Big Thriftin': Holly Does NYC

It would be an understatement to say that I was nervous about hosting Holly Hilgenberg--my dear friend and the undisputed Goddess and Champion of Northern Midwestern thrifting--on a thrifting adventure in New York City. I make no secret of the challenges I face as a deal-seeker in what may very well be the most deal-starved metropolis in this country. I was sure that Holly, coming from the Land of Plenty, could only be disappointed, let down, and possibly disgusted by my fancy pants city's meager offerings. Could I deliver? Would the thrifting gods smile on us, or scoff at the futility of our designs? Would Holly tell me to F off and get on the next plane back to Minneapolis? All of these thoughts, and more, raced through my head. It seemed as though the very survival of our entire friendship teetered precariously on fickle fortune, and the one, and only, card a had in my hand: my secret thrift store in Queens.

Feeling like the shady drug dealer who had promised a junkie drugs with the possibility of their being no drugs to give, I took Holly to my, as of late, unreliable, but still favorite Queens thrift store, which will continue now and forever to remain anonymous. I could continue to build the suspense--did we or didn't we-- forever, which is very fun for me to do, but instead, I will show you this picture:


Have you ever seen someone overwhelmed with such joy, at the sight of a pink polo sweatsuit? I challenge you to find me that woman.

Holly will say more, in coming posts, about her experiences that magical day, but until then, a few of my favorite finds from our trip will have to suffice.

First up, earning the top spot on my list for the day, is this floral printed Marimekko-esque maxi skirt:


It is a fantastic-ing skirt, the print is completely incredible. So much so that I broke my unbreakable no-polyester rule for this skirt. Sometimes, gigantic abstract floral prints trump gross synthetic fibers.


Looking forward to fall, is this awesomely weird over-sized white blouse with open lace-work insets:


I marvel at the fact that not a one of these giant bits of openwork was snagged, a feat of the previous owner's, because those are some seriously big holes.


These printed denim elastic waist pants may not look like much in this picture, but they earned me a highly coveted "you BITCH" response from Holly, upon my showing them to her.


There is a lot of potential here, especially due to this great yellow ditsy geometric print:


I haven't quite decided yet if I want to keep them as pants, or cut them off in to shorts. We will see.

Then there is this fab golden-beige-y-tan-ish silk drape front skirt:


I could not figure out for the life of me how this was supposed to be worn, given a strange slit in the waistband. But after recovering from an epic blood sugar crash that afflicted me during the editing process, I realized that you can loop the tail of the drape through the slit and over the waistband. I enjoy both looks very much.

And last but not least, to wind up the first installment of my and Holly's New York Thrifting adventure recap, is this lovely little black and white plaid printed tank top, with scalloped neckline:


It is very cute in and of itself, but, textile nerd time, check out how this plaid is printed to mimic various woven fabric effects:

It is very meta.