Music

Music has always been a big part of my life, way before I got into fashion. I've gone from spending my allowance on cassette tapes as a young girl to going to Indie concerts to now feeling like I'm getting a bit too old for music fests. Anyway, I wanted to share some new stuff that I'm excited about.

First off, Hot Chip's new album came out today, "In Our Heads." I haven't had a chance to listen to it in it's entirety yet, but this song stuck out to me:

If you're not familiar with Hot Chip, I recommend checking out one of their most popular songs Over and Over. 

Next up is Fiona Apple. Her new album has another obnoxiously long title that has been shortened to "The Idler Wheel..." and comes out next Tuesday. She may not be everyone's cup of tea, but she's been one of my favorites since her first album came out in the mid 90s. Here's the video for her new single Every Single Night.

Jens Lekman has been another favorite of mine. He's set to release "I Know What Love Isn't" in September. Check out his new single Erica America. If you've not heard of Jens, listen to A Postcard to Nina.

Finally, I'll include a song I like by Grimes.

Why fake it?

Many women have been faced with this dilemma before: to fake or not to fake? Get your mind out of the gutter, I'm talking about handbags! I have to admit, I've faked it. How was I to know that the "Kate Spade" bag I bought off the street wasn't authentic? That was many years ago. I'm older and wiser now. So imagine how excited I was to find an AUTHENTIC vintage Gucci bag for dirt cheap! 

I wanted to share, so below I've listed the 3 easy steps I used to determine that this little beauty was the real deal.

Step 1: Look at it. Easy enough, right?

At this point, you see the Gucci monogram and signature stripe. Your heart skips a beat. Things are looking good. Let's get closer...

Step 2: Get in there.
Is the bag in good shape? It's normal to see some signs of wear and tear, especially with a vintage bag. However, excessive wear either means the bag was used a lot and is not worth much in it's current condition OR that it's a poor quality fake. Either way, it's not something you want to waste time with. Remember my "Kate Spade" bag? At one point the strap broke and the label started to peel off. I started to get suspicious...

If you look closely at the above photo there are a few scuff marks on the bottom left corner of leather trim. Other than that, all clear...

Stitching

Check out that stitching! A high quality bag will have immaculate, uniform stitches. Also, look at the hardware. This bag has the iconic double-Gs stamped on the buckle and strap connectors. A manufacturer of fakes usually doesn't get involved with the special details.

Step 3: Really get in there!

Next look at the label. Designers often use different label designs and they change over the years. As I've said before, Vintage Fashion Guild's Label Resource is fantastic.

Gucci Label

Now the label is one thing, they can be faked. If you can find a serial number, then you're pretty much guaranteed that you've got the real thing. I looked underneath the label and boom! Hello serial number! 

Serial Number

Thrilling, yes, but the excitement didn't end there, look what else I found:

Zipper pull

It even had the zipper pull! After my deduction, I concluded that this is a real Gucci from the 80s. How did I know it was from the 80s, you ask? I just did a little online search and it was evident that this bag hailed from the decade of big hair and even bigger shoulder pads. 

I hope this was helpful and please let me know if you have any questions! I have one: what do you think of fakes and have you faked it before?

Chester appreciates authenticity

Size Matters!

Accurate size information is crucial for a great listing.  Buyers need to know that the item they desire will fit, especially if your shop doesn’t allow returns.  Here’s what you need to know:

·         Modern Sizes: Clothing that has been purchased in the past 10-15 years should be fairly consistent in sizing, however, different brands will vary. The labeled size should be included on your listing.  If the item doesn’t have a size, you can estimate. Just be sure to indicate that you estimated the size, for example: Estimated size 4.

·         Vintage Sizes: Vintage sizes are different from modern sizes due to what we call “size inflation.” Vintage sizes often run smaller than today’s sizes. For example: a vintage size 8 could fit more like today’s size 4. Measuring the item is SO important (read below)!

Measure!

As we mentioned, sizes vary A LOT! That’s why we’ve included a measurement section for each listing. First, get out the tape measure and lay the item down on a flat surface. Then measure in inches using the instructions below:

Apparel:

-Waist: measure across the waist and multiply by 2

-Length: 

     --Tops: measure from collar seam to hem

     --Bottoms: measure from waist seam to hem

     --Dresses: measure from collar seam to bottom hem

            -Sleeve length: shoulder seam to bottom hem of sleeve

-Inseam (for pants/shorts): crotch to bottom hem

Accessories:

            -Scarves/Belts: measure length and width

            -Handbags: measure height, width, depth, and strap length

            -Jewelry: measure length and width of pieces when applicable

                  --Necklaces: measure length of chain

                                         measure size of pendants if applicable

                  --Bracelets: measure length of chain

                                        dimensions of charms/adornments 

                  --Rings: measure if size is not available

Shoes:

-Size: If unsure of size, measure length and width of shoe, though widths may be labeled as below:

     --Modern Shoe Widths: 

            M=Medium, W=Wide, N=Narrow

     --Vintage Shoe Widths:

            A= Narrow (AA is narrower and AAA narrowest)

            B=Average, C and D=Wide

-Heel size: from where the heel meets the shoe to where the heel meets the floor

Even if your item doesn’t fall into one of the above categories, you can still include it’s measurements. Just be sure to specify which dimensions you are listing.

