Cheap JAP » goodwill http://cheapjap.com shop cheap. look loaded. Tue, 20 Sep 2011 18:38:41 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Goodwill Boutique Makes Mockery of Thrift http://cheapjap.com/oy-vey/goodwill-boutique-thrift http://cheapjap.com/oy-vey/goodwill-boutique-thrift#comments Wed, 06 Jul 2011 23:11:29 +0000 Cheap JAP http://cheapjap.com/?p=10643 Daily Candy named Goodwill GVB one of five Boutique Openings to Get Excited About. Racked‘s

...keep reading Goodwill Boutique Makes Mockery of Thrift

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Daily Candy named Goodwill GVB one of five Boutique Openings to Get Excited About. Racked‘s review seemed too wooed by the good deed factor of Goodwill to question the obvious.
For women, the store carries frilly and floral skirts, shorts in a variety of colors and lengths, and dresses for every occasion. Tank tops and bright, light weight tops are under $15 each, and coats and jackets range from $9.99 for a Mossimo rain jacket to $69.99 for an Ann Taylor Loft pea coat.
Maybe a Mossimo rain jacket costs more than $9.99 at Target. Maybe I don’t give a shit. Charging more than five bucks for an already-budget item of piss-poor quality is an insult to the art of thrift. Where the Ann Taylor Loft pea coat’s concerned, I mean, JESUS. A seventy dollar price tag at Goodwill? For an effing generic ATL pea coat? In MAY?!

Curated, my ASS.

Where charity thrift’s concerned, hell hath frozen over: Bundle up beotches, and brace yourselves for the cold hard reality of what it now costs to shop for a cause.

Mmkay, so these photos suck dong, but that’s because the security guard kept eyeballing me whilst I snapped (also, a security guard… what’s worth stealing, the fake Louis Vuitton bag in the window? Pfft.). Apologies, and onto the ludicrousness pictured.

Twenty8Twelve tops retail for hundreds of dollars. Ditto for Theory. It follows that paying $69.99 for one isn’t all that unreasonable… at Loehmann’s, or at a sample sale, or maybe even at a high-end consignment shop. I wouldn’t do it, but I understand it.

Paying that amount at Goodwill GVB is a different story – one in which I’m still digging through significant amounts of donated muck.

You heard me. DONATED. Goodwill wants $69.99 for each of these garments, but what’d they pay out of pocket? Zero. That’s a mark-up even Barneys can’t top.

I don’t have a problem with trading on charity – nationwide, Goodwill puts millions of people to work, and uses 84% of its profits to fund its numerous charitable initiatives. What I have a problem with is its complete disregard for the monetary expectations of those who keep it in business: We, the thrifters.

Goodwill GVB might be a smidge easier to shop than its larger Manhattan counterparts, but copious amounts of Target crap and Old Navy shizzz doth not a *curated* *vintage* *boutique* experience make.When I shop Goodwill, I expect to spend a bit more time and energy browsing than I would shopping retail. In return for my efforts, I expect to snag something amazing for a fraction of its retail cost – meaning five, ten, twelve bucks max. That uber cheap price is my reward for going gently worn, and for giving to charity via my secondhand purchase.

At Goodwill GVB, what do my efforts net me? Brand-name rip-offs, and a fucking forty dollar make-up stain.
]]> http://cheapjap.com/oy-vey/goodwill-boutique-thrift/feed 12 Three Rules For Running a Thrift Boutique http://cheapjap.com/thrift/goodwill-boutique http://cheapjap.com/thrift/goodwill-boutique#comments Mon, 27 Jun 2011 17:46:30 +0000 Cheap JAP http://cheapjap.com/?p=10632 Goodwill was going upmarket, reserving the best of its donation pool for its latest initiative:
The Goodwill Greenwich Village Boutique. Thrift boutiques – thriftiques, if you will – have been popping up all over as

...keep reading Three Rules For Running a Thrift Boutique

]]> Goodwill was going upmarket, reserving the best of its donation pool for its latest initiative:

The Goodwill Greenwich Village Boutique. Thrift boutiques – thriftiques, if you will – have been popping up all over as of late. Kate Goldwater and I know this facet of the gently worn world inside out and bass ackwards; it’s why AuH2O is the number one shopping listing on Yelp for all of New York City.

The rules of a successful thriftique operation are as follows:

1. Have an Eye.

Over the past few months, Kate and I have basically trained ourselves to be brand-blind. This isn’t because we have anything against labels; it’s because we understand the extent to which they influence our judgment.

