WE ARE BACK! With farmers' market style chic!

HELLO HELLO HI HOW ARE YOU!?!

I am sure many of you have been anxiously waking every morning, leaping to your computer and checking to see if we have rebooted Operation Sparkle and have posted about our great deals and steals. For those of you who have been doing that, I am sorry. It is for you, however, that I'm doing a very special OPERATION SPARKLE DOUBLE FEATURE!

Now that I am sort of on instagram (it is on my man's i-touch, which makes it a bit difficult to access and utilize as most instagram users can. My name is "doublepeace," which you may or may not be able to use to follow me. I'm really a novice at this new technology), it is pretty ridiculous to not share my amazing thrifting deals with the world! Plus, after a brief break from the thrifting world (two years working in a resale shop and years of giving into my thrifting obsession whenever I had the chance really started to do a number on my closet), I am ready to get back on that horse! I can't speak for Laurie, of course, but I do know that her recent move back to Milwaukee has exploded her thrifting options out of the water, so if we keep pestering her, maybe we can get her to share her recent treasures as well.

So again—deepest apologies for denying you of the magic of Operation Sparkle for so long. We have both been really busy, and had a lot of personal junk to deal with over the past year. Thankfully, thrifting will never go away, and you know that when you set something free, and it comes back to you, it is true love.

Or something.

So, for my first post of two back on the horse, I present you with a look that may be at least stylistically suitable for being on a horse (though not at all practical): Farmers' Market Style Chic!

While I have, on account of my busting closet, been looking more for housewares during my thrifting escapades instead of clothing and fashion accessories as of late, I did find a perfect outfit on a recent trip up north with my fabulous friend Mary. I say "perfect," because one of my many style icons is this chick that I once saw driving around with her man (or brother or friend) in a pick up truck in Chicago. They were both wearing various shades of brown, and looked like the coolest urban farmers you could imagine. I wanted so badly to emulate what they emulated to me within the 5 seconds that I saw them: people who worked their urban landscape and looked fabulous in sun hats and earth tones.

I am totally digging this 90's floral maxi dress. It is a bit large on me, even when I utilize the totally 90's back tie, but with a belt, I think it works. I recently rolled up to my friends' house wearing this, along with huge, vintage, blue-tinted sunglasses, and they told me that I looked like I was "from the future, coming to tell them something." Which I can totally get down with. 

I also dig this dress because it reminds me of Phoebe singing about Smelly Cat, who, along with Claudia and Dawn from the Babysitters Club, was one of my few fashion icons growing up. And speaking of strangers whose fashion I want to emulate/be, I was also drawn to this dress because it reminded me of this cute girl I once saw working at the bakery by the thrift store this came from in Ashland, WI. She had braids and a dress sort of like this, and made me think that if I moved up north and worked in a bakery, I could be just as stylish as her. I also imagine that she works part time at a farm and has a really hot boyfriend.

These vintage leather shoes, purchased at the same thrift store as above dress, are one of my best finds of the year. I maintain they have magical properties, as they looked really narrow and small, but somehow fit on my feet perfectly. They are also the answer to my summer footwear debacle: sandally, but not too sandally.

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.

Treats! Thrifting with the one, and only, Jackie Katers!

Over the past few months, I have made a concerted effort to cut back on my thrifting. WHY?!?!, you may ask, your mind screaming with confusion. Trust me, the initial shock and disappointment when I first admitted that this cut back would be wise was not easy to deal with. As time has gone on, however, the pain has subsided and I've found myself with healthier thrifting habits. There are a variety of reasons for this move—finances (you know you have a problem when you can't afford your thrifting habit), time, space, and the general unease you start feeling when you need to wade through clothing to get to your bed. I am pleased, however, to announce that my thrifting addiction, though not completely quelled, is at least, momentarily, under control.

One great thing about my new healthier thrifting lifestyle is that I have limited thrifting trips almost exclusively to special occasions—major sales, an actual need for an item, when friends are in town, or when I am on vacation. Though limits can sometimes be ass, doing this has made thrifting all that more special. Case in point: my last major thrifting haul in the Twin Cities, when my friends Jackie and Steph were in town at the end of April.

Of course, I was game when Jackie told me she wanted to thrifting while she was in town. Though Steph had to miss out on the fun due to her work (they were in town for her business), I picked up Jackie early one day from their fancy hotel without a pool or coffee in the room (why!?) and we mapped out a plan. In then end, we hit up two Value Villages, one Unique, one Savers and a Chinese food buffet. Needless to say, we had deals exploding all over the place.

Witness, if you will, the most kick ass jacket I have ever laid my hands on.*



A 1970's denim jacket with suede detail that includes a tri-color collar and weird geometric design, which, by the way....



IS REPEATED ON THE BACK!

Obviously, these details in themselves are enough to declare this jacket amazing. I am, however, not done! This jacket actually has a perfect fit on me and avoids the nasty boxiness that so many denim jackets have. Plus...