I hope this post helps and if you still have questions please email me at contactus@unthrifted.com. Happy Unthrifting!!

Vintage

Hello my pretties,
  I've recently been working to expand my knowledge of Vintage clothing and wanted to share. My interest was piqued after learning that even some of the lower end vintage items are often of better quality than a lot of today's clothes (unless you can afford Couture). They just don't make 'em like they used to, ha!
 But seriously, think about it, the whole reason we have vintage is because those garments were made using quality materials and intricate construction techniques that have allowed them to sustain over the years. I have a hard time believing that my fast fashion purchases will be in one piece in 20 years.
 The greatest difficulty when shopping vintage is determining which decade an item is from. If you can't date an item, you won't really know it's worth. Clothing manufacturers have never been required to include a date on garment tags, so you have to do some digging. Labels, fabrics, and garment shapes (big shoulder pads=hello 80s!) can provide clues.
 One of the best resources is Vintage Fashion Guild. They have some fantastic tips on dating items and have a directory of Labels that can help narrow things down. Check out their Quick Tips for Dating Vintage to get started.
 Another good intro to Vintage is Melody Fortier's book "The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping." She discusses how fabric, fit, and styles have changed in the last century and includes a Retail Price Guide. It's the perfect size for slipping into your handbag for your next shopping expedition!

xoxo,
Rebecca

Vintage Evan-Picone Blazer dated to the 1970s

Vintage Pendleton Blazer dated to the 1980s

Photos! Photos! Photos!

  As the launch of Unthrifted nears, I thought we should talk a bit about selling online. The info that I include here will also be available under "Create Great Listings" on Unthrifted.com.

Photos! Photos! Photos!

Photography of your items is SUPER important. Unclear photos or those lacking detail might make a buyer say, “buh-bye.” Here are some of our tips for the best shots:

·         Work it: Use a live model, namely YOU! We want to see your style and how the item looks on a real person. It enables the buyer to see the scale of the item and understand how it would fit into their life.  If you’re not quite feeling like Gisele (but who does, really?), transform your nearest friend into your muse!

Workin' it 

·         Variety is the spice of life: Take photos of your item from different angles. Typically this would include: front full length, back, side, front close-up, detail view, etc. Detail photos could include a close-up of buttons, print, or the fabric, as these can look quite different from far away.  Give the buyer the “full picture” (pun intended).

Detail view

·        Keep it simple:  Use a solid/monochromatic background for most of your photos. You don’t want a busy background to take away from your fabulous piece. Let it shine!

Lush green grass=great background!

·         Don’t keep it simple: After you take some photos with a simple background, strike your best pose with a distinctive background to give it that cool fashion blog feel. Why not try that industrial building, interesting staircase, or sunlit field?

·         Maximize: upload all 5 photos. Our philosophy is: the more photos, the better. This way, the buyer truly understands what your item has to offer!

·         Beware of the flash: Photos taken with the flash on can sometimes appear washed out. Try taking some photos without a flash and compare to ones with a flash. Which one represents the item’s color most accurately?

With Flash=Washed out black!

Ok, sometimes you need a flash...

·         A tag is worth a thousand words: Including a photo of the item’s tag is important for Vintage. This confirms to the buyer that the item has truly reached vintage status (20 to 100 years old).

Tag View is also a good detail view!

Hope you find this helpful and please post any questions!

Unthrifted to launch soon!!!

I can't tell you how excited I am for Unthrifted to finally (almost) be a usable website. It's been over a year and a half of work, but it's been SO worth it. My dream is for Unthrifted to become not only an engaging resale site, but a place for real people to discuss fashion (style + dialogue=Stylogue!). What we choose to wear is something we do every single day, why not have fun with it?

Furniture Rehab

Well folks, turns out my love of thriftiness does not just apply to clothes. Nick and I decided to check out one of our favorite thrift stores for some furniture.  We wanted to find a bedside table we could fix up. No luck there but we wound up taking home 3 chairs! First we found these two guys:

These were in great condition and for $15 each, how could we pass them up? They just needed a little makeover; some sanding and a few coats of paint did the trick!
Below is a shot of the original paint color on the left and the new paint color on the right. Love a little Bird's Egg blue :)

Doesn't the chair on the right look brighter and more modern? I think so :)

Our third chair is my favorite. I fell in love with this one. Yes, you have to look beyond it's facade and it'll require more of an extreme makeover. Here she is:

We took this chair for an estimate to get repaired and reupholstered. It's not exactly cheap to do all that, man I need to learn how to reupholster on my own! We're still trying to decide on a fabric, below is a "dream fabric," because white is just not gonna work with 2 adorable cats running around.

