My Two F/W 2007 Idealisms [+ thrifting lessons]

I don't know about you, but sometimes I have a distinct look that I'm imagining for myself for a season. I have had two such images in my mind for a while, one fall look and one winter look:

Fall- British Countryside Romantic Indie Girl.
Winter- Chic, Sleek, Mod Minimalist.

Haha! I know, you're either thinking I'm insane...or insane. ; ) Wait, it gets better..

So I decided to do a bit of sketching since I have had these two looks taking up valuable vacancy in my head.

My high school never offered art so don't get your hopes up! I also included my own ideal color palettes for fall and winter. Brace yourselves:


British Countryside Romantic Indie Girl

I couldn't quite get the hair right. It's supposed to be messy-wavy, tied back with a few clips in a bun. on each side, two sections of hair braided back. Of course, I don't really expect to achieve this hairstyle...I'm not too good when it comes to that. And as I will tell you in an upcoming post on my F/W obsessions/trends, for fall I'm loving that rich caramel /cinnamon color (so much personality!).

Chic, Sleek, Mod Minimalist

Um...this one did not turn out as well, I mean, drawing-wise...it was based of an idea of an outfit I put together using one of our felt piano dusters (that what it's called?) as a semi-scarf. I mean, haven't you ever wondered? They're quite cute with the zig-zag edges...they are soft but hold up their shape pretty well so it's supposed to stick out at the ends to make for an interesting silhouette.

I tried to draw a face on it in Microsoft Paint so it would look more feminine...not quite sure if I achieved it. So figuring I'd have better luck I made a complete Microsoft Paint picture of the outfit I was thinking of, along with a T-shirt dress version; it's supposed to be a loose-fitting dress, but I also drew one (last photo- middle picture) with where the bottom of the bust is so you can see where the scarf is supposed to end.

OK, no?

Thrifting for those fall looks

So I went down to Red Bank about a week ago and they have some nice thrift shops there so I thought I'd do some thrifting...to be honest, my past experiences have been rather...eh, bad with thrift shops. But Red Bank has some good finds! Some great things that I haven't pictured: black sequined shorts, a red/gold brocade party dress, and a fuschia day dress (missed some buttons).

Anyhow, so I went thrifting with those two ideas of Fall/Winter looks in mind...and somehow, I wound up with a spread of items very Marc Jacobs- Louis Vuitton 2007 F/W- painter-esque. Especially with all the blouses I bought and that vintage (cloche?) hat! Surprisingly, it stays on my head very well (I wonder what year it's from!).


MJ's Louis Vuitton 2007

Photo Op w/ Hat
.

O-ho-hoh! Like a stereotypical early painter, oui?

Went in with one idea and come out very MJ-LV painter. Strange, right? But it can definitely be layered into the fall look I had planned out. The palette is certainly very fall 2007.

My total was: 3 belts (1 Coach) = $3
Lace hat = $9
3 blouses (2 silk) = $18

= $30

Not bad, if you ask me! Photos of my haul:

Paired with belts

The 5 Golden Lessons I've learned from thrifting:

1. Go with a specific idea/overall look in mind. Or else you'll be a bit overwhelmed about how you're going to work everything into an outfit.

2. Don't be scared of large sizes! At least when it comes to blouses; they fall naturally and nothing's wrong with a loose, flowy fit. One of the blouses I bought was extra large...I've been obsessed with tie-neck blouses as of late (I'm typically size 2) at least it's great for achieving that flowy MJ-painter look. On the same note, do not be scared of shoulder pads! You can snip them off later (that's what I did...and I may even be reusing them in a sewing project).




3. Do not automatically void a piece because of what size it says it is! Vintage sizing is different than contemporary; try anything you're curious about. I had one blouse which read size 14, but it fit like a small-medium.

4. If you have bought anything silk, hang it up right away, or else it's going to distort into whatever shape it was thrown into the bag. I learned this the hard way with two of my blouses... they got so wrinkled! (Tip: If you want to wash something silk and can't do drycleaning, you can wash it with some shampoo--but if you do dryclean, go to a green cleaner.)

5. BYOB. Best to Bring Your Own Bag-- the shops I've been to reuse their bags, but bring your own in case.

Anyways, I'm out, peace and love as always!