Red Hair, Green Dress...It's a Cliché, I know.

First I put on the dress. Then I started feeling very Mad Men, so up went the hair, on went the chunky jewelry, and out came the sassy one-liners.

(Dress - thrifted, Shoes - F21)

...and the awkward posing ensued. Sometimes it's nice to dress like a real grown-up lady, and pretend you're the type who throws dinner parties and doesn't believe an entire box of Cheez-Its counts as a meal.

(Chain Cuff - Vita Fede, Necklace - thrifted, Watch - Michael Kors)

Unfortunately (and I only say this because it's not Grey Goose) this is what my dinner actually consisted of. Cheers?

It's so nice, I wore it twice.

Now I just need to save up for this coveted little baby...

Gone Apple Pickin'

I look forward to Sundays all week, every week. Right now mostly because True Blood is back on...

But aside from that, it's the one day I usually have no commitments and nothing but free time. So of course my favorite thing to do is walk around town, headphones on, scouring secondhand stores for goodies. Because I'm so often asked about my thrifting adventures, I will share with you a few of my weekly rituals, just promise to use them to add only vital pieces to your wardrobe and not Ed Hardy crap. Seriously that shit is everywhere. Everyone collectively decided to sell/donate it at once. Wtf.

1. Have some good tunes at the ready. After all, most places will be playing Top 40's...from 1973. And although I do love the song "Bennie and the Jets," those musical morsels are hard to come by in your average secondhand shops.

2. Pick a day that isn't going to be crazy crowded. The number one type of person on my shitlist is the one who crowds me while I'm shopping. And they usually smell like urine or McDonald's. Or some kind of rancid combo. For realsies, step off.

3. Be patient and have a game plan. You're way less likely to find buried treasure if you aimlessly browse around. Pick a section and scour. I usually look at actual clothing first, then housewares, then shoes and bags, then jewelry. That way you can hit up the fitting rooms (if there are any) before you gather up anything that you can't bring in.

Which brings me to my next little tidbit...dress the part. A lot of times there aren't any fitting rooms, so wear things you can slip clothes over or slip off easily. Be comfy, but dress cute, perhaps in past thrifting finds. Call it "wishful dressing" or something. It can help inspire ideas.

(Lace-trim Tee - thrifted, High-waisted Shorts - American Apparel, Braided Belt and Platform Sandals - H&M, Black Patent Bag - recent thrifting treasure)

The tee and shorts are easy to slip on and off or throw something over. The bag is my "inspirational piece" because I loooooove it and found it for $4 in a thrift store. 

The sandals are comfy and slip-off-able, but can be easily paired with outfits, giving me some ideas in the fitting room.

And over-accessorizing my arms is just what I'm all about these days. Weigh them doooown.

Now, get thee to a Salvation Army!

The Training Birkin

If stealing intellectual property is wrong, I don’t wanna be right. Okay, well like…to a reasonable extent.

Patrice knows all about my quest for the perfect structured kelly bag. And yes, ideally it would be this:

But for the time being, I’m always on the prowl for my aptly named “training Birkin,” a title I give only to the worthiest of inspired-by bags. For instance, cue my Marc by Marc Jacobs Ozzie Square Lucy Bag:

But the little baby below was an ideal fit for this prestigious position — a perfect mini-version, by Neiman Marcus and a $4 thrift find. Whuuut. A little soapy water and some black shoe polish later, and we got a beaut — coming to a dive bar near you (well, depending on where you are…), on the shoulder of yours truly:

A Day at the Museum

I love it when my mom comes to visit. Sunday we went to check out the Chihuly exhibit at the MFA, and it totally quenched my current thirst for more and more color.

And then of course there was the WALL OF NAVAJO PRINT BLANKETS.



I kept wondering how obvious it would’ve been if I had just slid one off the wall…
As we were scoping the gold aztec jewelry section, my mom seated me on a bench and whipped out a small box. Inside:



And that made me feel the need to do a Senora Applecore arm tribute:


(Chain bracelet from Mali; Cut out bracelet from Toledo, Spain; Watch from Elgin)

I mean, I wouldn’t call her an enabler so much as…fashionably aware.

Sugar Fix

                              Isn’t everything better with sprinkles???

                          

Speaking of which, it seems I’m fully abandoning my usual all black, all the time ways for more and more color. I’ve got to have a sugar fix at 5 o’clock every day…and now I need more of this in my life:


Shoes - Haus of Price, Dress - Josh Goot for ASOS, Eye Glitter - Makeup Forever

Break the Rules, Even the Real Old Ones

When I get into something, I tend to go overboard. But that’s how collections happen…right? And I don’t wanna stop till this shit hits both elbows.

And I know, I know…

“Before you leave the house, take a look in the mirror and take one thing off.”
- Coco Chanel

Sorry, Cokes, just can’t stand behind you on this one.

She knows the deal.