fasion from old people

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back again

Sorry for the absence; I've been a bit busy with writing and getting ready to start a new job. Here's an outfit post to make up for it:



sweater: Rugged Wearhouse (originally Ann Taylor)
belt: thrifted
skirt: thrifted
tights: Rugged Wearhouse
shoes Marshalls (originally Nine West)

I've been going to lots of estate sales lately, hunting for vintage. I've been finding lots of cute little 60s minidresses, which aren't the kind of thing I really wear, but they should do nicely for flea markets. I might just be onto something really good-- someone clearing out what sounds like a ton of plus-size vintage. We'll see on Sunday.

jumpers

You can't tell, but this jumper is actually pinstriped black corduroy. It's one of my favorite things to wear in winter-- super comfy and warm, with big patch pockets. I have the straps crisscrossed in back, too. And it looks cute with a lot of different blouses, and ever with t-shirts. In short: go team jumpers.

where I thrift

Tamina asked where I shop for vintage, so I thought I'd do a roundup of the various DC-area vintage and thrift stores I frequent.

For starters, as far as I'm concerned there is one place you should absolutely be going, if you love vintage and you live in DC.



Polly Sue's is my absolute favorite. They have fantastic clothes, they're not too expensive, the women who own it are friendly and knowledgeable. There are other vintage stores in DC, but for my money Polly Sue's is the very best.

Let me also put in a good word for Moonshadow Antiques, right down the street from Polly Sue's. Moonshadow had a smaller selection of clothes, but I've found some nice things there, and they're great for accessories. There's also Rerun, on the same block, but they lean more 60s/70s (and they smell like patchouli).

There are a few vintage stores in DC proper-- I've been to Meeps in Adams Morgan, which is good but a bit more expensive than Polly Sue's. I've also been to Annie Creamcheese in Georgetown, which I found HUGELY overrated-- lousy selection, nothing from the eras I wear, and massively overpriced to boot.

So that's vintage. Now, as for thrift stores-- this might only be useful for folks who spend time in and around College Park. I mostly thrift close to home, in Langley Park, White Oak, and Bladensburg. The Value Village at 2277 University Boulevard (right near the intersection of University and Riggs) is my home base, the place I shop the most. They have three full aisles of dresses, which is more than any other thrift store in the area, and they're not bad for skirts and blouses. They can be overpriced, though, especially clothes from "good" brand names like Banana Republic.

I very rarely find real vintage there-- mostly I buy vintage-styled clothes from labels like Ann Taylor Loft and Isaac Mizrahi for Target. This is the case for most thrift stores in the area-- very little real vintage, but you can put together a vintage look if you shop carefully.

Another favorite is the two big thrift stores side-by-side at 10121 New Hampshire Ave in White Oak. These stores are probably the easiest to find for people coming from outside the area-- just get off the Beltway at New Hampshire, head north, and they're in the first big shopping center on the right. These stores, a Unique Thrift and another Value Village, are gigantic (and have dressing rooms!), and you can spend half a day shopping between the two of them. The don't have as many dresses as the University store, but they have a pretty good selection overall, and are less likely to randomly overprice things. Be sure to go on Mondays or Thursdays, when there's a 25% discount.

My other favorite is a bit of a hike, even for me: Village Thrift at 4960 Annapolis Rd. I do find good vintage here from time to time-- or at least I used to. Sadly, the selection is not what it used to be. They're down to one aisle of dresses, from three. But they do have dressing rooms, and I find good stuff there periodically. Also, they're a few doors down from my favorite bakery in the area-- they make carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting that are totally incredible.

So that's the rundown. These aren't the only places I get vintage-- I often get a lot of clothes from DC Big Flea (the next one's in January! Who's in?) and from estate and yard sales. But those are all the places I shop at regularly. If you want to go on a thrifting expedition, let me know!

the big score

Went to an estate sale this morning. They mentioned in the ad that they had vintage clothes.

Boy, did they ever.



30 dresses later, I am good and ready for the flea market my friend and I are selling at in a few weeks. Not shown: the yellow Swirl wrap dress I'm keeping.

Oh, and did I mention? They were a dollar apiece. My only regret is that I couldn't get there on Saturday.

back from Richmond

I went to Richmond for a friend's birthday this weekend, and had a fantastic time. Her party was a blast, and on Sunday I went to this awesome estate warehouse that's only open one weekend a month, where I bought a ton of old photos and a rhinestone brooch. I also finished a third short story, which is up here if you're interested. This one, I suspect, will appeal to the junk hounds among you.

Here are some of the photos I bought in Richmond:

I'm not doing NaNo

Like the post title says: I'm not doing National Novel Writing Month. No way do I have the stamina to write 50,000 words in 30 days. But I do want to write more, and I have an awful lot of half-finished short stories, so I decided on a project. I'm going to try to finish a short story every week for the month of November. I actually got two done last week-- you can see them at the blog I set up for that purpose. I'm working on story #3 right now.

So here's a question, for anyone who wants to give me a hand with story #3: If you were cleaning out an old house full of junk, some of which had slipped in sideways from alternate universes, what would you want to find?

checking in

Sorry for the lack of posts these past few days. I've been feeling pretty under the weather, and spending more time in pajamas than anything else, so no outfit posts. Here's some pretty profiles from my Flickr favorites, though, to tide you over until I'm in the mood to get dressed up again.