Feeling feminine

There's just something about wearing a midi skirt that makes you feel super feminine - am I right? Maybe it's because the skirt is longer and flowy and therefore more romantic. Or maybe it just makes me think of the mid-century time period when women's hemlines were longer and all the women seemed to be real ladies back then. Either way, I definitely feel like lady in this skirt, and that rarely ever happens!

As Leslie and I scouted quickly for a photoshoot location yesterday, I saw this part of downtown Birmingham that I haven't walked past in a while, even though it is just a couple blocks from the office. These two empty diner/restaurants and their marquees seemed like the perfect step-back-in-time kind of backdrop for this outfit.

Even though our downtown area has been booming lately, it seems this part of town hasn't quite made it yet. I've definitely had daydreams of opening a diner and pie shop in the Cameo Cafe, basically like on The Waitress. But I certainly don't anything about making pies, so maybe I should stick to the marketing day job.

Ok, here's the cheapskate breakdown:

1. Tank top, gifted/passed down (thanks Aunt Faye!)
2. Skirt, thrifted ($2.99)
3. Heels, Charlotte Russe ($15.00)
4. Purse, gifted (thanks Shannon & Jara!)
5. Bangles, gifted (thanks Ashley!)
6. Heart locket necklace (had since I was a baby)
7. Bangles, gifted (thanks Ashley!)
8. Square ring, Brooklyn Flea ($5.00)
9. Vintage cocktail ring, gifted
10. Vintage Ray Ban sunglasses, gifted/passed down (thanks mom!)

Under: $25.00 

um WOAH, I didn't even realize how little this outfit cost until now. This has never happened!

 

photos: Leslie Evans

Back of the closet: 1970s choir dress

I bought this fantastic 1970s choir dress (that's what these are called right?) a little over a year ago at a Goodwill in a small town. I've worn it maybe a handful of times, but I felt like since I've had it for so long it still qualified as a "back of the closet" post. So I grabbed a couple of fun different accessories and decided that was enough to piece together something that felt "new" for just another Thursday at the office. I like that adding a couple of different accessories qualifies as a new outfit for me!

Here's the cheapskate outfit breakdown:

1. Vintage choir dress, thrifted ($2.99)
2. Platform sandals, Charlotte Russe ($16.25)
3. Bag, gifted (thanks Joy!)
4. Gold hair accessory, Urban Outfitters (??)
5. Statement earrings, gifted (thanks mom!)
6. Bangles, gifted (thanks Ashley!)
7. Vintage flower cocktail ring, gifted
8. Gold disco cocktail ring, ATL market ($4.00)
9. Thumb ring, Charlotte Russe ($2.99 - part of stackable set)
10. Sunglasses, Forever21 ($5.80)

Total: Under $50

 

 

 

Photos: Laura Menconi

ps. I broke my arm at the climbing gym last night. yeah awesome. So this means there prob won't be an outfit post for a while and my regular blogging might be intermittent as well. Oh injuries.

Natasha's guest blog post: Mid-Century Modern Finds for May

I’ve been a big fan of Christen — and her fashion sense! — ever since she took me under her wing four years ago while I was interning in Birmingham. She showed me around the city, made me laugh with all her funny jokes, introduced me to her rad friends and cooked up some ridiculously good meals for us share. So as you can probably guess, I was quite ecstatic when she gave me the opportunity to write a guest post on her fabulous blog!

As the theme of this blog is being fashion-forward on a budget, I wanted to share my favorite Mid-Century Modern-inspired items that I thrifted during the month of May. Mid-Century Modern has enjoyed a huge resurgence in popularity with the rise of Mad Men, but thankfully if you find pieces in a second-hand store, you can still get them for super cheap! Here's my haul for the month of May:

Mid-Century Modern Hutch, $39, Salvation Army 

This hutch looks delightful in my dining room, and I love that it showcases all my beloved dishes!
Note: All dishes in the hutch were either thrifted or gifted.

Though I definitely needed to tighten the screws on the hutch’s legs and give the whole thing a thorough polish, the elbow grease was worth it. Even with its scratches, nicks and other imperfections, it’s such a nice addition to the space.

Yves Saint Laurent Tie, $3, Reclamation 

When I saw this vintage polka-dotted YSL tie, I had to get it. My husband is becoming quite the tie enthusiast, and I knew he’d love to add it to his growing collection.

