Suddenly, last weekend, the thrifting gods smiled upon me and offered up a lovely {and reversible} fur vest with light pink lining. Too good! Despite the suddenly-summer turn that DC weather has taken, I'm planning to wear this baby out on the town.

Happy Black Friday to everyone! I'm currently sitting at home with a mouthful of gauze. No worries since I prefer to do my shopping in bed when I can, especially since I'm rocking some serious chipmunk cheeks.

That won't keep me from posting today's Friday Finds, which centers around my recent trip to NYC: what I wore and what I bought. Get excited.




Sunday was such lovely warm weather, so I decided to pair a a cranberry colored silk shirt dress {a thrifting find that had been floor length before a serious hemming-session} with black boots and tights. We braved the city jacket-less but I brought along with my favorite gray & white infinity scarf, just in case.
My high school BFF is lucky enough to live in a gorgeous apartment in the middle of Hell's Kitchen, so we were in close proximity to visit the Fashion District and start our shopping spree in Times Square, eventually making our way to Rockefeller Center. {Unfortunately, Tina Fey was M.I.A.}




A very conveniently placed LOFT resulted in a serious bling upgrade: thanks to a massive sale, I was able to snag a jeweled golden chain cuff, two simple stretch bands and a white & gold striped infinity scarf. Say what you want about Ann Taylor, LOFT never lets me down when it comes to the frosting. {How to Lose a Guy references will be appreciated here.}


This cuff matched my outfit perfectly--so clearly a sign from the fashion gods. I am obsessed with how perfectly it matches my dress and my favorite watch. It was too good a deal to pass up, and I was too excited not to wear it out of the store. I'm not the only who does that, right?




The rest of my sparkly loot will be making an appearance soon, with a more gold-themed outfit. Funny how everything seems to match each other. It took me longer than I'll care to admit to realize that the lightweight tan and gold striped scarf was actually an infinity scarf...and once I did, I was smitten.


A little retail shopping later and it was time for me to head home, but not without one more, less organized shopping stop....






Having felt a bit a bored during my latest thrifting adventures, and unable to afford anything at the lovely store windows I was tempted by, I had decided that (time allowing) NYC would be the perfect place to take my second-hand shopping to the next level: pay by the pound! After extensive research a quick yelp search, I came across Green Village, a warehouse of  clothing and furniture located in Brooklyn that fit my budget: pricing was $2/lb {with a 5 lb maximum.} So off we went, in search of buried treasures in the land of the hipsters.




Luckily for me, my thrifting partner in crime was down for the challenge, and so, two non-New Yorkers went off in search of adventure! After a bit of difficulty navigating the freeways of Manhattan we made our way into Brooklyn and found what we were looking for. Furniture was pilled inside and out of the two-story tall warehouse with many rows of blazers, winter jackets and various clothing by the front entrance. As you can see from the photos above, this place meant serious business and required lots o' patience to find what you had come looking for.






























When visiting larger thrifting stores, it's a good idea to walk around the place: get your bearings, and figure out which sections strike your fancy and which ones you could care less about. We were there for clothes and accessories {surprise, surprise} and decided to avoid the back rooms filled with scrap metal and furniture. After a an hour of digging through racks and scanning of the section of bags & boots, we tallied up our damage. To our disappointment, the pay-by-the-pound deal only applied to the piles of clothing in the back--a dimly lit area that was too cold to spend much time in. Instead, we opted to pay tag price for the more select pieces from the front racks. My only purchase was a good one: a light brown, unapologetically Birkin-style tote with a faux-croc embossed flap and fringe. Totally awesome at only $12.

It's a perfect handbag size: not too big to be cumbersome, but large enough to hold what daily essentials. Plus, the inner dividers will hopefully keep me more organized than purses of the past. I can't get over the fringe detail on the front and the embossed "Biki" label which reminds of: a. '70s era Biba fashion, and b. the manufacturers not-so subtle acknowledgement of the Hermes "Birkin" silhouette that this bag so clearly emulates.


All in all, my Sunday of shopping was a success! I've still got the pay-by-the-pound bug and am searching for more stores that offer it, just a little bit closer to home.

xox,

Pardon the Michael Scott reference, actually, don't. This edition of friday finds features my new favorite winter coat: a brown & tan tweed A-line jacket. I love the enamel buttons on it, which inspired me to pair it with a burnt orange sweater {with similar buttons!}

 striped top: Vince// jeans: Madewell// clutch: vintage// watch: Miachel Kors// flats: Ferragamo// ring: David Yurman// shades: Ray Ban






And in other news, I'm linking up to one of my favorite resources for thrifting addicts: Thrift-a-holics weekly!  

xox,

Have I mentioned that I LOVE fall?! Well, I do. A lot. There's nothing better than crisp fall weather and needing to bundle up in cozy sweaters. Today's pick is a lovely Ralph Lauren navy and white striped sweater. I picked up this beaut for $2.99 on my latest thrifting spree and haven't taken it off since!

As the weather cools down off, my thrifting sprees have shifted from brightly colored shorts and cutoff towards cozy sweaters and blazers.

This friday's find is a lovely brown blazer with dark leather accents. I absolutely love the trim detail, which is subtle enough to wear day and night, but still original and lovely.

I love the lines of this jacket!



Trimmed in-set pockets.





Close up of the cute stitched border.



Dark brown detailing under the lapel.

Sideways popped collars look tres douch-ay in real life, oh well.

The deep v-angle of the jacket matches the neckline of my tee. Although it's got a feminine cut and is made of a faux-suede material, the color and leather trim give it a very professor-esque feel, so I paired it with skinny jeans and a simple linen v-neck instead of a conservative oxford shirt.

buying a blazer:

• These are probably the most complicated item you will consider altering. Sleeves can be hemmed, but you'll often need to alter the lining inside, which is often made of a lightweight lower quality acetate--difficult for novice sewers to work with. Mistakes are more noticeable with these types of fabrics, but will be inside the jacket. 
• Shoulder pads can be removed, but once again you'll need to mess around with the lining. It's a simple task that only requires the combo of seam ripper & needle/thread, but you'll need to know what you're doing.
• Resetting shoulders is impossible--it's quite difficult to take it or let out sleeves. If the fit of the blazer isn't quite right, let it go. 
• Buttons can be updated! Appliques can be removed! Don't let a few minor surface embellishments keep you away from a great blazer. Consider adding elbow patches to a tweed jacket or taking the fringe off an otherwise chic jacket. 

today's rainy weather called for a quick trip to my favorite thrift store for some cozy sweaters and colorful pants. i've been yearning for a pair of pink pants for so long, and i finally found a great pair!

J. Crew matchstick cords in a super-bright pink color!

GPOY price-tag: $4.99!

• Break the rules: I'd advise any duck-boot enthusiasts to not only check the women's shoes sections but the men's and boy's as well, where most utility-style shoes are organized. 
• Try them on with socks: You'll get a better feel for how they fit and protect from any germs you might be worried about: Shoes can be tricky--I tend  to only choose those with tags still attached or in brand new condition, but a run through the washing machine (for sneakers) or febreeze and/or disinfectant spray could work for more adventurous shoe enthusiasts.
• Take a lap: make sure they're comfortable by walking around in them a bit. 
• Ignore the size markings: Vintage/older garments have different sizing dimensions, as do European garments. You'll eventually hone your eye for what your size looks like on a hanger, but first, just try it on!