Spring Cleaning, Spring Color

Ladies, are you feeling the warm rush of approaching spring? Are you getting ready to rev up with some color? Well here at Secondhand Star we love nothing more than bringing our clothing back to life through the process of dyeing and refreshing them for a new season!

I love my old, classic, Jones NY trench but it's definitely been fading in color over time. When I first bought it, the fabric had a sheer, sparkly, gold tint to the threading. Over time it's become a dusty, beigey-nude. Not bad, but it could have a second life in a more springtime friendly hue!

So last week I got busy prepping a dye bath. I bought a liquid bottle of Scarlet Rit Dye and poured it into a small, washing machine load. However, because the coat had some metallic threading it took two bottles and two loads to get the color more pronounced.

After two washes I achieved this soft, mauve-y pink! Very springtime!

 

I threw it over a silver sweater, silk pencil and heels and left for an appointment feeling bright and springtime ready. Now if only the weather would comply as well!

With Love,

Noa B

Trench: Jones NY

Heels: Seychelles

Choker and feather earrings: Boutique Unknown

Sweater: H&M

Skirt: Vintage silk, 1$

Babydoll shirt redefined

I love this chic, silk-chiffon shirt I found in a vintage shop for a buck.

It's super cute, but there's something just too big and flouncy, and a little matronly about it whenever I try to pair it with a sleek, fitted bottom.

So I think I'll hack off the arms and take in the side seams just a little, to give it that babydoll, 60's edge and then couple it with a wintery mini. I want to keep the slits, so I can only take in a couple of inches. But a few inches all around can make all the difference! Voila!

This hounds-tooth mini is a vintage find I scored last winter. It was a super long, librarian skirt that I hacked up and took in to make a "mod" mini skirt. It's a classic pattern and shape. It was just waiting for the right top.

My favorite cargo jacket is so soft on the inside, it's like wearing a PJ top. So it was perfect to wear to an early matinee, Thanksgiving movie.

Happy Turkey day all! Whatever you choose to do with the holiday, do it with those you love!

Love,

Noa B

Shirt: Vintage, reconstruct
Skirt: Vintage, reconstruct
Boots: Michael Kors, many seasons ago
Tights: Charlotte Russe
Bangles: Thrift
Jacket: Charlotte Russe, last winter season

From checks to Sexed!

This fall I came across a pantsuit I can only dub, "extra's wardrobe". To put it another way, this pique cotton, twin set looked like something the 60's era ladies on the block would've worn in a Tim Burton movie. Can't you picture this number with a bouffant and a cigarette in hand?

However, I'm a sucker for good fabric. There's something really cute about the matching set and the colors. It's so creamy and fall ready. It just needs major renovation. I held onto this baby until Tanya and I had a chance to meet. As you can see, it's a little big. But big means there's lots of room to work and play with the fabric!

The color is really perfect for her porcelain skin and rich hair color. Plus, the pants, (while short on me, were just about perfect on her frame as far as the inseam).

My original idea was to make the pants into high waist-ed shorts, and create a streamlined, lengthy vest in keeping with fall trends. (A look we've both come to adore this season). But then "T" put it on, and she had an ever better idea that was much more wintery and cozy! So we started working on shortening up the vest significantly.

 There was a lot of nipping and tucking. We pinned it more than halfway up the length.

And we grabbed the back of the pants through the crotch and pulled in about 6 inches! But the main idea was to keep the pants long, lean, and high around the waist. Then the big change would be to create a cropped jacket and make this a winter, wonderland suit! Less Edward Scissorhands, more Madmen...

 

So I got to work. After taking in the pants, I hacked the entire bottom half of the vest off.

 I serged the seams and took in the back just a tad. 

Then I hand placed a row of pearl buttoned snaps to keep the "vintage flavor". This is something you don't need a grommet machine to do at home. You can purchase the snaps in various sizes and color, and you only need to employ plyers and a hammer to get them inserted.

 Like so!

The final touch was to hem around the bottom and pop in our new, SHS labels!

Tune in tomorrow to see the results and how "T" styled it!

Love, 

Noa B

Pantsuit: Out of the Closet, Vintage. 1$

Blue Blazer Makeover!

When Tanya showed me this adorable, albeit dated, Sassoon blazer she'd scored for a buck I was a little skeptical. Yeah, it was cute. But we've both accrued a truckload of retro jackets throughout the summer, and I wanted to see something fun and different. Fortunately Miss T was already one step ahead of me!

She had an idea to cut it higher in the back like a jacket she saw on a favorite blogger here. Different indeed!

When we met for an afternoon of relaxation, (i.e. a mani-pedi) recently, we decided it was the perfect opportunity to do some co designing and brainstorming on how to make this beauty come to life! We've both been so busy, but leave it to us to literally pin the jacket to Tanya's body while waiting for our chairs at the nail salon! (See this post here!)

I took it home and marked the jacket with straights pins and took in the sleeves, the side and back seams, as well as the cuffs, which I shortened by about 2 inches. Tanya's frame is very petite, so the whole jacket had to come in a full dress size all around, but we wanted to maintain the integrity of the pockets so we made sure to cut where they were still functional...

