Pairing prints

On a recent trip to Las Vegas I decided to have a look at the local Buffalo Exchange and see if "The Strip" would prove fruitful when it came to re-sale clothing. Amongst the gems I found, some vintage cotton dresses, amazing, Egyptian style belts, and fun, frolicsome, contemporary re-sale pieces.

One if my top items? This maxi skirt by Lush.

Paired with a soft, bird patterned, handkerchief hem blouse, this skirt is rapidly becoming a favorite summer item of mine. It seems to go with just about any shirt in my closet... The open back is also a trend I'm embracing, and the loose, sidelong drape gives this skirt's elastic waistband a flattering finish.

I added my cropped, "pleather" jacket and a vintage, brass necklace...

...Along with a woven, vintage belt and large, woven hobo bag. (I love the way the two weaves play against one another)...

 Messy bun...

And some gladiator wedges to complete this casual concoction.

So it turns out, Vegas really is a great place to go a' thriftin! Next time you're in Nevada, skip the casinos and just head over to the local re-saler. Happy hunting!

Love,

Noa B and Tanya D

Skirt: Lush, via Buffalo exchange
Shirt: Sweet Claire, via Buffalo Exchange
Belt: Vintage, via Jewish Women's Council Thrift Store, Westwood, $1.00
Purse: Donald J Pliner
Necklace: Thrift
Shoes: Jessica Simpson
Jacket: Images Boutique

Leather goes light

There's a thrill and a skill to seeking out good quality, vintage leather. And while I'll always love black leather pants as a staple, I was truly excited to discover this pair of camel colored, boot leg pants at the local Out of the Closet for the whopping price of $1.00!! (Actually, they were technically still tagged at $22.00 but apparently stuff sitting longer than one month is bargain-able at this location)!

Because they're fairly breathable and the weather's been oddly windy, I found myself pulling these out of my "fall/winter" closet section last week. I threw on a treasured pair of Sam Edelmann, leopard espadrilles and headed out.

To bring these from fall weather garb into summer, I added another recent thrift find. This Mexi-inspired, vintage cotton embroidered top with silk lining.

I loved the soft, bright hues, and how the floral embellishment softened the leather and gave it a summery look. Gold and green beaded hoops and bangles added a finishing touch.

Los Angeles doesn't always play fair with seasonal clothing etiquette, but the good thing about that is, there are no rules! Leather in June? Absolutely!

Love,

Noa B and Tanya D

Peasant Blouse: Vintage, culled from thrift
Leather pants: Vintage, Out of the Closet
Earrings: TresJolie.com
Espadrilles: Sam Edelmann, Nordstrom

Friend, thy name is "80's".

Sometimes it can be a challenge to revisit the fashion trends of your past. Having grown up in the 80's, I've lived through neon wristbands, spandex minis, black rubber bracelets, jelly shoes, lace bows, "the Madonna look", stirrups, bubble skirts, and much, much more.

 But I have to confess, some distance makes the heart grow fonder, and I'm coming to love the 80's once again.

And talk about that decade coming out to play! A few weeks ago I worked on an art film for renowned visual artist, Mark Kelly. The project was both dark and playful, and also dealt with a fair bit of costumes and mixing of various eras, including the 80's.

This fabulous, 1980's Henri Bendel sweater-coat had been waiting for an opportunity to come out of my closet. So too had my Anna Sui, silk romper and little, red tube top.

In addition to being a rather luscious, vintage piece, my favorite thing about this jacket is the rounded, oversize shoulders, aka "Dynasty/Linda Evans". (Remember how crazy-big those shoulder pads were)?

 The sweater also has an elastic waist band, pockets and buttons. It's chic and practical and screams 1985.

The large shoulders and small waist also work when worn open. (Fortunately the drape is still close to the body). Underneath, I wore this Anna Sui silk romper.

Since it's cut more like overalls than a dress, I threw a tube top under it for a little coverage.

 And added my little grommet-ed booties, inspired by some "Desperately Seeking Susan"...

Pockets, pockets, pockets!

Where there are raglan shoulders, bibs, sashes, elastic waistbands and grommets, you'll find me. Celebrating the 80's, my childhood, and looking for my next, retro-filmic inspiration.

Love,

Noa B and Tanya D

Romper: Anna Sui for Target
Coat: Henri Bendel Vintage: Via Housing Works, 92nd street, NYC
Tube Top: French Connection, via thrift, Out of the Closet, $1.00
Booties: Sam Edelmann, Nordstrom

Perfect Pink Pants & a $1 top!

Here at Secondhand Star, we have a mission. And it's not just to showcase vintage and redesigned clothing, but to show you the true art of secondhand. How taking something old, and making it new, can be fresh and fabulous! (And much, much easier on the wallet too.)

