The Dress, Veronica Slater, et moi: bloggers bond

Remember this dress? Fellow blogger Veronica of Veronica Slater Presents found the same style of Pucci-esque print silk dress in a thrift shop that I also thrifted. Doesn't she look fabulous in it? I love the chunky necklace accessory.

Veronica and I met yesterday, in the flesh, for the first time, after commenting on and following eachother's respective blogs for months and months. Not surprisingly, we got along like old friends. Look, we even look like kindred spirits here, with out short dos, oversize sunglasses and bracelets!

I love this photo of us. I hope I didn't freak Veronica out too much as I found myself opening up to her about all kinds of things going on in my life. Just goes to show that if you bond in the blogosphere, chances are you'll bond in 'real' life. I find thrift bloggers are of a certain ilk, to be sure - but Veronica, just so you know, doesn't just blog about her FAB vintage purse collection.

As you'll see from her blog and website Veronica Slater Presents, Veronica blogs about living better (in three languages to boot), and all the wonderful stuff that comes along with that. She shares her ideas for gifting, giving and living better weekly on the Boreal Express, a CBC Radio-Canada chaine premiere show. Here she is sporting a spunky jumpsuit and a wonderful belt from the 1990s. Quelle style!

Veronica was kind enough to snap a pic of me wearing a Franco Mirabelli dress I thrifted for about ten bucks, made of this gorg fabric which is the Toronto designer's signature.

Here's Veronica again in her lovely thrifted dress. Veronica, I had such a great time with you. I sure hope we hang out again (and maybe do some thifting too?)!

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I'm to sexy for my (vintage Franco Mirabelli) shorts

My thighs look like tree trunks but I'm trying to ignore that for all these fab reasons:

1). I was modeling second-hand duds found at and styled by the vintage goddesses at Common Sort in Toronto's Parkdale neighbourhood. Owner Nicole Babin buys, sells and trades second-hand and vintage clothing and accessories, and she has this amazing blog where she posts pics of her customers modeling her wares. Fun eh? She's multi-talented as she's also a fashion photog and snapped the photo of me, above, and all the pics on her blog.

2). The shorts are by one of my fave Toronto designers, Franco Mirabelli, who has been making gorg women's styles for 25 years (found in specialty boutiques across North America and in his three Toronto boutiques, Mirabelli). His clothing is to die for (see that lime green tee in my header? That's by him) and he sources most of his fabrics from Italy AND he manufactures in Toronto AND he's just an all round nice guy.

So how could I resist when Nicole (left) brought me her lovely stylist (pictured right, whose name I can't remember), who in turn brought me these (1990s?) shorts? Well, dear reader, I couldn't. And I was having so much fun with the Common Sort gals (see post from last week, below, on my Common Sort adventure with gal pal Marsha), that it was all for the fun of it any way! For a run down on the rest of the outfit, all second-hand, follow the Common Sort link at the top of this post.

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Retro Irving Posluns jacket: don't be green with envy

This is another Stretch Thrift gem, a retro Irving Posluns jacket that was under $20. It's a Kelly green plush, almost suede-like coat, with faux fur flip up collar and trim at the cuffs. Adorable eh?

I don't know much about the designer other than that he was a well-known Toronto coat designer. I showed this coat to local designer Franco Mirabelli and he told me Posluns was big in the scene in the 1960s and 70s.

My sister loves the coat so well she's already asked me if she can have it if I ever tire of it ... which I never will, lol! I'm wearing the jacket with some vintage 1960s made in Italy shades I bagged for five bucks.

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Creamscicle outfit, vintage chain

I love this outfit, most of which was thrifted or free (except for the purse, bought on sale).

I feel like a long cool Creamsicle. And I love the way my pal Chris has positioned me here in front of the icy steel facade.

I found these white wide-legged pants by Club Monaco at Goodwill for $6.99, if memory serves. They go so well with the luscious lime green top by Toronto designer Franco Mirabelli, which I got in a press kit. I wuv it.

