I also write for / Scriu si pentru


I also write for / Scriu si pentru

Revista Tango Romania


Showing posts with label thrift shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thrift shopping. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

An Audrey Hepburn Inspired Look and a DIY Embellished Purse with Thrifted Finds from Value Village

Bridesmaid Dresses London
I am an avid supporter of sustainable fashion and I have incorporated a number of sustainable practices in my wardrobe, which are reflected in my every day outfits. I buy less and wear more; I buy vintage and thrift; I don’t buy fast fashion (ok, sometimes I do, but I limit my fast fashion purchases to very few items); I buy from local designers and I’m a big supporter of the Canadian fashion industry; I dress outside the box, whenever the design of a garment allows it (some of the clothes can be worn beyond their original scope, like a dress worn as a skirt or a skirt worn as a top or a blouse); I let myself inspired by the right side of my walk-in closet, incorporating some of my husband’s clothes into my outfits (I’ve worn the Boyfriend Shirt look, the Boyfriend T-Shirt look, the Boyfriend Shorts look); I mend, alter and refashion clothes, giving them a completely new look and/or a new purpose.

One of my favorite ways to practice sustainable fashion is by buying thrift and vintage. I have been an avid thrift shopper for a long time now, and Value Village is my favorite place to go to thrift shopping. Over the last few years, since I became a frequent thrift shopper, I’ve found some amazing and unique items on the racks at Value Village, which I absolutely love and wear dearly. 

#RethinkReuse is a philosophy that I have adopted in my wardrobe and now I am very considerate as to how I wear and take care of my clothes. I am saddened to see how many clothes are being discarded and end up on the landfill every year as a result of overconsumption in our Western society, when in fact they deserve love and proper care. Most of the unwanted clothes that get discarded are still in good shape and perfectly reusable, and they could get a second life in another wardrobe if only we were willing to make an extra effort to give them that second chance, instead of simply discarding them. And, besides the fact that I’ve become a greener shopper and more environmentally conscious while buying from Value Village, I also love the thrill of the hunt when I go thrift shopping!

To prove my point, I partnered up with Value Village to show you what great items can be purchased while thrifting, both in terms of clothes and accessories, so today I am going to show you an outfit made up entirely of Value Village finds (except for the shoes and eyewear). My mission was to create an outfit inspired by Audrey Hepburn’s style. My intention has not been to recreate or copy her looks, but rather use her as an inspiration that spoke to my own style.

So a few days ago I went to Value Village to find the items that I would use to create an Audrey Hepburn inspired look. I was after a black dress, a colored blazer, a purse and jewelry. When I was done with my thrift shopping, this is what I got.
The dress
It’s a Cleo bandage dress. This picture of the dress on the hanger may not tell you a lot, but wait until you see me wearing it. I love bandage dresses and tops due to their silhouette slimming effect. I actually have another bandage black top, a White House | Black Market, which I also scored at Value Village a couple of years ago, and which makes me look awesome and I absolutely love it. The dress was new, and it still had the original price tag attached to it. You can find many new items at Value Village, with the original price tags still attached to them, which is great of course. The only thing that makes me sad about it is that it’s a pity the person who had bought this dress in the mall didn’t enjoy it at all, didn’t wear it even once, and donated it to Value Village without wearing it – it’s a gorgeous dress, why wouldn’t you want it! Why did she bother to buy it if she was not going to wear it, such a waste! But, if she didn’t want it, now it’s mine, and I am happy to add it to my wardrobe.
The blazer
Considering that I wanted to create this look with a black dress, I thought to brighten it up with a colorful blazer, and I found this one – both its color and its style are gorgeous!
The purse
I also wanted a black purse for my outfit, so I added this one to my shopping cart.
Another purse...
That day I also bought this little cutie, because I love vintage inspired embroidered purses, however I’m not going to include this wristlet in this story, I bought it because thrift shopping is so fun and I love a good treasure hunting, and this is just a little side item that I got for myself, besides the ones that I was after for my Audrey Hepburn project.
The jewelry
As to the jewelry that I wanted to include in my Audrey Hepburn inspired look, I thought to go with a couple of bags of jewelry like these that are available at Value Village. When jewelry items don’t sell individually, they are grouped in bags for a second chance to be sold. I have always wanted to buy these jewelry bags from Value Village, because of the thrill element of discovering what beauties I could find inside. It’s like subscribing to beauty boxes – you are sure to receive great beauty products with a beauty box, but you never know what’s gonna be inside. I never bought this kind of jewelry bags from Value Village before, because I would always choose specific jewelry items that I liked on the display rack. But these jewelry bags have always been a wish item for my thrift shopping at Value Village, so now I thought it was a perfect occasion to buy them – with all the jewelry pieces included in two bags like these, I would surely find something inspirational to create the look that I wanted. I chose these two out of all available at Value Village on that day, because they looked the most promising. I was also after a pearl necklace, and one of these bags seemed to have what I wanted.

