Call me crazy

Well here we are still in the middle of a heat wave in Toronto, and I'm buying myself a wool blanket.

It's on the end of my bed as we speak, and I've actually pulled it up over myself the last few nights when the sheet I've been using as a blanket isn't quite enough against the fan that has been constantly blowing on me.

It was only $4.99 at my local thrift shop, Canadian Thrift, and it's not stained, smelly or moth-eaten. These blankets are are to find in good shape, and Lord knows I'll need it when the icebox temps come our way in the winter, sigh.

The blanket (which happens to match the underside of my duvet, also thrifted) was made for Eaton's, a now defunct Canadian department store. I love that I have a bit of Canadian retail history on my bed!

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Am I going tribal?

Yeeks, I think today's outfit matched the pillow from yesterday's post!

It's the end of the day, I'm on my balcony, and it's been a real stinker today - about 50 degrees C with the Humidex - so I'm looking a bit wilted, granted. My soul is a wee bit wilted too, as I have just returned from an industry event full of 20 and 30-somethings in chic downtown garb. I felt like a semi-frumpish aging boho hipster. But hey, I gotta be me, right?

I guess when I think of it, it's rather apt I donned a tribal-esque frock today, given the gruesomely oven-like temps in the Big Smoke. I don't often do looks of this sort, but the dress, which you can't see in its entirety here alas, is long and straight, with a darling empire waist and these cute ruched cap sleeves. The pattern isn't something I'd typically wear, but hey - it's ORANGE and therefore fitting into my aesthetic of late.

Plus it was a whopping $5.99 at my local thrift shop, Canadian thrift!!

There's a great thrifting lesson behind the ethnic-looking pendant I just thrifted at the same shop, too. Will take better pics of it and reveal the deets very soon.

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I have no shame

Being a thrifter means you have to be an opportunist person to certain extent. So when I saw this wool pillow on the front lawn of a home in the neighbourhood one day - you know, one of those 'take what we don't want so it doesn't go in the landfill' type things - I stopped about 50 yards later and thought.

I thought, "Shall I go and pluck that used pillow off the sidewalk like some shameless second-hand hussie? Who is going to judge me? No one is on the street anyway [it was really, really hot outside]."

So, my dear readers, I went back, tucked that pillow under my arm, made plans to wash it [full disclosure: I haven't washed it yet], and it is now reposing on my thrifted green velvet chair.

I've picked up some great pieces in the trash over the years, so my advice is this: if you have the guts, go for it. If not, someone else likely will!

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1970s handmade maxi dress, thrifted

Now that I'm working in the hip section of downtown, I am feeling rather free to dress the part - the part being a semi-cool vintage bohemian hipster. And I can also shop at one of my fav vintage second-hand shops, CTS at 394 Queen Street West, just west of Spadina.

The lovely and infectious Nadia reigns supreme at CTS, her dominion being vintage glam at great prices. Not thrift shop prices, mind, but low, under $40. This 1970s maxi dress (handmade I'm pretty sure) made of highly flammable fabric, fit me like a glove and was $19.99. I'm wearing it with a 1970s necklace thrifted at Value Village for under 10 bucks. Perfect for the heat wave we've been having here in Toronto!

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Portobello Market, place of vintage bling

This is part deux to last night's post, featuring a vintage 1970s Trifari statement piece necklace I bought in Portobello Market in Notting Hill, and a dress my beau bought me in a West Palm Beach vintage shop.

Here we are in Notting Hill on the edge of the market. I wish we had more time to hang here. We had just completed a 4-hour whirlwind tour of London via a jam-packed tube, and we were cranky and exhausted.

On the cusp of the market, which is, of course, on Portobello Road.

Once we hit the street, we did one of two things, respectively: he went for a beer; I went shopping.

In truth I didn't want my dear man to get too bored so I limited myself to one shop. The bling outside of 69 Portobello Road,  where Linda Jackson Vintage Jewellery sets up on Saturdays, was too good to ignore.

Outside on the table, pins galore.

Enough vintage earrings to sink a ship.

Necklaces luring me in like a fish to bait - 10 pound each.

Inside is where the really good stuff is - collectible, original, different pieces from the 1950s to 70s, mostly.

Vintage fishie pendants from the 1960s ....

Heaps of huge statement piece pendants. I almost bought this silver and black one by Avon but thought my Trifari packed more of a style wallop.

All those huge owl pendants you're seeing in the mass market places in the mall aren't sudden inventions: they were a hit in the 1970s, when makers like Sarah Coventry (which I'm suspecting this is but I didn't check) were putting them out there.

It was sad to leave Portobello Road (in a traditional London taxi). There were so many vintage places, and around the corner, an Oxfam shop that looked really good! Maybe next time my man and I will spend a whole day there - that is, if we can find something interesting for him to do!

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I've been MIA, but I've been vintage stylish!

I've been MIA as I started a new job last week! Happy and excited but tired. Here I am (wearing the vintage 1070s dress my hunny bought me in West Palm Beach) at the send-off party my former colleagues gave me late last week. It was a fab, fun night and I wanted to look the part.

I finally get to show you the wonderful piece of vintage bling I picked up in Portobello Market in Notting Hill, London on my holiday. It's a 1960s-70s Trifari gold-tone necklace with this indescribable pendant - it's a real style zinger in my humble opin, a super-dooper statement piece!

I'll tell and show you more about where I bought it tomorrow ....

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Orange, thrifted

I'm really into orange these days (see my post from last week, "A Look at a nook"). I bought this sundress (new, but only $20) before my holidays and never wore it as it was so cold in England, alas.

It's been so fab weather-wise in Toronto that I wore the dress today with these Espadrilles I thrifted for $7.99 this past weekend. They're by Nine West, they're satin and they're in mint condition!

You know, normally I don't go for the whole matchy-matchy thing, but I liked the orange on orange look of my outfit today. And, with a painful broken foot of late, the shoes cover my vulnerable toes so they don't get crunched as I bustle about my day. Plus, they're surprisingly comfy.

Orange. It's happy. If you want to wear a particular colour and it doesn't look all that hot on you, you can still get your colour groove on by experimenting with accessories, or wearing the hue on the lower half of your body so it's not too close to your face.

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