Special Trips! Portage, WI: What is Wedded Bliss Without Sweet Deals?

Just a month ago I had the pleasure of having the excuse of two of my dearest friends, Cortney and Andy, getting married, to book a plane ticket to Wisconsin for a random weekend in August. I love weddings. You get to see old friends, you have awkward run ins with your friend's family members, you get way too drunk (for free!!), and are otherwise wrapped up in the demimonde created by the occasion. You can read all about Cortney and Andy's picturesque beyond picturesque farm wedding in Cortney's hometown of Portage here, but do that on your own goddamn time, because I have more important things to talk about. Those things being deals.

Months before the wedding, when Cortney asked me to help set up the day before and of the wedding, I plead for a two hour leave of absence to explore Portage's thrifting scene. This was an opportunity that I could not possibly let slip through my fingers, not even for friendship. Luckily, my presumption that Cortney a) understands me, and b) would be the chillest bride on earth, proved to be true, and she did not bat an eyelash and said that she would point me towards all the good places.

What I have for you today is the haul I made in Portage on two separate trips; one a power-thrifting episode a few hours before the wedding, and the other, with Holly and her fiance (and my dear friend) Chris, the day after the occasion and a good night's sleep in a pop-up camper.

Firstly, I will show you my favorite find of the whole weekend, this color blocked purse:



The story of finding this purse is one of those moments of thrifting with Holly that I treasure. She was taking FOR EV ER wrapping up looking around while I was trying to get her to try on and edit our finds so that we could get out of the store and back to our friends, who were waiting for us. I camped out by the fitting rooms with our cart in an attempt to get my point across. She left me hanging there regardless, so I started aimlessly digging in the piles of things around me. That is when I found this purse buried deep behind all the rest, nearly invisible. When Holly finally made it over to me, I rubbed it in her face, and was able to see the jealously shooting from her eyes like lasers.

But boy did we turn around from that ugly bout of pride and envy fast! While digging through the massive mound of clothes in our cart, Holly pulled out a KILLER two piece black suede outfit with gold stud detail. It was epic. Beautiful. What one lives to thrift for. Rather than be jealous, I was just sad. But I had a feeling that from the look of the skirt, it might be that tiny bit too small on Holly that is just big enough for me, and that I could perhaps get lucky. I was right, and I managed to convince Holly to keep the jacket (which you will get to see in tomorrow's Portage Part II segment) and give me the skirt. SHARING! Selflessness in thrifting. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen.

This is an epic party time find, without a doubt.


This two piece outfit I kept all for myself.



I think coordinates are classy. Especially ones with printed lace motifs.

Speaking of classy, nothing says GLAM like a metallic top. My favorite aspect of this top is the knit cuffs and hem detail, making this, essentially, a glorified sweatshirt.


You can never have too many tropical/animal printed anythings!



A paint-streak-stripe printed short sleeve button down shirt. This shirt reminds me of what eight year old boys wore when I was in 3rd grade, and what lesbians wear today. But Holly and Chris insisted that it was sweet, so I bought it.


An oversized sleeveless space dyed magenta sweater. Bright colors are so in!


For all those times that I thought to myself, "I wish I had a below the knee acid wash denim pencil skirt, that would go perfectly with this", comes the answer to my prayers:

Below the knee!

Even better is the priceless 80's denim detailing tag, which reads:

1st CLASS
METROPOLITAN
THIS LABEL
ENTITLES YOU
TO TRAVEL IN
THE METROPOLITAN
ESSENCE
BY JORDACHE
ADULT
VALID FOREVER

Which is basically really good poetry.


Although a "single trip" that is "valid forever" seems a bit contradictory...it's probably just over my head.

Rounding out the apparel and accessories portion of my finds is this F-ing beautiful silk scarf that makes up for all the shitty scarves that I have bought over the years wishing they were better than they actually were. The colors are amazing, the pattern, amazing, and it's actually silk.


This find made Holly rage pretty hard too, which is always a cherry on top.


Now, let's swing by housewares on our way out!

