Tailor & Thief - a lot of old things, and something new

It's not everyday a friend approaches you and tells you about a super cool project they're looking to start, and you get so excited that you start shaking with joy and giddiness.

That happened to me earlier this month. My friend David asked me if I would be willing to help him spread the word about Tailor & Thief. I immediately said yes because not only is it edgy, innovative, and hip (I sound old when I use the word "hip"...), but it also has the potential to impact the local community.

Tailor & Thief is a pop-up thrift store coming in 2015. David is still hashing out the details, but from the plans I've seen so far it's going to be epic. Proceeds will be going toward different organizations and charities in Winnipeg.

At the moment, Tailor & Thief is accepting clothing donations and needs all the help it can get. If you have something you can donate (clothes, shoes, accessories) email tailorandthief@gmail.com.

I can't wait to get on-board this initiative and discover more as January approaches :)

Find Tailor & Thief:

Instagram
Facebook
Blog

Always buy the button-up

Slapping together a thrifted outfit - easy peasy.

The button-up shirt - easily the most easily found and easily worn item you could ever thrift.

A nice button-up blouse that fits is essential to any wardrobe and can be worn no matter the occasion.

It's easy to pair a blouse with jeans, dress pants, circle skirts, pencil skirts, or leggings for any look from casual to business formal. You just have to experiment and learn to coordinate.

If you're going for an everyday look try to pair a loose blouse and a pair of leggings, or a fitted button-up and skinny jeans (ripped, high-waisted, cuffed, whatever). Slap on whatever footwear you want - heels, flats, boots, wedges. Seriously the easiest look and the easiest way to incorporate something thrifted into your wardrobe.

Thrifted this burgundy Smart Set top from Salvation Army this week - my favourite colour and it fits like a glove :)

Business casual - dress pants are obvious. Business formal - pair a button-up with a pencil skirt, tights or pantyhose, and heels. This look also works with a circle or a-line skirt.

Oh, and don't forget the blazer.

One thing I've learned recently is that it's super easy to look put-together if you add a bold and large statement necklace that fits snuggly around the collar.

The bold statement necklace makes the outfit a little more exciting, in my opinion

As I said, easy. :) If you thrift and have tried this look or have other tips, let me know in the comments or send a picture my way. I'd love to see how you tackle the button-up!

Thrifter Profile: Zachary

This post may seem out of the ordinary, but starting now I want it to become a regular thing. As this blog runs its course I want to take time to feature other thrifty folk around Winnipeg. If you or someone you know thrifts and would like to be featured, please comment on this post or get in touch with me here. Without further ado, I would like to introduce you to my friend Zach.

Name: Zachary Oulton
Age: 21
Occupation: Communications Coordinator at Riverwood Church Community

Q: Why do you thrift?

A: I thrift for a few different reasons. One of those is definitely because it was engrained into me as a child. My family didn't have a lot of money growing up so my parents were huge advocates of thrifting. I also definitely have a style that makes it easier to thrift; things like an oversized sweater don't look out of place in my wardrobe and are fairly easy to pick up at a thrift store (At last count I owned upwards of 30 sweaters...). I really enjoy the process of thrifting. I like going through everything and then finding great things for a good price. I will often get people asking me where I bought something and I tell them that I picked it up at a thrift store.

Q: What's the best thing you've ever bought from a thrift store?

A: Oh man, picking just one is hard! In terms of home decor, I recently picked up a really nice typewriter from Value Village with the traveling case and all for $8. That was a good one. I also got a film SLR that I use all the time from Value Village that came with two lenses and a camera strap, so I'd say those two are tied. When it comes to clothes, I've had so many good finds over the years but one that I'm still proud of is my camel peacoat. I picked it up at Value Village 3 or 4 years ago and it makes a regular appearance in winter.

Q: How do you choose what is worth buying?

