Mmkay, so, where basic tees and tops are concerned, the quality and trend-factor of Alternative Apparel’s obvs on par with American Apparel. The problemo? Some of the styles cost upwards of $50 a pop. NOT COOL.
Yes, they go on sale and yes, Buffalo Exchange usually has some old Alternative inventory priced in the fifteen dollar [...]

I jacked this belt from an old Bogner Snow Suit of mi madre’s.

Attics are stellar resources for unconventional accessories.
(DSquared blazer, $16.00 @ Chelsea Goodwill.

Had a solid browse last week at the 23rd Street Goodwill.

Warm, versatile and most importantly, cropped. Eighties!

The pics don’t lie: That’s a tags-on-new $52.00 Splendid U-Neck Puff Sleeve Tee right there. (Originally $51.00 online – the Anthropologie tag attached to the one pictured makes it cost a dollar more. Jackholes.)

Another new retail goodie that ended [...]

In the past, I’ve described leggings as too close to underwear to be thrifted in good conscience. I’d like to retract my position, as I’ve recently come to the conclusion that the sketch-factor of secondhand items has more to do with what they’re made of than with what they’re classified as. Per esempio, cotton absorbs [...]

I pass by Hamlet’s Vintage on Bleecker multiple times a day, as it’s a hop, skip and a jump away from my apartment. The store pimps itself out to locals and tourists alike via a $15 T-Shirt Rack on the sidewalk. The tees are standard secondhand fare i.e. something Urban Outfitters would copy and sell [...]

Is Burlington Coat Factory a slightly creepy brands-for-less chain? Yes.
Is Burlington Coat Factory a place where you can buy a season’s worth of hosiery and socks for under forty bucks? Also yes.

Back in June, I made the mistake of cutting the feet off of every single pair of tights I owned. I wore them with [...]

Disclaimer: I wrote this piece for Huff Po a few weeks ago, hence the lack of naughty language and the slightly more formal tone. Huff Po responded by not publishing it. Pfft. I’m attributing this to the fact that I waxed poetic on practical impulse buys during Fashion Week which, in hindsight, was probs a [...]

The Yiddish term “schmata” can be applied to a multitude of material things; Mom and I use it to describe garments comfortable to the touch and heinous to the eye. Think muumuus.

This uber soft, unstructured cropped tee toes the line between shawl and shirt – wearing it feels a bit like donning a blankie. [...]

There are only two kinds of sale signs in this crazy mixed world, and one of them stinks like poo. Sale signs of the percentage ilk are designed to hint at a deal when, in fact, there is no deal. Case-in-point: TopShop. Bold signage screams 30% OFF, 50% OFF and 75% OFF, until you move [...]

I found this Sheer Striped Ruffle Tier Top earlier this summer at Forever 21. I tried it on in a Medium; it fit, but its length was more tunic than dress.
I’m not about to don a top that requires leggings when it’s 85 degrees and humid and risk getting all schvitzy if a bare-legged [...]

Ahh, the Glam Rock trend. I’m on board with ponying up the dough for legit leather, but I’m not about to blow upwards of $200 on ripped, beat-up jeans. There’s gotta be another way.
While there’s no shortage of tips for DIY-ed distressed denim, I knew my stellar scissoring skills alone couldn’t achieve the badass [...]

Yesterday, I said I paid twenty bucks at Buffalo Exchange for an American Apparel Figure Skater Dress. I uncovered the below work of art and learned I was mistaken.

I paid $17. And yes, that original tag means it wasn’t pre-worn or pre-owned. NEW clothes at secondhand prices? Who knew?! Hot damn I love this photo. [...]

The search for the Perfect Tee is kind of like the search for one’s soulmate (and/or a really good boyfriend). It’s a quest that takes months, years or a lifetime, depending on how well you know yourself (and/or how picky you are). The uber annoying thing about love – material or otherwise – is that [...]

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 [...]

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 – [...]

When I hit the Housing Works Warehouse Sale back in January, I experienced an array of firsts. It wasn’t just my first $20 All You Can Stuff Bag Sale; that day marked the first time I foraged for clothes strewn across a dirty cement floor and my first trip to Queens. The experience was both [...]

A Housing Works’ $20 All-You-Can-Stuff-Bag Sale that isn’t in Queens?! Dream! If you’re in town, get your tuchis down to the Housing Works Bookstore Cafe (126 Crosby between Houston and Price), and join the organized outdoor chaos.

When donning ridiculously short shorts, I try to even out the slut factor with something loose-fitting and non-revealing on top.

I think this top/vest combo subdues these bootylicious $13 Jean Shorts from Necessary Clothing appropriately. Then again, my notion of what constitutes appropriate is possibly skewed by my Garden State roots. Whatever. I effing heart this [...]

Forever 21’s been testing my patience as of late. Generally speaking, I’m on board with this trendtastic superstore, lawsuits or no. What I’m not on board with is the traffic one encounters whilst trying to shop there. F21 insanity used to be limited to the weekends; slammage begun at approximately 5pm on Friday and continued [...]

Men like to think that women dress up as a means of garnering male attention. We, of course, know better. We don’t dress to impress dudes: We dress to compete with each other. It’s one of those shitty side effects of fashion that makes unsolicited compliments among women rare, insincere, and/or suspect.
The only places [...]