Fall officially began over a month ago but I refuse to let go. This is actually a modified version of a look I wore for labor day, which quiet as its kept was (temperature wise) the last day of summer. It's the usual summer uniform for me.... a bralet (HM) ! Only I paired it with a blazer (HM), tea length skirt (& Other Stories), and white leather sneakers (Gap) for weather appropriateness. My look has been real retro lately so I love this its a great mix of sexy yet modest.

I haven't been blogging lately as I have been working on completely rebranding and refocusing myself. This will likely be my last post before the revamp.















To continue the conversation about thrifting here's and example of what I mean when I say Vision not Sight. I picked up this Eddie Bauer denim dress from the thrift store for $2. I often times purchase denim because its usually a safe bet. It was plus sized and obviously way too big for me, but I figured nothing a few stitches on my sewing machine couldn’t fix. Unfortunately after I took it in I realized that it need more help than that plus my sewing machine is on one leg right now. I needed to shorten it and remove the sleeves because it was maxi length with long sleeves (not in this heat No GAWD). After I was done it was an lackluster dressl. I wore it once and decided it was a transformation gone wrong. It made me look matronly…

Fast forward to this week. I needed to find something to were in my own closet (whatever’s in budget lol). After flipping through my closet a few times I decided on the denim dress; it was the one thing in my closet that had enough fabric to play with. I had several ideas come to mind but honestly I just let the fabric speak to me. I put it on did some draping on my body, and went with the flow. This was the final result. All this  to say that in the world of thrifting don’t see it for what it is; see it for what it could be (denim mui mui but for what it can be two piece man bait lol).

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I get asked tons of questions about how I thrift. Honestly what works for me may not work for you but I decided to share my top 5 tips for successful thrifting. thrifting tips one
The first thing I like to do is decide what my goal/objective is. Thrift stores can be overwhelming especially for a beginner. If you know exactly what you are looking for or what you hope to achieve it helps alleviate the stress of the experience! For example if your looking for a specific item. Be very purposeful about that choice. Don't just say just looking for jeans. Choose a fit and a color. I am looking for white skinny jeans. The objective can sometimes just be a mood; For example your objective could be to find 70s inspired pieces. I promise if you do this the stores wont be so daunting.
thrifting tips two
Make sure you create a budget for yourself. Depending on the thrift store the prices aren’t always as cheap as you would think. Even when the prices are cheap make a budget. The cheaper the prices the more tempted you will be to spend more that you want to. So MAKE A BUDGET (mental or written)!
thrifting tips three
Obviously this tip doesn’t work for everyone lol! However if you can or if it floats your boat definitely wear a skirt to the thrift store. Lots of thrift stores don’t have fitting rooms. So I slip bottoms on under my skirt then remove my skirt and take pictures using my smart phone.
thrifting tips four
Over time you will develop a mental list of what thrift stores are good for what items. For example I love the salvation army in midtown, but their menswear selection is always lacking. When I am looking for menswear I just start a the safest bet; buffalo exchange. This process takes time but use online reviews/word of mouth to help steer you in the right direction. Yelp and Google Places are some of my favorites for getting online reviews of thrift stores.
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The toughest thing about thrifiting is that most people see things for what they are and not what they can be. You have to have a vision for an item. Don’t be afraid to see potential! Make alterations or take it to a tailor. The most successful thrift shopping happens when something is transformed into something new!

There's tons more tips but those are my top 5! Let me know what you think? are you a thriftier? what's your process like?

 Jeans |London Crop Top |Love Culture Sunnies|Foster Grant (i think)

Quick look post. I am completely obsessed with the resurgence of flare leg jeans. They remind me of one of one of my favorite time periods the 70s. I scored the earth looking for the perfect flare jeans, and I found these while back home on vacation  they are London Brand and I scooped them at the thrift for $10 bucks. The Top I've had a while and went perfect with my 70s revival look!. The adventure was finding the jeans.

Basically this look is all about this Fila skirt I found at the thrift, about 7 months ago. It was one of those items I bought but have no idea how I will wear it. It is very hot today, so I knew I wasn't wearing pants. I also need something that I wouldn't need to wear again anytime soon. So I pulled out the skirt and as per my usual wardrobe threw on my HM tank, then ran out the door for an icy. When I looked in the mirror all I think was Serena ain't got nothing on me!