A commemorative wedding trinket, to commemorate a wedding:


Cortney and Andy, may your love.....oh wait, nevermind.

There was even a wall art score that day, which I stumbled upon but knew that I could not commit to, and so handed off to Chris. Thankfully, he was able to give it a good home in his band's practice space:


It is bizarre indeed, and a real photograph, of some long lost extra from some indecipherable, long lost Monty Python sketch.

********************************BONUS*BONUS*BONUS*********************************

Those weren't the only sweet finds I got to bring home from Portage that weekend! I also purchased from Holly, at a deep discount, these preselected, hand-delivered castoffs from her trove:


They really make a beautiful triptych.

Gentrification Thrifting: Get This Old Shit Outta Here So I Can Make a Million Dollars

I live in what is probably one of the most rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods in the entire country. None other than, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (I abate my own snickering). The rapid upgrade to new and shiny-ness is a constant topic amongst the people who live here. What new businesses have moved in? Which old ones have shut down? There are more obnoxious condos going up across the street from the projects? You have got to be f-ing kidding me.

The pace is staggering, and recessions have done little to stop it. And as a lover of all things old, anachronistic, and outdated, it is rather painful to watch.

With that in mind, I consider these following finds to be relics of the Williamsburg of old, procured with blood on my hands, so to speak, of the old moving out so that the new can move in and make a someone shit ton of money.

Last week my boyfriend and I were walking to our favorite neighborhood bar when a man yelled from a doorway "name your own price night! antiques!" Amazingly, I was set to ignore him and move on to drink-land (possibly the only force on earth stronger than deals), but my boyfriend stopped me, and we headed inside. Through the door was a disheveled storefront space that had clearly, for a long time, served as someone's home. I realized that I had probably never even really noticed it before, even having walked past it hundreds of times. It was peppered with picked-over household contents, some genuine antiques, some the standard hoarding of an potentially reusable object typical of depression era people. The yelling man was presumably the previous occupant's son, and was practically foaming at the mouth to empty the space of it's contents in order to turn into some easy-money making scenario.

Mostly it seemed like only garbage was left, but I spotted a corner of musty textiles that it seemed like no one had had the guts to sift through, and I knew I was in my element. I started digging. This was my first find:


Some bright, abstract printed yardage. Not quite sure what I will do with it, but I loved the pattern, and surely someday I will find the perfect use for it. I always do.

Then come the clothes. The most exciting find of the night was definitely the vintage Diane Von Furstenberg tee:



Fantastic bright Matisse-y graphic zebra print. You may notice the dinginess of the white. All of this stuff was all pretty musty and dirty, but through the miracle of oxy clean, this t-shirt is now bright white.


This next piece is for novelty factor. I don't think I'd ever wear it, but it is awesome none the less. And afterall, I was naming my own price.



Very wild, very 60's floral print:


This piece I will definitely wear; a bright red terry cloth boxy tank, and it's vintage Original Penguin!


And all of this I got for $5, and the satisfaction of my personal sense of responsibility from saving these things from oblivion.

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.

I Will Punch You with Color

Some key moments of summer thrifting have thus far involved choice uses of bright-ass color in the most unexpected of places. Bright, punchy colors are very much a trend throughout all of fashion right now, but never to be one to thoughtlessly succumb to the magnetism of a trend, I have found some pieces that transcend their apparent trendiness. There is no better possible way to illustrate this point than to show you this picture....


...of a seafoam green suede bustier. The combination of the descriptors "seamfoam", "green", and "bustier", have perhaps never before been linked in any human language until now. And what a joyless world it has been until now. I found this during mine and Holly's Green Bay Memorial Day thrifting blow out and I almost peed myself when I pulled it off the rack. Pretty sure Holly was jealous, an experience I am not often gifted with having. Check out the ruched back and snap up closure. I know enough about garment construction to know that ruching suede is not an easy thing to do, this is some real deal engineering.


And then there are these sweet (and chic!) fluorescent pink plush slip ons. I love the fleur des lis embroidery, and the gingham checked footbed. All around impressive detailing for shoes that probably sold for $8 at Kmart at some point.


