How to Thrift

I'm going craaaazy for wedges lately. I want every single one of these stacked in my closet.

Update: image hosting service unfortunately no longer exists, use your imagination!

Wedges have so many great qualities: 

1. They're more stable than heels. They cover more area on the ground, instead of a skinny stiletto, giving you more balance. 

2. They bring your foot up off the ground and add height! You can get away with the highest of heels because the wedge supports the arch more than a stiletto heel. 

3. The wedge was invented by Ferragamo in the 1930's...what better reason to have a good pair of wedges than wearing the work of a legend?

Also making an appearance in today's post: thrift finds from the past couple of months!

Update: image hosting service unfortunately no longer exists, use your imagination!

A lot of you share my love for the pieces that I discover in thrift stores, so I thought I would bring up a few words of advice that have helped me in my thrifting experiences...

thrifting tips

Buy a sewing kit.

So many of you out there are crafters and skilled with a needle, but if you don't and you are going to become a "thrifter" you must own at least a needle and thread. This transitions into my next tip, which is...

Quality is not everything.

If there are a few stitches loose on a seam, that's an easy fix. If the hem is fraying, trim it and hem it up again. If a button is missing, go to the sewing section or a fabric store and freshen it up with a whole new set of buttons. Major discoloration or stains have most likely been treated and treated again, so they're probably not coming out. Be especially careful around white blouses!

Don't be predictable.

If your thrift store is organized by size, don't just stick to your own section! Vintage pieces always have varied fits, so you never know what might look great on you. If something catches your eye (a fabric, a texture, a color), pull it off the rack all the way before you make any judgements about whether you like it or not. It could be the craziest piece you've ever seen, but it could have potential. Something may just need to be trimmed or have the sleeves cut off or be adjusted some way to make it new again.

Educate yourself.

Take note of the brands you see showing up in thrift stores a lot. For me, it's Etienne Aigner,  Tiganello, Karen Kane...read up on the ones you notice the most and research ones you've never heard of. You could uncover some underground designer from decades past!

I wish we could go on a huge blogger field trip and just thrift all day. If you've gone thrifting recently, I'd love to hear what you found! And thanks for all your kind words on my last post, but don't expect me to do any food blogging in the near future...I'm very glad I chose to create zipped instead!

P.S. I'm participating in (Never Home)maker's "Open Mic" night on Friday...despite my impending nervousness, I'll be posting a poem I wrote and checking out all the other submissions!