Thrifty Thursday

Wow, I have done a lot of thrifting this week. I've hit up just about every thrift store in the greater Madison area. Also, this past weekend some girlfriends and I went up north to a small town named Minocqua, and we spent at least an hour in this adorable little thrift shop. . . I found a few little trinkets there, like this ashtray and tea tin.

Today I "stopped by" Goodwill, and ended up scouring the entire store. Found some great things, though. 

 I must have (subconsciously) had Valentine's Day on the mind because I was drawn to clothes in lovely shades of red and pink. . .

I altered this flowered skirt-- originally it was much longer. Now I'm considering keeping it because it makes me long for Spring. But it will be a few months before I can walk bare-legged through the streets of Wisconsin!

All of these goodies will be for sale on the website shortly!

XO,

Jess

Weekly Wishlist: Spring Dreamin'

Well, there's another huge blizzard passing through the Midwest today. And I have to walk to work in a few minutes. Guess I have the Winter blahs. . . and there's still at least 2 more months of snow and cold ahead!
Needless to say, I'm already daydreaming of sunny Spring days, open-toed shoes, short dresses (without leggings!) and no more need for scarves, hats, gloves and snow boots. Here are a few items I found that made me smile.

MY LADY OF THE FUCHSIAS dress by SwaneeGrace

Vintage Bantam Green Floral Overnight Bag by Plaid Pony

Secret Garden Art Cocktail Ring by Schmooks

Vintage Copper Strappy Sandals by JessJamesJake

Oh well. . . for now I'm going to revisit my post "10 Things to Look Forward to this Winter" that I wrote in November, to remind myself that Winter has its perks.

XO,

Jess

Outfit Post: Restaurant Week

So last night Josh and I went out to a very nice dinner at a fancy seafood restaurant. We're kind of poor right now, but figured that we should take advantage of it being Madison Restaurant Week. This is a wonderful twice yearly event where numerous local restaurants offer a 3 course dinner for $25. . .and when you're dining at a place that usually charges $25-$40 per entree, this is a great deal!
Also, going out to eat is always a great reason to get dressed up. It is difficult, though, to look chic when it's 5 degrees outside. I solved this problem in part by wearing my wool-lined black leggings instead of tights. Here's the outfit:

Vintage gold dress that I recently altered to fit me (it was about 2 sizes too big) and added the black ribbon waisband and black bowtie.
1950's black cardigan with beading and pearls decorating the front and hem that I purchased in Atlanta over Christmas.
Brand new (to me) boots that I found at a thrift store this weekend. . .  They're brown suede with snakeskin embellishment and gold-capped toes!

XO,

Jess

The Exploitation of Vintage

Ok, can I rant for a minute?  I'm not sure how long this has been going on, but Urban Outfitters is now selling vintage on their site.  It's not surprising, given the success of indie sites like ModCloth that sell both new and vintage clothing. Also, I assume U.O. has had success with their "Urban Renewal" clothing line, which involves designers "re-inventing" vintage/second-hand pieces. I usually like their Urban Renewal items-- I certainly am inspired by some of the designs I see-- however I personally never buy these pieces because I think they're a tad overpriced, and I know I can make them myself. Well, the straight-up vintage items they are selling now are beyond overpriced. Take this wool dress from Pendleton. Sure, it's cute. . .but $238 cute?! Pendleton is a brand that I come across all the time. It's not designer.

Now, why would anyone pay so much for this dress when they can go to any number of sites, like Etsy, and find a very similar dress at a fraction of the price? I did a quick browse on Etsy for Pendleton wool dresses, and I came across all of these lovely finds (and none of them over $60!):

photo credits: fine and dandy vintage, vintage perspective, love fox vintage, heart city, tharpstout

I know that vintage has become mainstream and hip, but I think we need to remember that part of the appeal--part of the reason I buy vintage at least-- is the affordability and the desire to promote small businesses over large corporate chains.  I hope teenagers today can tell the difference.

Ok, that is all. Thanks for letting me vent. . ,I'm going thrifting now!

XO,

Jess

Weekly Wishlist: New Year's Eve

Well, it's New Year's Eve-- the biggest party night of the year. Unfortunately for me, I have to work. Yes, it's also the most lucrative night of the year for waitresses, so I'm going to suck it up and forgo the party dress for an apron in hopes of making some much-needed mad cash. Ah well, c'est la vie. To cheer myself up, I did some "window shopping" on Etsy today, and here's my wishlist entitled "What I Would Wear" this NYE, featuring lovely shades of pink and silver!

1. Vintage 1940's Everlasting Light Party Dress, by Dear Golden Vintage

2. Afternoon Delight Floral Headband, by Crafts2Cherish

3.  Vintage Fluorescent Orange Pink Coat, by Animal Head Vintage

4. 1920's Pink and Silver Beaded Belgium Clutch, by Frocks n Frills Vintage


Happy New Year's! See you in 2011!

XO,

Jess

new additions. . .

I'm finally getting around to putting new items up on the website. . . Some pretty yummy goodies, I think.

 

1940's Saks Fifth Avenue Blazer

AMAZING mint green and white 1950's party dress

Super-cute black and white patent leather oxfords. . . unfortunately a 1/2 size too small for me :(

You may notice that I'm trying new things with my product photography. . . still not totally happy with it. Any suggestions?

XO,

Jess

Thrifty Thursday! The Wishlist.

Brrr. . .it's nasty cold outside! It's snowing. It's been dark for hours. I do not feel like leaving the house. So instead of going out thrifting today, I decided to stay in and do some "shopping" from my computer, with a cup of hot tea and my coziest sweater on. I started out looking on Etsy for Christmas presents. . . my sister wants a pair of black cowgirl boots, my boyfriend needs a new winter coat. . . but, of course, I ended up finding several things that I want as well. I'm so selfish. Anyways, here is (part of) my Holiday wishlist:

I mentioned before that I'm obsessed with gold. . .This is an amazing black and gold lace party dress from Maries Vintage! After all, a girl can never have too many party dresses, right?

What a divine peacock blue peacoat from Nickie Frye. I can't have enough blue in my wardrobe, and I always love a pop of fur! Great for this chilly time of year.

Ok, I really don't need another pair of boots. . . I believe I'm up to 9 pairs now- cowgirl boots, ankle boots, snow boots, etc. I'm obsessed. I still don't own a pair of Frye boots, though (well, not in my size. . .I have one pair in my shop in a 6 1/2).  I also don't own a pair of camel-colored cowgirl boots. So, these very reasonably-priced Frye boots from Bootmeister are going on my wishlist.

One thing that I do kind of "need" is a new go-to handbag. I currently use (the majority of the time) a wonderful cream-colored leather bag, much like this one, from Valhalla Brooklyn.  I simply cannot say enough wonderful things about these handmade bags. For one thing, every time I look at mine, I think How did someone make this by hand? it's too perfect! That being said, my current VB bag is still in amazing condition (nearly 2 years after I bought it!), but it may be time to change things up a bit. I'm thinking something darker this season. . . maybe chocolate?

What's on your Holiday wishlist?

XO,

Jess