THRIFTING TREASURES

I am a thrifting addict. Going into a second-hand store and rummaging through to find a treasure brings me so much pleasure. Even if I don't find anything, I still thoroughly enjoy the adventure of it all. I think Kurt Cobain put it best in an interview with MTV when he said “You can’t buy happiness. I mean that made me happy for a while. I look back at going to second-hand store and I was almost just as happy finding a little treasure. That actually meant more to me because it was more of a stab in the dark in a way. You didn't know if you were going to be able to afford it and what you were really looking for. When you find it its more special to you rather than having a thousand dollars and going into a store like that or buying the whole store. It's not as special." I know that quote isn't about thrifting but rather the importance of the simple pleasures in life and for me, thrifting is one of them. 

I found my love of thrifting or treasure sifting at a young age through hard rubbish collection. As soon as the piles on the curbs out the front of people's houses appeared, my brother and I would be planning our treasure hunt. My fondest memory is when we found a broken chandelier; I associated them with a life of luxury and couldn't imagine how anyone would throw away such a thing of beauty, broken or not. Unable to tow it home on my brother’s skateboard, I sat down and began to pull off the crystals, marveling as they glimmered and cast off rainbow light in the sunshine. I filled my pockets until they were nearly bursting at the seams and when I got home, I proudly placed my new treasures into my jewelry box and felt just like Elizabeth Taylor.

Luckily for me, my work is located within walking distance of two second-hand stores allowing me to have lunch time thrifting adventures a few times a week. Like any thrifter will tell you, the key is persistence. Some days you will walk out empty-handed and other days a plastic bag full of goodies. I thought I would share my most recent haul with you.

TARTAN SKIRTS

I have been looking for a tartan skirt for a while and was about to purchase one from American Apparel that I have been eyeing. I found both of these skirts in the kids section of two different stores and was trying not to get my hopes up when i saw the tartan fabric poking out. Luckily for me, they both fit and weren't too short! Which also brings me to another essential thrifting tip: check every section - mens, kids, bedding, everywhere. You never know what you will find hiding in the most peculiar places.

 

CHUNKY CHAIN

I am really loving Chunky Chains at the moment, particularly to give a slightly harder edge to a more feminine outfit. A lot of modern day, costume jewellery pieces are really light weight and I would much prefer a nice heavy piece like this one.

 

KITSCH ELEPHANT SHARPENER

I picked this up because I adored the colours and the funny boggley eyes and then realised it was also a sharpener; cute and functional!

 

SLIP SKIRT

I have slips in every colour of the pastel rainbow and they really don't get the wear they should but I will continue to buy them every time I see them.

 

PASTEL BOOB TUBE

The fabric is what drew me to this piece as it is 3 sizes to big for me. I haven't decided what to do with it yet, take it in? Make a skirt? What do you think?

 

CHERRY NECKLACE

 I thought this necklace was very reminiscent of the most recent Meadham Kirchhoff collection for Topshop.

 

BLUE SKINNY BELT

 I have an amazing aqua belt I wear back with pink dresses but it is falling to pieces and needs to go in the bin. This isn't the exact colour I wanted but it will do the trick for now.

 

PASTEL TEDDY BEAR

This cutie will make the perfect addition to my wall of pictures!

 

PURPLE GLITTER SOCKS

 If it sparkles, I want it.