IT CAME WITH A PAIR OF MATCHING BELL BOTTOMS! Unfortunately, the bell bottoms are about a size 24 waist, so they are among the items for sale at the upcoming Caffetto Craft Fair on Sunday, July 24th, which Jake Thompson of Fashionasty and I will be at. I am okay with passing them on, however, as wearing the jacket with the pants would be a bit matchy-matchy by my standards.

In a further turn of awesomeness, the other day I was wearing this jacket at my friend's record shop Yeti Records, when a girl they knew told me that the jacket (and pants) used to be her's! If that didn't just blow your mind, I label your mind as un-blowable.

Obviously, the jacket in itself is enough to declare my shopping trip with Jackie a success, but there is more!

Witness, if you will, my new collection of Compagnie Internationale Express items!






Baggy, sheer 90's floral pattern pants and polka dot shorts with front button flaps!

It keeps going!




High-waisted Jordache denim shorts! Initially, I was afraid these would ride up on me a bit too much. But as my co-worker Oakley insisted the other day, sometimes you have to embrace your cameltoe. I have and these are now my new favorite shorts.

Other great day-to-day gems:




This adorable vintage striped sweater. The colors are amazing.**



I know I recently posted about these cut-out white slip-ons, but I had to include them so you get an idea of the breadth of my shopping success.

Then there are the wild cards!



The "Best of the Midwest" leggings (that would be my legs, clad in these pants).



I could not pass up this poncho because the blue tassel balls on it are pretty much the most genius touch of amazing I have ever witnessed on a poncho.




While this vintage, floral, kimono-dress/tunic didn't exactly fulfill my need for a sweet, embroidered jacket, it has quenched my thirst a tad bit. I couldn't turn down the pattern.

And finally, the piece that was speaking to me so much that as Jackie and I were preparing to leave our last shop, I ran over to the nightgowns and started sorting furiously, until I grabbed this and exclaimed "I KNEW YOU WERE HERE!"



Strangely enough, though this is now probably the most fucked-up piece of clothing in my wardrobe (really, how can you beat a floor-length, turquoise, cowl-neck sweatshirt tunic with a psuedo-southwestern bedazzled design on the smock (plus the nifty little white detailing around the arm)?), I have a feeling that this piece is at least a distant cousin to the bedazzled sweatshirt Laurie's friend Julie found when they went cult/commune thrifting in Staten island.

Now, if that isn't worth some restraint, I don't know what is!


*Even with all the amazing jackets I have found thrifting (many which I have shared on here and have declared that they are actually the most amazing jacket I have ever had), I stand by this statement.
**I also need to point out that when I uploaded this photo ages ago, I named the piece "vintage silly striped sweater." How this sweater is humorous, I am not sure.

The Gift of Thrifting

Even though having friends all over the country is a bit of a bummer in that you don't get to hang with them all the time, it does have its positive attributes. In addition to having a reason to travel, one of my favorite things about having friends in places far away is the exchange of items via the postal service, which is, in my opinion, one of our nation's greatest institutions.

Nothing is better than coming home from a long weekend away to find a package waiting for you. That is, until you open it up and find the most sweetest kick ass birthday present sent to you by none other than your thrifting blog partner.




I have no idea where Laurie found this gem, but I am 99.9% positive it was at a thrift store. It has so many amazing attributes, I had to wear it the day after receiving it (in other words, the next time I got dresses). The crazy color combo and pattern! The contradiction of boxy cut and flowy fabric (which always results in a perfect fit)! Reinforced fabric front to ensure modesty! A pocket! All by a company with one of the sweetest graphic tags and conceptual names I have ever seen: Sudden Impact.





For maximum effect, I was going to wear it with this Laurie-approved lovely Gap snap front leather miniskirt that I recently picked up thrifting in Green Bay, but switched at the last minute to simple black denim cutoffs for ease in biking.



Then I added this sweet cut-out leather slip ons I found thrifting with Jackie way back in April here in Minneapolis. Though their narrow cut wrecks havok on my bunion (get over it), I have been digging these shoes lately. A pop of white leather on the dogs goes a long way with any outfit.

Rest assured this full outfit will be rocked soon, most likely the next time I sport my birthday gift.

Special Trip: Washburn, Wi Part II

OMG! GUESS WHO HAS BEEN DRINKING A BUNCH OF VINO AND WATCHING AWAY WE GO? Oh, that might or might not be me.

Which makes this rather difficult to write (lots of backspacing) but hey, I realized that I haven't shared the REST of my trip to Washburn, and the rest of it is totally the best part of the whole thing. So, it is time for that. And as Chris says, "is this whole movie going to be Jack Johnson songs?" (to which I responded "This is not Jack Johnson" (though he just insisted that he "hates Jack Johnson" to which I responded "THIS IS NOT JACK JOHNSON")).

But! Wait! You are here for the DEALS! And deals I will share!

