A month or so ago, I popped into Hamlet’s Vintage – purveyor of the offensive $15 beat-up tee – on a mission: I needed tall, black, flat boots. Again.
In the past year alone, I have gone through not one, not two, but THREE PAIRS of tall flat black boots. When I say “gone through” I [...]

My extensive bitching last week re: astronomically overpriced vintage prompted the following anonymous comment:
You want THE BEST vintage in the city, I’ve got the place/s for you. Run, do not walk to Park Slope to visit a few places:
1. Odd Twin on the corner of Lincoln Place and 5th Avenue AND
2. Yona Lee Vintage store [...]

Yesterday afternoon, in the spirit of amping up my knowledge of all-things-secondhand, I did a walking tour of the Lower East Side’s vintage shops. To say I was nonplussed would be putting it lightly – appalled is more like it. The excursion was so infuriating, it actually made me want to go to yoga. I [...]

You want proof? You got it:

Possibly still intoxicated. Also suffering foot cramps as a result of a last-minute decision to don impractical shoes last night. Dancing in sky-high boots is a surefire means to looking drunker than you actually are. Write that down.
I’m not sharp enough to pen anything else of note – luckily, I wrote the below a few [...]

When I think about holiday shopping, the term “fun” generally doesn’t come to mind. I mean fine, religion mandates my celebrating Chanukah over Christmas, which – regardless of what your Jewish friends tell you – stinks like poo once you’re past the age of ten. Perhaps there are a few presents; there sure as shit [...]

Once I read a story about a butterfly in the subway, and today, I saw one. It got on at 42nd, and off at 59th, where, I assume it was going to Bloomingdales to buy a hat that will turn out to be a mistake – as almost all hats are.
Months ago, I didn’t see [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

My Bag Sale Booty prompted a slew of thrift-related questions; questions I’ve been asked before on numerous occasions; questions that, for me, should be easy enough to answer. On June 12th @ 9:51 AM, Sarah wrote:
When I go thrifting, I am often overwhelmed by the bad smell, and by my lack of knowledge of how, [...]

When earlier today we discussed Monk, I omitted the fact that the hunting portion of my trip took a solid hour. The time spent paid off (and BIG), but that’s not always the case. If you can’t immediately size up the kind of secondhand store you’re in, your chances of leaving empty-handed increase exponentially. This [...]

Today, we embark on the arduous task of culling the many oh-so-hip secondhand-esque stores in my new hood for bullshit. Today, we pledge to adhere to our Brooklyn-learned standards for thrift; today, we vow to reject any gently-worn merch that fails to meet them. Today, we separate the men from the boys.
It’s fitting that Zachary’s [...]

Everyone’s all obsessed with Mad Men Fashion, understandably so; the clothes are even hotter than the show. Mad Men Fashion – let’s call it Madshion for kicks – even inspired Michael Kors’ latest line. Spend a mere $350 and you get a free DVD of Season 1 – what a deal! Gag me.
Going retro [...]

Beacon’s, beware – there’s a new kid in town, and her employees are nicer than yours. She’s Monkey Whistles & Motorbikes, and she’s got really awesome shorts.

I stopped by this new-ish thrift store a few days ago and was uber-impressed. MWMB’s selection isn’t as varied as Beacon’s, but their offerings are handpicked by owner [...]

In the world of used clothing, there’s thrift, there’s designer-discount, and there’s vintage bullshit. Because I interpret the term “cheap” to mean low-cost and not sleazy, I recently visited Cheap Jack’s Vintage Clothing and should have bolted after perusing a rack of $30 t-shirts. If the tees had been outstanding in some capacity, I might [...]

I’m not usually a hat person, probs because the only headwear that fits my little noggin is intended for small children. I’m also not usually a vintage clothing person; I don’t give a shit if that musty suit jacket is Armani, I’m not paying $200 for anything with shoulder pads.
However, on the day I [...]

For me, shopping’s all about instant gratification; nothing kills a consumer’s buzz like the buy-it-now, wear-it-later factor. When I first saw these black-and-purple-suede, over-the-knee boots at Monkey Whistles and Motorbikes (my latest Brooklyn thrift obsession), I immediately tried them on. The fit and the price were right, but I couldn’t possibly get away with suede [...]

The Shirtdress is one of those eternally In warm-weather items. It’s easy, flattering and – with the collar popped – endearingly obnoxious. But if I see one more shapeless, solid-colored version of it at H&M, I’m might have a narcoleptic episode.
Thrift stores – Rags-a-GoGo in this case – usually offer much more interesting (and [...]