I recently unearthed a stunning, cream linen pencil skirt from a bin at one of our go-to stock spots. We squealed with delight before we even knew what it was: A vintage Yves Saint Laurent. Yes, it was a lucky score, but when quality’s your end-game, the gems eventually find you.

When assessing any item, we deal with cut (is it flattering? is the fit versatile? is it too big or too small for our shoppers?), fabric (is it jersey knit that’s going to pill after one wash? is it scratchy vintage polyester?), color (we hate pink), seasonal wearability (fuck, another amazing vintage sweater we don’t have space to store) and stylistic relevance (can we cut out the shoulder-pads?). The brand’s the last part of the equation, and rarely the deciding factor.

Having an eye also means getting outside of your own head, i.e. knowing who you’re buying for. Our East Village shoppers are basically a walking street style blog: Their creative wardrobe choices inspire a lot of what we stock, and they rarely lead us astray.

2. Check for Damages.

A thriftique is, first and foremost, a screening tool designed to alleviate the browsing drudgery associated with traditional thrift.

That’s a verbose way of saying NO DAMAGED SHIT ON YOUR RACKS. If you’re going to tack on a convenience charge for curated secondhand stock, checking for pit-stains, missing buttons, busted zippers, fabric tears, pen marks, excessive pilling, iron burns, etc. isn’t an option – it’s your fucking JOB.

Note: If thrift warehouses and vintage junk shops are your stock sources, here’s your golden rule: If it’s really effing amazing, there’s probably something wrong with it. Write that down.

Kate and I do two damage checks for every single item we choose, and we do it every single time we stock, and we STILL mess up occasionally. If we pull something out of the dryer, see a stain and realize we’ve been had, do we say meh, whatevs, no one else will notice, we’ll just put it out anyway? No, because we’re not lazy pieces of shit.

If we knowingly stock a damaged item, it’s a big fat eff you to our shoppers – no item is worth having our judgment and/or thrifting skillz called into question.

If we unknowingly stock a damaged item, and a shopper catches the flaw, it’s 75% off its tagged price if she still wants it; if she doesn’t, we pull it off the floor immediately.

For any item that’s not wearable in its current form, you’ve got two choices: Fix it, or get rid of it.

3. Don’t Forget What You’re Selling.

No, really. What do you sell?

A vintage shopkeeper might answer authentic 60s and 70s era garb. A Housing Works manager might answer designer items at a discount. A Goodwill Boutique employee might say brands for less.

All of these answers amount to a steaming pile of cow dung – a crock of bullshit that enables many thriftique owners to rationalize overcharging for previously worn goods.

Vintage, designer – I don’t give a rat’s ass. First and foremost, it’s USED, and it should be priced as such.

So. Did Goodwill’s Greenwich Village Boutique hit or miss the thriftique mark?

Oy. Effing. Vey. Photographic evidence to follow. Stay tuned.
]]> http://cheapjap.com/thrift/goodwill-boutique/feed 2 Witchy Woman Style http://cheapjap.com/style/witchy-woman-style http://cheapjap.com/style/witchy-woman-style#comments Wed, 16 Feb 2011 21:52:26 +0000 Cheap JAP http://cheapjap.com/?p=10507 my thriftique was a shitshow of pink. I figured I’d temper the girly vibe/commiserate with uncoupled shoppers by donning an all-black ensemble. It wasn’t until a customer commented on my outfit that I realized the true source of its inspiration.
- You know

...keep reading Witchy Woman Style

]]> my thriftique was a shitshow of pink. I figured I’d temper the girly vibe/commiserate with uncoupled shoppers by donning an all-black ensemble. It wasn’t until a customer commented on my outfit that I realized the true source of its inspiration.

- You know that movie The Craft?
- Know it? I was OBSESSED with it for most of middle school!
- Me too, and your outfit kinda has that early-nineties witch vibe going on. Love the nod to goth!

If ever you find yourself chanting Earth-Air-Fire-Water in your head and feel the need to express your inner witch, a nod to goth can be achieved via the following:

A little black dress. Mine’s from H&M: I resisted scissoring it into a minidress for four solid years, leaving it knee-length for classy occasions, synagogue and/or funerals, but I’m happy I finally gave in. The lining started shredding as soon as I’d cut it, so I want with the raw thang and hemmed it with a loop stitch to keep the hem in tact.

Note: Loop stitch is not a technical term – it’s what happens when you poke a needle and thread through the inside of the garment close to the interior edge, then loop it around the exterior edge in lieu of poking it through the outside of the garment. If that makes any sense.
A black blazer (a vintage Goodwill Outlet Center find, in this case). In its original form, the four-button blazer had two visible copper buttons and two hidden heinous plastic buttons. It looked fine buttoned up; unbuttoned, it was a decidedly not-hot mess.

