Thriftanista in the City

Did I ever tell you about the time I was lost in a dark park? I went to a girl's night out event with the homie. There wasn't parking available nearby so we had to park and walk quite a distance. Our walk took us through a very large park with lots of tunnels and winding pathways. It was very scenic and beautiful but also hard to navigate the direction we were heading in. We got turned around. We got lost. Since we were together it wasn't too bad. We laughed and gabbed and went in several different directions.  It took us 30 minutes to eventually find our way over to the party. Had I been walking alone, I would have been completely panicked. I do what I can to protect my personal safety. I lock my car doors as soon as I get in. I try to walk in well lit areas. I walk with my keys in hand. I check my surroundings and walk at a faster pace. I still don't like to walk in the dark especially by myself.  We had each other but having someone else know where we were would h...

While perusing Pinterest , I spotted a street fashion photo of a woman wearing absolutely fabulous shoes. I ended up loosing track of the photo and had to google search it based on the mental picture I took. Not an easy task given my lack of attention to detail. Google understood me though. The pumps mystery pin lady was wearing were from Vionnet's Spring 2012 line. I pinned them from the Vionnet site and waited. Meanwhile, a pair of decade old pumps lay in my shoe graveyard. I bought them at Filene's Basement. There never seemed to be a good time to wear them. The shape of my foot doesn't work well with slingbacks either. A substantial portion of my heel usually hangs off the side. They've been allowed to stay in my closet because of the t-strap and the color. As you know, I have strong affection for the color purple. I guess that's why they have followed me through several moves, a marriage, and a baby. They've probably gone in and out of s...

Instead of going with the very obvious choice -- a pair of jeans, I wore a leather skirt with a t-shirt.  The turquoise leather skirt was in the graveyard part of my closet. No hanger just laying in a pile on a shelf. I haven't worn it since my television debut *hair flip* over a year ago. It has great color and came with an amazing price tag -- $3.50! It's a little big in the waist (yay!) but it now sags toward the tummy pooch (boohiss). I don't normally wear graphic tees especially ones with cartoon characters on them. The color combination is lovely. It cost a $1 and I loved watching the Flintstones as a kid. I'm only half ashamed to say I wore it the day before over a thin knit sweater. It was still clean and it made picking out clothes that much easier on Sunday as I headed out to brunch with the loves. Obviously I had to add some layers to the outfit -- chunky sweater and infinity scarf . I won't be going out with bare arms for at least a...

I thrifted this vintage hot pink smoking jacket at a Salvation Army I had never been to. The color was POP-PING! WOW! I have absolutely no use for a smoking jacket but I threw it in the cart anyway. It was $3.  I simply could not say no to that price so it came home with me! Mmmhmmm.  The brand name is DeWeese California. I did a Google search to find out more information. I found a very well known DeWeese Designs. I'm not sure it's the same designer though. DeWeese Designs was based in California too and specialized in swimwear. I wonder if this is a vintage knockoff. I removed the arts & craft paper tag and washed it right away (by right away, I mean I ignored the 3 bags of dirty laundry we already have and added it to the next load...4 days later). It's 100% nylon so the color can withstand a million washes and still look just as amazing.  I love it and was super excited to wear it yesterday. I did a test run to see how it...

Cute outfits that will keep you warm in winter can be tricky for us in the midwest. It's cold. The wind blows and cuts right through you. The snow can be slushy and wet. Our winter style at some point will include puffer coats, chunky snowboots and layers! When the Homie invited me to go check out the Chinese New Year Parade , I was already shaking my head no in my mind! You know how I feel about cold weather. Standing in the cold on purpose? No ma'am. I do like to step outside of my box though so I agreed. I wore multiple layers to create a casual and warm but cute outfit. If you don't agree, keep it to yourself. I thought I was cute! Layers 1: the basics (not pictured) Put on a camisole or t-shirt underneath your clothes. Wear long underwear if you have it! Wear tights or maybe even both if you're wearing a pants or long skirt. long sleeve tee // NY & Co. / old |  leggings // The North Face /  thrifted thick socks // Hanes Layer 2: cute ...

While shopping at Walmart for our V-Day romantic dinner, I stopped at the bakery and spotted the Starbucks delicious pairings sign. "There's nothing like a delicious cup of coffee and a sweet bakery treat" were the words that jumped out at me. I had started my errand running without my daily coffee and now I wanted it! Real bad. I tucked away my cravings and focused on getting a dessert to go with our meal. E's favorite kind of desserts are chocolate based so I chose chocolate turtle brownies. I also picked up  Starbucks Dark Caffe Verona . There are lovers on the package. How perfect is that? When I worked outside the home, I was a regular Starbucks customer ordering a tall coffee (dark roast) and a baked good 5 days a week. The coffee I ordered in store had a somewhat bitter taste and I sometimes added a bit of cream to tone down the sharp flavor. Now that I'm home with V, I prefer to experiment with different brands and brew at home instead of goin...

I haven't worn the thrifted  sequin sweater   in a while. It was last seen over at  FabEllis . I wore it to girls night out last Sunday. I went to the  Kit Kat Lounge  with my homie (bestie for the young folks) to watch the Grammy's* and sip  Barbie juice . I had a case of the blahs getting dressed. I was glad to be going out sans V but I'm still in hibernation mode. It's cold in Chicago. blah. blah. whine. whine. I wasn't up a long primp session but it was the Grammy's. I had to add a little bit of pizzazz! I don't know if it's the sequins or the thickness of the wool making this the warmest sweater ever. It was in the 30s and I didn't feel the slightest hit of cold breeze through it. To the person that gave this away -- why? and thanks! I carried an amazing 80s bag I thrifted at  Goodwill . It's purple leather and it can be worn crossbody. I love it and I wore it all weekend. It's so roomy and it has ...

Found a cute little earring in my hodge podge thrift bag . It didn't have a mate so I did a quick bauble and wire ring DIY. The earring has beautiful colored cabochons and I didn't want to toss it. Over the weekend, I took about 15 minutes and refashioned my earring into a ring! Valentine's Day loving the unloveable week continues. DIY Bauble & Wire Ring What you need: -wire cutter -wire -earring This was really an exploration project so I played it by ear. It was hard to document steps as I just did a lot of bending, twisting, twirling, and looping to achieve the look I wanted. Generic what to do: Cut the post off of the earring using wire cutters. Twist the wire through the loops in the earring and tuck in end piece. Using finger as a form, twist the wire around a finger to your liking. Make loops to attach the other side together. The end. Yesterday, I attempted a Valentine's Day inspired manicure during Violet's nap. I believe...

Pulled out more unwearable pieces from my closet. I'm loving the unlovable this week in honor of Valentine's Day! I went in search of red and pink but came out with pink and orange instead. I think these have got to be the brightest items in my closet. Of course they go together, right? I've always liked this color combination but never wore them together. In order to  hold my skirt up  break up the color I added my trusty leopard skinny belt. The faux fur vest was bought at the same time I bought the chocolate brown one. I happen to like the dark brown fur better so I pass up this one up on a regular. Also, the other one has better looking fun fur. I like the shape of the inferior fun fur better better though. It doesn't overtake the entire look. Of course, that would be hard to do with the ball of color I have going on. I adore vintage gloves. I own several pairs and continue to buy them. There never seems to be a good time to pull them on. I...