Shopping in Your Own Closet!

The change of seasons is upon us! With the passing of the equinox, it is time to start thinking about Hallowe'en, unbelievably enough! (We didn't really get a summer here in New England).

Whether you're in the Northern Hemisphere and experiencing shorter days and crisper temperatures, or just warming up to Spring Down Under, you'll probably have to do some seasonal shifting of your wardrobe (unless you're in a clime where you can wear the same breezy items year-round, or have gigantor closets. Unfortunately for us, we are in neither position).

We have a storage unit in the basement, which we pack up twice a year with garment bags and Rubbermaid containers filled with off-season clothes and bedding and then haul up and down the stairs. (We group them into Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter so as to spare ourselves doing this four times in a year!)

For those of you with small closets and no supplemental basement or attic space, some lovely storage options we've seen recently include stacks of vintage suitcases (with the top one used as a side or bedside table), vintage steamer trunks, and of course underbed boxes (buy risers if your frame is low to the ground, and hide them with a lovely bed skirt! Check out these great options from Jeri's organization blog!) Or, make use of high ceilings and construct shelving all the way up (and get yourself a proper stepladder while you're at it).

One of the most exciting things (for us anyway) about this grueling process is discovering pieces we had completely forgotten we owned. This past weekend we found, tucked away in a bin at some unknown time, a lovely vintage cropped lavender motorcycle jacket. When did we buy this? At what thrift shop did we find it? It must have been last winter, because we have definitely never worn it.



Quelle cuteness, no?? We think it's 80s... it is "authentic style" brand. Isn't the iris color just divine? OK, maybe only if you're obsessed with purple. We don't normally go in for pastels, but this we couldn't pass up (evidently). Who could have known that cropped motocross and other wee leather jackets would be so "in" this season, too? (Not that we care about being "in"... we'll wear whatever we like and trends can shove it, we're just happy when things we like are widely available!)

We heard a fancy leather-cleaning remedy the other day which we'd like to share, also. And by fancy we mean totally thrifty and natural and easy: egg white. Apparently raw egg white on a soft cloth will take leather stains out. We will be trying this immediately.

Other things we're excited about for fall in Boston: all of the colored tights we bought over the summer, and the black boots we got on clearance, together of course! Corduroy! Velvet! Cashmere... aaaaahhhh... (don't forget to check your Goodwill or Savers for cashmere sweaters we got both our baby pink and our deep purple ones at thrift shops!)

Have you found anything fabulous in your seasonal shift that you had forgotten about? What makes you happiest about the change in your part of the world?

Happy shopping-in-your-own-closet!

Covetable for Fall: Blue Shoes

We are absolutely obsessed with blue shoes right now, but all of the options we'd been seeing had been far over our self-imposed $30 price point... So we decided to do some serious digging. As usual, a set via Polyvore (click the pic for links to purchase- sadly some of these are UK-only stores. Boooo!):

Cobalt Blue Shoes under $30 by ThriftyStylist on Polyvore.com

Did you realize that Amazon.com has super-clearance items from other stores? We totally didn't until recently!

We also found (we wouldn't let you down!) several vintage options on Etsy... these lovelies encompass three of our ideal characteristics: cheap, unique and earth-friendly. Why choose what everyone else is buying when you could have some of these? Click here for our public favorites for individual listings.

If you own a pair of bright blue shoes, leave a comment and let us know what your favorite outfits to pair them with are!

Happy Shopping!

What We Wore Today: Funked-Up Black

We felt a little bit funky today (OK, we feel a little bit funky every day, and we don't mean stanky; but today, especially so). This is probably due to a combination of factors, not the least of which was attending a Nashville Pussy/Motorhead show on Sunday night, where the entire House of Blues was awash in a sea of black. Folks after our own heart, awww.

Outfit 9-8-09 by ThriftyStylist featuring Franco Sarto shoes

We love the Tarina Tarantino feather earrings shown in this set, which are way out of our price range. We snagged ours at the barter fair at Oregon Country Fair over the summer for $15.

The rest:

"Lux" brand asymmetrical flouncy layered skirt, TJ Maxx, $15
Rampage square-neck short-sleeved sweater, $10
Marshalls Purple lace-trim cami, $7
Mudd Fake Fryes, Famous Footwear, $20
Glitter tights, CVS? $5? Honestly no clue where we got these, and we've only worn them twice. They're awfully sparkly. Not a terrible thing, but not the most flattering, either.