A blazer that cannot be worn both open and closed is a blazer undeserving of a place in my wardrobe – clearly, the situation had to be remedied. Luckily, the blazer had two matching copper buttons on its sleeves. I snipped them off, and trimmed the fabric shielding the heinous plastic buttons. Then I snipped those buttons from the garment, and sewed the copper ones onto the vacant button space. If it looks unfinished, GOOD. It’s SUPPOSED to. We have a raw, badass witchy theme going on here!
The shoes are a no-brainer, as black, lace-up, combat-inspired boots epitomize the nod-to-goth look. These are Miz Moos, and Mommy got them for me at Marshalls because she is awesome.

Chokers are a staple nineties accessory, so I threw a vintage Jewish star charm onto a long silver chain and wrapped it around my neck three times. I also added a killer vintage wrist cuff, and topped the whole thang off with ripped black tights.

“We are the weirdos, mister.” Bah!
]]> http://cheapjap.com/style/witchy-woman-style/feed 1 How to Salvage an Erroneously Hemmed Dress http://cheapjap.com/diy-fashion/how-to-salvage-dress-hem http://cheapjap.com/diy-fashion/how-to-salvage-dress-hem#comments Tue, 15 Feb 2011 20:06:40 +0000 Cheap JAP http://cheapjap.com/?p=10498 ...keep reading How to Salvage an Erroneously Hemmed Dress

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Do I open late? Fuck no – I’m a professional. I leave my apartment half-dressed and on time, and change my outfit upon arriving at the store. It’s usually as simple as selecting a top or dress and a few accessories from my personal stock, but a few mornings ago, simplicity and speed went out the window. In lieu of picking something wearable in its current form, I chose an ankle-length tie-waist dress.

I do not wear ankle-length dresses. Ever. But the print was sooo cute, and the jersey knit had the coziness of a broken-in t-shirt. I loved this dress and goddammit, I was going to figure out a way to wear it. So I did what I always do when I fall for something too long for my liking: I busted out my scissors, and hacked a few inches off the hem.

Allow me to paint you a picture of the scenario: I’m in the dressing room with the scissors. No customers are in the store yet, but I’m open for business and, heretofore, on a serious time crunch. I try the dress on and ballpark the hem. I take it off. I hack it. I put it back on and… BALLS. Way. Too. Short. This wasn’t a mini-dress, and it didn’t look like a tunic either. It looked like the mistake it was – a dress hemmed too short for wearability. SHIT.

Luckily, I had a gauzy, layered, ruffle and lace trimmed H&M miniskirt on hand, so I layered it under the mistake of a mini dress. It masqueraded as a slip effectively enough, but it was too thick to lie flat under the thin fabric – from the waist down, I was a big bunchy mess. I threw a blazer on over the combo to hide the bunch and survived the day.

I couldn’t leave the issue of the too-short dress unresolved – this thang was way too cute not to salvage. The ruffled trim of the H&M miniskirt was a perfect pairing. All I had to do was cut the hem from the garment, sew it together to preserve the layered material, then sew that piece of material onto the bottom of the dress hem.

This took nine hours.
Thankfully, I had Freaks & Geeks for company.

Pretty cute, yes? Oh, and both the dress and the skirt-turned-hem got snagged at Goodwill Outlet Center.

In other news, it’s Fashion Week. I could do a long-winded rant on the ridiculousness of the scene, but these days, it’s just not a worthy use of my time. Better to keep you entertained with subjects marginally relevant to your lives, methinks.

How’s this for a compromise: It’s Fashion Week, and I don’t give a flying fuck.

Doneskies.
]]> http://cheapjap.com/diy-fashion/how-to-salvage-dress-hem/feed 1 Spring Stock Preview! http://cheapjap.com/thrift/spring-stock-preview http://cheapjap.com/thrift/spring-stock-preview#comments Tue, 08 Feb 2011 21:01:08 +0000 Cheap JAP http://cheapjap.com/?p=10462 Goodwill Outlet Center isn’t just challenging: It is a trying test of spirit and will. I’ve been at it for two years now, and it knocks me on my ass EVERY SINGLE TIME.
High volume thrift is a dangerous journey. Here’s how the clothes-by-the-pound game is played: Approach massive bin of

...keep reading Spring Stock Preview!

