mission: school days

The beginning of school is rapidly approaching, and even though I am not returning, this time of year always makes me a bit nostalgic. Everyone knows the best thing about school starting is the new outfits and deciding what to wear on the first day! So here are a couple school inspired outfits. Hope you enjoy!

Outfit 1:

Under dress: american apparel (new)
jumper: vintage, salvation army, Kalihi, HI, $2
shoes: goodwill, seattle, $4
rosary: soon-to-be-husband's

Outfit 2:

tank: club monaco (new)
skirt: goodwill outlet, seattle, apx. $1
belt: esprit (vintage), Catherine's Closet, Honolulu, $25
shoes: Michael Kors (new)

store story: Goodwill Outlet, Seattle

Where do you start when writing about the Goodwill Outlet? Well, first let me say this: it is not for the faint of heart.

With bins and bins lined up like this:

Each stacked high with clothes like this:

It is trying to find a needle in a haystack.

When new bins are brought out, you are not allowed to touch the new items until all the bins are in place. I do not know how this rule came about, but it is something that everyone knows (as everyone here seems to be a regular). The regulars are also known as "pickers" or "sellers." These are people who wait around all day in hopes of finding a vintage dress which they will resell for a much higher profit.

These are some sellers hovering over the new bins, waiting for the attack signal:

After nearly two hours (yes TWO HOURS!) I made away with a cartfull:

which you pay by the pound (1.39/lbs).

My total at the end of the day was 36 items for $30.30 which averages $0.84/item.

So why wouldn't I go back after making such a killing? Let's just say the sellers make the atmosphere a bit intense, and at times facing the mounds of clothing is both intimidating and disheartening. The overall feeling of chaos is simply not worth the cheap prices. If you plan on going, go with lots of energy and relatively low expectations. I did find an awesome leather skirt and a suede jacket, though.

p.s. bring one of these along for after!

shopfrugality tip: getting through the racks, fabrics

Familiarizing yourself with different fabrics and patterns is a key tool to wading through racks and racks of clothes quickly and successfully.

1) Colors: If you know you look bad in a color, skip it all-together. This can save you tons of time, especially at stores that sort by color.

2) Fabrics: Learn the different textures of natural and synthetic fabrics so your hands can “sense” them out as you rifle through the racks. My fingertips know the minute I’ve hit 100% silk and the difference between a polyestery knock-off (not to say the knock off isn’t worth looking at also).

3) Patterns: While this is tricky, it’s not impossible; learn to differentiate between “timeless” and “trendy” patterns (the aim is timeless, not trendy). For me, patterns are probably the easiest way for me to immediately “veto” certain garments. My trick: If it reminds me of a very specific time period or person (in a bad way)—VETO. This doesn’t apply to vintage (late 50s early 60s brocade will always remind me of late 50s early 60s brocade in a wonderful ecstatic way). Rather, if I remember seeing my mom in that print on mother’s day 1992, that usually means VETO. This motto helps me scan through 10 hideous floral print sundresses in about 2 seconds.


But perhaps the best advice I can give about fabrics is this: Trust your instincts. If you are for some reason drawn to the purple dress with yellow lightning bolts in differing sizes (which, by the way, I TOTALLY would be) then grab it—your inner fashion sense is trying to tell you something even if you don’t always understand it.

sustainability: Columbia City

While this blog will focus mainly on fashion, you have to love when fashion blurs into life.

Today was very successful. I went and picked up my wedding dress (which I'll talk about in another post) and then came home to do some "dinner" planning (I cook wednesday nights). I decided to make vegetarian thai curry...coconut milk is to DIE for...so I headed out to Columbia City Farmers Market for dinner supplies.

I decided to stop by a thrift store before the market. It is called Justice Works! and is actually a grassroots organization which is fighting for reform of the 3 strikes legislation. As many of you know, our current criminal justice system is extremely biased towards minorities and under-represented peoples. For a great book which covers some of these issues, read Andrea Smith's Conquest.

Anyway, Justice Works! is having a Grand Opening of their Thrift & Gift Store on August 23, 2008 from noon-5pm. 4206 Rainier Ave. S., 98118. Features: free refreshments, door prizes, live entertainment, and a display of prison art. I will be there to record for my blog, so stop by!

After that, I went up to columbia city and continued my sustainabilty quest. For those of you not lucky enough to grow up in the south end, let me say, there is no where else I'd rather be. South Seattle is probably the most culturally diverse part of town, and I'm proud to call it home. Here are some glorious pictures from today's farmers market. Support local growers! Shop organic, shop local, shopfrugality!