Then there is this crazy homemade fluorescent floral printed tank top that I found in Milwaukee a few weeks back.


The bright color/print combo seems like something from an 80's little girl's swim suit, rather than an adult bell-shaped tank top. That is the beauty of finding such home sewing projects while thrifting is that there is always something charmingly not quite right about them.


And rounding things off, is this fluorescent pink washed silk oversized blazer from Express. It is a size XS and I am still swimming in it, even by oversized standards, making me skeptical about how it is designed to fit. If only I could be a fly on the wall of an Express store in '93 to see how they styled it.


It still definitely has potential.

Flowy poly tops you can actually wear in the summer!*

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG! GUESS WHO IS GOING TO NEW YORK CITY IN FOUR DAYS!?!?!
That would be ME!**
There are so many exciting things happening right now! True Blood just started a fourth season (and it is going to include the Eric amnesia storyline***)! The last Harry Potter movie comes out on June 15th! Jake and I will be at the Caffetto Craft Fair July 24th! IT IS SUMMER!****

I know I have been dangling my "special trip" to Chicago in your faces for like three months, but as I noticed a major trend in several of the items I pounced upon, I am sharing them here on their own: flowy polyester tops that you can actually wear in the summer!

As it turns out, my new favorite thing to wear is old women/80's and 90's tops. These numbers definitely fit into this category, courtesy of Family Thrift, a store which just happened to be having a 50% off storewide sale the day we were thirfting in Chicago.


F yes.

First, the three tops I found at above sale:


Weird silky asian-inspired pajama top with multicolored buttons!


High gathered neck (not a turtleneck, but not quite a mock turtle neck) leopard print number! Grrrrrrr! This is the kind of top that prompts your friends to exclaim "OH! Leopard print!" when you show up on their doorsteps wearing it. Trust me, I know from experience.


Floral button down with the most flattering cinched waist I have ever seen on an otherwise boxy poly top!


Then the golden number I almost turned down at the Savers out in the burbs, until Jackie and Steph convinced me to get it. The color of this piece didn't translate well in the photo, but the golden rod color of this top is so amazing, and the cut so cute that I am very glad I was listening to my friends and thrifting partners that day!

The best part? This is just the tip of the iceberg of my finds from the trip! But you will have to wait to see the rest because now I need to get back to my internet television watching! It's been real!

*Full disclosure: since cutting back on my thrifting and thrift blogging (because I am so busy watching television shows and reading the smutty novels that inspire them), I had a momentary lapse in what I had/hadn't blogged about and almost did a repeat of my summer dresses post. Whoops.
**Considering the fact that the only other person posting on this blog has living in NYC for over six years, this is not a difficult question to answer.
**OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD
***I also may or may not have had a few drinks while watching the most recent episodes of True Blood on the internet.

What is Summer for if Not for Dresses?

There is no thrifting prize greater than a fantastic dress. It is as simple as that. Many a thrifting strategy claims "dresses first" (second only perhaps, to "shoes first") as its primary tenant. On any given thrifting adventure, making it to the dress section first can mean the difference between edging out one of your best friends/competitors/total, and surely undeserving, stranger, for one of the more epic finds in the store, and attempting to concentrate all of your inner darkness into the look that you will direct at She Who Got There First. And who wants to deal with that?

As someone who has mentally punched many friends/competitors/total undeserving strangers/Holly in the face for getting there first, I can adamantly say, not I.

I can also adamantly say that this summer I have been doing a pretty damn fine job of getting there first when it comes to dresses, and have quite a few beauties to show for it. Most of these I collected over the course of an extremely fruitful three hours of power thrifing in Green Bay with Holly over this past Memorial Day weekend. The fruits of which were so grandiose, it will take me the whole summer to encompass them all here. So DO stay tuned.

Here are some of my fave dress finds, which, on a totally unrelated note, serve as a veritable Who's Who of 90's mall brands.

