Thrifted Archives - Be Kind, Thrift and Rewind

I bought this yellow 60’s Evelyn Pearson dress at St. Luke’s Thrift shop, in the West Village, in NYC, when they were having a sale last summer. I liked the bright, sunny yellow cotton fabric and the pretty Oriental knots on the shoulder. At first I could not quite figure it what to wear it with. In time I came across the Oscar De la Renta silk scarf that I wear it with in this post. The colors go with it very well. Also, this summer I bought the cardigan in this post at Uniqlo and I like the soft shade of beige with it. When I first tried to do a post with this dress my daughter thought the outfit needed more to look complete. Once I found the scarf and sweater I started wearing this dress a lot more. It is very comfortable. It is referred to on the tag as “Lounge Wear.” I am perfectly content to wear it out as a dress. I like to wear it with my John Fluevog shoes that I also found at the same thrift shop. They have a bit of a twenties look with their multiple straps of closure.

I took these pictures with a tripod up in Mount Kisco, NY one day when I was up there. The creek that runs through the downtown area is very pretty. Right now they are doing work on the area surrounding the creek so not as many ducks as usual are in the downtown area. They are most likely further up the road. The old Stone clock structure is near the train station for the Metro North train. Mount Kisco, NY and that whole are is lovely.

This is a brief post since my schedule has been hectic. I figured it is better to do a brief post rather than none. I still am commuting over two hours a day during the week; which is why I decided to take the camera and tripod with me sometimes. Well I hope you are enjoying the rest of summer. I have been bike riding when I can or kayaking in the Hudson River.

evelyn pearson 60's dress

Thrifted John Flevog’s

Vintage scarf by Oscar De La Renta

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Thrifted Black Dress

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Vintage Patchwork Silk Dress with Stars, Half Moons and Flowers

August 13, 2017

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I bought this Cranberry Castle N.Y.C. dress back in 1988 soon after my daughter Emily was born. It was designed by Joyce Francis. In this post there are pictures of us both wearing the dress. Emily looks lovely in the dress and it fits her slim figure perfectly. She always loved the dress and asked me for it several years ago. I gave it away gladly since it had gotten too tight for me and I really wanted her to enjoy it. I treasure the pictures of me breast feeding her in the dress. I felt as if the dress captured my earthly goddess nature that seems to surround women sometimes, particularly after experiencing such a life altering event such as becoming a mother. Emily agrees that the dress makes her feel a kind of “bohemian hippie free flowing spirit.” She also commented that it makes her feel like she wants to “get up and dance.”

The silk fabric has stars, half-moons, little flowers and multiple sections of patch-worked fabric for the skirt. The bodice is a lovely cranberry color sprinkled with paisley patterns and bits of the blue again, along with a blue ruffled silk fabric topping the bodice. Off white flowers and patterns are sprinkled all along the blue fabric with little cranberry flowers or outlines of flowers. A burgundy sash ties around the back of the waist.

I thought it’d be fun to share the photos of the dress with you. We treasure this lovely dress and I have a feeling Emily will hang onto it as long as she can.

I had a fun trip to Denver, Co. recently where I went to get a few days with my daughter. We went to the UMS band festival and saw several shows. I also went up to Boulder where I used to live and saw a couple of friends. One morning I went for a bike ride and a brief hike in the foot hills. Boulder, Co. is very beautiful. I like to say it looks like heaven on earth. My trip was very brief since I needed to get back to work in New York but it is always good to get a break and a change of scenery!

I have another post coming up soon. I will most likely post it by next Sunday. I hope you are enjoying the summer!

Cranberry Castle Dress N.Y.C

Joyce Francis vintage dress

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Thrifted Black Dress from a Housing Works Shop

January 19, 2017

01/192017

I fell off the blogging sphere there for a bit but now I am back. I have been busy with adding items to my Etsy shops, taking some classes online prior to beginning my work search again soon and just living life.

I have been in need a black dress for a while. The one I had no longer fits due to lifting small weights at the gym! I put off buying one since I haven’t been working more than a couple of days a month with my foot healing. Now it turns out I am in need of one so I had to buy one.

I found this Cache dress at the Housing Works thrift shop in the West Village. It is at 245 West 10^th Street and they were having a January sale. Any purchase from Housing Works goes to help fund their efforts to help those affected by HIV/AIDS and homelessness. So you can shop further down the chain of mass production plus help a good cause at the same time! They have various shops in NYC and Brooklyn.

I found another designer dress I liked more but it needed a repair and it wasn’t as practical. So I went for the more practical dress since it could be more multi-functional. At first, I wasn’t sure about the leathery looking appliques on the dress. I thought perhaps it was too much like a superhero look but I put that caution aside and tried it on. Then I was sold on the dress.

