The blisters on my feet can testify that I did a lot of walking (I was wearing flats but the inevitable rubbing happened…). I did the Polk Street strip, the Haight Street trek, the Valencia/Mission (I’m saving Thrift Town for tomorrow though…) patch and the Hayes Valley gander…all in one day… but the shopping muse had deserted me and left me high and dry and since jetlag is still plaguing my head, I just wasn’t in the correct mode for shopping (I must do a shopping mode post soon as I’ve found that a certain frame of mind is needed for bountiful shopping trips…). Still, the cut back challenge remains and I could not let myself down so I persevered. At the Community Thrift place on Valencia, I riffled like a crazy woman and I do recall lightly shoving a middle-aged lady with my bag by accident due to all the heavy rifling…
In the end I came out with four pieces for UNDER twenty bucks, each coming in at $3-6 each and including tax came to a tidy $20.10. Ever so slightly over but I’m not going to lose sleep over it. Vintage wasn’t the key theme as thrift stores, like charity shops are secondhand as opposed to VINTAGE. However, I tried to evoke some sort of 70s’ YSL-esque vibe with bright jewel tones in the form of a fuschia silk t-shirt with shoulder pads, Calvin Klein coral silk skirt (possibly FAKE CK I might add…), sheer chiffon layered aqua/black wrap skirt and a textured turquoise lace waist coat. With some tucking, tying and draping, and along with the $20 Ferragamo shoes, I think despite the clashyness (trashy?) of it all, I’m liking the effect of the colours together. For a total of $40, it’s not too bad an effort despite going over budget. I feel a little deflated like in Changing Rooms, when the designers have gone grossly over budget but at least I haven’t done a Lawrence Llewelyn Bowen checkerboard disaster (a painful episode of Changing Rooms I might add) either so I’m not too fussed.
EWWWWWW!
That skirt has some amazing colors. And Susie, you can always pull anything off! 🙂
well done on the pieces you found honey especially on that tight budget!
kisses
Marian
i’m a major thrifter here in sf, and if you do thrift town tomorrow…
1. try to go between 11:30-12pm. that’s when they usually have everything out. earlier means you could miss stuff, and later is just a miss on a good find.
2. hit shoes in the back left first. hit or miss, but i often find hits. scan, scan, scan, cos sometimes a gem will appear in the aisle you just crossed 2 times.
3. bag section is “meh”, but if you go upstairs, they sometimes have buttery, leather tote-ish bags near the back. you have to fit into a tight display area, but it might be worth it.
4. they have a vintage clothing section in the middle left side. hit that after shoes. i’m often disappointed here, but you never know. they have a few more prominent round racks near check out on your left, which offered up the best fuschia silk georgette dress once.
5. i once found a new margiela punk sweater collection 6 in the sweater section towards the back left wall for $3. no joke!
can you tell i shop here too much? good luck on your sf thrift jaunt!
that’s wonderfully mismatched and i like the unusual proportions/angular shape the vest introduces when you wear it on top of the soft, drapey underlayers
wow, gorgeous colour combo. The fuschia is amazing, a successful day thrifting it seems!
p.s.
i hope you get a chance to eat some delicious asian fare in the city. if you can, check out the sunset or richmond district for simple fare. i once took my singaporean-australian friend for kow yook in the sunset district and she almost cried (tears of joy of course). she could not find it in l.a. and it made her homesick.
love it all, nice thrifting. but that skirt is really a catch.
Did some thrifting myself today. I have to admit, that lately I have been trying to not get anything new. If I do shop, I try to do it on eBay or at a thrift store. The only new things I’ve bought are shoes! But that’s because I never, and I repeat, never find shoes at my size (10.5 to 11) so whenever I find, I stock up.
Have you seen this pic of you on Tokyo Bopper’s blog?
http://tokyobopper.com/?page=14
antoi’s suggestions a la thrift town are right on. everything i would say myself.
also take a look in the cases around the checkout area, there are occasionally good cocktail hats, jewelry (esp. crazy earrings), and other little bits.
good luck…i’m so jealous. i haven’t been since i had my baby in august, which physically hurts because i used to haunt that place multiple days a week! 🙂
Ooohh I love it!
The colors are totally delicious. I do get a YSL vibe from it, even a little YSL via the Marc resort collection. wonderful.
I’d say you did alright for $20.10. I love all the drapey colors together.
I disagree about the bag selection at thfift town, as with anything it depends on the day. I found a huge, gorgeous, warn in leather 70’s brown purse that is one of my faves in the purse area as well as a really cool huge grey purse too.
I usually start out in the vintage area then move on to shoes, dresses, then to skirts, shirts and sweaters. Along the walls are the long pants suits (jumpers) and longer dresses and coats, they usually have some really great coats. I have gotten 2 amazing vintage coats that I get complements on whenever I wear them.