And the result?

 A super cool tailored piece that Tanya unexpectedly wore in a very relaxed and layered way.

 The best part?

 The decision to keep the pockets in front, but raise it higher in the back. A-DOR-able.

And that's how you do a color-blocked, drool-worthy, blue-blazer for a buck!

Love, 

Noa B

Blazer - $1 Redesign

Black Honeycomb Shell - $1 Thrifted Find

Cargo Jacket - Free People

Silk Gray Pants - Via Buffalo Exchange (Label Unknown)

Shoes - Ash

Secondhand Star + Model Shakedown Part 2

Here's round two of some of our favorite pics from the shoot. Our photographer, Karri Bowman has a way of capturing the very essence of what our designing and styling is all about.

{It really is all about mixing good shoes and designer pieces with unique ones!}

I'm wearing the redesigned vintage porter shorts (also seen here!) They are my most favorite redesign we've done. I wear them ALL. THE. TIME. I'm also rocking the redesigned gold lapel jacket (see Before & After here!)

Adrienne (below) just killed it in our designs. This gorgeous girl is a model and actress and took each piece to a whole new level by creating a "character" for each one. Noa and I are a bit obsessed with her.

Above, a twice redesigned Nautical Dress (see two other versions of it here!)

See what I mean about nailing it?

Remember when I wore this vintage orange dress here?  I love how Noa styled her in a much more Rock n' Roll way.

{I know we can barely see what Noa's wearing in this shot, but can we please talk about the amazing hair and muscle tone!? Yowza.}

And then there's Bramli... {sigh}

She took my "Pretty in Pink" dress (seen on November Grey here) and made is sultry and naughty somehow. {Maybe it's those eyes...}

It really is all in how you wear it, ladies! Hope you enjoyed the shots! As promised, we will be selling some of our designs, but more importantly, it's all about opening your mind to those all too often "looked over" pieces that can be tweaked and tamed into something amazing.

Remember, if you don't have the master sewing skills (like Miss Noa B) - all you have to find is a good tailor.  {A sultry stare and serious character motivation never hurts either!}

All my love, 

Tanya D xx

Secondhand Star + Model Shakedown: Part 1

We recently got together with our favorite Secondhand Star photographer, Miss Karri Bowman to shoot some of our latest creations... and let's just say, it was a night we'll never forget. Here's your first peek!

Noa is wearing one of our first redesigns, shown as a tutorial  here on November Grey, and here on SHS. Tanya's little sister, Lisa is wearing the nautical jumpsuit, last seen here.

Adrienne is wearing a thrifted $1 dress worn as a top, and Noa's DIY feather skirt  - see tutorial here!

Lynn is wearing a beaded redesigned top made into a jacket (tutorial coming!) and a thrifted silk skirt.

Tanya is wearing a beaded blue dress redesign (see tutorial here).

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Noa is wearing a thrifted jumpsuit tailored to perfection.

Stay tuned for more pix and a blue blazer redesigned tutorial this week!

All hair and makeup by Lisa Dempsey and Noa Bolozky

Photography by Karri Bowman

www.noabolozky.com

www.lisadempsey.net

www.karribowman.com

DIY Feather Skirt!

Hey Ladies,

Are you as excited as we are about these amazing, holiday, feather skirts that have been seen all over the runway? We love this from little, black gem from ASOS, and this neutral one from Calypso St Barths! So they inspired us to create this season's hottest look with an old, thrift store piece and some fabulous remnants! 

On a thrifting Sunday I found this blah, black mini skirt for a buck. I didn't really care about its appearance other than it being a decent fit, because I was looking for something to use as a building base. I snagged it for a buck and got busy prepping it for a renovation.

 

I measured and cut about 4 inches from the hem, which was also kind of wavy and dated.

Then, I got down and dirty sorting through some trims. I'm not a pack rat at all. In fact, quite the opposite. However, as luck would have it I had saved some extremely expensive trims from my design days over 15 years ago. Who knew they'd be back again, and so on point with trend?

I had three styles to work with: mixed browns, Indian inspired, and jet black. And I decided to combine all three for two reasons:

First, I didn't have enough for a whole skirt in one tone, and second, the mixture of colors created a more casual feel to the garment. At about 15$ per yard back in the day, I figured, waste not!

So I got busy, and pinned and draped and pinned and stitched!

 

And the result...? A fall friendly mixture of colors and tones for any occasion

There were so many ways to rock this trend. I loved mixing this skirt with a nubby sweater as well as with a rock and roll t-shirt. But the easiest thing right out of the closet was a basic, black blazer and some booties along with a hat, to give a little Fosse, Broadway appeal. 

As a final touch, in-between the tiers of feathers I added a row of large size sequin discs, and below, a row of black, beaded fringe for some razzle-dazzle.

And there you have it. One trend, one used skirt. One kick ass, holiday bottom. Check us out next week when we reveal our jacket re-vamps and some new love for old items. 

 Love, 

Noa B

Skirt: Thrift 1$
Trims: M&J Trims New York
Jacket: Thrift, 1$
Booties: Dior
Earrings: Re-sale boutique, Manhattan
Fedora: H&M