –Heavenly Vintage Lingerie


Here's a timeline of what you might see from different decades:
1920s – Slips were made of delicate silk adorned with beautiful trimmings and designed in comfortable styles.
1930s / 1940s - Slips were designed to accentuate a woman's form yet still allow movement.  They were styled with a bias-cut using rayon satin fabrics.
1950s - This was an era of the Hollywood sex symbol.  Slips still emphasized femininity and were predominately nylon lavished with lace, appliqués and chiffon.  And rustling crinolines to fill out full-skirted dresses were all the rage.

1960s - Hemlines rose and so did slip lengths.  Full slips with built-in bras were very popular.  Prints reflected the era as well with bold colors and psychedelic prints.

Prices can range from $10.00 for a simple half slip to hundreds of dollars for a 1930s Juel Park silk and lace beauty. Van Raalte slips with pleats and copious lace may fetch up to $200.00 or more depending on condition, color and size. Vanity Fair pieces with fancy trim can sell for $50.00 to $175.00.   Following is a list of designers that are no longer producing lingerie, making them quite a find!  Next time you do thrifting, keep your eyes peeled for one of these:

A: Aristocraft, Artemis
B: Bien Jolie
C: Cattani of California, Charmode
D: Deena
E: Eye Full-Flaum's
F: Fischer Heavenly Lingerie, Formfit Rogers
G: Gaymode, Glydons or Glydons of Hollywood, GMc, Gossard
H: Henson Kickernick
I: Intime of California
J: Jenelle of California, Juliana
L: Lady Leonora, Lady Lynne, Leona, Lucie Ann~Claire Sandra, Luxite~Kayser
M: Mary Barron, Michelene, Movie Star
O: Odette Barsa, Olga NIGHTGOWNS (foundations still made)
R: Radcliffe, Radelle, Rovel / Ro-Vel of California
S: Seamprufe
T: Trillium
V: Van Raalte
Y: Yolande, Youthcraft

-Shannan Fales is the owner of Junction at 1510 U Street NW. She shares her expertise in vintage and thrift each Tuesday.

Junction Tuesdays: True thrift shopping secrets, revealed

Finding treasures in a thrift store starts with you sifting through racks, hanger by hanger.  But it doesn’t end there.  There are tons of places to find hidden treasures while thrifting where you might not have thought to look.

One obvious place is the end of racks where people hang their unwanted items as they cruise the store.  Another spot is the off-season rack.  The store I frequent has a small leather jacket rack near the robes and military section.  I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve scored a sweet leather in the middle summer. 

There are also a bunch of not so obvious areas in thrift stores that I’ve incorporated into my shopping blueprint.  Here’s my list of top spots to check out.

1. Kids' clothes section.  I’ve found some of the coolest vintage t-shirts in the boys section and raddest 80’s dresses in the girls section.  You can also find small and extra small adult pieces in these sections, often times mistagged by the thrift store.  I constantly see BCBG tops hanging on the girls rack.
2. The floor.  I know this doesn’t sound too appealing, but I always check the floor especially under the hanging jackets, coats and long dresses.  There are always pieces that have fallen off their hangers, lying on the floor. And if you’re lucky, that dress on the floor will happen to be a 1970’s Christian Dior!  You never know.
3. Inside long coats.  Some people will hide their finds inside a long coat in hopes of coming back to buy them when they go on sale.  Although it’s a bit tedious to look inside all hanging coats, it’s good to be aware of this trick in case you see something sparkly and fabulous peaking out of an extra large drab trench.  Definitely worth checking out.
4. Men’s accessories.  My favorite Levi’s belt was found hanging in the men’s section.  And I’ve found some amazing silk scarves hanging with ties and ascots.  And of course, the coolest belt buckles are almost always in the men’s section.
5. Lingerie section.  I’ve heard some people say “I’d never wear used lingerie.”  And that is understandable.  But when a slip and robe set bares a Pucci for Formfit Rogers tag, you better pick them up quick!  List them on eBay and you could make a cool $100! 