]]> Goodwill Outlet Center isn’t just challenging: It is a trying test of spirit and will. I’ve been at it for two years now, and it knocks me on my ass EVERY SINGLE TIME.

High volume thrift is a dangerous journey. Here’s how the clothes-by-the-pound game is played:
  1. Approach massive bin of donated crap.
  2. Plunge arms into bottom of bin; grab as much clothing as wingspan/bicep strength allows; yank in upward direction.
  3. Sift through first pull; put promising items into cart.
  4. Repeat 4-5 times for current bin.
  5. Repeat steps 2-4 for every subsequent bin.
How large is a massive bin of donated crap? Five feet wide, nine feet long, four feet deep – and that’s a conservative guess.

How many massive bins of donated crap exist at Goodwill Outlet Center? Forty or so – enough to scare the shit out of me.

Why do I continue to frequent a place that leaves me battered and brain-fried? Because it’s the biggest payoff in the history of thrift. (Also, because I need stock for my thriftique: We bust our asses to find it cheap so we can price it cheap. You’re welcome. :P )

Sifting through mountains of damages, stains, dated fugliness and suspicious odors isn’t fun by a long shot; trying the stuff on when you’re done sure as hell is, but it’s not the ultimate reward. The best part of all the work that goes in to foraging kickass stock? Watching someone fall in love with something it took me hours to find. Sounds cheesy, but it’s true. I guess I’m in the right business.

A few finds from my latest AuH2O stock run.
More laters. Mwah!

P.S. Dig the polaroid frames?! Picnik, I LOVE YOU. :P
]]> http://cheapjap.com/thrift/spring-stock-preview/feed 2 Beware the Goodwill Designer Rack http://cheapjap.com/thrift/goodwill-designer-rack http://cheapjap.com/thrift/goodwill-designer-rack#comments Mon, 17 May 2010 20:58:22 +0000 Cheap JAP http://cheapjap.com/?p=5900 ...keep reading Beware the Goodwill Designer Rack

]]> Goodwill finally gets to sit at the cool kids table – kudos to it. I’m all about the surge in thrift’s popularity, obvs. I’m even okay with a slight increase on the price point scale, provided you get what you pay for. I might bitch about the extreme variability in Housing Works‘ average per-item cost, but if said variability results from a shipment of NWT designer donations, so be it; a new MARC Marc Jacobs denim blazer at 80% off its retail price isn’t all that criminal.

A thrift store in which some items sell for over $20 must meet two crucial qualifications in order to pass the Cheap JAP test: 1. It must filter the worst of the damaged and fugly donations from the rest of the gently worn merch. 2. It must have a basic knowledge of brands and their corresponding retail value.

If you’ve ever shopped a Housing Works, you know the above checks out. Secondhand grossness goes straight to the warehouse; high-end donations are tagged as such. Fine.

If the max price as Goodwill topped out at $12.99 – as those in-store tag charts imply – its lack of a filtering system wouldn’t be cause for concern. Throw the ‘designer racks’ into the mix – a recent venture that results in a mishmash of subpar brands tagged at $15 – $45 – and it’s a different story. I don’t give a rat’s ass if those Rodarte X Target strapless lace/ribbon/tulle disasters masquerading as dresses are NWT – they were overpriced to begin with, and what, you have the gall to tag them at $24.99? You’re GOODWILL, for fuck’s sake, and we’re talking about something from TARGET. If you knew shit about shit, I’d be finding Ella Moss and Geren Ford on those *designer racks.* Instead, I found them where I always find my genuine thriftastic gems – in with the rest of the muck.

I don’t know why I felt the need to prove myself right at the 26th Street shop last week. Maybe it’s because I view the world of the gently worn as a safe zone immune to the practices of retail; a place that doesn’t rip us off; a place where hard work actually pays off.

Apparently, it still is.

Provided you have the patience to shop it.
]]> http://cheapjap.com/thrift/goodwill-designer-rack/feed 9 The ‘All Pants $2.99′ Rack http://cheapjap.com/style/pants-sale-rack http://cheapjap.com/style/pants-sale-rack#comments Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:14:20 +0000 Cheap JAP http://cheapjap.com/?p=5677 ...keep reading The ‘All Pants $2.99′ Rack

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I usually stick to tops at this particular location; I popped in a few weeks ago, saw that all pants were marked at $2.99, and made an exception. The beauty: Trovata High Waist Cords The beast: Nylon Patterned Crazy Pants

