Store Story: Teen Challenge, Sprauge

Visited the Teen Challenge Thrift Store on Sprauge. From the outside it looks pretty small...

But it is actually humongous once you get inside. I loved the vaulted ceilings which added a rustic garage sale touch.

There was not much organization to the racks, but if you have the time to work through them, it doesn't really matter.

Each rack has a size/price list in the middle, and each garment has a color tag.

The tags then correspond with a 'tag sale' which is pretty generous.

The system may sound confusing...which at first it was, but what I soon realized was that everything was pretty cheap, and the best thing to do is grab it all and then do your totaling at the register.

The Harry Potter fan in me wanted to buy this Hogwarts lunchbox,

and I LOVED this bowling bag, which I would use as a regular bag (sans bowling ball).

But I didn't buy either as I thought they might be a little too hard to translate into wearability. I did buy a pencil skirt for about 45cents (on sale) and a great pair of brazilian clogs which are way too big for me but I had to own them anyway. I'll probably give them to my sister-in-law.

shopfrugality tip: body type

Well dear readers, it has been a while since I've posted a tip, so here's a basic one I hope most of you already know: know your body type and what works on you.

My basic rules of fit:

1. If it's too small, don't buy it, wear it, go near it. I know it's tempting to buy the one-day-I'll-fit-into-them jeans, buy most likely you won't and it won't help your self-esteem staring at them. There's nothing more unattractive than a woman busting out of too-small clothes. Don't be disillusioned...if it doesn't work on you, it doesn't work on you. There are some things that only Kate Moss can wear.

2. Learn the art of illusion. If you have a bit of a belly, don't buy clothes that show off your stomach. Learn to highlight parts of your body you love (collar-bone, tiny waist) and camouflage the areas you don't love (arms, belly, thighs). If you're a bit on the heavy side, the best thing to do is create a waistline, not hide it.

3. Too-long on too-short is not good, and too-short on too-long is not good. Fashion is always in favor of the taller woman (that's just the way the industry works) but remember, it's always about proportioning clothes to the proportions of your body. Women with long legs but short torsos need to think about proportions just as much as women with short legs and long torsos.

4. You have a top half and a bottom half. Again--proportions. Throwing on way too many things that busy up the body will only turn you into a blob. When dressing, make sure you can tell where your top ends and your bottom begins (think strategically placed belts and hemlines).

5. God (or whoever you believe in) made your body the way it is. Don't dwell on what you don't have, be happy with what you do have and make the best of it. The easiest way to learn to dress your body correctly is by understanding it and appreciating it.

6. Break the rules. I'm 5' tall, but lord help me, I'm going to wear tent dresses that overwhelm my frame if I feel like it! If you absolutely love it, go for it! No one became a fashion icon by following the rules all the time.

Funky Things I Own (but hardly ever wear)

These outfits are inspired by my aforementioned hair cut and nail polish. Most of these items are "funky" things I hardly ever wear...but hope to start wearing some day. Sometimes these outfits work, sometimes they don't. This was basically a fashion exercise for me to "shake things up" a bit.

Unfortunately, if you haven't been able to tell, my picture quality has gone down. I was using my mom's awesome camera before, but post-move I had to resort back to my camera which has a hard time focusing when the lighting is off.

all these values are estimates as some of these items I purchased years ago)

dress: value village, seattle, $6.99

blazer: salvation army, honolulu, $3.99

broach: garage sale, honolulu, $1

boots: central union thrift, honolulu, $2

tank top: club monaco, new

skirt: value village, seattle, $3.99
shoes: bottega veneta, new
necklace: garage sale, honolulu, $10 (I struggled for a long time over whether or not to buy this piece)

top: awesome fringe sweater, garage sale, honolulu, $1

skirt: AA tube dress, new

clutch: goodwill, honolulu (waialae), $4.99

necklaces: silver, fighting eel showroom, honolulu, $10; gold (with glass orbs), rummage sale, honolulu, $2