Check back next week to read up on vintage lingerie including top designers and my list of resources. 

-Shannan Fales is the owner of Junction at 1510 U Street NW. She shares her expertise in vintage and thrift each Tuesday.

♥

Junction Tuesdays: Tough thrifting decisions

(Our apologies that Junction Tuesday has once again become Junction Wednesday. We had some technical difficulties yesterday. Oops.)

I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend!  I’ve been home in Massachusetts soaking in the last bit of New England sun and surf over the past week, missing my usual Monday and Thursday thrift trips.  Needless to say, I’m having thrift withdrawals and am in need of some serious bargain hunting.

 

This week's blog is dedicated to my step by step process in thrift decision making.  Many people think thrifting is like any other form of shopping - you see something you like, toss it in your cart and buy it.  But in fact, if you plan on making big trips or thrifting on a regular basis like I do, its helpful to follow a systematic process. 

 

When deciding on a purchase, I never make a final decision right off the bat:

1.   Whether its price, style or size that’s in question, I‘ll put the item in my cart for further consideration. 

2.   Once I’ve collected a bunch of things, I’ll find a spot next to a rack and mirror where I can filter through and try them on.

3.   Next, I’ll hang everything up so I can better see what I have.  (If you do this, make sure to watch your items closely so no one takes them).

4.   Then I organize my buys by “definites,“ “maybes” and “pricey buys," looking over them closely for stains, tears, broken zippers and loose hems. 

5.   The definites go back into the cart and the maybes get a closer look.  Is the price worth it?  Do I like it enough?  I’ll usually try on these items even if they aren’t my size, just to get a feel for the shape and style.

6.   The final pieces I reconsider are the “pricey buys“.  Did I nix a lot of the maybe’s?  Can I resell a pricey piece for a large profit?  Are any of them must haves? 

7.   You may think that’s the end of it.  But you never know what you’re going to find on your way out.  So my very last quick decisions are made while unloading my finds at the cashier. 

 

And that’s it.  Although it seems like a lot of hassle, I think you’ll find it’s worth it in the long run.  (Especially after you realize the $40 80s wedding dress you thought would make a sweet summer frock is actually not that sweet and can’t be returned.) 

-Shannan Fales is the owner of Junction at 1510 U Street NW. She shares her expertise in vintage and thrift each Tuesday.

Get ready for a thrifting adventure on Labor Day

The big day is here!  You’ve checked your Top 10 Thifting Tips List (maybe even twice) and are ready to start your shopping adventure.  Here are a few pointers to make your experience go smoothly. 

• Leave everything in your car that you won’t need while shopping such as sunglasses, purse, etc.  Refer to tip #9 for a list of bare essentials. 

• If you brought bags to donate, I recommend dropping them off first and getting them out of the way.  And don’t forget to ask for a donation receipt for your taxes. 

• Choose your cart wisely.  Although it seems like a minor detail, a squeaky cart with sticky wheels could make you want to cut your trip short.  At the store that I frequent, I use their smaller one because it has a section underneath that’s good for shoes and bulky items.   Choose a cart that best works for your shopping needs. 

• I always hit the jewelry section first.  As jewelry sells, stores will usually replenish their cases with new pieces.  And if you shop for an hour or two, there should be tons of new items to choose from by the end of your trip.

• Save glass and fragile items for last.  This way you can use the clothes in your cart as protection from breaking. 

• When you’re ready to check out, offer to pack your own bags.  From my experiences, I’ve found that cashiers usually ball up your items and stuff them into a bag.  If you fold your clothes yourself, you’ll find that five unwieldy bags can easily be condensed into two.

Check back next week for more Junction thrift shopping tips.  And don’t forget to hit up some of your favorite shops on Monday, September 6^th.  They usually have some pretty sweet sales on Labor Day. 

