January 13, 2011
I love going to thrift stores and seeing the people with wild hair and
funky clothing, versus the old, and genuinely poor people. The trendsetters stand out so feverishly and I want to meet them all... hence why I've started my "Thrift Look of the Month". The
guy featured next to me had a cool Two-Face thing going on with his
hair: one minute it was brown and bleach streaked and then he would
swoosh his head and reveal a radical pinkish red. It wasn't hard to
notice him bobbing around in the clothing racks and I couldn't help but
wonder what his deal was. Turns out he's at the thrift store
volunteering his time because "it really looks good on a resume." Never
would have guessed!
Mariel almost bought this scarf, but decided against it because it was from the Gap instead of handmade and heartfelt. I still totally love it.
Here's me admiring the boots that I tried on and never took off. (I paid for them up front by shoving my foot on the counter and proving the $6 mark to the sales clerk.) They are super pointy and exotic. The tag reads that they are Made in Spain by "Spiegal".
I love it when Goodwill's try to pawn off Disney fads that have long been forgotten by 7 year old girls who once held "High School Musical" so dear to their hearts. Here's another Ashley Tisdale relic before her nose job.
March 2, 2011
Even though it is now March, I took these pictures on February 24th just in time for my THRIFT LOOK OF THE MONTH!
How can you totally not love this girl's coat? I really have a thing
for fur hoods this year but I've always appreciated furry collars paired
with fur cuffed at the hands. It reminds me of That's So Raven
although she sported purple/aqua coats with sequins added to the mix.
This coat is a gentler version of that, more like "That's So Flower
Child" and totally something Kate Hudson would have worn in Almost Famous.
Corny as this granny plaque is, (probably from a woman named
Norma who kept it in the kitchenette until her family had to clean out
her house and hightail her to the nursing home) I like it.
There's always a slew of double-boxed Titanic VHS tapes, but I
like how this particular thrift store also kept other movies saddled up
next to their duplicates. Gotta love the American Pie, There's Something about Mary, Jerry Maguire triple trio.
July 18, 2013
Out of the corner of my eye I saw a lime green mermaid shag perusing a
display of sweatshirts, which I thought was totally cool since it's the
middle of summer. I followed the green haired girl discreetly, working
the courage up to ask if I could photograph her and her rad, lizard
inspired mane.
I have realized that I want to collect pictures of hair-dyed teenagers
in secondhand shops. It kind of makes me feel strange, but I just think
these youngsters are rebels with a cause and I can't help but want to
know their story. Luckily I have a business card for my antique booth so
I don't seem like a total freak, because as we all know, someone with a
business card is legit.
This hankering for photographic evidence of fashion outcasts in thrift
shops began a few years ago when I started my first blog and attempted
to do a "THRIFT LOOK OF THE MONTH" (see above). I'm not advocating that I
can keep this bizarre yearning up every month, but yesterday I was
inspired to give it another shot.
Turns out this girl was super friendly, and at least good at pretending
not to be weirded out by a stranger asking to take her picture. Double
Bonus: When I gave her my "Lemon Meringue Thrift" biz card she actually
recognized the name from our Arbutus days, "You know about Lemon
Meringue? I used to walk there all the time when I was 13! Me and my
friends were really sad when it closed."
Lucky for her, Lemon Meringue is still thriving in Hampden and now I
assume she's 16 and ready to rock the halls of her high school with
thrift looks no matter what the month <3