I could hardly wait to come home that day and open my jewelry bags, to see what I am going to find inside, and this is what I have found inside.
Bag #1
Items that I liked the most from bag #1
Bag #2
Items that I liked the most from bag #2
In my mind, I already knew how my Audrey Hepburn inspired outfit should look like, but I wanted to add an extra flavour to it and accessorize it a little bit more, especially since I had all these jewelry pieces that I could use! What I mean is a little DIY project, and I decided to embellish my black purse with some of these jewelries. I chose this necklace for my purse embellishment purposes.
What I was going to need for embellishing my black purse was the necklace and the purse (of course), and a few tools -- a pair of small scissors, a cutter, and black thread and a needle. If you don't have a pair of small scissors, like this one, you can totally use a regular size or a bigger scissors for such a project, but I prefer to use my small scissors for this kind of delicate embellishment projects. All of these tools can be found at craft stores like Michael's.
For what I had in mind, I didn't quite like the necklace the way it was, I thought those bows were too much, so I decided to remove the bows, for a cleaner look. I carefully removed the bows from the necklace, using the cutter.
I may use the bows for some other DIY projects, so I kept them, but now I like the necklace better than its original version. Then I stitched the necklace to the purse from inside, and this is the end result.
Everything that I needed for my Audrey Hepburn inspired look from Value Village was ready, so all I had to do was to wear my new outfit. I wore it earlier this week, when I met a friend downtown Toronto. The jewelry that I chose to complete my look was a pearl necklace and a black bead bracelet. First I was tempted to add a couple more pieces, but then I remembered what Coco Chanel said -- before you leave home, have a final look in the mirror, and remove something; and this is exactly what I did, so I kept it simple with one necklace and one bracelet.
Photo credit:

Alexandra Wren (the look)
Victoria West (the items)
DoctorMacro.com (Audrey Hepburn)

This story is a collaboration with Savers/Value Village. The Savers family of thrift includes Value Village, Village des Valeurs and Unique Thrift, with more than 330 awesome locations in the United States, Canada and Australia.

Friday, July 08, 2016

Cumparaturi recente

Ultima oara am scris un articol din seria “Cumparaturi recente” la inceputul lunii mai, si astazi m-am gandit sa scriu un alt articol despre cumparaturile pe care le-am facut de curand. De altfel, am mai mentionat ce mi-am mai luat in ultimele sedinte de shopping, si unele din acele haine sau accesorii vi le-am aratat cand am scris despre acele experiente de shopping sau evenimente care au inclus si shopping. In articolul de astazi vreau sa includ si celelalte cumparaturi pe care nu le-am mentionat in ultimele doua luni, dar si sa fac un overview al tuturor cumparaturilor pe care le-am facut din luna mai incoace.

