Movie star looks a la thrift

Dah-ling.

Ever since finding my $3 retro purple sunglasses
I've been slightly obsessed with ... you guessd it, large purple retro shades!

These purply pink retro shades called "Comet by Newtrend" were only 99 cents at my local thrift shop.

The person who wore them had a small head as the arms have been bent super short. But my optician can heat them and adjust them to fit me - remember that when you're scouting for retro shades!

I found another goodie yesterday while doing a shopping column in North Toronto. In one of my fave consignment shops, Around the Block I found this wonderful piece of costume jewellery for $10.

As you'll see with my other thrift jewellery posts, costume necklaces with multi-tiers are a particular obsession of mine. Pearls and chains are classy yet can be funked up, and they can solve various style woes.

I'm wearing them here with a jersey wrap-inspired dress by Bionic Woman by Toronto designer Mark Foreman, which has a long V-neck that shows my scar and makes me look even more flat-chested than I am.

A tangle of pearls and chains like this remedies those problems and makes me look like a rich beetch to boot.

Tip: always look for costume jewellery with some weight. It tends to look more classy and substantial. I can always tell it's retro by looking at the clasp, which always has cool and very ancient looking hardware.

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Coat Notes

I know this looks granny Annie-ish, but when I wear this cashmere coat with the collar flipped up and my sequined toque and big shades, I look like a young Gloria Swanson.

Found at the Toronto Film Studios' semi-annual sale for 10 bucks, it was originally marked at $60. But it was a hot day, and the rest is history. It looks great when I'm all tarted up but also chic with jeans ... in fact I can be a scrag bag underneath but all the world sees is pure glamour ....

Speaking of over-wear, nothing says chic like a well-made retro jacket. I found this quilted Bergdorf Goodman ("On the Plaza New York," the label says) at Common Sort in Toronto at 804 Queen St. East www.commonsort.com during its 50 percent off sale ... for $35! Like my coat, I wear it with everything from skirts to jeans, and the look can range from classy to funky.

There's another 50 percent off sale this Thursday starting 11 a.m., for all you bargain hunters out there....

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Pearls, Girls

The theory goes that hemlines fall with stock prices. Not sure if I buy the argument that consumer confidence somehow correlates to our confidence when it comes to dressing ourselves, but there could be something to idea that we dress more conservatively in times of economic stress. Natalie Atkinson wrote in the National Post about the Little Black Dress coming back in times of economic turmoil, and magazines galore have been talking about the return of classic cashmere and pearls.

Or, you could look at it another way: add on some classic glam for super cheap and keep them guessing as to whether or not you're some rich movie star or heiress in disguise.

I'm really digging costume pearls these days, dug up in thrift shops like Salvation Army and second-hand ones like Value Village. Scour the jewellery cases for multi-strand costume pearls like the ones I featured yesterday - those were $14.99 and VV by Essex of Canada.

My fave: the multi-strand gold-tone chain I found at the St. Vincent de Paul thrift shop for a buck - pictured here with an angora turtleneck sweater.

Or how about those wonderful dripping clip-on earrings, featured up top? Found those not in the case but in the little baggies on the wall at VV for $2.99.

Pair 'em with your Gap turtleneck sweater and you're off to the races, dah-lings.

TIPS:

1). Look for weight and non-flimsy looking clasps and hardware. They usually indicate an older, higher quality costume jewellery piece. Ditto for pearls with yellow strings.
2). Get in the habit of bringing a magnifying glass with you so you can read small stamps on the clasp. I've found Essex, Grosse, Napier, and some unnamed stuff stamped "Made in Canada."
3). Troll the jewellery cases but don't ignore the baubles in the crappy jewellery section, usually in plastic containers on the jewellery cases or, as in the case of VV, in little baggies on a wall display.

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Rich Bitch Week!

Ah fellow fashionistas, recession got ya down?

Tune in this week, when I'll share my tips on how to dress like a rich bitch, for cheap.

For starters, pearls ...

But where to find 'em and what to look for??

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