The cinema:

best kept secret in town. $8 tickets, old time wooden chairs, popcorn in brown paper bags.

The market:

Columbia City:


The plunderings:

jody loves: sequin tops

If you haven't noticed already, I am a huge fan of anything sparkly or shiny, and sequin tops are about as sparkly and shiny as it gets! The trick to purchasing quality sequins as opposed to cheap tacky sequins is pretty easy to tell. Clue 1: weight. If you pick up a top, and it's heavy, that's a good sign. Clue 2: beading. if there is beading on top of sequins this usually shows that it was all done by hand. Clue 3: 100% silk lining. Look for the tag.

The key to wearing these crazy tops is to keep everything else minimal (NO ACCESSORIES!)

Here are three of my favorite tops:

Amazing amazing. click on the picture to see all the amazing detail put into this sequined top (the bead work is phenomenal).
Mo'ili'ili Thrift Shop on Beretannia, Honolulu, $5
wear with: nude tube dress underneath, nude bandage platforms.

This is a pretty common top (search sequined butterfly top on ebay if you want one for yourself).
Church sale in Makiki, Honolulu, $3
Wear with: black leggings or unitard (all the way down to the ankles), black pointed-toe pumps.

I almost didn't buy this one...but it kept calling out to me because of the GREAT color combination.
Goodwill (Waialae), Honolulu, $7.99
wear with: cuffed khaki short-shorts, chunky black wood platforms.

the first complete cycle

And so it is done. I hope you enjoyed my last three posts. Those are the templates for the way this blog will be "run."

These three will rotate as close to this schedule as possible:

Monday: store story
Wednesday: plunderings
Friday: shopfrugality tip

But check back daily, because I'll intersperse other blogs as well. Think "mission" blogs in which I pull together certain looks for certain events. Celebrity inspired outfits. Trends and my predictions.

Thanks for supporting shopfrugality! -jody

plunderings: Lifelong Thrift

At last, the first outfit post! Please pardon the (at times) terrible lighting and the amateur modeling...I hope it improves as I gain more experience. These outfits were all compiled out of the 7 items I purchased at Lifelong Thrift Store. Enjoy!

Outfit 1:

White hooded shirt, $4.49. Bought this on an "impulse" just because the shape is interesting...a little hard to translate into wearability.
Worn with: black american apparel tube dress, sam edelman wooden platforms, vintage gold bracelets.
Wear this to: a contemporary dance performance.

Outfit 2:

pink slip, $0.50. Knew this slip was too big, but couldn't pass it up for 50 cents. So, what do you do when something is too large on top? Throw a great scarf over and belt it!
Worn with: vintage scarf and belt, Michael Kors ankle boots with fringe.
Wear this to: Sunday brunch with friends.

Outfit 3:

Little boys Texas Rangers Tee (vintage), $2.49; ethnic print skirt, $0.50
Worn with: vintage belt w/silver buckle and detailed leather, early 80s woven flats.
Wear this to: Flea or Farmers Market (Carry with an oversized canvas bag).

Outfit 4:

black sparkle "dress," $0.50...yes I know this is similar to my other one, but this is a slinky material I couldn't resist (and only for 50 cents!)
Worn with: Michael Kors platform wedges and my maroon clutch which I think matches everything!
Wear this to: night on the town!

Outfit 5:

Printed blouse, $4.99, brocade skirt, $4.99 (the most expensive purchases of the day)...a perfect lesson in mixing patterns you wouldn't normally think to.

Worn with: vintage Wild Pair stilettos and black patent clutch.

Wear this to: Church (if you're daring), or a "casual" business lunch.

store story: Lifelong Thrift, 1017 E. Union (Seattle) 206-957-1655

Going to Lifelong Thrift Store for the first time today was pleasantly surprising. From the outside looking like this:

I would have never thought the inside would be as beautiful and diaphanous as this:

and with these daily discounts, I was pleased that these skirts were 50% off!

They had an impressive men's selection:

But, of course, I browsed mostly through the women's section:

which had funky sweaters (i LOVE the tiger, $12.99):

And this adorable painted leather patchwork purse ($6.99):

And too many awesome dresses to share them all!

After arriving at Lifelong Thrift, and introducing myself to the extremely friendly employees, I dove right in, thrilled by my newest thrift store adventure! At first there was a bit of sticker shock as I browsed through what seemed to be the "expensive" section which averaged men's shirts at $20! YIKES! But once on the other side of the barrier, to the long rows of "regular" clothing, I was relieved that the prices dropped down to about $9/shirt (yet, still a bit pricey for a thrift store).