Voi incepe cu produsele de ingrijire si frumusete.
Gel de dus Ivory, o gama canadiana de produse se ingrijire
De curand am descoperit ca imi place o anumita aroma pentru produsele de ingrijire, si anume aroma de rodie. E un miros mai intens, si imi place intensitatea sa, fata de unele arome mai senzuale sau mai discrete pe care le-am folosit cu alte ocazii. Printre produsele de ingrijire pe care le am in prezent in baie sunt acest sampon si balsam Dove cu rodie, si acest gel de dus Softsoap cu rodie -- toate trei miros delicios!
Sampon si balsam Dove, gel de dus Softsoap
Samponul si balsamul le folosesc acum, si sunt grozave, curata foarte bine parul. In trecut am mai folosit si alte sampoane Dove, dar nu am fost multumita de toate, probabil unele din arome nu priesc bine parului meu, nu spun neaparat ca nu sunt bune. Dar aceste doua produse Dove cu rodie s-au dovedit a fi foarte bune pentru parul meu. Gelul de dus Softsoap inca nu am inceput sa-l folosesc, caci inca nu am terminat Ivory, si nu am obiceiul sa folosesc doua geluri de dus in acelasi timp.
Sapun lichid Dial, sapun handmade, balsam pentru par Garnier
Si inca un produs de ingrijire cu rodii -- sapun lichid Dial. :) Imi place aroma sa foarte intensa de fructe. Cat priveste celelalte doua produse, unul dintre ele este un sapun handmade cu arome marine pe care l-am cumparat intr-un magazin din Bowmanville (v-am povestit mai multe despre vizita mea la Bowmanville si scena de shopping de acolo in acest articol); si balsam pentru par Garnier, un produs care se afla pe lista mea de favorite si pe care il folosesc destul de des.

Trec la haine si accesorii.
Camasa Jennifer Torosian
Camasa alba clasica Jennifer Torosian, pe care am cumparat-o la un eveniment designer sample sale organizat de Reia Studio in Toronto; v-am spus mai multe despre acest eveniment la care am fost in luna mai, in acest articol. Jennifer Torosian este o creatoare de moda canadiana, si am aflat despre ea de la Reia Studio, un studio de moda din Toronto cu care tin legatura de multi ani, si care este partener de business a creatoarei. Imi place sa sustin moda canadiana, si am cumparat aceasta camasa din doua motive -- in primul rand, aveam nevoie de o camasa alba clasica in garderoba, caci nu aveam nic una; iar in al doilea rand, am preferat aceasta camasa pentru ca este facuta in Canada, creata de un designer canadian.
Acestia sunt o pereche de blugi capri Lee, pe care i-am thriftuit la Courtice, un orasel nu departe de Whitby pe care l-am vizitat acum vreo luna. V-am povestit mai multe despre Courtice in acest articol. Intre timp, daca va aduceti aminte, am prezentat blugii capri intr-o tinuta, in cea mai recenta poveste de refashion pe care am publicat-o pe blog, si am purtat blugii capri la un show aviatic din Trenton. 

Urmatorul item din povestea de cumparaturi de astazi este acest top alb pe care l-am luat dintr-un magazin din Toronto care se numeste Vintage Depot.
Candva v-am povestit despre o experienta de shopping de-a mea pe care am facut-o in cartierul Kensington Market din Toronto, acum trei ani. Kensington Market este cartierul vintage din Toronto, unde sunt cele mai multe magazine vintage intr-un singur loc. Intr-o sambata am mers acolo si am vazut intreg cartierul, si am intrat in toate magazinele vintage din cartier pe care am putut sa le vad. Scopul vizitei mele de atunci a fost sa vad magazinul Vintage Depot, unul din cele mai populare magazine vintage din cartierul Kensington Market si din intreg Toronto. Atunci mi-am luat doua genti vintage, o geanta Coach si o geanta Fendi. Dar in afara de magazinul Vintage Depot din cartierul Kensngton Market, mai sunt alte doua magazine Vintage Depot in oras, unul pe strada Bloor si unul pe strada Danforth Avenue. Vroiam demult sa le vad si pe acestea doua, si mi-am propus sa ajung acolo cu prima ocazie. Si iata ca mi s-a ivit ocazia sa merg la Vintage Depot de pe Bloor Street. Am fost acolo acum cateva zile, in speranta sa gasesc comori vintage. Dar cand am ajuns la fata locului, am constatat ca nu este ceea ce am crezut ca va fi. Desi, judecand dupa numele magazinului, te-ai astepta sa gasesti acolo lucruri vintage, de fapt magazinul este doar un thrift store, nimic vintage. Am vazut haine de la branduri mass-market cum ar fi Zara, H&M, Old Navy, Reitmans, Suzy Shier -- I mean come on, Suzy Shier nu este vintage, si nici celelalte pe care le-am mentionat nu sunt. Vanzatorii in magazin erau doi baieti asiatici, si le-am spus: "Bine-bine, voi va numiti Vintage Depot, cand de fapt n-aveti nimic vintage in magazinul asta, atunci de ce va mai numiti Vintage Depot?" Baietii au recunoscut ca de fapt n-au marfa vintage decat foarte rar. In fine, mi-a placut aceasta bluza alba in dantela, si am luat-o. Are si bonus -- e fabricata in SUA. Nu am renuntat la ideea sa vad si cel de-al treilea magazin Vintage Depot, cel de pe strada Danforth Avenue, indiferent daca este un magazin vintage sadea, asa cum este cel din Kensington Market, sau doar un thirft shop ca cel de pe Bloor Street.

