The Future of Thrift Looks Pretty Effing Nifty
I’m generally skeptical of online shopping sites that require me to login with Facebook, sign in with Twitter and/or join via email or before allowing me to browse. It’s not a privacy thing – it’s an I-don’t-want-to-be-bombarded-with-shit-storms-of-promotional-bullshit thing (Membership! Exclusive Access! Beotch please). The dream of a fluff-free inbox is usually enough for me to close the tab and move on.
Enter Nifty Thrifty.
Eff everything I just said about being anti-membership – if it has Thrift in the name, I’m yours on curiosity alone. I joined a few weeks ago, and the vintage-brandname resale hybrid did not disappoint.
Sure, the quirky retro finds are fun to browse; yes, they’ve got solid deals on high end designer goodies. What makes Nifty Thrifty so addictive, though, isn’t the merchandise so much as the presentation. Each “sale” has a theme, and the pieces included collectively tell its story.
Usually, when we browse online, we do it by category – tops, dresses, etc. Pages and pages of items in varying colors, styles and patterns – a overwhelming shitstorm of shoppables, if you will, that’s far from easy on the eyes.
There’s no shortage of cute dresses in the Shopbop screenshot above. But finding the dresses consistent with the styles and colors you actually wear is entirely on you. It’s a time-consuming browsing drag.
Here’s a screenshot from Nifty Thrifty’s Cherry Blossom Sale.
Pretty, right? By grouping pieces with similar colors, prints and styles together, Nifty manages to infuse editorial consistency into the online shopping experience. This helps the shopper zero in on the types of clothing and accessories she’s most apt to wear. I’m enchanted, and I don’t even like pink.
I’ve obvs got a teeeeny bit of beef with the prices attached to some of Nifty Thrifty’s vintage offerings, which we’ll get into in later posts. But on the whole, I’m psyched, impressed, and grateful. Because they’ve done more than take the work out of shopping secondhand. By giving us a new, aesthetically curated context for buying old things, Nifty has succeeding in glamorizing the very nature of thrift. And just in time for Earth day, too. :P
Cut-Offs or Underwear? Hem Lines and Over-ass-posure
So. Last summer, the zipper on my treasured American Apparel Dark Wash High Waist Jean Cuff Shorts broke. I blame myself – I’d yanked them down too fast on account of really having to pee. I also blame American Apparel for selling rigidly constructed 100% cotton denim shorts with ZERO give for $58.00 a pop and cheaping out on zippers. Jackholes. Where was I? Right – jean shorts.
I bought an equally overpriced replacement pair from Urban Outfitters by BDG to remedy the situation. Same dark wash. Thinner fabric. And one inch shorter.
Let’s talk about that inch.
The official moniker here, BDG Dree High Rise Cheeky Short, is all too appropriate. Cheeky. Is that supposed to endear us into thinking it’s cute and cool to wear shorts that fail to do the one thing any garment qualifying as pants is supposed to do, which is cover our ass? The butt cheeks aren’t just highlighted here – they’re fully visible.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a pair of shorts on Urban’s website that doesn’t showcase the lower region of the cheeks. It’s like the side-boob. Only with butts.
What’s going on, Urban? Did you erroneously hire a lingerie designer instead of someone capable of making real, live clothing? Is there a collab between you and Victoria’s Secret of which I’m unaware? Is the theme of your spring/summer collection ‘Crotchtacular Crotchtacular?’
Look, I’m all about body confidence, so much so that I convinced myself to buy and wear a pair of shorts like those pictured above last summer. The greater-than-usual number of catcalls thrown my way immediately upon wearing them only affirmed what I already knew. (Catcalls, FYI, are not compliments – they’re a pastime engaged in by disgusting, insecure men designed to remind women that we’re not people so much as pieces of meat.)
I felt uncomfortable and vulnerable as a direct result of my pants, or lack there-of. I was over-ass-sposed.
Does protesting against cut-offs that necessitate a Brazilian bikini wax pre-wear make me a bit of a prude? Possibly, and I’m okay with that.
I’m not as okay with spending another $58.00 on American Apparel jean shorts though, so if you have any un-cheeky alternatives, I’m all ears. :P
Adventures in Etsy: Rockford Peach
After a solid month of inventory accumulating, steam cleaning, keyword research, lighting tweaking and photo editing, I’m finally ready to kick off my first solo resale venture: Rockford Peach – a collection of vintage apparel and accessories, thrifted by yours truly and currently available on Etsy!
Firstly, the logo – a dress in a peach tree, because each piece is a peach. Obviously.
Nextly, a few personal faves for your viewing pleasure. (Oh P.S. – I finally kinda sorta know how to take photographs. Lighting kits are a godsend.)
The Vintage 1960s Bonnie Cashin Rain Cape.
A phenomenal fusion of Mad Men style and Superwoman construction, and the best alternative to a trench coat ever.
Bonnie Cashin – FYI – was the reason Coach became the handbag and accessory powerhouse it still is today. I’m learning all sorts of vintage fashion trivia as of late :P
The 1970s Lanvin Floral Shirt Dress.
Lanvin and polyester might sound like an oxymoron, but this uber
pricey brand was all about it, once upon a retro time.
The print on this is bananas – vibrant florals paired with geometric paint splashes, with a vaguely Oriental vibe (aaaand I sound like I’m writing copy for Lucky oy veyyyyy).
Lastly, the most amazeballs skirt ever. Leather. Suede. Fringe. Purple. Oh, with some killer embroidered patchwork on the side. Think it sounds like too much? THINK AGAIN.
The front:
The back:
Know how sometimes vintage leather’s all stiff and shizzz? Not the case here – it’s buttery soft and and crinkled and moves like the purple cow it came from. Handmade in Israel, and the ultimate in wearable leather artistry.
If you’re active on Etsy and want to throw me a favorite (or nine) I’ll obvs be indebted to you fo eva. And to all my fellow label whores: Fret not, chickadees, there’s a contemporary component of Rockford Peach resale in the works. Stay tuned for more vintage AND brandtastic Peach picks.
Killer Coats at Goodwill Chelsea
My mom tried to buy me a coat at TJ Maxx a few months ago – something of the down, puffy ilk. A three-quarter length puffer coat, while undeniably practical, tends not to flatter those of below-average height and above-average cup size. I declined her generous offer, explaining that I didn’t intend to spend the winter months moonlighting as a waddling marshmallow. I’ve been freezing my ass off ever since. Read The Rest
90s Fashion: Chic in Clueless, Layering Shitshow on Runway
Ah, trends. Silly little sartorial rules that prey on our innate need to fit in and look cool. Take oxblood, for instance - the “purplish-reddish-brownish hue” every blog plotzed over this past fall, singing its praises like it wasn’t the same exact fucking color as maroon.
Oxblood. JESUS.
The vast majority of trends are just like oxblood – re-branded spins on shit we’ve already seen. The more inspired by the past a given trend is, the easier it is to shop secondhand. Hence the reason I am SO EFFING PUMPED that the long-overlooked nineties are finally back.
Read The Rest