My Uncle Chip donned a similar pair of crazy pants for the bulk of the eighties, which he likely accessorized with a terrycloth sweatband a la Richie Tenenbaum (yes, he is THAT COOL). He passed them onto my little brother a few years ago; I didn’t have the good sense to fight for them then. Uncle Chip: This one’s for you. In other news, the weather’s been all kinds of shitty as of late. Spring storms: This one’s for you.
]]> http://cheapjap.com/style/pants-sale-rack/feed 3 Bogner Ski Belt, DSquared Blazer http://cheapjap.com/style/bogner-ski-belt http://cheapjap.com/style/bogner-ski-belt#comments Sun, 14 Feb 2010 22:02:53 +0000 Cheap JAP http://cheapjap.com/?p=5575 ...keep reading Bogner Ski Belt, DSquared Blazer

]]> 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.)
]]> http://cheapjap.com/style/bogner-ski-belt/feed 1 Goodwill Outfitzzz http://cheapjap.com/style/goodwill-outfits http://cheapjap.com/style/goodwill-outfits#comments Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:01:40 +0000 Cheap JAP http://cheapjap.com/?p=5382 ...keep reading Goodwill Outfitzzz

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Splendid Tee ($6.99 @ Goodwill thankyouverymuch)

Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent Slip ($6.00 @ Monk. I know. Redonkulous.)

Ponyhair Belt ($3.00 @ NJ’s Alcove Thrift)

Thick-Rib Tights ($4.99 @ Duane Reade, yet more durable than a lot of my pricier hosiery. I AM OBSESSED. Weird.)

Melissa Plastic Dreams Wedges ($99.00 @ Kaight)

Nextly:



RUEHL No. 925 Top ($6.99 @ Goodwill)

J Brand Shredded Jeans ($22.00 @ Buffalo Exchange, shredded by moi)

Ralph Lauren Purple Label Blazer ($an-arm-and-a-leg.00, as it was a souvenir from Mom’s last trip to Paris. Best. Gift. Ever.)



Oh, and this is what happens when you get carried away with Picnik’s photo-editing features.

Kinda fun though, riiiight? Right.
]]> http://cheapjap.com/style/goodwill-outfits/feed 1 Latest Buzz Via Goodwill Gramercy http://cheapjap.com/thrift/buzz-goodwill-gramercy http://cheapjap.com/thrift/buzz-goodwill-gramercy#comments Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:44:27 +0000 Cheap JAP http://cheapjap.com/?p=5334 ...keep reading Latest Buzz Via Goodwill Gramercy

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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 up donated. I know it’s new for two reasons: It’s in excellent condition, and the tag’s been snipped out. Companies spend ludicrous amounts on image-related PR – they can’t have people like me snagging their marked-up, unsold merch at Goodwill and telling everyone about it, so they snip out the tags as a means of maintaining whatever power they think their brand has. How do I know this top is RUEHL No. 925 in spite of its snipped out tags?



Because they missed one. Nice try though, corporate buzz-killers. Better luck next time.
]]> http://cheapjap.com/thrift/buzz-goodwill-gramercy/feed 4 Old Dress + Scissors + Sequins = New Top http://cheapjap.com/diy-fashion/dress-sequins-top http://cheapjap.com/diy-fashion/dress-sequins-top#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2010 03:08:50 +0000 Cheap JAP http://cheapjap.com/?p=5130 ...keep reading Old Dress + Scissors + Sequins = New Top

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In lieu of scissoring, I ‘hemmed’ the aforementioned dress with hot glue. This proved a massive error in judgment.

The material was way too thin to handle the intensity of the sticky stuff (eew…sorry); the glue spots were fully visible from all sides of the dress; a hot mess of a mini was the result.

Blast! The dress was doneskies. Or so I thought.

I’d picked up a pack of oversized sequins on my last trip to M&J trimmings; using them as a mask/embellishment seemed an excellent alternative to trashing the dress. I adhered them to the material with (surprise) more hot glue. Witness the result:



The final product is, admittedly, shorter than I intended.



Whatever.

I’m wearing spandex shorts underneath, layered over two pairs of opaque tights. This, of course, significantly decreases the odds of a celebrity-esque hoo-ha flash.

I suppose it could double as a top, but who am I kidding? I effing love minis.

Oh, and the belt was three bucks at a rando New Jersey thrift store. Secondhand shopping in suburbia is the SHIZNAT.
]]> http://cheapjap.com/diy-fashion/dress-sequins-top/feed 5 One Vintage Polo, Two Looks http://cheapjap.com/style/vintage-polo-looks http://cheapjap.com/style/vintage-polo-looks#comments Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:42:31 +0000 Cheap JAP http://cheapjap.com/?p=3905


Outfit 1: Forever 21 Pencil Skirt; Housing Works Belt; Foot Traffic Plaid Tights; Celine Platform Pumps; Vintage Men’s Polo (Goodwill Outlet Center).