Hope you enjoyed your long weekend! We may be mourning summer with this outfit today, hmmm...

InStyle's Key Pieces for Fall: Bright Trench Coat

Today we're looking for bright trenches that aren't astronomically expensive, like the Versace and other high-end designer coats in InStyle's fall "five key pieces" feature. A stunning, saturated coat is a wonderful alternative to the staid and traditional beige or black- and we don't advocate staying away from color completely underneath as InStyle does; have a little fun! Why not?

We're willing to extend our $30 price limit a bit for certain key pieces like a great coat or pair of boots... possibly even up to $100, but all of these pieces are half of that, or less!

Our Polyvore set includes both brights and an incredible zebra option (animal print is classically awesome no matter the season or style, but it is hot right now), $29-$50 (click the pic for links to purchase):

Fall Trenches for <$50 by ThriftyStylist featuring Nine West

These are from some unexpected sources (Nine West at Wilson's leather? Home Shopping Network? Patagonia?) but they're all lovely and quite affordable.

If you prefer to score something that no one else will have, try a vintage piece from Etsy. All of these stunners are under $50 as well: thrifty and environmentally conscious (bottom right, orange, is only $8!!

(Since the Etsy mini won't publish, go to our public favorites for individual listings!)

Are you going to buy a new trench for fall? Would you consider vintage? What colors do you like best? (We're dying over the purple one, of course!)

Happy Friday and happy shopping!

Giveaway Alert: Fabulous Handmade Skirt

Quick! Get thee over to PrettyLittlePictures, where Jennifer Lauren is having a giveaway of one of her gorgeous handmade skirts from her newly opened Etsy shop, JenniferLauren (please give her a heart when you check out her shop!).

Not just an existing skirt, but a custom skirt. Made for you. Exactly how you want it. Yes, please, we say. And we're telling you all about it because we love you, even though it will doubtless minimize our own chances of ever possibly having a JenniferLauren belong to us!

Here is just one example of her adorable modeling and highly impressive seamstressness (we're coining the word):

Turquoise! Full circle! Pockets! Oh My!

The giveaway ends next Friday (9/11) so enter soon! All you need to do to for a chance is leave a comment on the blog post about why you should be the winner. Or if you really wanted to you could enter for us, instead, because we so deserve to have such a pretty thing but it's out of our price range. Hee hee.

Happy freebie-winning (or attempting, anyway) and happy Etsy shopping!

Purple Handbags - All the Rage for Fall

We already own a gorgeous handmade, upcycled vintage leather purple handbag, which we've discussed a few times before! But that doesn't mean we're not thrilled about the preponderance of such for fall.

Inspired by SavvyMode, who found some beautiful-- but PRICEY!-- options for one of her readers in this post, we scoured the interwebs for options that are on-trend but won't make you (as we did) fall off your chair when you see the price!

Via Polyvore, brand-new versions from stores you probably already knew of (some on sale, some just cheap by nature)- click the pic for the Polyvore set with links to purchase:

Purple Handbags for Fall Under $50 by ThriftyStylist featuring Old Navy bags

And, from Etsy, options from the Vintage and Handmade categories (click here to go to our public favorites to get to the individual listings):

Do you have a purple bag? Are you looking for one? (Or another one??)
What is your cap for purse spending? Ours is $100. And that was the one time, only, and only because it was handmade of vintage leather (so sweet!).

Interview With Us & New Article on Handmade Artists

We are super flattered that the inimitable Keith of the new website HandmadeArtists.com has published an interview with us about our Etsy jewelry shop and this blog. Check it out!

We love the site so much that we've signed up to be a contributing author, and our first article published recently, about how the handmade movement is simultaneously promoting individual artists and helping to save the planet and stay frugal! We're going to author a continuing series on being green and thrifty and supporting local, independent businesses, and we'd like to explore handmaking one's own household supplies and attire as well, with projects and tips. (Stay tuned...)

Please visit Keith's awesome hand-silk-screened T-shirt shop, MindlessPursuits.com, where his wittiness and graphics skills combine to create unique and often-hilarious designs, like our personal favorite, the "Traditional Values" T:


Heh.

His designs are available on a variety of colors and styles of shirts, including organic cotton offerings.

Thanks again, Keith!