Thriftanista in the City

I'm back again with another one of my favorite finds. If you want to be featured just let me know.  You don't have to be a blogger, just a lover of fabulous treasure to be in the spotlight.  Your find doesn't have to be thrifted either but it does have to be a good thrifty deal. If you would like to participate, email me with answers to the below questions, a picture of your find, and a picture of you or your avatar. A new link-up starts today! Link to a post you think we'd all enjoy.  Please link back to this blog if you plan to participate. Thanks! Here we go.... Name or Alias Troy What makes you a Thriftanista? I spend a lot of time in thrift stores. I love to hunt for good deals and I like to be fashionable on a budget. What did you find? Originala Wool Coat from the 60s How much was it? I don't remember but I'm sure it was under $10 What makes it special? I bought this coat when I was searching for a unique winter coat that would keep me toasty warm all su...

I wasn't the only one who spotted this vintage cutie at the thrift store. While I was trying it on, a woman was hovering next to me asking if I was going to get it. Uhmmm, yeah. It was missing a couple of buttons but no worries,  I couldn't exhale when it was buttoned up anyway. I replaced all of the buttons but sadly I couldn't do anything about its ability to suffocate.  It's one of my thrifted treasures I haven't seen in quite some time. It has been stored away for over 2 years. Who knew leather shrinks? It definitely got smaller while stored away. Definitely. Bright side? The buttons will stay on nice and tight and will never need replacing.  It looks purple in the picture but its burgundy oxblood and it has a peplum. Two fall trends in one! Burgundy is not a color I would normally be drawn to and I've never heard anyone claim it as their favorite color so I'm curious. Do you own a lot of burgundy? Is it your favorite color? ...

I took some inspiration from the runway to create this look. While paging through runway shows on the Cut , I noticed a few menswear inspired looks. Dark rich colors, textured fabrics, blazers and vests. I always have blazers and vests in my closet. They go in and out of style and they are abundant in thrift stores. If the quality is good and I notice something unique about it, I buy it. Can you tell what's unique about this one? I'll show you later. I spotted several looks from different designers but it was the  Ralph Lauren Fall RTW 2012 that really stood out for me. I wonder why? Could it be PURPLE VELVET! I. Love. Purple. photo source Here's my version using thrifted clothes I already owned. What makes a velvet vest 1,000 times cooler? Having a reversible tweed side. Yeah baby! tweed & velvet blazer and vest // Spellbound Spellbound by Ricardo / thrifted walking shorts // dockers / thrifted tights // falke oxford pumps // n...

I'm starting a new series and link up as of today. I thought it would be a good way for all of us to show off some of our favorite finds. You don't have to be a blogger, just a lover of fabulous treasure to be in the spotlight. Your find doesn't have to be thrifted either but it does have to be a good thrifty deal. If you would like to participate, email me  with answers to the below questions, a picture of your find, and a picture of you or your button. Also, I'm adding a link-up! Link to a post you think we'd all enjoy. Please link back to this blog if you plan to participate. Sound good? Since this is the first spotlight, I will kick it off. Name or Alias Troy What makes you a Thriftanista? I spend a lot of time in thrift stores. I love to hunt for good deals and I like to be fashionable on a budget. What did you find? brand new in the box Ferragamo flats How much was it? $2. The retail price was $230! What makes it special? While Ferragamo's aren't my pe...

The temps are dropping a bit and I'm thinking about my fall look. It has to be playground appropriate but still look pulled together. I don't want to look like Dowdy McHousefrau at the  park  play cafe and I want to be able to transition well to a night out look. In my world, I also require easy pieces I can throw on and be ready to hit the streets in 5 minutes or less. These trends from Old Navy's fall line would definitely fit the bill. colored pants The rockstar  jeans and cords come in many colors from neutrals to brights. While I'm drawn to the brights like the plum, I think I need to add some neutrals into the mix so I can get away with wearing them more than once before washing. Am I the only mama who does this? animal prints Of course, I have animal prints but I don't have a leopard print  sweater dress / tunic! I probably wouldn't wear it like the model as my knee caps would fall off in Chicago fall. I'm more likely to pair...

