refashion, restore...

so, i'm getting ready to make a big, cross-country move from new york city to san francisco in one-point-five weeks. eep! so soon!! but before i leave, i decided that i would force myself to go through my closet and get rid of anything i don't wear/doesn't fit and fix what needs TLC/could use some restyling. i have a laundry basket full of clothes in need of small and big fixes, which i am diligently working my way through this week, in and among moving errands and the requisite packing.

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earlier this summer, i bought this madras/tie-dye sundress from old navy, because i was intrigued by it's unusual, mish-mashed fabrication/fabric treatment. it was sort of long, so i hacked it off, making it short enough to reveal a good chunk of a vintage nordstroms circle skirt i found some time ago at buffalo exchange here in brooklyn (williamsburg, to be exact). it's paired with a vintage navy blue ribbed tee with crochet trim, and i thought the outfit would look mighty fine with either the green or the blue shoes! i really like the idea of layering skirts over skirts, or skirts under dresses, to shake things up from a styling point of view...

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i found these citizens of humanity cropped jeans at goodwill, on e. 23rd street at the beginning of the summer. they had big branded snaps on the waist and pockets, and one was missing. i covered the remaining snaps and snapless areas with monochomatic yo-yos. i also hacked them off and re-hemed them, turning to knee length shorts (because as i've said before, things that hit somewhere between my calves and ankles make me look truncated).

i rather like how this simple refashion worked out. :)

i'm imagining the jean shorts above with strappy heels or heeled sandals, or with knee high boots and thick, colorful tights (perhaps printed?) once the weather finally cools off.

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last week i took eight pairs of my beloved vintage and new shoes and boots to a manhattan cobbler whom i read about in lucky magazine (twice!) many moons ago, for some much needed TLC. soles were wearing down, fissures had formed across the top of some parched vintage boots, and scuffs marred the surfaces of many pairs of my precious footwear. arty of arty's shoe service on 8th between 22nd and 23rd fixed my shoes up and has given them new life!! arty is apparently the second in a line of cobblers, and runs the shop, greeting customers and is totally the epitome of new york-ishness. i recommend him wholeheartedly...not something i do lightly! he replaced the soles on this particular pair, conditioned the leather, and replaced the dried up, scary insole. i haven't ever been able to wear these shoes, and now i can!

after bringing my cache of repaired shoes home yesterday, i was inspired to get out all my shoes (not a light task!), clean the insoles with soap and water (you wouldn't BELIEVE the dirt that inexplicably collects in one's shoes living in NYC, it's CRAZY! it never happened when i lived elsewhere), and conditioned and polished the leather on each pair. it looks like i have a closet full of new shoes. a little TLC for one's things goes a long way, and in the end it's cheaper than buying a bunch of new shoes (or clothes for that matter!)...

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i'm not officially participating, but there's a participatory blog entitled wardrobe refashion over at blogger, where members pledge for varying periods of time to refashion clothing they already own, rather than buy new, and they post the results for all to see. some of the results are quite successful!

bring on fall!

still dreaming of fall, of course! thank goodness the extreme heat wave we had around these parts in past weeks appears to have relented (at least temporarily). i'm crossing my fingers and hoping against hope that fall comes quickly, as i simply adore cool weather! i spent the past weekend in jacksonville, florida, attending a family wedding. it was a whirlwind trip, but of course i made time to do a little tiny bit of thrifting! i also snuck in some thrifting fun last week, before i went out of town. i'm an addict!

more fall outfits. again, almost everything is second-hand!

-tiny acid wash levi's denim jacket: thrifted in florida -blue and fuchsia striped tee: thrifted in florida -fuschia vintage belt: thrifted in florida -blue and white peg skirt: thrifted in jacksonville, florida this past weekend, $1. -fuchsia wedges with flower shoe clips: thrifted in florida -blue crochet ball and gold chain necklace: H&M

-green silk jaquard print 80s dress, restyled into a tunic top: thrifted in florida -blue bird print a-line mini skirt: ivana helsinki, found at buffalo exchange -red leather belt with snakeskin patch: zachary's smile -yellow faux snakeskin leather purse: salvation army, chelsea, manhattan. -green charles jourdan strappy sandals with 4" heels, thrifted in florida.

-vintage turtleneck tunic sweater: salvation army, chelsea, manhattan. -brown vintage belt with gold clasp: thrifted in san francisco, ca. -patchwork leather bag: thrifted in jacksonville, florida, this past weekend. -gold necklace with the letter "B": thrifted in jacksonville, florida this past weekend. -striped acid-wash denim pencil skirt: thrifted in florida, $1. -brown boots: frye

*** looking at these outfits (and others i wear and put together), i notice that i favor certain things in general, and note that the things i favor are influenced my my body shape, and knowing what works for it in a more successful manner. for instance, because i am way more than a little ample in the bust, i wear a lot of knits on top: tees, sweaters, and the like.

woven tops are often cut for smaller cup sizes, and if bought larger to accommodate that part of my body, they need to be adjusted at the sides to reveal my proportionately smaller waist, and that's just for starters. basically, it's much harder to make woven tops work for me. i also draw attention to said waist with belts, of which i have many, many, many. i have been doing this for some time, even before the recent trend for waist cinching belts.

my hips are relatively slim and straight, but i'm short (about 5' 3") so i wear a lot of skirts that are straight, pegged, or a-line, and hit above the knee, to reveal my calves, which are slim enough to show off. any longer, and i look truncated and out of proportion. same goes for pants, when i wear them: straight/stovepipe or slim works best at the moment. wide legs make me look as such, and cropped pant styles do short me no favors.

it's also interesting to note that some of the things i like seem to have recently intersected with what's currently chic...slim skirts, boots, waist cinching belts, and the like. this is not intentional, per se. sometimes i feel like someone's watching me! but in the end, i'll probably continue to wear these sorts of things after they go "out of style," unless my body's topography changes drastically. and even in that event, i'll likely strive to find the shapes and proportions that work for me, not against me.

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and before i go, let me point out the (not-so?) obvious: i post these sorts of things because i want others to believe that one can find current and highly chic styles and shapes by hitting the thrifts and second-hand shops, NOT the malls and high-end boutiques. find it for less, save your money, and spend on what will really last and what will really work for you. buy used, buy quality, buy the original, buy *you*.

summer in the city sale shopping

don't know if any of you are in the NYC area, but zachary's smile (a vintage store in the city that also has it's own line of restyled clothing made from vintage materials) and i heart (my favorite boutique in NYC, which is located in nolita and features designers like eley kishimoto, jessica ogden, sonia rykiel, united bamboo, cacharel, and more) are both having summer sales! among a decently sized pile of choice items, i scored the crochet-trimmed knit top @ i heart, and the faux-patchwork print skirt at zachary's smile (belt and necklace are thrifted).

according to the emails i received and first-hand observation yesterday, i heart has some select merchandise at 70% off, and zachary's smile has tons of vintage and ZS original styles at a pretty steep discount. to quote zachary's smile's email:

"- Spring and Fall fashions for Men & Women - Tons of ZS originals at unheard of prices! - Vintage clothing: Tops $5 - $20 (originally $35 - 75) Dresses $10 - 35 (originally $95 - 125) Skirts $10 - 20 (originally $45 - 85) Blazers $10 - 20 (originally $55 - 85) Coats $20 - 50 (originally $165 - 245) Bags $10 - 20 (originally $45 - 85)"

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i love this time of year, simply for the huge pre-fall sales, when all the great local stores offload their spring merchandise at cheaper, more palatable prices! even if we have to risk heat stroke to get to them...hah.