Guess What I'm Wearing Today...

I'll give you a hint.


It starts with "b"...



end ends with "ird necklace."


I've been working here since September — but today's the first day the bird has shown her fowl little face. So far, I've received one compliment ("cool necklace!") and some stares. I asked one of the starers, a guy named Scott, if he was captivated by necklace. His only response: yeah... I was looking at your necklace. I suppose his stopping there was his way of staying neutral?

My boss said the necklace is "interesting" and that it almost looks like two birds. She also asked, "Um... what's the significance?" (I think she wanted to know why I would don such a bizarre piece of jewelry). I told her it was a flea market victory.

See what happened when Megan and Julia each wore the necklace here and here. If you're a friend of mine and you want to borrow the necklace, let me know. It adds a little variety to the work day -- that's for sure.

Valentine's Specials at My Sister's Closet (Chamblee)

(Received this via e-mail from My Sister's Closet, a fabulous local consignment shop, and wanted to share)

Be My Valentine

Just because you are a special valentine, you will receive 20% off any one item Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

It's our valued customer Valentine's special and only valid through Sunday, February 14, 2010.
Free box of chocolates to the first 10 customers each day!

We have darling heart jewelry and new arrival* sweaters, dresses and accessories, including more boots!

Three tubs full of shoes and boots - only $ 10 a pair - get them while they last!

Suits & Dresses - $ 10 each

Sweaters, Tees, Blouses, Slacks, Skirts - $ 5 each

Vintage Clothes - Half Off

* excludes new arrivals *Pink & Purple tags* and designer items.

Hurry in! These items won't last long!
How about a gift card for that special someone?

Warm up with HOT TEA & COFFEE and special savings!
Tea from Zen Tea and Coffee from Get Coffee

Thank you for being loyal to My Sister's Closet. Thanks for
sharing us and this email with your sweet friends and family!

Happy Valentine's Day!
--The Team at My Sister's Closet

5350 Peachtree Road (Chamblee Antique Row)
Atlanta, Georgia 30341

770.458.8362
Tuesday-Saturday 11 am-5:30 pm
Sunday Noon - 4 pm
Monday 11 am-2pm

Goodwill Virginity: Gone

I have a super cute, incredibly fun, fantastically energetic and very stylish colleague named Kathryn. One catch:

She hasn't yet embraced secondhand clothing!

A time or two a week, Kathryn compliments my skirt or my top or my vest — only to find out I picked the item up at Goodwill or Last Chance. She's often shocked to find out I've found GAP blazers for $4.99 and an Isaac Mizrahi for Target skirt for $3.99. You never know till you look, right?

As you know, it's been part of schtick for this year to encourage more people to shop secondhand. So when I spotted a cute and versatile sheath (in new or nearly new condition) dress in Kathryn's size, I snatched it up. Turns out the fit worked and the style was a match made in heaven.

I'm not sure if I have a convert in Kathryn just yet — but I do have a feeling she'll don this dress often.

Khaki, black and hunter green houndstooth dress - $5.99 at the LaVista Road/Northlake Goodwill (Metro Atlanta). Dress didn't have a noteworthy brand name — but it was cute.

thrift blog atlanta

One Project Stalled (Must Be a Sign)

Two blankets into my volunteer work (sewing baby blankets for Grady Hospital babies), my sewing machine broke. If this isn't annoying enough, I JUST got it serviced (I'm talking days ago) and I have to sew the hems on 33 blankets before February 8! I am brainstorming creative ways to get to the repair shop... which is only open from 9 to 5:30 and is located on the opposite side of town from my office. Ugh.

Anyway, since I was feeling crafty tonight, I'll pick up a little project I'd been putting off — putting new buttons on the Maggy London shirt dress I bought back in November at Last Chance (a local thrift store). 

Maggy London has been in the biz of making feminine and unique dresses for a few decades. A quick google search tells me the brand is still carried at the likes of Nordstrom — and there's a decent presence of ML dresses on resale sites like Etsy. Check out this Maggy London vintage secretary dress for sale on Etsy: 

S/M dress seen here for $22.

Oooh. And I love this funky/fem silk 80s one, too (also on Etsy). 

Size 12 Maggy London dress seen here for $48.

I think being able to wear my new-to-me Maggy London dress tomorrow is enough to make me forget about this sewing machine debacle for just a bit. 

Goodwill Finds: 80s Vertical Striped Sweater Dress

click to enlarge.

One of my New Year's resolutions is encouraging more people to buy secondhand. There are SO many reasons to consider shopping your local Goodwill, Salvation Army or vintage boutique. 

• Cost (you're almost always going to pay less)
• Sustainability (what's more "green" than buying others' "recycled" clothing)
• There are good options! (I donate nice things to Goodwill, and others do, too — their discards can be your treasures — and many items are in nearly new condition)
• Uniqueness (more one of a kind, funky stuff than any women's — or men's — clothing shop you'll visit)
• THERE'S SERIOUS FUN IN THE HUNT!

Okay, more on that later.

For now, here's an example of what's waiting for you at your local secondhand shop. 

Secondhand find: teal/black, vertical-striped sweater dress (so soft!) - $5.89 at the Northlake (i.e., Tucker) Goodwill - no tag

Paired with: black leggings (Target), elastic/fake patent belt (Mercedes Bien in D.C.), Dolce Vita wish boots 

And if you REALLY want to see a great blog about secondhand clothes, check out "New Dress A Day," a blog dedicated to spending $365 (or less) on 365 days' worth of outfits. Marisa is a genius at finding neat thrift clothes and making them her own. Some need more work than others, and she takes "before" and "after" photos to show how she customizes each item to her style and taste. Phenom. I'm so inspired. (Thanks to Becca for sharing this blog with me!)

Luxe Shirt Dress - Goodies from the Weekend Part 4

I think this Maggy London dress (complete with shoulder pads) may be my favorite find from the weekend... but considering that I have to replace the buttons (one's missing), it may also be the most expensive.

Something about this pattern and the cut feels fancy. One of the gals shopping across the aisle from me at Last Chance said the pattern reminded her of Hermes. Now excuse me while I go sew on 9 new buttons so I can wear this thing out of the house!

New buttons: $8.50 at Hancock Fabricks

Dress: $7 (Maggy London via Last Chance Thrift in Decatur) + buttons ($8.50)

Shoes: Nine West patent and distressed leather platform pumps ($25 via Ross)

Reflections on Thrifting

THIS snippet from Friday's DC Goodwill Fashion Blog guest post really spoke to me:

"What should I look for when I am vintage shopping or “thrifting?” My general rule of thumb is don’t LOOK. By that I mean, don’t approach it with the same strategy and mindset that you approach mainstream shopping. Browse the racks, shelves, or tables as if you are looking at pieces of art. You will see a beauty in them that you wouldn’t have otherwise noticed."

Yes! That's such a great way to explain how to keep your mind open while browsing the racks of your local Goodwill or St. Vinnies. Read the whole post ("How to Wear Thrift") here.