Dar o gaselnita grozava de thriftuit la Value Village din sedintele mele recente de shopping este aceasta geanta patchwork Coach.
Am purtat-o deja in mai multe ocazii prin oras; iar de curand am fost in Statele Unite, si am avut-o cu mine in timpul calatoriei mele in SUA.

In schimb poseta si brosa de mai jos sunt cu adevarat vintage.
Le-am luat de la un targ de antichitati pe care l-am vazut la Toronto weekendul trecut, si despre care v-am spus mai multe in acest articol. Poseta in goblen este din anii '50, facuta in Spania; brosa este din Mexic, mother of pearl.
Alte cateva accesorii dragute pe care mi le-am luat sau le-am primit de curand -- ultimul numar al revistei Fashion, cel de august 2016; o rama photo, dar pentru care inca nu m-am ocupat sa-i gasesc o fotografie; un cardholder Louis Vuitton pe care l-am descoperit intr-un magazin thrift Salvation Army din Bowmanville; doua agende de la o librarie Indigo.

Mi-am luat mai multe carti anticariat, in special carti de moda.
Pe acestea le-am luat de la Value Village -- aveau preturi bune, $4.99 fiecare, iar a cincea a fost gratis. In librariile din oras acest gen de carti costa intre $15-$20, asa ca pentru mine a fost o gaselnita grozava sa le iau de la Value Village.
Fabulous at Every Age publicata de Harper's Bazaar;
Treasure Yourself de Miranda Kerr;
Not That Kind of Girl de Lena Dunham;
Chicken Soup for the Soul - Just Us Gilrs, o carte supa de pui pentru prietene;
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? de Mindy Kaling.

Iata si alte carti pe care mi le-am luat de curand, cu alte ocazii.
Invitation to a Royal Wedding de Trevor Hall -- o carte despre nunta Printului Andrew al Marii Britanii (fratele mai tanar al Printului Charles) cu Sarah Ferguson, care a avut loc in 1986, pe care am luat-o la un thrift store Saint Vincent de Paul din Bowmanville, si m-a costat $1. :)
He's Just Not That Into You de Greg Behrendt si Liz Tuccillo, cu sfaturi de dating pentru femei, inspirata de serialul Sex and the City, thriftuita la Courtice;
Shoes de Linda O'Reefee, o carte despre istoria modei pantofilor, si am luat-o de la libraria mea preferata din Whitby cu carti la jumatate de pret, de unde am cumparat foarte multe din cartile mele de moda pe care le am in biblioteca personala;
Diana: A Celebration, o carte despre Printesa Diana, pe care am luat-o din Bowmanville, la fel ca si prima din acest grup de carti, o gaselnita care m-a costat $1.