I'll keep you posted on the yellow chair, we're thinking of doing a charcoal gray...

I couldn't just mention our kitties without including a picture of them now could I?

Chester

Riley

Vintage Fur Capelet

I found this little gem while thrifting the other day. I really don't think there's a better feeling than finding a diamond in the rough, especially at a "can't leave without it" price. After a little TLC (had a few rips), he is looking good as new. He even has little arm loops to keep you attached to the little guy. You may be wondering why I'm referring to my fur as a male. Well because it's totally not a female fur, duh!

Anywho, if you feel like putting on your fancypants, you could wear it over a preppy button down like I am above. I'm digging buttoning my shirts all the way and putting a pretty almost-choker necklace on over it. Kinda like having a fancy collar on.

If downtown is more your taste you could always throw it over a white tee with some skinny jeans and booties or even some flares for a more boho look.

Fashion Focus Chicago

I had SO been looking forward to attending my first fashion show! For those of you not in the loop, last week was Fashion Focus Chicago. My super stylish BFF Jill and I went to "The Art of Fashion" show on Friday. Ten different local designers were featured. We managed to get a pretty good spot and had a great view of the show!

Outside the tent

Boris Powell

Lara Miller, lots of colorful knitwear

Zamrie, our favorite, sophisticated looks with pretty prints

Zamrie

Zamrie

Zamrie

Zamrie

I hate to sound like such a critic, but here goes. This was no NY fashion week. Sure, I've never been to NY fashion week (nor London, Paris, or Milan), but I definitely check out what comes down those runways via photos and blogs. I'll just say I was a bit disappointed with some of the designs. I love Chicago and I think the style here is just different...maybe it's because of the weather we have to put up with!

Chanel

My new polish: Peridot by Chanel. Not for the faint of heart, this yellow/gold/green metallic shade is dazzling! Peridot also happens to be my birthstone :) What do you think?

Fashion!!!

     College was an entirely eye opening experience. Though I was still in Indiana, I was exposed to people from all over the U.S., even all over the world. Of course there were those coeds who rolled out of bed and wore their sweats to class, lucky if they brushed their teeth.  There were also girls who I considered much more stylish than I. I recall one lovely brunette who wore a silk scarf as a headband and a maxi jean skirt. I was in awe and purchased my own jean maxi immediately.
     I think that jean maxi was a turning point. I stopped shopping at Abercrombie and soon learned about Forever 21, my fashion savior. We had to drive for a good hour to get to the nearest Forever 21, but it was so worth it. I would stock up on as much as I could. Farewell khakis, hello cute skirts, tops, and dresses!
     It wasn't always smooth sailing. My friends and I went through a dressing phase that you might call "skanky frat hoodrat". I don't know if college girls still wear tight flared black pants to frat parties, but that was pretty much ALL we wore! When paired with a tight, sometimes midriff baring top and some chunky boots, you were ready to rock.
     I eventually grew out of dressing like I belonged on a street corner (okay it wasn't THAT bad). I started devouring Harper's Bazaar and InStyle magazines.  I emulated looks I saw in those pages, using my much less expensive resources.
    I remember one of my favorite outfits mixed brown and black. I had previously considered it fashion law that one should NEVER pair black with brown or black with navy blue. This outfit consisted of a black turtleneck sweater, black miniskirt, black suede knee high boots, brown boho belt tied low on my waist, and brown handbag with some gold jewelry. I felt so chic in this look. At long last, I was learning that individuality is a wonderful thing.

Fashion?

So now you are probably wondering, when is this chick going to get to the good part? The part about fashion? Well, here goes...
I'll begin by saying that I grew up in a small town. In Indiana. The type of place where fashion is not a priority and maybe even ridiculed. I can't say that I was that girl who dressed like she stepped out of a Vogue editorial and was made fun of. Or that girl who looked cool in her thrift store outfit and was a total outcast. I wore the same kind of crap everyone else did and fit in just fine.
I had access to a mall about 30 miles away that had your typical mall stores. In high school I worshipped Abercrombie and had quite a preppy look. I always cared about what I was wearing and would plan my outfits each evening in preparation for school the next day. These outfits usually consisted of jeans and some kind of sweater or button down.
I read the teen fashion mags like Seventeen and YM (remember that one?), but I didn't get it. I was too busy emulating what my peers were wearing. It was the late 90's and the internet was not what it is today. Imagine a time with no fashion blogs, I shudder at the thought!
While we're on the subject of 90's fashion, I'd like to take a moment to discuss a few of the embarrassing things I wore back then. First, there were tapered jeans. These are not comparable to today's skinny jeans. I'm talking tapered at the ankle and a bit roomy up top. Not flattering. Then there was the flannel shirt/grungy look with some platform off-white lace-up Vans sneakers. Now I know flannels have made a comeback but just picture an oversized brown plaid flannel shirt with the tapered jeans and Vans, yuck! My only accessory was my backpack. Did I even have jewelry? I don't think so, perhaps just my Guess watch. Later came khakis and tops that said "Abercrombie and Fitch" on them. Snooze.
I can recall one of my classmates who most considered stylish. She was the only person in school to get some Doc Marten combat boots. I recall thinking they looked cool, but there was no way I would have worn them. She also shaved the bottom half of her head. A little too edgy for my former fashion self.
My evolution will continue next time...