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Overalls: Gap   | Tank : HM    | Snedges: ?

It’s no secret that I'm completely obsessed with overalls. They offer a level of comfort only beaten by pajamas and sweats. My life is pretty hectic,so any comfort clothing is most certainly welcomed. Since I am still in the process of wardrobe building after my move to New York I don’t have access to all my awesome overalls. I have been on the look out for overalls since February, but hadn’t found any in my budget free. It just so happened the other day while at my favorite place to shop (the thrift store) I saw these overalls from the Gap and had to have them. They would be perfect for interning/schlepping and cool for work with some tweaking. I love the fact that they are plain jane considering I plan to retrieve my other overalls , these would be a viable additional option. So the look is super basic overalls, basic tank, and a pair of wedged sneakers. So comfy! I love this look because its also has an androgynous feel.

My apologies for the horrid picture quality I was trying something new! FAIL

  How about you what's your favorite comfy yet cute look?Tomboy12

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Post To Be OOTD

Vest: ASOS Denim: Gap Sneakers:Thrifted

This is a random post so it will be brief. I have been feeling pretty sick, so when my off day rolled around I sleep until 1pm, then decided to get some fresh air and later hit up bible study. This look I'd all about the sneaker. I saw these sneakers at the thrift store "about a week ago" ( que Shmoney dance). When I tried them on I was instantly in love and for $8 I wasn't leaving without them. Here's the catch.... they are supposed to be Supras, but I could find them anywhere online and therefore have determined that they must knock offs. I am generally speaking not a knock off kind of girl (being a creative type I know the value of intellectual property) nor am I a label whore. However I still love them and would rock them with or without that Supra logo...  hence the post title "post to be". As for the rest of the look: the vest was an ASOS clearance item, the white ripped jeans are gap, sadly white denim is usually see through so I grabbed my plaid shirt for the o so clutch shirt around waist move, and finally I thru on my H&M tee so as not to be naked and out the Door I went.

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Its April Fool’s Day and unbeknownst to me mother nature had been playing a prank on me all winter and today she finally said “GOTCHA”. I have been going to the park around my apartment for weeks just to get air, think, be outdoors…, but because the entire park has been covered in snow for months there are certain parts of the park I've never seen. well since mother nature decided to finally let us see a glimpse of spring the snow is gone and I finally ventured thorugh the park in depth and to my amazement I found this view of the FDR Bridge. Amazing! Such a metaphor for life: if you just remain patient you never know what's under the snow in your life! I’m done being deep, lets talk garments! I had nothing but errands to run today and since I was off from work I wanted to be comfy and cute. I’ve never worn this much black in my life, until I moved to New York (have I been converted?). the dress is Spiegel  (thrifted) I love this dress but unfortunately I knew when I purchased it that my boobs wont let me be great in it so it has to be layered with a tank or t-shirt. I threw of my HM Fleeced tights, XOXO Boots , Red lipstick and viola look done.

Did you get April Fooled? Share you story!

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Fashion Week Graphic20150228_125427 2‘’

 

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Black Denim by J Brand | Tee by H&M | Pumps by Aldo

So as an intern I got to complete one of my milestone moments in my life; I got to attend a show at Lincoln center for fashion week. Considering my wardrobe is ehh lacking right now I had extreme anxiety about what I would wear. Everyone kept saying wear all black “its chic”, they explained. If you know me you know I love color so at the last minute I decided to throw caution to the wind and “do me”. I thrifted this blazer a few days before the show and decided that it was unique enough to shashay in front of the cameras. My experience was one I will never forget. I am still smiling. Everyone was snapping my picture and complimenting me and I walked into a room of people I admire, look up too, and desire to become. It was breathtaking and I felt grateful. The rest of my look was pretty generic black denim by J Brand, Tee by H&M, Pumps by Aldo. I mean the blazer is the statement here!

Did you attend fashion week was your adventure similar to mine?

I Ashley Win being in sound mind, body, and, soul am an avid lover of Valentine's day. I love Valentines day for two nontraditional reasons. First of all there's usually an abundance of amazing mixtapes released on that day, and secondly because It gives me a reason to splurge on something I wouldn't normally buy (to show me how much I love me lol).

It's no secret until about three years ago I hate the holiday. It was a harsh reminder to the single people that you again will be eating alone (ha). Then I realized that no one can love me like I love me and I have had the best valentine's days since.