A: I definitely want something to be clean and in good condition. I think the key to thrifting is knowing when to abandon something. I've had countless items that I love but have left behind because there was a rip or a missing button or something like that. Sometimes items can be saved, but you also don't want to spend tons of money fixing up a thrifted item or it defeats the purpose of thrifting. Generally I go through and take all the items I have a mild interest in and throw them in the cart and then try them all on at once. After that I eliminate things based on fit, condition and if I've already got something else that's similar.

Q: How do you incorporate thrifted pieces into your wardrobe?

A: Make them the statement item! Generally I try and buy staple items that I wear all the time (dark wash jeans, plain t-shirts, etc.) at a regular store and then use a thrifted item as the focus of my outfit. This makes it easy to have a versatile style because you can swap out older items for newer ones and not break the bank while still staying current. I also keep a running list in my head of things that I'm looking for and then whenever I go thrifting I keep an eye out for those items.

Thrifted items in this outfit: H&M Beige Trench Coat - $12 (Value Village), Green School Sweater - $8 (Value Village), Brown Aldo Dress Shoes - $7 (Salvation Army)

Don't be cheap at a thrift store

 A little tip for this week - sometimes "overpriced" items are still extremely underpriced. Technically, almost everything is (or should be) cheap at a thrift or consignment shop. 

About a year ago, I was on a Value Village run with a couple of my friends. I stumbled upon a beautiful, sturdy pair of leather ankle boots with heels that could take an eye out. 

I looked at the sole of one boot to find a price tag - $14.99.

I would never in my life pay that much for used footwear. Or so I thought.

I tried the boots on anyway and they fit like a glove. With a heavy heart I placed the camel-coloured boots back on the shelf. My friend Zach (who I sometimes call "the Enabler") wasn't about to let me get away with it. His excuse - the boots were perfect, beautiful, and fit like a glove.

I sighed and put the boots in my cart, disappointed with my lack of self-control when it came to spending 15 bucks on a pair of used boots.

When I got home, I examined the boots a little more carefully. The name imprinted on the insole was Paco Gil. I had never heard of the brand, so I did some Google-ing. Turns out the mint condition boots I picked off the Value Village shelf for $14.99, were actually worth somewhere between $300 and $400.

So if you ever come across something that seems expensive and is by a designer you've never heard of, there's probably a reason for that.

THE boots - Value Village ($14.99)

Also, last week I promised some of the items from my haul would make it into a post this week. I follow through with my promises.

Green jacket - Salvation Army ($9.99); J. Crew hat - Value Village ($6.99)

Big shoutout to my little sister Briar for using my camera to take the above photos. 

Friends who thrift together, stick together

Over the weekend I realized it had been more than three weeks since I last went thrift shopping.

Three weeks.

I decided to round the troops last night and hit up two of the more mainstream thrift stores - Salvation Army (on Empress Street) and Value Village (Ellice Avenue).

First off, meet my wonderful friends Suntka and Zach. I can't count the amount of times I've loaded up a shopping cart with sweaters, jackets, and boots alongside these hooligans.

We hit up the Sally Ann to start. I had never been to this location before and to be honest, I was quite skeptical. I've never had luck at a Salvation Army thrift store before but I'm pretty sure I hit the jackpot here. I managed to scrounge up a couple of blouses, a coat, and a purse - all for $20. 

Next, we made our way to Value Village - my home way from home. 

Again, I was not disappointed. I bought two pairs of sunglasses, a skirt, an ugly sweater dress thing, a cat vest, and a pair of shoes. I spent a little more than I had hoped to - a whopping $40.

If you're just getting started or you're broke like me, check out the Salvation Army. Decent clothing for CHEAP. They also had a lot of beautiful vintage furniture and home decor items. I would have nabbed a few things from that section, but my apartment is getting full enough as it is.

Expect a master post of the items I got my hands on last night soon.

For now, here's a preview. I'm in love with pastel colours and so you can guess how quickly my heart melted when I found this lavender peplum shirt and these pointed toe flats from ALDO. Funny story, I actually tried on this exact pair of shoes months ago but couldn't justify paying $60 for them - $7.99 was a better deal in my opinion.