Command Performances by Enoch Light, $.50, Value World 

Pretty much anything from Command Records is tops in my book. I started picking up these amazing records on a whim one day when I was out thrifting in Nebraska with my dad. As it turns out, the sophisticated bachelor pad music turned out to be just as cool as the album artwork. This find is no exception.

Here’s the tracklisting:

01 - La Dolce Vita
02 - Tonight
03 - Army Medley
04 - September Song
05 - Stairway To The Sea
06 - Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart
07 - Fly Me To The Moon
08 - That's My Desire
09 - That Old Black Magic
10 - The Third Man Theme
11 - Rio Junction (Bossa Nova)
12 - Oh Lady Be Good

Many of Enoch Light’s songs are available on Spotify and Grooveshark. Give them a listen, and you’ll have pretty much no other choice than to incorporate them into your playlist when your next swanky cocktail party rolls around.

Natasha Richardson O’Neill is a longtime fan of Fashionplate Cheapskate — and a longtime friend of the Fashionplate herself! Natasha lives with her husband in Indianapolis and works as a content correspondent for Raidious. She loves hazelnut coffee and, of course, thrifting.

Seven tips for Thrifting

It's been entirely too long since I have been thrifting. So in hopes to inspire myself to hit the racks soon (maybe even as early this weekend when my friend Emily from Redesign That comes in town!), I thought I could create a post with a few helpful tips that always help me when I thrift.

1. Give yourself plenty of time. I think this is the number one reason I haven't been able to go thrifting in a while. You need lots of time to sift through all of the great finds in a thrift store, especially if it's clothing you are searching for. I personally like to give myself at least two hours to spend at the Salvation Army thrift store here in Birmingham. If you are visiting multiple stores, or a pretty large store, you might need even more time than that.

2. Go in with an open mind. This is not a department store or a designer boutique. It's a thrift store filled with old clothes, furniture, etc. It's most likely not going to be very clean and it will probably smell musty at best, but as long as you have this in mind when you enter the door, your expectations will be right where they should be to give you an enjoyable thrifting experience.

3. Stay focused champ. Know what you are looking for when you enter the doors, whether it's knick knack decorations for your home, or a certain piece of furniture, or a mod dress, or any clothes for that matter. Having some type of focus, and sticking to only spending time looking for those pieces, will make tackling the thrift store a little less overwhelming.

4. Look at the labels, but don't use them as absolutes. If you're shopping for clothing, be sure to look at the labels to know what you are buying. You can usually tell how vintage something is just by what the label inside looks like. If you like a piece, it's not necessary to get "hung up" on whether it's truly vintage or not, but it might also help you weigh whether the price or the condition it is in makes the piece worth purchasing or not. Also, sizing is never accurate so be sure to look at as many of the racks as you can. You could either miss something because it was placed in the wrong section or because a size 10 in 1960 might not quite the same as a size 10 now.

5. Stick to your initial instincts. If you come across a piece of clothing, no matter how wacky it might look on the hanger, and for whatever reason you are drawn to it....TRY IT ON. I can't tell you how many times I have picked up ten or so items to try on, only for none of them to look right on me. But then I'll go find some weird dress that I couldn't forget about, try it on, and it looks smashing and it's the only thing I walk away with. This doesn't happen every time, of course (there have been many more laughs at these items than successes, I am sure!) but it's always worth giving it a shot!

6. Spend some time with your item before you head to the cash register. If it's a piece of clothing and you are trying it on, stand around for a sec in the dressing room while wearing it, and even sit down if you can. This way you give yourself time to find anything you don't like the longer you wear it, like if it itches, or gathers some place weird on your body. Also look items over for tears, stains and malfunctioning zippers or other closures. Sometimes you can wash out a stain or replace a button or zipper, but at least you can use these discoveries to again decide if the garment is worth purchasing or not. Same goes for any blemish on furniture, etc.

7. Be in the know. And by this I mean, first find out which thrift store in town is your favorite, if there's more than one. Then learn their hours of operation and their promos. Some thrift stores have certain days where all clothing is half price. Most all use color codes for pricing and give percentages off based on what color the price tag is. Then other thrift stores will discount furniture a certain percent after how long it has been sitting in the showroom. Each stores promos are different, so do your research to find out how you can score the absolute best deals.

Hope this helps!!! Happy thrifting!