My Inner Style Appears to be 1950s Housewife

I've been thrifting lately, too.  If you come to visit me (and well you should!) I will take you to some gems.  A friend took me once and I am hooked.  Absolutely hooked.  If I could, I would go every stinking day.  I feel my insides get sort of restless and look around and say, isn't it thrift-o-clock yet?  Don't we need more vintage skirts?  Don't we don't we?

I mean, I found Prada shoes, my friends.  Prada.  And a long wool bright fushia pink skirt that will be my best friend come winter.  And and and.  Lots of stuff.  When you get rid of your entire wardrobe because of its too-big-ish-ness, you need some new threads.  And buying all those new threads, even on the cheap at my usual cheap joints, is pricey.  Which is why I'm into four dollar shirts.  And seven dollar dresses.  (If those prices seem high for thrifted stuff, remember we are in Boston, after all. Those prices are miracles around here.) A bit of dry-cleaning or throwing it in the washer/dryer to get the old lady smell out, and we're good to go, folks.  Good to go.

Some days I look down at myself and realize that everything I'm wearing is thrifted.  (At least the outside layer ...)  Those are fun days.  I walk around feeling all sneaky and happy.  Here's one of those outfits.

 The shoes are Born ($4!), the shirt is Ann Taylor (5$!?) (loving the little ruffles on the ends of the sleeves), the skirt is your mom's (It might be. You never know ...).  The necklace is H&M, which always serves me well with cheap cheap accessories. 

I threw on a bright orange cardigan (not thrifted), and was ready to roll.  There were two mishaps later in the day: I put my hand in the pocket of the skirt (why did we stop putting roomy happy pockets in skirts? why?), and the seam tore.  Dang skirt.  I held it together with office supplies, namely one of those fierce little binder clips attached to the inside, and I'll have to sew it up before I wear again. 

The other mishap came when I passed my company's president in the hall, who is generally super cool and nice and lovely, and she pointed at the flower clip in my hair (can you see even see it?) and laughed.  She pointed and laughed at me!  She then said, "That's really cute!" but she had already pointed and laughed.  Harumph. 

Here's one more little peek at a thrifted outfit.  Sam was out of town so you'll pardon the mirror picture attempt.  I've been hunting and hunting for fancy shoes in a bright color and had no luck finding them, even in "real" stores.  I've also been hunting for a bright yellow necklace.  And I'm always hunting for a pretty summery dress.  I found all three in one trip!  The necklace might be hard to see, but it's there.  And the shoes are perfect.  I couldn't have dreamed them up if I tried.  I love this part of it, the hunt of it.  And the feeling, when you find the perfect thing, that you've somehow beat the system, like you win more than the clothes themselves, like the universe surely loves you and longs to fulfill your every wish.