Which hat is thrift? answered

Last week's post about which hat was thrifted generated some fun comments, but Eyeliah of www.theeyeline.ca and www.stylesymmetry.com guessed correctly - this navy Kangol hat was found for a buck at my local thrift shop, Stretch Thrift, while the black one was new and recently gifted to me (cost $45 I happen to know). Great eye, Eyeliah, and thanks to all who guessed or commented!

Speaking of outerwear I found my fave winter gloves, a pair of navy leather with Thinsulate lining, at Stretch Thrift last year for $2.99 or so --- only to lose one, arg.

The other day I found these, though, a pair of bronze-brown leather gloves lined in silk for $1.99.

They're not winter gloves but they'll be perfect for going to holiday parties in - in fact I wore them on the weekend to a Christmas party with a fab thrift outfit I'll show you this week!

I don't imagine these are too old or retro, but the stamp inside on the lining does have a retro vibe to it - the writing, in case you can't see it, says "Pure silk lined Hand cut Washable" and the size (which is 7 and a half, slightly too small for me but I can manage them in a pinch).

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New or thrift? A tale of two berets

I love doing these posts and you dear readers seem to love 'em too, so here we are again:

Which beret is thrift?

One is new; the other was picked up at a thrift shop for a buck. Both are wool.


I've never really done berets before. Last year my look was grungy-glam with a tight beaded toque I have now lost.

But the beret, worn not as a pancake on the head but rather pulled over the head as I'm wearing it here - well, it just seems to say, "I have style oozing out of me, and I may just have heaps of cash too." The latter part is fantasy in my case but hey, if the beret keeps 'em guessing, why not indulge in the falsehood?

Casts your votes for the heck of it. Feel free to tell me which look you like best!

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Regrets, I've had a few

I've become pretty adept through my thrifting adventures at weeding out all the stuff I want to buy on a whim but will never wear from the stuff I'll truly wear.

As a result I have minimal regrets re: the deals I've picked up.

Except for this straw cowboy hat - straw cowboy hat!

I bought it new at a discount store for a few bucks, and at the time I thought it was very Carrie Bradshaw a la Sex in the City....

Think it would have looked better on Carrie.

It's now in the thrift store pile for some other deal seeker to pick up.

Do you have any thrifting regrets, something that worked in theory but not in application?

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Feathered fascination at TIFF

Fellow grungers, forgive me, I did not wear the poly maxi dress everyone loved so below.

But when I was invited to the Hats On For Awareness party Friday night benefiting the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, I knew two things: I had to wear a hat, and the hat offered me was never going to go with a 1960s poly maxi dress, alas.

Pal and artisan Victoria Feistner has recently launched her custom handmade hat design biz, The Emporium Esoterica, and these gorgeous "fascinator" hats are only part of the heady pieces she has in the offering.


Emcee Ambrose Price Ambrose Price of
HGTV singled out my hat as one of the TOP THREE, but alas I didn't get my chance to parade on the stage as the live auction was taking a long time and they needed to move things along.

But that doesn't change the fact that Victoria's hats rock and this one truly was one of the best toppers in a party where over 500 people attended, and $40,000 was raised for CAMH!

Alas I have some pics from the fete but I need to find out how to get them off my internal memory ... will post Twitter link soon to my media follow up on event.

And my maxi dress may have its day in the sun - or spotlight? - as I'm considering going to another bash next week ... stay tuned!

P.S. The dress IS thrifted - a black empire waist cocktail dress by MEXX found for $6.99 at Goodwill!

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