This past weekend, I visited my G.M. (i.e. grandmother – yes, we’re into abbrevs in my family) at her lovely abode in upstate PA, and managed to lose my Ray-Ban aviators en route. She was kind enough to offer a pair on loan for my drive back, and bestowed on me some old school, white-and-gold [...]

I’ve been getting a shit ton of Cheap JAPtastic emails from you gals as of late, which is all kinds of awesome. Especially when I get two related queries and one ends up answering another. Tres convenient!
Ankle Boot Angst (Did I really just write that? You know you’ve read too many issues of Lucky when…)
i [...]

Here at Cheap JAP, we do our best to shop with respect to Karma. For our purposes here, Karma means the odds of us finding fab stuff on the cheap increase in direct proportion to the frequency with which we do the right thing (i.e. allying ourselves with each other in lieu of allying ourselves [...]

Firstly, thanks to all who wrote in over the weekend for your sympathetic comments and suggestions re: my bed bug plight. Here’s what I’ve learned thus far:
Tossing thrifted goodies in your freezer to kill any potential bugs sounds like a phenomenal idea, particularly in lieu of Sudoku-ing your way through twelve loads at your local [...]

For the past two years – two years during which I’ve gained the bulk of my thrifting experience – I’ve never had to face the consequences of buying used clothing. I’ve even mocked those who use the you-don’t-know-where-that-shit’s-been argument against shopping secondhand. Alas, when over half of your wardrobe consists of gently-worn wears, it’s only [...]

To shop the Chelsea Salvation Army is to boldly hunt where few have hunted before. I’m not just talking no dressing rooms. I’m talking visible schmutz all over the floor, pit-stained t-shirts, stinky shoes, et. al. The place exemplifies any and all stigmas associated with thrift; even I’ve been too grossed out to give it [...]

I found this Ralph Lauren *Black Label* (ahh) orange linen crop jacket at a Marshalls in the middle of nowhere for… $15 on clearance. It had to be a mistake because the retail price on the RL tags were $1,095 and it was in perfect condition. That means I basically got this jacket for [...]

My Greenwich Village hood can be perilous to those shopping on a budget. Particularly when a stroll down your block puts you directly on West 8th Street between 6th Avenue South and Fifth Avenue, smack dab in the middle of fifteen or so shoe stores. Es problemo.
To be fair, I’d been looking for a new [...]

On Friday, 6/19, @ 2:41 PM, Jen emailed:
I was inspired by what you wrote about Karma, especially when it means possible stellar shopping in the future and helping out a friend. I don’t know if you’ll be interested in this, but I sure was, and if not maybe you could post the tip [...]

It’s Arts and Farts and Crafts time! Today’s lesson: How to “take in” an oversize blazer using scissors, hot glue, and random excess material (snipped from the maroon pseudo-gown discussed previously). If it sounds ludicrous, that’s because it is: No gal in her right mind would touch a Piazza Sempione Blazer with anything sharp or [...]

Remember my claim that I figured out how to wear those slips from No Relation Vintage as non-underwear?

I hiked the longer cream one up over the boob-line, layered the black skirt-slip underneath, and used a stretchy belt thing to give the whole shebang some shape. Insta-tube dress accomplished.
Now, let’s discuss this shiny maroon pseudo-gown, also [...]

This week marked the launch of Alexander Wang and Vena Cava for GAP Design Editions, so I figured I’d hit the 54th Street location to see what all the fuss was about. Trying some stuff on (and surreptitiously snapping pics in the dressing room, natch) gave me a better idea. Where dresses and outerwear are [...]

Mmkay, now for the full deets on the exciting slip + transparent Theory dress equation that ultimately solved my Sheer Conundrum. A black underwire bra didn’t cut it for coverage up top: Enter the American Apparel Ruched Tube Bandeau.

The chiffon of the dress sagged a bit at the armpits; this was remedied by tying the [...]

This Theory Dress (another winner from Buffalo Exchange) retailed for at least $200, once upon a time. I got it for $32.50, NBD.

The cut’s seriously classy, but the coverage? Hellooooo lingerie. Opaque tights did nada to temper the sheer-factor: If this dress was ever going to see the light of day, it needed a [...]

I committed a crazed act of rebellion yesterday. To grasp the full weight of said act requires a brief conceptual review of what defines a Label Whore, so let’s discuss. Label Whores buy brands for brands’ sake. When you equate a garment’s label with said garment looking good on you, it’s only a matter of [...]

When I found this shirt at Housing Works’ Latest Bag Sale, I seized it for its color and satin-esque material. It wasn’t until I tried it on post-dry cleaning that I realized the fringe presented a big problemo. I hacked away the offending material with scissors and cinched it around the waist for shape – [...]

Our Sharesies! of the day comes from Joyce, who recently experienced the awesomeness that is the Buy-Sell-Trade, and was kind enough to provide a photo of her find.
Because of your blog, I went to Buffalo Exchange and scored a cute LeSportsac 7507 everyday bag for $14! Normally, it retails for seventy plus bucks so [...]

I have what some might consider to be an abnormally small head. Every summer, I think maybe, just maybe, I’ll find one of those cheapie straw fedoras on the street that actually fits. No dice, for three years in a row now. I knew I’d need to bite the bullet for a hat that wasn’t [...]

So. Some fashion peeps are, like, “so over the doom and gloom recession talk” that they’re protesting via a $65 shirt. Witness the Fuck The Recession tee, currently sold out at Seven New York.

Granted, it’s cheaper than the Fuck The Recession/I’m Still Rich version by Edun Live (which apparently retails for $3,325. I know, I’m [...]

I happened upon a stellar little nugget of intel yesterday. Time for a Sharesies!
TheThriftShopper.com makes finding a beacon of secondhand goodness near you a snippity snap. Simply entering your zip code into the search bar immediately directs you to a list of stores in your area, complete with hours, locations, even URL addresses. My [...]