I always like to brighten up a black dress somehow so in this point I used a red silk scarf that has a floral design in the center. If I was going to wear a slightly bold, mod look I have some red plaid stocking I could wear with it. That is what is great about a relatively simple black dress; it is more versatile than a fancier one.

I recently found a group on Facebook for women who are in the process of going gray or who decided to stop coloring their hair. It is called GGG Going Gray Guide. It could be a confidence booster if you are on the fence about stopping dyeing your hair. I for one am very happy with my gray hair. It was a hassle to keep dyeing it and I have eczema so I wasn’t happy about the dyes and any chemicals.

Well, I hope you all are enjoying the New Year thus far. I am in the midst of serious spring cleaning since after spending so much time opening two Etsy shops the last few months I need to do it now. There are numerous things that I need to recycle or donate. It feels good to clear out some old things and make way for the new with being more conscious not to get too many of certain items. T- Shirts for instance. I am letting a lot of them just wear out and not replacing them. I always need some for wearing under wool sweaters so I won’t itch (the wool makes me itch) or just to have to wear when dressing casually. I am however aiming to end up with a small fraction of what I had before.

I hoped you enjoyed this post and I will try not to fall off the blog sphere again any time real soon!

housing works find

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Vintage 90’s Blouse and a Thrifted Black Coat

October 31, 2016

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This is one of my favorite fall outfits thus far this year. I bought this 90’s blouse in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in some little vintage shop that was mostly loaded up with stacks of books. In the rear of his shop, he had a couple of racks of clothes and I am a sucker for anything floral so I ended up with this lovely blouse. The detail on the collar also caught my attention. I found this last spring but it was getting warm by then so only recently have I been wearing it quite a bit. It is old enough that it was made in the U.S.A. before so many clothing companies started having their products made overseas. It is a My Michelle brand piece with the slimming darts in the back. I have been wearing this blouse with blue jeans, black jeans, the black Japanese culottes in this post and various skirts.

My pink sweater was a gift. It is cashmere and from Uniqlo. The Japanese pants are also from Uniqlo. My shoes don’t look so great since the ones I have on in the full outfit photo are my post-surgical shoes. They are from Dansko yet they still have that post-surgical look. They certainly protect my toe joint which was the reason to buy them! I just bought a pair of Dr. Martens this week. I have wanted a pair for years but they never fit due to my bunions. Now they fit so I bought these Mary Jane shoes. I am thrilled about their British Rocker look, yet at the same time, they are black and professional looking for office attire. I love to walk so I need solid shoes. I bought them at Trash and Vaudeville.

My brooches are all vintage and the little umbrella brooch I have had since I was about seven years old! The tiny leaf one is gold plated and from a company called Krementz. I looked them up online and they made lots of beautiful leaf brooches back in the midcentury. The Infinity brooch I saved for myself since I have been buying some for my Etsy shop.

The black wool coat I found on the Lower East Side of the Village at a stoop sale. The lady was smaller than me. It must have been huge on her but of course, I was absolutely thrilled to buy it at a $5 a bag price. It has served me very well when the weather is around 40 degrees. Everything else the lady had for sale was also great but this was the only thing I could fit into and needed. That large green brooch I found in a vintage shop and have worn with this coat since. I really enjoy finding great deals and doing a bit to help save the environment but purchasing items further down the chain of production.

My daughter, Emily was here for six days. We had so much fun walking around and going places. We didn’t get as many photos taken as we planned. She did take these of me inside the Eastern Parkway subway stop. It was a cold, dreary day so the location seems better than outdoors. I took the one of me in my jeans and the same blouse and coat. When Emily arrived I was still hobbling around with my cane but after I saw my doctor again I was able to let that go. I still have physical therapy ahead of me but I am getting there and it is very exciting to be outside again more often!

I am still struggling with my eyes. I can’t wear eye makeup for awhile, if ever again due to an oil production difficulty. I am telling you if it isn’t one thing its another! I suppose now I will focus more on lipstick and blush. My nose is a bit red in this post due to heating up my eyelids. One just has to have a sense of humor about these things!

Today is Halloween so I intend to dress up as a Harajuku Décor Gal and go to the West Village to see people walking around in their colorful and lively costumes. I will try to take some pictures for the blog!! Also, I will aim to get a picture or two of me dressed up. I bought the rainbow knee highs that I have seen some Harajuku Gals wearing in photos. Aside from that, I am using my own clothing. I did buy some of the tiny bright plastic barrettes as well to add color to my outfit. I hope you enjoy Halloween!

blk thrifted 90's blouse MY Michelle