But, as all great thrift stores should have, there are daily discounts differentiated by the color of tag. I found out that they rotate the colors every week, and the "cheapest" ($0.50) tag means that the item is 5-weeks-old. If the item does not sell by the end of the week, it is bagged up and shipped to Africa as a donation. How awesome is that?!?! Oh yeah, and did I mention that proceeds of Lifelong go towards fighting the battle against AIDS? Talk about feel-good shopping.

Unfortunately, even with the sale, some of the items were still too pricey for my book. The black and blue Laura Ashley dress pictured above was a whopping $22.99...but my hopes is that it will still be around in 5 weeks where I can snag it for the $0.50 deal!

Jewelry was a bit scarce, but there is still plenty to look forward to (I saw a kate spade bag for $15 and a few marc jacobs pieces for around $25).

In the end, I purchased 7 items for a little over $20 which averages to $2.86/item. A pretty successful day, if you ask me. I'm DEFINITELY adding Lifelong to my regular route of thrifting.

shopfrugality tip: where to look

For some, the hardest part of secondhand shopping is knowing where to go and what to expect. Here are some basic guidelines broken down in price ranges. Hope this helps!

High-level Price: Specialty Stores, "High-end" Consignment, Buy Sell Trade Stores
Local (seattle) examples: red light, buffalo exchange
Expect to pay, average for a dress: $15-20
Pros: Almost always gauranteed to find something in a selection of "on trend," high quality clothing. And, at a buy, sell, trade, you can unload some of your oldies for store credit aka new clothes!
Cons: Prices are higher, and it's not as thrilling of a hunt

Mid-level Price: Chain Stores
Examples: goodwill, value village/savers
Expect to pay, average for a dress: $8-12
Pros: HUGE selection to hunt through
Cons: HUGE selection to hunt through

Low-level Price: Mom and Pop Thrift Stores
For Local Examples: thumb through yellow pages under "Thrift Stores," or "Second Hand Stores"
Expect to pay, average for a dress: $3-6
Pros: cheap, cheap, cheap, and usually the least picked-through selection
Cons: sometimes strange hours, locations, owners, experiences (but that's half the fun, right?)

Insider tips:

• I didn't list Salvation Army under the chain stores because their prices tend to be ridiculously low for a chain (which makes it my personal favorite).
• Garage Sales belong in a category all their own because it's ALWAYS hit or miss--just be sure to go with lots of energy, and low expectations.
• Go outside the "big city" and be prepared to be shocked. I'm talking items for pennies! PENNIES! I recently went to Deer Lake, WA (30min outside North Spokane) and purchased a perfect conditioned red clutch for 10 cents! 10 CENTS!

tastes and tidbits

Since this blog is brand-spanking-new I have no thrift store visits to share yet.

So, instead I will post a few pictures of my recent thrift findings to allow you to see my style and imagine the findings to come:

so cute denim "overall" dress: kimchi & blue, crossroads trading co., seattle (broadway), $25 (trade)
I wear this with: chunky wooden platforms, check scarf, and ghetto-fab hoops.

vintage black sparkle oversized shirt (which I wear as a dress): Central Union Thrift Store, Honolulu, $1

since the black "dress" has no shape, I threw on this fab green fringe vest: vintage, garage sale, honolulu, $2
I wear this with: white gucci ankle boots, vintage gold long-chain watch-locket.

Love this neon pink body-con dress (with scoop back not pictured): vintage, value village, seattle (capitol hill), $6.99
I wear this with: oversized linen blazer, black gladiator platforms.

what it's all about

Hello to all my future readers:

As a social experiment of my own in order to address "going green," I have decided to only shop secondhand for the next year (except for shoes because like all other girls, shoes are my weakness...and yes, I will seek professional help). Not only is shopping secondhand economical, I find it challenging, exciting, and overall more fun than simply going to the mall down the street. The thrills of not knowing what I'll find and the highs of scoring big (think designer vintage for a few dollars) have turned me into a thrift store junkie.

With the economy as it is, I figure many others are in need of saving a few extra bucks. So as my contribution to society, I will document and share my goodwill hunting experiences for the benefit of others.

Warning: though I will be giving "advice" on how to shopfrugality (yes, I made up this term...frugality is just so much more fun to say than frugally) there are no rules to shopping thrift. Simply start digging.

*UPDATE: The more I work with this blog, the more I realize shopfrugality is a lifestyle. Therefore, though fashion remains the main focus, I will periodically include posts relating to sustainability and social justice issues (it seems that my favorite thift stores all have GREAT causes). I promise never to push my views on others, simply supply all the options in my power for people to make informed decisions...that's shopfrugality.