The most amazing, magical thing happened as Mary and I were leaving the ABC Thrift shop that weekend back in Washburn. We were traveling out of town, intent on hitting up the thrifting in Ashland, WI (which has always been a miss for me, and even more appropriate, was a total miss that day—by the time we got to the town at 2:30 the one thrift shop that doesn't totally suck was closed and the consignment-ish shop that Mary has had some luck at was closed for a "family emergency"), I saw this and pulled the car over as fast as I could maneuver.



What we had here was a building, right before the "We are sick of Walker's lies!" sign (complete with a vomiting (not so) smiley face), that a woman had rented out to sell the remains of her mother's estate. I am assuming that some other would-be profiters were in the mix, however, as I can't imagine that this woman's now-deceased mother would have all these goods at her disposal.

And by "all these goods," I am referring to the bountiful supply of pharmacitual-type products like the Listerine fresh strips I got for 75¢ (FOR THREE!) and a travel tube of Tom's toothpaste. (I am sure you want to see the photographic evidence of this, but unfortunately, I did not take the time to do so).

The most amazing things about this strange pop-up shop thrift store/rummage sale? The wicked awesome jewelry and FIFTY CENT purses!

As we have explored in the past, finding good thrifted jewelry is difficult. "Good" can refer to many things, but for me, it concerns quality and uniqueness. While the jewels I picked up were definitely the most expensive items I purchased at this sale (ranging in price from $1.50-$3.50), I am absolutely thrilled with what I came out with:



I love colors in jewelry, but I usually find that costume pieces are cheesy/a dime a dozen. This blue and gold piece blew my mind. LOVE IT.



Kudos to this more simplistic green, white and gold necklace. I love how it is in the same vein as the necklaces I usually spot thrifting, but is a bit unique.



Mary and I kept talking about how this necklace is like a pair of balls. There isn't really a better way to describe it. It may or may not be fitting that Mary still insisted that it was "one of her favorites."



This faux pearl necklace is a keeper for any of my (many) fancy parties.



I am so completely bummed that this bone and stone beaded necklace (which Mary kept insisting was "her [actual] favorite") broke upon arrival to my sweet abode, but I think I can fix it.



I can't believe I almost forgot about this piece, because it is probably my favorite. I absolutely love the arrangement of the beading (I want to say "smocking" but I know next to nothing about jewelry terminology) and the colors. Totally badass.

As previously mentioned, they were selling purses for 50¢. As the nice lady told me, her mother "loved purses." So do I, and I bought seven. Here are my favorites.



Deep blue eel skin with a chain (forgettaboutit).



A faux Chanel-ish quilted black leather purse with chain. This purse has apparently seen a lot of love, and I realized the last time I used it that I need to find an appropriate key chain to take the place of the current key ring that is attached to the zipper. I am thinking something super flashy like a rabbit's foot or an explosion of sparkles.




I also came away with a few totally shwide t-shirts that I had to get if only because they were priced at 25-50¢.



And how could I forget the amazing mugs I picked up for 10¢? (the woman selling her dead mother's things was really embarrassed by the "bitch, bitch, bitch," mug, which I thought was genius (I love snarky coffee mugs), and got really awkward, saying "that was just in a box somewhere," which then made me feel really awkward, so I blamed my purchasing of it on Chris).



And...for good measure, the forest green Basic Edition slip-ons I got on the way back from our fabulous trip for $2 (Laurie got me hooked on these cheap slip-ons about six years ago, because her grandma gave her a bunch. I get about a pair a year, usually from Kmart and they last me the summer. Last summer I splurged on a pair of Toms, feeling all good about myself, only to find them fall apart within months. No thanks. I will go with my thrifted Basic Editions, thank you very much. ).

I think I achieved a drunk post! YES!

In Which Sage Dawson Keep Showing Us Up, and We Love Every Minute of It

Operation Sparkle's favorite contributing thrifter strikes again! As if once was not enough to make us all rage with violent envy, Sage Dawson has returned to add fuel to the fire, and we are proud to be her chosen venue by which to show off. Lucky for all of us, she accepts face punches as a form of admiration and respect "whole-heartedly". I like this lady.

Isn't showing off fun? You should do it too! We want to see ALLLL of your finds, and we will give them an equally glorious platform to do so. So email them to us at operationsparkle@gmail.com, STAT. It's very important.

With no further ado, Sage's new set of finds!!!

Sage Speaks

Cocktail Dress

When I saw this dress in a local flea market I knew, no matter the price, I HAD to try it on. If it even remotely fit I intended to buy it and hoard it for life. I saw it far off across the market, then scrambled down the aisle to snatched it. Honestly, just looking at it is enough of a reward. Fortunately it fit like a freaking glove. It was $18 & worth every penny.



Who doesn't want a wool sweater with imagery of a country landscape? Just look at that scenery.



Pattern Wrap Dress. Check out the neckline & pockets. GAH, this is why I keep thrifting, only $5




Blue Floral Feedsack Cloth Dress - This was ten bucks plus I had to alter it to fit, but I knew I had to buy it because the pattern was too amazing. Just look at that pocket & those buttons. It's charming with a red belt.



3$


$3 Rockports

$1 Belt with floral pattern embossed into the leather.