Outfit 2: BCBG Dress (Beacon’s Closet); The Sock Man Tights; Housing Works

...keep reading One Vintage Polo, Two Looks

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Outfit 1: Forever 21 Pencil Skirt; Housing Works Belt; Foot Traffic Plaid Tights; Celine Platform Pumps; Vintage Men’s Polo (Goodwill Outlet Center).

Outfit 2: BCBG Dress (Beacon’s Closet); The Sock Man Tights; Housing Works Belt; Celine Platform Pumps; Vintage Men’s Polo (Goodwill Outlet Center).

Loves it!
]]> http://cheapjap.com/style/vintage-polo-looks/feed 3 Is It Too Cold for Seersucker? Wait I Don’t Care. http://cheapjap.com/thrift/seersucker http://cheapjap.com/thrift/seersucker#comments Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:50:35 +0000 Cheap JAP http://cheapjap.com/?p=3893
Fitting rooms tend not to exist in places where clothes are $1.69 a pound. I wasn’t totally comfortable with the idea of trying anything on before it underwent my requisite sanitation process either. I had the J.Crew Seersucker dry-cleaned,

...keep reading Is It Too Cold for Seersucker? Wait I Don’t Care.

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Fitting rooms tend not to exist in places where clothes are $1.69 a pound. I wasn’t totally comfortable with the idea of trying anything on before it underwent my requisite sanitation process either. I had the J.Crew Seersucker dry-cleaned, and found myself nonplussed by the fit a few days later. Seeing as having something professionally tailored defeats the purpose of buying by the pound, I brainstormed alternatives.

Velcro, people. VELCRO.

Here’s the dilly when you’re working with velcro: You must keep the fuzzy part attached to the courser, more durable part for the first portion of the glueing process. The entire exterior of the velcro strip should be smooth, because the sticky parts are facing each other. This is to ensure everything lines up correctly once you un-velcro the velcro.



Firstly: I cinched the jacket around me to its desired fit, then made marks on the exterior and interior portions so I’d know where to put the velcro.

Nextly: I left the velcro attached to itself, snipped a strip of appropriate size, and glued one side of the smooth part to the exterior of the blazer. After it dried (with hot glue, that takes about 30 seconds) I glued the other smooth side of the strip to the interior portion, leaving the velcro stuck to itself the whole time.

Lastly: Once both sides are dry, un-velcro the velcro and voila! Everything lines up perfectly. (Overachievers can hot glue an extra button to the front of the jacket at this point.)

Is it too chilly for Seersucker right now? Possibly. But how SICK does the material look with pinstriped Hudson jean shorts?!



Witness my spring suit.
]]> http://cheapjap.com/thrift/seersucker/feed 2 Advanced Thrifting 101: Ten Tips for Shopping a Goodwill Outlet Center http://cheapjap.com/thrift/tips-goodwill-outlet http://cheapjap.com/thrift/tips-goodwill-outlet#comments Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:12:43 +0000 Cheap JAP http://cheapjap.com/?p=3818
1. Defensive Dressing

Clothing comfortable/casual enough to get dirty; walking shoes; a hands-free bag; you know the deal. I donned a fanny pack for

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1. Defensive Dressing

Clothing comfortable/casual enough to get dirty; walking shoes; a hands-free bag; you know the deal. I donned a fanny pack for the occasion, and it felt AWESOME.

2. Engage Your Inner Hypochondriac

I usually hand-sanitize before, during and after advanced thrifting excursions of this ilk – that is, until I happened upon the phrase “rubber kitchen gloves” in the Comments section. If I had any common sense, I’d have thought of this myself; I don’t, so I’m eternally grateful to the gal who wrote in. Effing brilliant.

3. Anticipate Navigational Difficulties

When you enter the realm of the 7 train and have trouble differentiating your left from your right (also a slight case of dyslexia), getting lost is all but inevitable – the Maps app on my iPhone didn’t do jack in terms of helping me find my destination. I had to ask three or four people for directions before I finally got to the Goodwill; I highly recommend those with similarly sub-par navigational skills do the same. Don’t be shy.

4. Use the Carts

The grocery store-esque shopping carts, that is. Wheel it down the aisle, park it near whatever bin you’re pulling from, and toss your goodies in as you find them.