One of our local Salvation Army stores is going through a renovation and had a 75% off "fire sale" to clear out some merchandise. The previous 2 day everything was 50% off so it was pretty picked over when I got there. My grand total for the trip? $6.75. Not a bad deal for what I thrifted. a maxi dress from Target I love pink and purple together so I bought even though I don't normally purchase thrifted Target. The price is too high. Not this day. At $1.75, I had to grab one. They had several. I think I can get away with wearing this in the cooler temps with a long sleeve tee underneath and a denim jacket (on my wishlist). Or a chunky sweater over it. Add a slip, tights and boots and BOOM! It's Fall ready. orange Banana Republic sweater Orange is my color. It goes well with my skin tone. This one has a nice bright color to perk up the cloudy overcast days ahead too. jeans for resale Dickies skinny pants They're brand new. I origina...

Did you think I was wearing all of this? I probably would if I could fit it! Instead, it's Ms. Violet this time. She gets the limelight and I didn't photo bomb once.  I was sent some cuteness from Girls Crochet Headbands (GCH), a family owned business specializing in unique and affordable (prices start at .99) clothes and accessories for the girly girl. Rarely do I dress Ms. V up. She's normally playground ready at all times. Before she actually arrived, I wanted to put dresses and bows on her everyday. Since I like her roughhouse ready and girly, I paired her tee and denim pants capris with the bright lime tutu and a bold hair accessory -- a glittery purple rose.  Whenever V is wearing something new, she has to go check herself out in the mirror. This time she wanted to twirl! I love tutus and it looks like she does too. I've caught a few times trying to put this on by herself.  She  carried her boombox with her all day. Oh Babes... ...

Does this dress look familiar? I've worn it before. It's the maxi dress from Dots . It was too long and all summer long I procrastinated on hemming it so I just chopped it into a mullet skirt. It was really easy to do. Step 1: cut slit or mark the length you want in the front. Do the same on center back. Step 2: Line up side seams. 3: Starting at marked length, draw a diagonal line until you reach back length. 4. Cut! Mine is a little choppy as I did a lot of eyeballing and wasn't particularly interested in cleaning up edges. Perfect I will never be. Do you like the new length? old length

Friday night, I attended Windy City Wine Festival  compliments of BFF. As you may or may not know, Mama likes wine (and cocktails) ! I had 10 tasting tickets and access to free food and FULL glasses of wine. Hollerrrrr! It's good to have friends (and wine), right? I was so happy to attend. It's an event I've always wanted to go to.  Just look at that smile. My love of wine is shining through!  Sporting a completely thrifted outfit including the vintage Coach from last haul. Did I say i was selling it? It was a windy overcast evening but I had no worries. There was wine. I had an emergency poncho. I was enjoying the company of BFF and taking in views of the skyline all lit up. Everything was beautiful and perfect. I sampled chocolate wine.  It taste like a liqueur so it wasn't as gross as it sounds. I sampled reggae wine. I absolutely had to see what this was about as I love the reggae music. Yayyyy reggae! Reggae Wine? Well...

Since joining BLM , I've discovered a lot of great bloggers and business owners. Today's link love is for one of the #BLMgirls - Shayla of Pulling Strings . She makes beautifully crochet yarn earrings. She's a 20 year vet of the crochet game and last year started making earrings. Her earrings come in a variety of bright bold colors and sizes. She does custom work too! Prices range from $9 to $24. Just take a look at some of her creations. Capri Reggae's Night Square Biz Mohave Desert These are from the new Fall collection Let's Go Berry Fun Cute, right?  Visit Pulling Strings to see the entire collection. So many gorgeous colors!  Personally, I have my eye on the Gold Hoops with Burst. Now it's time for a giveaway! Shayla will be giving away a pair of Sexy Black Lace (small) earrings to 1 lucky Thriftanista! To enter, complete the rafflecoptor entry form. Ends 9/18