The silver bracelet was $5, second-hand, and the retro 1960s shades you've seen before they were picked up for a fiver at the Toronto Vintage Costume Jewellery Sale earlier this spring.

I hope you can see the necklace, but it's one of my fave 'new' vintage ones and I think it suits the 1960s vibe of the outfit.

It was $6.99 at Goodwill.

It's comprised of interchanging rectangular plastic (Lucite perhaps?) and filigre boxes. Isn't it just so cool?

Just have to show you the ensemble with the shades.

The perfect to start the long weekend here in Toronto!

Wherever you are, have a good one, and happy thrifting!!

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Designer dress for $7.49.

My lovely vacay is over so we are back to regular Grunge Queen programming - sorry for the spotty posts of late!

I have a definite thing for the lovely clothing made by local Toronto designer Franco Mirabelli. Unfortunately I can't afford to buy it new, being grungy and all.

The great thing: the designer's styles are so classic, and the fabric (all very fine and bought in Italy) of such great quality that if you find his pieces used, they look brand new. It's also made right here in Toronto, Canada - an increasingly rare thing in the designer apparel world as many who are as large-scale as Mirabelli have gone off-shore.

Take this lovely grey dress by Franco Mirabelli that I found at the Goodwill on St. Clair West in Toronto.

It was $14.99 less 50 percent (50 percent off days are frequent), which brings the total to a whopping $7.49!

Yippee, I finally have a Franco Mirabelli dress! I will have to email Franco and let him know how much I love it!

I'm wearing it here with a thrifted sequined purse by Danier Leather ($3.99 or so if memory serves), and some new-new sexy sandals I bought on clearance last week for $29. So the entire outfit minus the jewellery = $40.48.

Grunge Queen success!

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Who says you can't be trendy & thrifty?

As seasoned thrifters know, thrift shops don't just house rejects from the 1970s and granny pants with elastic waists. The sad/happy paradox is that, with our disposable fashion attitude these days, there's often heaps of on-trend pieces to be had.

The trench has been big for the past few seasons and is still going stoing this spring, especially in fun colours like pastels and electric lime greens.

This Kelly green shade may be a little last year but I still love the trench - I found it at Goodwill for under $10, if memory serves. It's a Nygard poly trench with adorable silver button detailing and stitching.

I'm wearing it here, on a rainy spring day, with a thrifted black hoodie, a Wear White 4 Windfall tee designed by Franco Mirabelli underneath (given to me in a press kit for last year's campaign), and thrifted ripped skinny jeans, the latter of which are still on trend this season.

The scarf was new, bought in a moment of weakness when Anthropologie opened last year at the new Shops at Don Mills.

You can't see it but I'm wearing the skinny jeans with white sneakers (found on Orfus Road for super cheap.). Shades of grade nine circa 1984!!

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Sometimes I wear new

Yup, it happens. Most of my outfits are thrift, but sometimes - rarely - I buy at the mall.

That's 'cos I have a shopping column. Last year when I did a column at Canadian retailer Costa Blanca I walked home with most of this outfit.

The ripped jeans were less than $40, if memory serves, and so was the black boyfriend jacket.

The neon top that makes me have curves I don't have? It came in a goodie bag at the launch of the spring collection of Toronto designer Franco Mirabelli.

The 1970s belt was a gift and the Italian made boots were thrifted.

The amazing piece of 1970s costume jewellery was found at the St. Lawrence Antiques Market in Toronto.

Franco Mirabelli, just so you know, makes gorgeous women's fashions right here in Toronto. He is one of the few major designers I know who is still doing that, and he sources beautiful fabrics from Italy. No problem having ANYTHING new from him as it'll honestly last a lifetime.

I don't generally advocate buying cheap n' cheerful disposable fashion a la Costa Blanca kind, but it is reassuring to know that ripped jeans and boyfriend jackets are still in style almost a year after my buying them.

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