Church rummage sale booty

I'm writing an article on rummage sales in midtown Toronto for one of the magazines I write for, so my gal pal Marsha and I set off bright and early yesterday to hit the hallowed halls.

Marsha got some pretty good booty. Thank God I was too busy interviewing and snapping pics of people; you and I know I don't really need anything.

Of course, even while working I simply could not not check out the jewellery table. I hit the bling table immediately, along with piles of others. People always go for the bling straight off and the jewellery table is typically a madhouse. I didn't find any real loves, but this carved sandalwood piece with green stone won my heart for a whopping 50 cents. I strung it on a leather cord to max out the boho effect.

Another bohemian type necklace pendant for a few bucks. Marsha picked this one up for me and she was right about it being my style.

This chunky modernist ring: a buck.

A pendant of Queen Elizabeth I: only a twoonie ($2). People may be going ga-ga over Kate, but I'm a fan of this daughter of Henry VIII.

Jewellery tables at rummage sales are pretty brutal. You need to decide which type of shopper you're going to be: the pushy elbowing type, or the stealthy type with long arms and fingers that can slide in between gaps and and pick up what you want. Guess which type I am?

This silver-tone pendant (which I strung on a long box link sterling chain I've had forever) is a bit odd, but sometimes it's the oddballs I'm attracted to the most. It actually looks good worn low on a long chain. Would rock with jeans and a simple white tee.

All in all, not bad for $7.50.

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Designer coat $14.99 worth $700

Remember this white with leather trim coat I showed you a while back, which I picked up at my friendly neighbourhood thrift shop, Stretch Thrift, for $14.99?

I knew it was well made and I loved it so I bought it. And I didn't even ask the Google Gods what the label meant, for shame.

Well, I was doing a shopping column at Toronto's Shops at Don Mills the other day and met a very "on" sales associate in a shop who guessed the label of the coat without even looking at it: Mackage.

Savvy fashionista that she was, the gal was, of course, correct - and my eyeballs almost popped out when she told me these coats sell for $600-$700 new.

Yeeps.

That's the thing about the Grunge Queen: she may not be up on all the high-end designer labels and such, but in her little thrifting heart of hearts, she can call 'em when she sees em.

Happy thrifting! P.S. Can you tell I'm wearing the $2.99 wool mohair scarf I thrifted the other day on St. Clair Ave. West?

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Movie star moment & thrifty scarves on St. Clair West

So I had a Grunge Queen Movie Star Moment yesterday when doing a shopping column along St. Clair Ave. West (pictured here, what used to be my headshot for this blog, my lovely logo, if you will, designed by my lovely artist sis).

There I was, sauntering along (in a thrifted outfit), when I hear "Kelly!." I look and see a lady I don't know. She tells me I don't know her. Then she introduces herself as, well let's just say "M." M and I have corresponded via email about our thrifty chic designer finds. She's a closet thrifter and visits good 'ole Grunge Queen almost every day, she says.

Well, I couldn't have been more proud or flattered, or more delighted to meet a reader. Sometimes blogging feels lonely as I post so faithfully and often don't get comments and don't always interact with readers - then I hear through friends, family, and even strangers that they check in every day. So M, thank you, you gave me a reality check, and it was truly great to meet you!!

Back to the thrifty news. When I shop St. Clair West in Toronto, I always hit the Goodwill there, which totally rocks (the Sally Ann nearby,  not so great). But I heard there's a new thrift shop just a few doors over from Goodwill called Advantage Thrift. So natch I checked it out after my column.

Pickings: not so great: I always shop high on the food chain when I thrift and look for leather, cashmere, wool, good designer labels etc, and there wasn't much of that there. This large mohair wool scarf, though, was only $2.99. I've always wanted one. In fact when I was in Ottawa for Thanksgiving I saw a purple scarf like this at the Third World Bazaar for $40, too steep for my purse at the time. This one looks brand new and not a stain on it.

I also found this oblong brownish scarf for a mere $1.99. I'm really into brown these days so I bagged it. It's a soft wool and I liked the flecks of reddish orange.

Even better, the label says Farhat Hosiery. Now I thought the name sounded kind of exotic, like it was Egyptian or something. Well a quick question to the Google Gods reveals that Farhat Hoisery is in Bolton, Lancashire, England - and I have been there! When I went to England in September my man and I went to a place I've written about called Bygone Times. Well, that's in Bolton - go figure huh? And my Brit mannie just happens to have flown in yesterday, so I think it's pretty serendipitous that I find a thrifted scarf from a place so close to where he lives in the UK! I call that thrift Karma!

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Twiggy-boho outfit

Preppy look, begone: this is an outfit I put together as a result of a second-hand jaunt along Mount Pleasant Rd. in midtown, Toronto.

Love the boho-esque dress I picked up at Act Two boutique at 596 Mount Pleasant for $30.

Owner Inga carries mainly high-end vintage couture, but this isn't a designer label or anything.

I paired it with a pair of Gerard Darel shoes from Paris, practically new, that I found the same weekend just down the street from Act Two, at Second Nature Boutique at 514 Mt. Pleasant.

They were part of the summer clearout sale and were five bucks!

I thought the floral white stockings (that I got at a sample sale last spring) were very Twiggy-like, a la 1960s.

To be sure, the look isn't mod Twiggy, more bohemian inspired.


I rarely wear earrings these days, but I picked these ones up recently at a new antique shop on Keele just at Dundas St. West in the Junction called Mr. Antico.

They're vintage 1970s and I love them - they actually match a pendant I picked up for cheap recently. Not sure if you can see them but they sport a paisley motif with a bird.

This is a different look for me, but it's a pretty girly look and it was nice for a change - I will be bringing it with me when I go on my England trip!

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