Good luck Suzie, I can’t wait to see what you come up with. I would have never picked out the things you purchased at comunity thrift, but you make it look amazing. Thats why fashion is so fun, everyone’s unique!
Another thing to look for at community thrift is the hat selection, I have found some amazingly beautiful vintage hats, everything from 70’s to 40-60’s. They are usually well priced too.
$20? please.
that exchange rate is totally on your side.
You’re killing me. I probably say that too much but you’re thrifting like a SEASONED PRO. You look like a million bucks (ha! get it? money analogy!!!!) 😉
Wonderful color combo.
the colors are AMAZING!
shoes are to die for. $20???
I love the skirt with the fuschia top – lovely. The lace waist coat is growing on me.
wow! total ysl color combo + drape vibe. I adore it!
i want to go thrifting in the bay area so bad! Any names of places not to be missed? I’ve mostly gone on Haight St. when I’ve visited…
Tell me how it goes on thrift town!
i adore the entire silhouette…totally innovative. such steals! <3 i guess the entire appeal of thrifting lies in taking unlikely garments and transforming them into something special and unique....
Painted Bird is a MUST. 24th/Guerrerro. Great little shop, nice girls, super prices.
The Salvation Army way out on Valencia can also be good (at 26th, I think?)..
great finds, Susie!
xo
ooh changing rooms! i miss the aussie version of that show…
anyhoo i’m not a fan of the vest but everything else: top notch! silkyness + jewel tones= love
Ah, I used to watch Changing Rooms every week, Lawrence was my favourite. Do you remember that episode where the woman started crying because she hated her room so much? (Something in red + zebra prints).
Anyhow, not feeling the vest, but like the rest, especially the color combo.
Lovely Ferragamo shoes! Fantastic your look! Colour cavalcade!
I love that skirt Susie! And how on earth do you come up with such a cool outfit for $40?!? I’m amazed! I love the outfit without the vest (makes the skirt more ‘visible’)
those shoes you picked up the other day did a treat for that outfit, didn’t they?
It’s quite exciting to see you in a different setting. It feels like we are travelling with you.
oh my god you’re in SF? i just discovered today! haven’t kept up with your blog. oops!
i must say, i find that most SF thrift shops are fairly picked over… thrifting around here best done in small semi-suburban towns with slightly run-down downtowns… which tends to necessitate a car.
HOWEVER i do think that places like crossroads (http://crossroadstrading.com/) and buffalo exchange (http://www.buffaloexchange.com/) can be pretty good in the city. the best find i ever got in one of these was a made-to-order cream-colored, bee-waisted (is that the right phrase?) vintage 50’s wool coat, with the tailor’s label from hong kong still in it, at the rockridge (oakland) crossroads for $18.
p.s. how long are you in town for!?
I love everything you’re wearing! The colours are amazing!
super nice haul!!! love the colours
Great finds! Good quality materials and gorgeous colours! I like the shapes you’ve created with them too. Good work!
bargainous finds indeed, I’m in love with all the layers!
That skirt is gorgeous!
juliet xxx
amazinnnnng !! i luv it all ~ 😀
I really like the colors and what you did on the bottom half. Very hard to believe the steal you got on it all…are you sure you didn’t cheat? 😉
You’re in my town!! 🙂 Welcome. You should have gone off to Anthropologie instead of Urban or H&M. Drop by if you have a chance, I don’t think they have branched off to the UK yet. It’s on Market street a couple doors down from the GAP store at the cable car turnstile in union square.
You look fab as always
your skirt is amazing!
Prefer the outfit without the waistcoat (but I am not a waistcoat fan!), great colours!
A little birdie told me you visited the Chictopia hq – yet another topic for our still pending conversation.
you look freakin fantastic. only you could do this for 40 dollars.
Wow! I love your outfit but the shoes are to die for.
What an awesome idea, I just subscribed and read back in your blog a little ways about this challenge. I was looking forward to seeing how you’d do, and you did beautifully.
I’m in love with the shirt and flats, no lie, they’re the best color. And I did like the skirt, but i wasn’t big on the vest. It’s all personal taste of course, haha. I love YSL and I could totally see the inspiration.
Now I want to try this challenge myself 🙂 it should be interesting, considering most of my local thrift stores are full of garbage. Hopefully I’ll get some good finds.
xSimone
The colors are beautiful and the proportions too, want to try at home.
cute colour combo!!!
such unlikely colors- but really, they go so well together! and great use of non-vintage items to create a vintage look .
very cute! pink always makes me smile
Beautiful colour palette!!
do it like miu miu
that looks great
I think the colors work. Love the blue skirt.
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