Si ultimele item-uri din acest articol -- cateva filme si carti, pe care le-am luat de la un garage sale din cartierul meu in aceasta vara, o experienta despre care v-am povestit mai multe in acest articol. Filmele le-am ales in asa fel incat sa le poata vedea si Alex -- Harry Potter (o colectie cu primele 6 filme din serie), Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland. Cartile -- o agenda pentru datele importante cum ar fi zile de nastere a celor dragi, aniversari, comemorari, etc.; un roman de dragoste; si o carte quirky adresata surorilor -- am o sora mai mare si m-am gandit la ea cand am vazut cartea asta.
Photo credit: Victoria West

Tuesday, July 05, 2016

Refashion – Black and Turquoise

N-am mai scris demult o poveste de refashion, adica de vreo 3 luni, si m-am gandit ca este cazul sa readuc aceasta rubrica in atentia voastra cu o noua experienta de reconditionare. Aveam in garderoba aceasta bluza neagra in dantela.
Am primit-o cadou de la o colega de serviciu, in 2012 sau 2013 sa fie, ca nu mai tin minte exact, acea colega despre care v-am spus in alte ocazii ca ii place sa-mi faca diferite cadouri. Iata si un close-up al bluzei, ca sa vedeti dantela mai bine.
Ceea ce apreciez la aceasta bluza este faptul ca e fabricata in America. Este o bluza vintage, caci acest brand Gemilli a fost creat in Statele Unite la inceputul anilor ’90, si din pacate a avut o viata foarte scurta, pana in 1993-1994. Daca brandul “a murit” in 1994, asta inseamna ca bluza are mai mult de 20 de ani. De asemenea, ceea ce imi place la aceasta bluza este faptul ca e in dantela, un material pe care il apreciez foarte mult. Am mai multe piese in dantela in garderoba, printre care o fusta neagra, o rochie bleumarin, o rochie culoarea untului si o bluza alba.

Am primit cadoul din partea colegei mele cu drag, si am purtat bluza de cateva ori, iar dupa un timp am observat ca i s-au lalait manecile, si m-am gandit ca pot sa o salvez prin a-i schimba designul – m-am hotarat sa-i tai manecile si sa o fac o bluza cu maneci scurte. Am taiat manecile asa.
Am pastrat manecile taiate pentru alte refashion-uri – dantela pretioasa!
Am cusut marginile manecilor de mana, avand in vedere ca aveam de a face cu un material atat de delicat, si n-am pus-o la masina de cusut ca sa nu o ruinez. Iata si un close-up cum am cusut manecile.
Am calcat bluza, am insistat la cusaturile manecilor, si iata ce mi-a iesit in final.
Am purtat bluza la un show de aviatie de la Trenton, o ora distanta la Est de Whitby, acum doua weekenduri. La Trenton exita un aeroport, un muzeu al aviatiei (pe care l-am vizitat in 2007), si show-ul s-a desfasurat pe teritoriul aeroportului. Bluza in dantela fiind transparenta, am purtat-o cu un top negru pe dedesupt.
Poza aceasta ne-a facut-o Alex. :)
Eu si Alex ne faceam poza unul altuia in acelasi timp. :)
Sa va spun cateva cuvinte si despre restul tinutei – pantalonii capri sunt blugi Lee, pe care i-am descoperit intr-un magazin thrift din Courtice, despre care v-am spus mai multe in acest articol, iar culoarea asta turquoise mi se pare foarte cool! Va spuneam in acel articol despre Courtice ca va arat doar un sneak peek al pantalonilor, in cazul in care ii voi prezenta intr-o tinuta pe blog, si iata si tinuta.

Poseta este Villa Valise, fabricata in Whitby, de catre o creatoare de genti tote Tracey MacKenzie, pe care am cunoscut-o toamna trecuta. V-am povestit despre Tracey si magazinul ei de genti tote in acest articol. Gentile ei sunt absolut adorabile! Am cumparat una de la Tracey toamna trecuta, iar frumusetea asta mica turquoise am descoperit-o la Value Village de curand; era noua, cu eticheta inca pe ea, si am fost foarte incantata de gaselnita mea.

Ce ziceti de noul meu refashion?

Va las cu cateva poze de la show-ul de aviatie din Trenton.
Tinuta mea / My outfit 
Bluza / blouse – Gemilli, vintage 
Blugi capri / capri jeans – Lee 
Poseta / tote bag – Villa Valise 
Sandale / shoes – Payless Shoe Source 
Colier / necklace – Walmart 
Bratara / bracelet -- random
Ochelari de soare / sunglasses -- Hugo Boss

Photo credit: Victoria West