5. Seven Minutes per Bin, MAX

To effectively sift through a deep, large bin of crumpled castoffs, one must plunge her arms into the bottom of the stuff and yank in an upward direction. The plunge/yank move ensures you get a look at most of the stuff in a given bin, and seven minutes is more than enough time to denote the ick from the SICK. Once you’re through one bin, move immediately onto the next. There are about twenty massive bins to choose from: Strength stamina, and time must be budgeted accordingly.

6. More is More

You’re not going to remember everything in your cart while you’re still in sifting mode. Anything that grabs your eye is a YES – for now.

7. Denim is Heavy

As previously mentioned, clothing at the Goodwill Outlet Center is priced by the pound. I recommend avoiding the denim section on your first visit for this reason. An extra pound might not add much to the monetary cost of the excursion, but remember: You’re carrying your finds back on the subway. A bag of jeans is a lot less fun to cart around than a bag of shirts. I’m just saying.

8. Know When to Call It A Day

After an hour and ten minutes of hunting, my strength started to wane. I had a cart full of stuff, but I’d only gotten through half the clothing bins, and I hadn’t even touched upon the shoes/bags/accessories section. No matter. This is the most exhaustifying kind of shopping there is: It’s muy importante to wrap it up before you start to lose your mind.

9. The Final Sort

Right before you check out, go back through every single item in your cart and check for damages: holes, stains, unraveled hems et. al. Toss the No’s back into the nearest bin.

10. Victory Jig

Unload your haul into the scale at the register. Marvel at your thriftastic handiwork. Jump up and down upon seeing the final total. Well done you.

]]> http://cheapjap.com/thrift/tips-goodwill-outlet/feed 12 Clothes by the Pound at Queens Goodwill Outlet Center http://cheapjap.com/thrift/queens-goodwill-outlet-center http://cheapjap.com/thrift/queens-goodwill-outlet-center#comments Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:48:10 +0000 Cheap JAP http://cheapjap.com/?p=3810 Thrifty Fashionista‘s stellar Vintage Pop-Up Sales last week, which will henceforth be announced here as they happen. The Thrifty Fashionista and I obvs bonded over our collective love of thrift and our similar notions of what constitutes cheap; I was impressed by both her sifting abilities and the

...keep reading Clothes by the Pound at Queens Goodwill Outlet Center

]]> Thrifty Fashionista‘s stellar Vintage Pop-Up Sales last week, which will henceforth be announced here as they happen. The Thrifty Fashionista and I obvs bonded over our collective love of thrift and our similar notions of what constitutes cheap; I was impressed by both her sifting abilities and the way in which her merch was priced. Girl’s got a fab eye, fo sho. I bought two uber versatile wrap tops and spent under twenty bucks, but that’s another post for another day.

Today’s subject matter deals with the most epic thrifting tip I’ve ever received. Thrifty Fashionista gave me permission to share it with you, but it comes with a catch: It’s for thrifting pros ONLY. I’m not saying this to exclude you newbies out there – I’m saying it to protect you. For to embark on a quest of this magnitude unarmed with extensive thrifting experience is to throw yourself to the secondhand shopping wolves. Unless you’ve clocked at least 50 or so hours of down-and-dirty digging, don’t even think about it. You will traumatize yourself, and possibly never thrift again. It’s an overwhelming test designed to break you – the LSAT of thrift stores, if you will.

It’s the Goodwill Outlet Center in Queens.

Thrifty Fashionista sums it up as “like the Housing Works All-You-Can-Stuff Bag Sale, but calm” – agreed. The lack of people-related insanity’s a plus, but the act of sifting through the astronomical amount of material castoffs will drive you crazy regardless. It’s just a matter of when.

So. Why put yourself through the hell of hauling ass to Queens and digging through bin after bin after bin of crappy castoffs? This is the place where donated clothing goes to die. What could possibly make the experience of shopping the most unwanted of the castoffs worth your time and energy?

Pop Quiz time:



Eight pounds, exactly. Do I know this because I personally weighed it and/or have a knack for guestimating numbers? Nope. I know this because the Goodwill Outlet Center prices ALL of their merch BY THE POUND.



I didn’t just find an almost-new American Apparel top, a J.Crew seersucker blazer and a seventies-era Bloomingdales fitted polo tee; I found mind-bending wares from decades back, the kind of things that masquerade as “vintage” and get marked up 900% by greedy Manhattan vendors.

All told, I got eight pounds worth of kickass, original stuff for less than the price of one Forever 21 top. Marinate on THAT for a hot sec.