Preface to Funky Things

There are a few guaranteed things that make me change my style choices. The first is a great new haircut (which I got two days after my wedding) and the second is awesome nail polish (I found the most to-die-for color which I'm currently obsessed with). As you have probably already seen the cut, I figure I should post a picture of the nails:

The nail polish is OPI "you don't know jacques" from their paris line. It is the most perfect somber fall matte-grey color which I think should replace black nail polish all together. I'm in love.

ps. I also purchased a color called "midnight in moscow" which is basically black infused with metallic flecs of russian red. But, I've fallen so in love with jacques that russia will have to wait...

daily outfit: loosey goosey

This afternoon my husband wanted to show me some houses in a near-by neighborhood. We made a quick stop at Rockwood Bakery for coffee and then meandered down a few streets of real estate. He wanted to show me one house in particular which was run down and abandoned...but AMAZING for someone with the time and money to invest in fixing it up. So, what's a good outfit for coffee and real estate? I figured easy and breezy, something slightly boho for strolling around town, but put together enough for a coffee shop.

As I threw on this purple skirt (worn as a dress) it obviously needed a belt to give it shape, and unfortunately flats were necessary. I was about to run out the door when I figured it's not mid-day and I would probably need a bit of warmth. I grabbed this grey cardigan/sweater a little apprehensive of what the outfit would look like all together, but I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by the proportions and overall drapy-ness of my choices.

dress: skirt worn as dress, rummage sale, honolulu, $2 (it also has a matching top that is adorable on its own, but hideous as an ensemble)
belt: chewelah thrift store, $1
shoes: salvation army, spokane, $0.38 (50% off $0.75)

daily outfit: stripes and denim

As I threw on one of my all time favorite shirts (it's some crazy nylon/spandex blend that feels like you're wearing nothing) I looked outside and realized that it was well over 70 degrees. I figured the only thing to do when the weather is still this warm is wear short-shorts. So I threw on my high-waisted early 90's mossimo light denim shorts and to avoid looking too "momish" I usually put on a belt with them. But then I remembered something. For a brief time in fashion history (approximately when I was in 7th-8th grade) Abercrombie, or some other hideous chain store, came up with the idea that it would be "cool" to roll the top of shorts, pants, anything, down. Something I like to call "the foldover."

Now back in the day when this trend first hit, it was pretty horrible. This was because the foldover was employed on already low cut jeans...hence your butt (or underwear) was guaranteed to be showing at some point. But when I tried this old trend out on my high waisted shorts, it actually gave a pleasing effect. It did the job of the belt, without actually needing a belt. Genius!

I threw on my newly discovered (meaning they've been pushed in the back of the closet) and possibly newly favorite bottega veneta platforms, and grabbed my reliable slouchy brown no-name bag. Voila! Off to run errands I go.

shirt: vintage (pretty sure it's some japanese creation), Buddhist temple rummage sale, Manoa Valley, Honolulu, $2
shorts: early 90s mossimo, salvation army, spokane, $1.50 ($3.00/50% off)
shoes: bottega veneta, NEW
bag: old-faithful, value village, seattle, can't remember the price I've had it so long

Store Story: Intro to Spokane, and Evergreen Club Thrift

I have officially moved into Spokane, WA. It may not be as big as Seattle, but it definitely retains that Great Northwest charm. Also, they have some GREAT thrift stores.

The first day in town my husband and I strolled around downtown (looking for jobs and familiarizing ourselves with the city).

I even found a sign in a window that directed me towards the farmer's market!

We stopped at a Japanese restaurant called Sushi.com. I ordered the lunch combo II bento for $8.95. By the end of our meal the place was packed. It seemed we stumbled on a Spokane Asian cuisine hot spot.

Store Story: The next day we went to a couple thrift stores. This one associated with the Evergreen Club is located on E. Sprauge east of downtown.

I knew I had come to the right place when I saw this sign outside:

and for those of you who don't know...this is the jackpot. It basically means you get whatever you can shove into a shopping bag all for a dollar.

The thrift store itself isn't much, but they do have a good assortment of clothing. I found a great blazer and a pair of snow boots. They also had a great collection of vintage shoes: