Elf: Thrifty holiday fashion disaster

Have you ever bought something just because it was well-priced, only to wonder later if you were in some thrift haze when you bought it? I was at a discount shop a few weeks ago and saw this new Esprit courdoroy jumper for $4. I bagged it.

Got it home, tried it on again, and gasped. It's so short I can't even stand in it without revealing part of my bootie. So tight around the bodice I can't sit down. I remember thinking when I bought it that I could wear it as a tunic --- what?

I used to make mistakes like this all the time in my early thrifting days; now I employ an almost steely logic if I start getting a little flighty: will I wear this? With what? Does this fit into my style, my life???

Alas, I think the "new" factor clouded my judgement, momentarily.

I could wear the jumper with this green velvet scarf with black fringe, found at Goodwill for a twoonie a few weeks ago while on a desperate thrift dig. I was in a crappy mood and needed to find salvation, and we all know: when we're mad to find salvation in the thrift store, we always fail.

The scarf is only passable on its own. But with the jumper, it morphs into an outfit I will always try to think about when I'm in some store and considering buying, say, a pair of purple stretch pants. Wearing this outfit I could be a poster child for the thrift-shop-gone-bad, a crazed holiday Elf fashion disaster reminding you all what can happen when you're desperate to buy, but lacking in thrift smarts if only for the moment.

Think of my outfit if you ever waiver, thrifty pals, and I think you'll be O.K. Happy thrifting!

Tomorrow: I gave my sister a wonder thrift holiday gift last night - and she loved it! Pic and story coming!

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Pink Christmas

I don't have a lot going in the holiday decor department in my pad right now, since I'm going home soon and my tree is still in storage in Ottawa, alas.

And I don't have the creativity of of some of my fellow bloggers - I'm thinking of Sonya from Dime Store Thrift in particular - when it comes to crafty holiday decorations, so I have to wing it, a la Grunge Queen way.

When I saw these mirrored pink candelsticks at the dollar store for $1.99, I picked them up and then glammed them up with some black candles, also found at the dollar store.

There were some blue ones too. I bought some for gifts because the price was right and they look chic and expensive.

Dollar stores don't just carry cheap plastic stuff. I've found items by Rolodex and Yardley, French glasswear to candlesticks made in New York. I don't know if they're oversell or defective but I have yet to find anything wrong with these items.

Check on Sonya's holiday tree and wreaths at http://dimestorethrift.blogspot.com/

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Cell Bella

I had intended to show you some thrift gifts and the thrift outfit that makes me look like an elf this week (will do next week), but I had to show you what I look like in my $9.99 designer dress found at VV (see previous posts from this week).

Cute isn't it? You can't really tell but I'm wearing it with a gorgeous pair of Kenneth Cole Reaction boots, also dug up at Value Village. The pearl multi-tier chain is also thrift.

The hair cut is new too, $25 from my local gal.



Why am I posing in front of a mall kiosk with a Blackberry, you ask? Because I finally caved and bought my first mobile device EVER yesterday.

The price was very Grunge Queen. The Blackberry Curve (not the latest one but that's ok) was free. I had to sign up for a 3-year contact but there are no hidden fees with Virgin Mobile. Plus they waived the set up fee, gave me 100 free minutes every month for 3 years, the first month free, and threw in a $75 Mastercard gift card! And if the phone isn't doing it for me I can return it within 30 days (with the gift card, of course). I went to the Yorkdale mall kiosk and manager Paulo was great.

Now that I'm mobile I may be able to give you GQ updates in real time!

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Shoes in Little India ... maybe for moi?

While doing a shopping column today in Toronto's Little India, I saw these pink and blue paisley brocade (?) shoes in the window of a shop that was closed. Most shops in the area don't open until noon, some even 4 p.m., I discovered.

Wah. I want these shoes. They're not the typical beaded Indian shoes that aren't my style (like the ones sitting below them in the window). I can see myself wearing them for a special holiday function. I wonder if they're my size? They look pretty big. Think I'll have to go back one night after work. I hear a lot of the shops on the Gerrard St. East near Coxwell strip are open until 9 or 10 every night.

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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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Lavishy lavishes vintage sparkle

Yesterday I visited one of my fave jewellery stores in TO, Lavishy, which has just opened a second location at Yonge and Eglinton.

Owner Leo designs and sells mostly new jewellery, but lately he's been picking up vintage pieces at New York flea markets and the like on his travels. Not only that, he and his talented staff use vintage pieces to display their lovely wares. I just love the way these floral enamel pins sparkle in this old silver candy dish.

Here, retro clip earrings and a vintage bracelet repose on a pretty vintage plate.










Nearby, a teacup and saucer, a pretty plate and a tiny retro dish hold pretty baubles.

I really respect and admire retailers who think this way, who produce new items but who revere and incorporate the past into their work.

How about this?

This necklace is new (and only about $30; Lavishy's prices rock). The vintage-inspired baubles on it like the keys and the cameo are just darling aren't they?

Lavishy is located at 2525 Yonge St. or in the Junction (west Toronto) at 3095 Dundas St. West, main phone is 416-767-7472 www.lavishy.biz

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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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Ultra feminine look

I have to admit it: sometimes I buy new.

My latest look is girly chic and I love it: a stretch lace top found at a Mendocino outlet for $38. I'm wearing it here under my Theory blazer thrifted for $6.99.

It's a sexy look, yet one I can pull off at work.

I'm wearing the lacy top with another item I bought new by Forest Hill artisan Joan Kreitzer (sorry no webite). Joan makes beautiful necklaces with crystal and semi-precious stones and retails in some Toronto shops like French Connection on Eglinton Ave. West near Avenue Rd.

I love the combo of the lace and the lace-like work of the necklace.

I'm wearing the top with a vest for a romantic dinner, and just happened to dig up a pair of off-white DIM nylons with pretty tone-on-tone flowers over top that go with the top exactly. Believe it or not the look is not lace overkill, just feminine all the way.

It feels good to sometimes buy new things, especially when they're artisan crafted and you know you have an original. And when the piece is a staple - this lace top will see me through holiday functions and can serve as a nice little wardrobe basic - then I don't mind paying more than I normally would.

Happy Saturday! I have to do a shopping column but I may do some thrifting on the way!

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Layaway art comes home

In preparation for a media interview tomorrow in my apartment, I was able to get my boo-ti-ful painting by artist
Julie Glick earlier than expected, thanks in no small part to the artist herself.

I hope this pic does justice to it, because I have to say it MAKES my apartment and is truly a statement piece painting on my wall.

I hung it over the green Kroehler loveseat, on a main wall that you see when you enter the living room.

I think it pops well against the green of the couch and the dark blue of the Persian carpet.

For those of you in Toronto Julie's painting exhibition is on at Red Sable gallery in Toronto until mid-November.

I just love it. I get a big silly grin on my face every time I see it.

I can't speak for all artists, but my experience is that many will work with you so you can buy a particular piece in installments. Great way to obtain an original work of art that you absolutely love!

More on media interview soon!

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Hairy chairy

Remember the chair I recently bought (see this past M onday's post)?

I haven't had a chance to sit in it.

As you see here, Dag uses it as a bathing perch. Dinky frequently sleeps on it but I just happened to catch Dag in action the other day.

I'm only mildly annoyed, because it's just so cute that my kitties want to hang out in the new chair.

And Dag looks so darn cute doesn't it?

You can see that I've moved the chair and added a more comfy cushion, in anticipation of being able to watch the TV ....


Obviously, I haven't had a chance to do that yet.





When one of them does manage to vacate the blue velvet, I sometimes catch a glimpse - fleeting as it is - of cat hair matted over the seat.

Sigh.

Hopefully the novelty will wear off for the kiddies soon. Then maybe I'll get a chance to enjoy my "new" chair.

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Indie greeting card for dumpster divers?

I love this card - in case you can't see the print it reads "Antiques Road Kill" under a bunch of junky second-hand relics riding in a car.

It's by Cara Scissoria cards out of LA and I found it on Danforth Ave. in Toronto in Drysdale and Co.

Natch it's published on recyled paper.

Owner Susan Drysdale has expanded her greeting card collection as a result of a nearby shop closing last year, and I must say I had trouble picking out a B-day card for a pal as there was so many funny cool ones to choose from.

I picked up this one for me. There's a fab collection of indie cards, jewellery, handbags and other accessories at Drysdale's shop.

Located at 107 Danforth Ave., just east of Broadview; 416-484-8592.

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Purple queen: dress bought by subway

Retro purple shades for $3; mauve curtain sheers thrifted at Value Village years ago for a song ... and my new (and not used) purple dress bought on the subway for $9.99!

I'm really into purple these days - makes sense as the Grunge Queen as purple was the colour for royalty - but I'm finding this lighter mauve-y hue looks totally fab with my tan.

I didn't actually buy it ON the subway, but it was close enough, dug up at a no-name store just outside the Bay subway station in Toronto in the hall leading to the underground concourse there.

I've actually found some good booty in those semi-skany shops located in the actual subway stations - one at Eglinton and another at one of the northern subways, Sheppard I think.

Get creative with your shopping and look in places you'd never set foot in typically - you'll never know what you'll find!

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Mirror, mirror - not on the wall

I'm feeling a bit betwixt and between in terms of new decor ideas. It's finally summer in Toronto yet despite the warm temps and some humidity it feels more like fall ... except it doesn't yet feel like fall, if you catch my drift.

My point? It seems too late to keep streamlining my pad, as I naturally seem to do in the summer, yet it's way too early to haul out the velvet drapes and go to town with cozy winter decor.

One feature that stays the same in my space no matter what the season: mirrors. Lots of them.

I'm not a narcissist, really. It's just that mirrors reflect light and make a room look bigger, and whatever the season, that's a good thing in my humble opinion.

So how many mirrors do I have? Seven, I think, not including a small funky one on a stand that I'll show you tomorrow (thrifted, of course).


The cool thing about the larger ones you see here is they're so versatile. I don't even hang 'em; I just prop 'em.

They can be turned sideways to create a different shape.

This gold mirror was $14.99 marked down from $19.99 at Value Village.

I like that it's a bit of an oxymoron: it gestures towards glitziness with the gold, yet the gold is painted over a rustic wood frame.




And it's no secret that mirrors just look so glam.

This (very heavy) wood lacquered one was on major special, over $200 regular price but if memory serves about $60 at my fave mirror and framing shop in Toronto, Syllogy at 217 Danforth Ave.

They have regular screamin' deals, cash only, on their huge wall mirrors, which they make themselves.

Heck you can even plop 'em on the floor, and balance a painting on top as I did here.


Lesson: you can move mirrors around your space just as you'd juggle pillows or candlesticks.

And they don't just have to hang on the wall.

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Shoe boo

Here's my beautifully tanned foot - see post below - wearing ... ta da: my new sandals!

I had a good response to the Which is Thrift? post on new and used shoes.

Many people thought both pair of shoes looked new, but Style Symmetry and Smartchic (whose link I can't get to work, sorry) guessed right.

The sandal to the left was bought new for about $69.99 - not cheap for the Grunge Queen - while the shoe that was beside it by Geox was $6.99 for the pair at the Goodwill.

Here are my white feet from a few weeks ago, wearing my new silver Kenneth Cole ballet flat to the left (around $50 as part of a 2 for 1 sale), and on the right a used pair of Kenneth Cole flats bought at the same Goodwill for $6.99!

Both are in mint condition.

Kudos to your thrifty reasoning for those who guessed right and thanks to all who posted comments!

Just goes to show that it is possible to find new shoes at the thrift shops - it's not easy but sometimes you can score big. I look for shoes that don't have a worn look or stink too much. A current style always helps but sometimes you can find some fab 1980s heels that could be spruced up with a visit to the shoe repair doctor.

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Brown and white versions of moi

There are certain things in life I don't like cheaping out on.

I'm paler than pale and have tried numerous tinted moisterizers and self-tanners from over the counter, all with the same depressing and orangy streaked results.

So when The Forest Hill Spa announced it had just introduced the St. Tropez method of airbrush tanning, I figure I'd give it a whirl.

It's only $65 for a full-body spray that takes about 20 minutes, then maybe another 25 or so to try.


Here I am in front of the booth, with legs whiter than the underbelly of a fish.


This is me after, looking hopefully like a bronzed beach babe.

I've never been this dark before, and it feels good. Having a tan - even a "fake" one, just makes you look healthier.

And there's no exposure to UV rays with this method.

What do you think? Shall I drop large hints to the man about getting me a package of 3 or 6 more treatments? (Hey, the Grunge Queen can maybe do $65, but not several hundred smackeroos).

This will wear off in a week or two, so if I don't keep it up I'll be white again in no time.

But for now it's nice to try out a different look, and it's definitley nice not to wear cover-up on my face! We'll see how the man - and men? - reacts.

P.S. I'm writing this the next day and I have the answer: men go bananas over tans. On my way home after work yesterday a man FOLLOWED ME ONTO THE BUS after I told him I wouldn't go out with him. He said I was "the most elegant woman" he's ever seen!

Mmm, this could be an interesting social experiment. Maybe I should dye my hair blond too!

BY THE WAY that dark blue dress I'm wearing is new, though it was $4.99 at an end-of-the-line shop I discovered across fromt he Value Village on the Danforth in Toronto.

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Layway art

What do you think?

This is a beautiful painting by Toronto artist Julie Glick Julie Glick. I found it at the Red Sable
gallery in Toronto while doing a recent Shopping Column.

Let's just say I fell in love with it.

Now reader, you know I normally get my art from the thrift store.

But Julie, also the curator at Red Sable, was flexible and let me do layaway.

I love that. Who does layaway anymore? It makes sense for big purchases like art, which will never go out of style, but not for things like fast fashion, which'll be outta style by the time you end up paying for them!

So in a few months, this lovely oil painting - here's a pic of it I snapped in the gallery with the frame - will be mine.

It's a nice feeling to have something to work towards. I love the feeling of anticipation. And every time I put some cash on it I'll get the same thrill I do when I'm in the thrift shop. It'll feel so good to finally bring it home, like I've worked so hard to get it - boy this feels kinda old-fashioned doesn't it?

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Which is thrift?

I really put my foot in my mouth. Just after I buy two pair of new summer shoes I find two similar pair in the thrift store for next-to-nothing!

Can you tell which wedgie is which, new or thrift? One is by Geox and the other Easy Spirit.

I think I'll have to rethink my "Never buy shoes thrift rule." Rules are meant to be broken anyway, right?

How about these?

Both ballet flats are by Kenneth Cole, but one was super cheap and the other, though part of my two-for-one deal mentioned in yesterday's post, were still $50.

Arg.


I should mention both thrift shoes are in mint condition and look like they haven't been worn hardly at all. I guess that's the big issue I have with thrift-bought shoes: they tend to be really quite worn and stinky. But if you find a pair in good shape that suit you, take a second look by all means.

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Retro shades & hunky Aussies

What do you think of my movie star sunglasses?

I found them in an old hardware store on Danforth Ave. in Toronto for $3!

They're not new. The hardware store, Tracy's Hardware, has been around for 55 years. It does sell hardware but the window is full of second-hand treasures like brass Buddhas and 1960s Murano glass.

I couldn't resist these - purple too!

I wore them last night to the funkiest networking event I've ever been to, held at a drive-through storage facility in Toronto called All Canadian Self Storage and organized by Toronto area Business Network News. I paired them with a fab pink A.X.L. dress I found at ENDS in the Beach for $29!

Funnily enough I tried the exact same dress on a few months ago at the same place when it was $10 more, but left it there as I didn't think it looked good on me!

I also found this ring - new - for .50 cents at another end-of-the line place on the Danforth!

It looks so classy, doesn't it? I think it may be copper.

The lady said it's from Johnson's jewellery in New York but I'm still investigating. Looks like there may be a stamp inside.


I didn't get any pics of me in my amazing dress, but someone else did!

Here I am with some Aussie football players at the The Aussie X booth.

I think I may end up on a brochure somewhere!

Sunglasses, $3; dress that would normal retail at $200: $29; necklace for a couple bucks at a garage sale - that's $34 for this outfit not including the silver leather shoes, which were part of a buy one get the second pair FREE so they were really $50!

I call that a thrifty shopping goal - or is it a touchdown?

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Green sparkly velvet pillow

You may know by now my penchant for green velvet - I have a chair, and a Krohler loveseat you see here, both thrifted.

When I found this green velvet pillow with sparkly embellishments at the same store where I found my inexpensive sheet set (see a few posts below), I had to get it for my loveseat.

It was only $3.99.

It's a long-weekend in Canada this weekend, so let this pillow serve as a symbol of the rest, relaxation and fun I desperately need and am going to have this weekend!

Have a good one!

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Make your own bed - then lie in it!

Grunge-Queen couldn't get out of bed this morning. Not just 'cos she was up late reading her fave Agatha Christie novel, but also because she was feeling so good ensconced in bed in her new 100 percent cotton sateen sheets....

I'm picky about sheets - no polyester - but I can't afford to buy them new very often as they can run upwards of $100 for a double set.

But lately I've been hankering for some ALL WHITE cotton sateen sheets, and once I get an idea in my head, watch out.


Then I went into a mom and pop bed and bath place a 5-minute walk from my place and found some lovely Lynda Reeves' cotton sateen sheets.

Only problem: there were flat sheets only, no fitted sheets.

My solution? I bought a flat top sheet in size double for $9.99 and a Queen flat sheet for $14.99, then simply used the Queen set as a bottom sheet. I used to chambermaid in high school so I know how to tuck in sheets tightly!

Then I found some plain white and champagne-hued pillow cases for $2.99 a set.

And voila: I have a crisp new summer bed for about $30.

I also found this gorgeous cotton sateen duvet cover for $29.99 at the same place. Burnt orange typically isn't in my colour palette, but I have slowly been leaning toward oranges the past six months (remember the $5 wool area rug?).

If you really love or want something, as I did with a pair of white sheets, don't be scared to make your own rules. In this case it didn't bother me a whit that I didn't have an official "set" - since my solution was pretty much the same.

I'm going back for a second pair. Then to sleep, perchance to dream ....

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