The next step

  Optometry school wasn't bad. I studied quite a bit and did well in my classes, but I had time to have fun too. It seemed like a good choice and I enjoyed helping others see better. I went on to a residency program where I learned a lot about eye diseases and then I was ready to go out into the "real world."
  I decided to move to Chicago. After spending most of my life either in a small town or a college town, the idea of the big city was thrilling! Plus, I had friends there and it wasn't too far away from my family. Win-win!
  Before I made the big move I got hired by an ophthalmologist. This job was ideal, I would work in private practice right in the Loop! The downside quickly became apparent: I would also have to commute to the burbs a few days a week AND would have to work most Saturdays, bleh.  But, hey, it was (still is?) a recession, I should be happy to have a job, right? I guess that's what I should've thought, but that's not really my style.
  So I went along my way. I found a great apartment in lively Lakeview (neighborhood on the north side of Chicago, includes Wrigleyville) just about 2 blocks from my best friend. She happens to be an amazing interior designer, so it didn't take long for us to paint and decorate my apartment. I had a job, friends, and a home I loved. Life was good :)
 

And so on...

My story continued:

  So there I was, in my junior year of college. I had spent two and a half years preparing for this next step on my path to becoming a doctor. All of a sudden, I didn't want it anymore. I remember breaking the news to my parents, if they were disappointed it certainly didn't show. In fact, I was a bit surprised at how supportive they were. My parents only wanted me to be happy. They even setup a meeting with a hospital administrator after I said that I might want to go in that direction. Turned out, I didn't. 

  I no longer was able to declare with confidence, "I'm going to be a doctor." I actually felt relieved to admit that I had no idea what I was going to do. I was getting to a place where other people's opinions didn't matter as much and I felt at ease. 

  I was talking to my Dad one day and he mentioned that my cousin had been accepted to optometry school. I didn't know much about optometry as I had only had my eyes checked once in my life. It sounded great though: only 4 more years of school and she would be a "doctor." One of the scariest things about med school had been the thought of a good 8 more years of school. That sounded like a prison sentence! I mean, I could handle 4 more years, right?

  I did some research about optometry and then quickly made up my mind. I would go to optometry school! What else was I going to do with a degree in health sciences? I certainly didn't want to be a dentist. Teeth gross me out :) 

  I breezed through the admission test and the interview. My life was figured out again. Or at least I was pretty sure it was...

Hmmmm

  Have you ever woken up and wondered what you were doing with your life? Like, how did I end up here? I can't pinpoint one day in particular, it seemingly happened gradually. This is not a new story. I know I'm not the first person who has gone through something like this. You see, I had had my whole life planned out. I would go to college and then enter medical school. I would become a compassionate and competent doctor, the type patients adored and peers envied.
  The idea was completely logical. I was a straight "A" student in high school and I especially excelled in science and math. I came from a family who valued education, which quickly became one of my values too. I'll never forget proclaiming at the ripe age of 8 that I wanted to be a hairstylist when I grew up. I mean, I loved playing with my dolls' hair, how hard could it be? To this my parents promptly replied, "you'll never make money doing that!" It was at that moment that I knew I had to do something bigger with my life. Something that would make my family proud, something prestigious.
  I idolized doctors. They were so smart and they saved lives. They were respected by the entire community. My uncle was a doctor, my grandmother a nurse. I could see how proud she was to have a doctor for a son. I wanted my parents to be that proud of me. I liked this idea so much, I didn't consider any other options.
  So off I went to start my undergrad degree in premed. It was as though it was set in stone. Along came my junior year when preparation for the MCAT, the med school admission test, crept up on me. I developed a sinking feeling as I started to study. I knew it wasn't nerves as I hadn't had problems with exams in the past. In fact, my grades were excellent, a product of long hours in the library. I just had a nagging feeling that maybe this wasn't the right path for me.
  This feeling forced me to examine my goals. Was this really what I wanted? Was I doing this for the right reason? My gut said no. It was this time in my life where I learned to listen to my gut and make some changes. More on this later...