-Shannan Fales is the owner of Junction at 1510 U Street NW. She shares her expertise in vintage and thrift each Tuesday.

♥

Junction Tuesdays: Before you shop, prepare for some down and dirty thrifting

Thrift stores are havens for naked barbies.
These ladies are much more glamorous.

So you’ve figured out why you're thrifting and what you’re looking for. You have your destinations all mapped out and are ready to take the plunge. What’s next? Preparing for your big trip. Here’s my list of top 10 ways to get ready.

10. Wear clothes that you don’t mind getting “a little” to “a lot” dirty. If you’re planning on trying on pants, wear a skirt just in case there aren’t any dressing rooms. I usually wear something with a lot of pockets because I never bring in a purse.

9. Take into the store only what you’ll need: car key, money, credit card and phone. This will free up your hands for some serious shopping.

8. Consider taking your own recyclable bags. Not only is it better for the environment, but they’re more durable than most thrift store bags, making it easier to get all your treasures home.

7. Wear comfortable shoes – a.k.a sneakers.

6. Use the restroom. Most stores won’t have a public restroom and the last thing you’ll want to do is abandon your finds in search of the closest loo.

5. Bring hand wipes and antibacterial gel for a quick post-shopping clean up.

4. Make sure there’s room in your car, especially if you’re planning on buying house wares and other breakables that will require a “non-jammed in your trunk” space.

3. Don’t forget your donations. I try to adhere to a “one in, one out” policy so I don’t end up on one of those reality hoarding shows.

2. Grab a granola bar and a bottle of water. If you’re anything like me, you’ll need some nourishment after a few hours of thrifting.

1. And my number one preparation….BRING AN MP3 PLAYER! After a while, the intercom/babies crying/fuzzy radio over the loud speaker/screaming kids will get to you. I learned this the hard way and have actually cut a trip short for this reason.

Next week, what to expect once you get there and figuring out your best plan of attack.

-Shannan Fales is the owner of Junction at 1510 U Street NW. She shares her expertise in vintage and thrift each Tuesday

Junction Tuesday: Why we thrift

Hello fellow Quarterlifers!  After covering costume jewelry for the past few weeks, I’ve decided to move on to the topic of general thrifting and how to be the best at it. I’ve read many articles about thrift shopping and they all seem to be the same – generic and impersonal. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to cover everything from the obvious to my own first hand experiences. 

This week I’m going to start from the beginning. Why are you thrift shopping? Each reason will change the way you approach your shopping experience. Are you…

• going to consign
• going to sell your finds on eBay
• shopping for yourself 

If you are thrift shopping in order to consign your finds, that mean you are entrusting your items to a dealer for sale, but retaining ownership of them until sold. The dealer pays the seller, usually a 50/50 cut, only when and if the goods are sold.

If you want to be successful at consigning, there are a number of things you should be aware of. First off, who is their target market? Is it a young 20-something looking for a new outfit to wear on a Saturday night?  Or a 9-5’er who wants to add to their work wardrobe? If you don’t supply the right product, you won’t make much money. 

Request an “interview” with the consigner and make sure you’re on the same page. What season are they accepting clothes from; what is their cut; do you have to dry clean the items first (which means you have to deduct least $5-$10 per item from your profit)?  

Are you planning on reselling your finds on Ebay or another online market? This can be very tricky. You’ll have to be aware of current trends, the latest designers, and not only the value but also the going rate for these items. This is a difficult market, because once you figure in your costs (buying price, selling fees, loss from not selling) you’ll have to decipher whether the item is worth it or not. You may come across a pair of Rock & Republic jeans for $4.00 and flip them for $100, but this is not an every day occurrence. The better you know the “demand”, the more you can focus on attaining the “supply.”  

