i love how when you set your mind to something (whatever that is, fashion-related or otherwise), you start seeing that something everywhere! for instance, i've been crazy for vintage cocktail hats this year...i think about them way too much. the thrift gods must be able to read my mind, because i keep finding super special ones on my secondhand shopping excursions!
this one was found at thrift town, just after i got done filming my little interview for the thrift town documentary last weekend (neat experience, btw!):
and this velvet beauty was found at the alameda antiques and collectables fair the weekend before last.
i feel sometimes that thrifting/secondhand shopping is a magical, almost transcendent experience. you don't ever know exactly what you'll find when you go on a thrifting adventure...and that's the beauty of it! it's like urban archeology...digging through the discards others deign to drop off is not just fun, it also speaks volumes about our culture at large. and of course, it is like a history lesson, if you dig a little beneath the surface and indulge your curiosity. what's the story behind this object? who made it? what does the design say about the context in which it was made, the time period at which it was most relevant? who owned this object before me? what were they like? why did this object end up being given away?
i have a lot of reverence for this magic inherent in the thrifting process...and for this blessing the thrifting gods have bestowed upon me. i have put my time in: i've been thrifting for years and years, and i've been a student of aesthetics in a formal and informal manner. as such, i feel i've trained my eye to pick out the really lovely things, the delicious diamonds in the rough that deserve to be found amongst the reams of racks and shelves. i'm more than happy to buy something used, and just as happy to give it new life with my love and delight. and i am happy to add it back into the system when i've tired of it...so someone else can potentially feel the same way.
can you relate?