Stay tuned for an extensive list of Goodwill Outlet Center survival tactics; also, a photographic barrage of all the fab stuff I found. One woman’s trash…

(Okay fine, I won’t subject you to another cliche. But it’s true! Eeek!)
]]> http://cheapjap.com/thrift/queens-goodwill-outlet-center/feed 18 Ralph Lauren for Less http://cheapjap.com/thrift/ralph-lauren-less http://cheapjap.com/thrift/ralph-lauren-less#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:51:53 +0000 Cheap JAP http://cheapjap.com/?p=3733
Particularly when they’re legit Ralph Lauren (hellooooo quality), priced at approximately one-fifth of their retail cost.

...keep reading Ralph Lauren for Less

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Particularly when they’re legit Ralph Lauren (hellooooo quality), priced at approximately one-fifth of their retail cost.





The Gramercy Goodwill is a godsend.
]]> http://cheapjap.com/thrift/ralph-lauren-less/feed 4 French Connection Sweater, Thriftastic Price http://cheapjap.com/thrift/french-connection-sweater http://cheapjap.com/thrift/french-connection-sweater#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:36:37 +0000 Cheap JAP http://cheapjap.com/?p=3715
I. Heart. Picnik. ]]>


I. Heart. Picnik.
]]> http://cheapjap.com/thrift/french-connection-sweater/feed 2 What Five Dollar Denim Looks Like http://cheapjap.com/thrift/five-dollar-denim http://cheapjap.com/thrift/five-dollar-denim#comments Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:23:50 +0000 Cheap JAP http://cheapjap.com/?p=3557 April 77 Denim is one of those reasonably priced alternatives to $200 designer jeans. The line’s super cute, and retails for around $95 a pop.
Reasonably priced is good; cheap is better. Cheap like these April 77s pictured below, which I found on the 23rd Street Goodwill’s FIVE DOLLAR DENIM RACK.

...keep reading What Five Dollar Denim Looks Like

]]> April 77 Denim is one of those reasonably priced alternatives to $200 designer jeans. The line’s super cute, and retails for around $95 a pop.

Reasonably priced is good; cheap is better. Cheap like these April 77s pictured below, which I found on the 23rd Street Goodwill’s FIVE DOLLAR DENIM RACK.



Booyah.
]]> http://cheapjap.com/thrift/five-dollar-denim/feed 0 Goodwill Gramercy Window Display http://cheapjap.com/thrift/goodwill-gramercy-window-display http://cheapjap.com/thrift/goodwill-gramercy-window-display#comments Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:25:25 +0000 Cheap JAP http://cheapjap.com/?p=3339 Jackholes, all.
Here’s a retrospective

...keep reading Goodwill Gramercy Window Display

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Jackholes, all.

Here’s a retrospective on everything you can’t currently buy.



All goodies photographed available for sale this Saturday. I’ll be at a wedding in Vermont, so you won’t have to catfight me for the goods – they’re yours for the taking.

Viva la Thrift.
]]> http://cheapjap.com/thrift/goodwill-gramercy-window-display/feed 10 Goodwill Blazer Outfits http://cheapjap.com/style/goodwill-blazer-outfits http://cheapjap.com/style/goodwill-blazer-outfits#comments Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:36:54 +0000 Cheap JAP http://cheapjap.com/?p=3102
At Right: Theory Blazer, Goodwill, $14.99; J Brand jeans, Buffalo Exchange, $21.00; Tissue Tank, American Apparel, $29.00; Paisley Scarf, Brooklyn Flea, $3.00.
At Left: DSquared Blazer, Goodwill, $16.00; V-Neck Graphic Tee, Urban Outfitters, $9.99 (from $24.00 – hit an Urban sale rack ASAP while the gettin’ is good); Nylon

...keep reading Goodwill Blazer Outfits

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At Right: Theory Blazer, Goodwill, $14.99; J Brand jeans, Buffalo Exchange, $21.00; Tissue Tank, American Apparel, $29.00; Paisley Scarf, Brooklyn Flea, $3.00.

At Left: DSquared Blazer, Goodwill, $16.00; V-Neck Graphic Tee, Urban Outfitters, $9.99 (from $24.00 – hit an Urban sale rack ASAP while the gettin’ is good); Nylon Tricot High-Waist Leggings, American Apparel, $42.00 (Fuck you, Dov); Donald Pliner Wedges, Beacon’s Closet, $18.95; Louis Vuitton Scarf, legally thieved from G.M.’s closet (G.M. = my uber-stylish Grandmom. Yes, my fam’s into abbrevs), $0.00.

You can clap now. ;)
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