This outfit is a perfect example of just that.

Sometimes I go through my wardrobe and think "man, 85% of what I own is thrifted or secondhand!" ~ and I think that's pretty cool. I sprinkle in designer and true vintage pieces, and I'm constantly weeding out the old and holding on to the classic...

These pants are BCBG and thrifted for about $5.00. I couldn't believe how well they fit. The top? A super cute $1.00 find on a separate excursion that I simply could not pass up.

The bag is a hand-me-down from a friend, the necklace from a clothing exchange.

An SHS spin on one of my favorite go-to looks!

Love,

Tanya D xx

Gibson girl meets boho

Back in April I made a trip to Atlanta to visit the hubby. During that time, I also explored the thriving vintage scene in a neighborhood known as Little Five Points.

One dramatically adorable piece I found was this little peplum-ish, prairie girl number which I immediately snatched up at Rag-O-Rama.

There's nothing not to like about this dress. It's got pouf sleeves, a sort of "mock" peplum, and a daringly open back!

  Something about the frolic-some cotton is just made to swish! Plus pockets!

 Because the print is fairly busy, we paired it with simple, gold bangles and Mexi-inspired earrings.

And to keep it from getting too precious, I added some open toed, zipper booties to give it some edge.

Honestly, sometimes there's nothing easier than a truly fun, well cut, printed dress. And if you're feeling a little old fashioned, buy the one with the open back!

Love,

Noa B and Tanya D

Dress: Thrift, Rag-O-Rama
Heels: Rampage
Bangles: Boutique sidewalk sale, Abbott Kinney
Earrings: TresJolie.com

Country Comfort, Summer Cotton Part 2

Country comfort, Part 2!

Cotton finds us once again at Calypso Home, reveling in the creamy voiles and linens of this summer's home decor and fashion trends.

I've been on the hunt for tunics and caftans. They're the perfect summer garment because they can take so many forms.There's the traditional, maxi length, boho chic style, which we've blogged about (here). And then there's the tunic length version in knee hem.

I fell in love with the "midi" length caftan when I realized it could be worn as a dress, belted, or complemented with leggings for those cooler, LA nights...

I found this cotton shift at Buffalo Exchange Las Vegas and I wanted to wear it loose for an evening beach stroll.

The seed beading and paillettes were so intricate, I almost left it solo. But then this Egyptian style belt caught my eye, hanging on a mannequin along the store's upper wall display. I promptly yanked it down!

And what a great piece! Thick, rich leather with bronze and stone detailing. Looks like an accessory from The Mummy...

I wanted to cinch the tunic's waist and give it some structure. And I love playing gold and bronze tones right up against light silver.

 My trusty Big Buddah summer wedges summed it all up.

 And some bronze dangles chandeliers tied it all together.

And that's our other, SHS take on summer, white cotton trends. Both today's dress as well as yesterdays were found for under 10$ each. So before you hit Bloomingdales for your summer season wardrobe, take a peek at your local thrift stores, flea markets and re-salers. You may find your favorite item of the summer for less than you think!

Love,

Noa B and Tanya D

Dress: Vintage, via Buffalo Exchange
Belt: Vintage
Wedges: Big Buddah, DSW
Earrings: Tres Jolie, www.tresjolie.com

Country Comfort, Cotton Pique, Part 1

This summer white cotton seems to be everywhere. I can't remember a season in years in which this much beachy, chic has dominated the runways.

We've been drooling for some time over the various trends in whites and creams. From cotton piques, appliques, muslin, linen, and crochets, to everything in between...

We wanted to showcase two takes on the summer's hottest trend - thrifted, of course! And we couldn't think of a better backdrop than Calypso Home. For all things beautifully beach-y and serene, it was an ideal canvas to shoot in. Since we loved both looks, we thought we'd bring one blog devoted to each. Here's Tanya's take on summer style!

Above, her cotton pique dress was an item I picked up at Rag-O-Rama back in the spring in Atlanta, ((See here). I knew I'd find a way to showcase it, but when I saw white eyelet being double and triple belted at boutiqes.com, I knew that was all it needed.

We grabbed two of my skinny military belts and one of Tanya's trifted beauties and pulled them all together.

Knotting and twisting works wonders. They don't need to be perfectly aligned. The racer-back speaks for itself, and an updo is an easy way to highlight the cut of the dress.

A simple knot, black rosette studs, and Guess spiked heels completed the ensemble.

And that's how we dress up our beachwear for a summer evening out!

Love,

Noa B and Tanya D

Dress: Vintage, via Rag-O-Rama

Belts: Vintage and Urban Outfitters

Shoes: Guess, via Nordstrom