In the lead off position I have a dress that I described to Holly as "the All That Jazz dress to end All That Jazz dresses":


There are so many factors that make this dress epic, even for All That Jazz. Firstly is the blue floral denim print, which defines an era. It so defines an era in fact, that some bitch down by the river at the Flea Market That Will Not be Named sells denim skirts with such prints for 50 bucks a pop. All I can say is, if you are that desperate for floral denim, then please, be my guest.


Then there is the sweetheart neckline, which is flattering on absolutely everyone, and the mirrored dome buttons for the cherry on top. And it wouldn't be an All That Jazz dress without some cutout back detail:


Next is another staple 90's mall brand, Paris Sport Club. Paris Sport Club was the coveted store brand of such mall retailers as Maurices (which is still actually around, I believe? I don't get to malls much) and Vanity. But more importantly, who doesn't want to run around this summer in this precious little floral baby doll dress:


The double front and back scoop neck lends a little sexy to the little girl silhouette, and the print is oh so pretty:


And this one I REALLY love. It is from Casual Corner, which is maybe why I feel so grown up when I wear it:


I was totally jacked beyond belief when Holly passed this up over Memorial Day weekend and handed it off to me. Those brief moments that she held it in her hands, contemplating it, passed like an eternity in my mind. As she gestured towards returning it back to the rack, I blurted out that I'd take it if she was passing. And the rest is history.

It is hard to see the better details of this piece because of the optical affect of the polka dot print, but there are lots of good features: the wrap front top, short dolman sleeves, button detail waist, and if you couldn't tell, it's actually PANTS. Yes, it's a jumper. PSYCH. The most elegant jumper, ever.


And it's even work appropriate. The only thing better than an awesome thrifted dress is an awesome thrifted biz-casual jumper.

One More Reason Summer Should be Longer: Vintage Romper/Swimsuit Things

Though it might be false to assert that just now there is an upswing in the popularity of vintage fashion, I am going to go out on a limb here and state that, with the internet, vintage shopping is certainly a bit more accessible, to the point where one might even venture to say that the market has become saturated.

One downside to this movement towards online (and real time) vintage shops is that it makes finding vintage pieces at thrift stores all that more challenging. On the other hand, it makes the thrill of finding such a piece approximately eleven times more exciting. Over my years of thrifting, I have come across some true vintage gems, of which the most perplexing I share with you now: the romper/jumper/swimsuit.




I think I almost wet myself upon finding this floral piece at Value Village a couple years ago. It is in excellent condition, has an adorable cut and the deep blue floral pattern is to die for. And did I mention the pockets?! It was close to causing a second excretion of bodily fluids when I tried it on, however, because it almost didn't fit—too short in the torso! Before the tears welling up in my eyes (yes, having to pass up a piece like this would make me cry) could overflow, I realized, happily, that the straps were adjustable, so that the piece just barely fit. I justified its purchase, only later to question if I could wear such a thing without feeling like a weird Katy Perry wannabe.





I totally freaked out when I found this piece at Savers last spring. The color (best represented in the full shot) is amazing and the button details (a sash that buttons in the back, right above the tush? How cute can you get?!) are simply delightful.

I say theses are perplexing because they are not quite rompers/jumpers in the sense that we typically think of rompers/jumpers—as having actual shorts. These pieces are a bit more bootilicious, though the small fit of the blue floral piece leaves very little to the imagination, while the larger fit of the salmon plaid number passes as short shorts. I then venture to believe these would-be rompers are actually vintage swimsuits, which is most likely the case, given the intricate lining of them. Still, the fabrics are so thick and the cuts are such that they don't exactly incite fantasies of lounging around the beach while wearing them.

Thus, these amazing vintage pieces offer a conundrum—how does one wear them!? As previously mentioned, the larger cut of the plaid piece allows for more modesty, and thus can pass as actual clothing in public. The blue one, however, with its cheek hangage, seems only appropriate for some sort of fetishy, pin-up, jib jab photo session, which really isn't my thing. As it is such a treasure, I can't part with it, so for now it will hang forlornly in my closet until the perfect opportunity arises for it to shine.