(Ed. note: Selling on eBay is pretty hard unless you focus on a niche area, like, for example, Steve Madden shoes.  If you're all over the place selling random stuff, it's probably not going to be worth it.  If you have a Quarter Life postcard, you'll see an eBay URL.  If you've been reading Quarter Life, you'll notice we don't really sell on eBay anymore.  Life's been a ton easier since we gave up and stuck to shopping for oneself.  -Lisa)

And finally, if you’re thrifting for yourself, I’ve found it best to hone it on a season, style or specific item. Thrift shopping can be very overwhelming, especially if you’re looking for things you like. Stick with one type of apparel and put your all into it. Rather than try and see a little in each department, focus on one and see everything in it. This is how you’ll find the diamond in the rough.

Next week I’ll cover preparing for your thrift shopping trip and what to expect.  And don’t forget to visit MidCity’s annual sidewalk sale Dog Days of Summer this weekend at 14^th and U Street, August 7 and 8!  

-Shannan Fales is the owner of Junction at 1510 U Street NW. She shares her expertise in vintage and thrift each Tuesday.

♥

Thrift Tip: Yard Sale Yields

Fave fashion blogger Sammy Davis is now lending a hand at Lemondrop, where she recently contributed a post about how to successfully shop a yard sale.  Not only does she offer tips, but she offers some valuable "don'ts"—for example, skip the bedding.

Her best tip of the piece (if you ask us):

Gold Find Tip #4: Shop the Wealthiest Neighborhood One Town Over
I admit, it's a bit embarrassing to hit up a local yard sale only to awkwardly discover that you're looking through stuff from your elementary school teacher's attic. The solution? Drive 20 minutes to the nearest town (not to mention school district) over to avoid run-ins with the townies. The even-better solution? Choose a wealthy neighborhood. Yard sales are like trick-or-treating: Go to the big houses, and you'll get the big sweets.

Incidentally, while reading the July issue of Real Simple magazine, I came across a brief list of tips for shopping yard sales.  I guess it is that time of year!  Real Simple advises befriending sellers that you see often, or at least chatting up those you don't.  Friendliness can go a long way, and repeat visits can earn you a soft spot in a seller's heart.  In addition, they gently remind us not to scoff at imperfect pieces that may be priced too high for our tastes.  Insulting the seller never works, so instead simply tell them what price you're willing to pay and ask if that would be suitable to them.  Don't start too low, but don't be afraid to haggle—nicely.

Trust me, most sellers want to actually SELL and would rather let something go for a lower price than have it not go at all.

I've been avoiding yard sales since I hosted my own on Memorial Day weekend.  What about you?  Any good finds lately?

♥

Introducing Junction Tuesdays

A few short months ago, the gods brought Shannan Fales and I together on a rainy evening, during which we recounted thrifting adventures over hot cider.  It quickly became obvious that her wealth of knowledge must be shared with the greater community.  And so I present to you, dear reader:

Junction Tuesdays: Thrifting Secrets from Shannan

To introduce herself to the QL crowd, she's left a note.  Get ready for Shannon's thrift tips every Tuesday!

Hello,

My name is Shannan Fales and I am the owner of Junction at 1510 U Street NW, here in the nation’s capital.  I met Lisa after she wrote about her field trip to Junction and realized we have a lot in common, specifically our abundance of thrift shopping knowledge.  She invited me to submit tips as a guest blogger and I was more than thrilled to put pen to paper—or should I say, fingers to keys.

I’d first like to introduce myself and then highlight a few topics I’ll be blogging about.  Junction is a vintage and resale boutique that I opened in 2003.  I hand-thrift everything in the store, so there’s no blind bulk buying, consigning, or wholesaling involved.  Twice a week, I hit local shops to stock up on items like men’s and women’s clothes, accessories, house wares and art from the 1940s to today. 

I’ve lived in DC since 1996, having moved from a small town in Massachusetts where my deal-hunting skills were born.  My mom and I have been “yard-saleing” ever since I can remember.  And to this day, my mom cannot drive by a yard sale without begging my dad to stop (must be where I get it from). 

