Retro Archives - Be Kind, Thrift and Rewind

I found this thrifted wool coat on the Lower East Side of NYC when my daughter Emily was visiting this past May. We saw a sign for a $5 bag sale and headed in that direction soon afterwards. The petite lady who had the stoop sale had some really nice quality dresses, tops, sweaters, bags and my coat. It must have been quite large on her since I couldn’t possibly fit into any of her lovely dresses, or I would have gladly bought one or two. My daughter, Emily, luckily snagged a few of those items. We walked away with two bags full of clothing and I’d spent a mere ten dollars.

My black wool must have been brushed since it has a slight fake fur look. I didn’t really notice it at first since it is not very raised or furry but then later I asked a dry cleaner and he said it is in fact all wool. Well now that that enigma is figured out I am accustomed to the texture and like it. I like wearing the coat with the vintage brooch pinned on it. I usually don’t wear brooches that large but with it on a coat I feel a larger one does look better. I was attracted to the green colors in the brooch, which I found on eBay.

Thrifting pays in that it helps you retain more of your money for other necessities, plus it is a win-win cycle of reducing mass production’s effects on the environment.

I have been intrigued recently with the concept of mixing my vintage clothing with the grunge look. This type of look was big in the 1980’s and early 1990’s. Vivienne Westwood had her punk look of the “Buffalo Girls” with long prairie skirts, plaid and hats. Marc Jacobs in 1992 had the prairie-look dresses mixed with flannel shirts, and combat boots. For a bit about the early 1990’s grunge look, see here. I haven’t mixed in the flannel shirt yet but I wore a baggy grey sweater over my Liberty of London jumper from the early 1990’s. I have been wearing it with my black pirate-looking boots from Steve Madden’s collection a few years ago. The grey sweater I traded for at Buffalo Exchange. I like the mix of shapes in the outfit. When I first put on my Liberty jumper by instinct I reached for my vintage cardigan and dainty jewelry. Then I remembered I was looking for the grunge look so had to change all that. In this photo I am wearing the dress with a vintage Celtic silver cross that was my mother’s in the 1970’s.

Well I am going to experiment with my wardrobe in the next month and try to come up with more grunge/vintage looking outfits. I think it is a fun mix.

I hope you enjoyed this post and are having a happy holiday season. I am headed to visit my daughter in Colorado very soon. I will be there for Christmas! Hopefully I can get some great photos of the mountains and maybe some snow.