This year is a bit different I decided to take a mancation or man fast (no dating or conversing with persons of the opposite sex with intentions of being anything more than friends) for 3 months. I had been feeling rather unoptimistic about the prospects of finding a significant other and decided to clear my self of pressures and allow myself the opportunity to refresh hope in that area. The other reason is I am in no place to be dating or even conversing right now. I am pretty much staring over from scratch and life is stressful (understatement). I have to focus on me and finding stability in my own life right now. This valentine's day I will spend my day at work followed my some sleep afterwards. Don't be alarmed by the sheer excitement of my day lol.

All that being said this picture is one of my look options from last year. It's from ASOS and I love the color against my skin. It's super flirty and shows just enough skin.

I'm looking at this picture longing for warmer weather... but i digress... what are your Valentine's plan's?  Have u ever taken a break from dating? How did it go?

First of all this post is random. I just left church and decided to take a few pics. I have never been a fan of the snow sure it's beautiful in pictures, but it's such a disruption of daily life I don't remember the last time (before today) I've worn anything other than rubber boots. I miss dressing for fashion vs survival mode, but I digress. I went to bed at 4am and as a result woke up late for church. This look was an easy grab the skirt is & Other Stories the shirt is Ralph Lauren and the boots are Xoxo. Don't let the sweet taste fool you I have on layers upon layers. Most important my fleece tights from HM I live in tights during the winter so these are considered uniform. Sometimes I even layer patterned tights on top of my fleece tights. Hey  G.R.I.T (girls raised in the south) have got to stay warm out here.

How bout u what are you doing to stay warm this winter?

PREFALLgraphic

     Let’s talk Pre-fall collections I made it a point not to read any show reviews so that I could have my own thoughts and viewpoint to share. Lets talk about the not so obvious trends first (I'm sure you can read about the major trend on the major media outlets). Well save the major trends for last.

Trends:


 

Straight Laced


I noticed several designers (Altuzarra, Elizabeth and James,Osman Rebecca Minkoff) utilizing “shoe” laces as detailing on dresses, skirts, even pants. I like this; when done properly it seems modern, but when done improperly it can look very cheap:

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Safari/Utility Jacket

This trend was all over the run way and I love any trend that has a hint of masculinity added. Any utility style jacket with oversized pockets will do!
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Suits and Shorts:


I only noticed a few designers (Rachel Zoe and Osman) doing this but its safe to say if you venture to rock a matching blazer and shorts youre will be on trend!

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Bell Bottoms/Flare Leg:


I had to look twice but I definitely saw several pairs of culottes on the runway! It’s a fun trend and since I still own a few pair (they make my butt look great Smile)  I wont hesitate to break them out!

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Colorful Houndstooth


Strangely enough houndstooth was very visible in the pre-fall collections. The scale however is enlarged and lots of color to boot!

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Now on to the major trends:

Olive/Hunter Green:


Olive green is the obvious trend in the color department. It was all over the runway.

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Culottes:


Youre not cool if you’re not in culottes I think almost every designer had a culotte if not two in there collections. This trend is tricky depending on your height it can be difficult to style a culotte but hey if your up for a challenge…

 

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Large Print Plaid (Window Pane Prints)


EVERYWHERE and I do Mean every where you turn you could see large scale plaid  (or window pane prints as major media is calling them) all throughout pre-fall 2015

House_of_Holland_010_1366Sass_Bide_015_1366Copyright © 2013 infinitas. <br />Article Photo for Denim Jeans Observer<br />www.denimjeansobserver.com<br /><br />All brands, product names, corresponding products, supplementary materials, graphic or photographic images, licenses, registered trademarks, trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.


Wide Leg:


This is always my favorite trend even though I am barely 5’5 I ABSOLUTLEY LOVE WIDE WAISTED PANTS! They are my favorite style of pant! They make you look lean and tall if done appropriately.

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Asymmetric Skirts


If your collection didn’t feature an asymmetrical wrap skirt then you didn’t have a collection., seriously it was that visible. The asymmetric skirt is always around but to be specifically on trend it needs to be a wrap skirt that crosses at the center.

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Lounge  Look


I can’t say that I'm a fan of this trend, but hey if you like going outside in your  pajamas this look is definitely for you. Lounge wear is the uber comfortable trend that was featured in several collections.

 

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