The very first vintage store I stepped into is called Circa, currently located in New Bedford, MA.  Owner Chris Duval is still rocking it some twenty years later and has been one of my biggest inspirations.  He, as well as years of thrifting awesome pieces that weren't my size, motivated me to open Junction so I could have a place to showcase all my amazing finds. 

But my education in thrift shopping didn’t end there.  I’m constantly learning about what to look for, where to research, how to fix and clean, what’s valuable in different markets (jewelry, glass, pottery), all while picking up little “tricks” along the way.  These are the topics I’ll be concentrating on, with my first post focusing on jewelry. 

I’m really looking forward to sharing with you all!  Check back next week to read about vintage costume jewelry, its origins and what to look for when thrifting it. 

Shannan

♥

Thrift Tip: Canadian Guidance

We've just stumbled across Bijou Living, which has a great list of thrift tips in honor of Earth Day last month.  Here are a few of our fave vintage-hunting tips from the list:

-Stay away from purses, hats and shoes with plastic lining.

-Silk likes to fool you. Really inspect the piece for oil stains. Take it outside if possible. I don't know how many stained pieces I've bought to my chagrin. 

-If you really want the old stuff the zipper will be all metal Talon or Lightning. In the words of my Japanese clients, 'No YKK." 

♥

 

 

 

The Find: Etsy Etc.

Photo via Tialey Vintage

After setting up at the Fenton Street Market, the overwhelming response from my fellow vendors convinced me that it was time to pretty much abandon eBay and open an Etsy store.  It's definitely a work in progress, but I'm pleased to say that I've made my first sale already!

The dress that sold definitely has a story.  It was my sister's in high school, and a dress I had loved for a long time.  Determined to wear the red velvet frock to a New Year's Eve party, I did some alterations.  I took the dress in and added another layer of tulle to make it flouncy and bouncy.  Except, I took it in with such a method that made it impossible to lift my arms.  So when everyone else was dancing to "Shout!" I looked like T-Rex over in the corner with my arms stuck at elbow height.  It didn't help that I went out on the town hopped up on Dayquil and suffering from a raging fever, but that's beside the point.  The point: I hope the buyer really enjoys it!

But I want to point out my first Etsy vintage piece, which I just received last week.  I snagged a rain/car/spring/anytime! coat from Tialey Vintage on sale for the low low price of $12.99.  With my new commute, I had been on the lookout for a suitable raincoat, and had come up dry (ha!) at most of the thrift stores I visited.  Thanks to the latest Tialey Vintage sale, I was able to get a great vintage piece for a thrift store price.  Even if it's a little on the big side, everyone needs a trench.  And better baggy than small.  I gotta say, I think I look cute in this minty color.

You might say that I should be visiting local shops or vendors, but I think Etsy does great things for the vintage world.  This seller may not have been around the corner, but I'm still supporting a small business owner and someone who really puts their heart into their work.  In today's connected world, sometimes our neighbors are far away.

Oooookay, here I am in the coat!

Hey there, iPhone camera!

Look: Simple trench for city living
Label: Super Napo
Location: Etsy!
Likewise: Skinny jeans and riding boots on a rainy day, or wear it over work clothes on a chilly morning.  Really, this coat goes anywhere.

Looks better on the model, but I like it on me!  Gotta love the collar.

♥

Thrift Tip: Lather, Rinse, Repeat?

We're a little weirded-out that this thrift tip comes from a site called All Women Stalk, but we have to admit, it's solid advice.  In Seven Tips for Buying Vintage Clothing, writer Kati Blake gives you a laundry list (ha!) of tips for buying secondhand.  There are some cute photos too!

Our favorite, because it's often forgotten:

"Don’t send your vintage items to be dry cleaned, as the harsh chemicals could ruin the piece. Wash by hand using a very gentle detergent, so you can ensure you are as gentle as can be!"

And if you're washing in the sink, everyone knows Woolite is your best friend!

♥