Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

We'll be on hiatus here at Secondhand Star until the new year, but in the meantime, we wanted to give you a chance to win something really special for the upcoming, new year.

We morphed a vintage shirt into a throw-jacket. It's a truly special piece, with such exquisite detail that can be worn by several sizes and in several different ways. From the above shot where our model rocked it with nothing beneath, to lustrous and loose thrown over a casual tee, skinny jeans and heels.

Want a shot at winning it to start off January 2011 with a sequined bang? Well stay tuned for your chance!

You may remember our Chain Gang Swap posts here and here... well, we're gearing up to do another, this time with six bloggers all styling one item several different ways! It's so much fun and you can be in on the game too! Stay tuned...

See you in the new year!

Love, 

Noa B & Tanya D

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

Trend report: Denim does it

I recently pulled this tear from In Style magazine's August issue. The long, denim shirt was such an easy look that I instantly wanted to wear it.

As it so happens, I had a fuzzy vest that I'd bought on sale from F21 during the winter. And I had fringey boots from Michael Kors which I'd loved for years but not gotten a ton of wear out of thus far.

All that was needed to complete this look was a long, denim shirt. And guess what I found last Sunday at my favorite thrift stores' "dollar" sale?

You guessed it! Denim shirt! For a buck! All it needed was a single replacement button.

Tanya and I shot this look to remind ourselves how wonderfully easy and inspiring it can be to rip out a page or a look we love and then re-create it so effortlessly via thrift. True, you won't always find your "key" piece on the first round, but you'll usually find at least one out of every three or four things on your list that will put you on the path towards your fashion goals for a fraction of the price.

And is there anything more enjoyable than emulating a tear sheet for a $1.00?

Happy thrifting!!

Love,

Noa B 

Shirt: via dollar thrift
Boots: Michael Kors, Nordstrom, 4 seasons ago
Vest: F21 Online

Color (& blocking) continues into Fall...

Hi loves! I thought I'd give you a bit of a teaser for your mid-week hump day! It seems that color blocking and brights are not going anywhere anytime soon, so I was over the moon when I spotted this bright blue blazer for (you guessed it) $1.00! Check back in soon to see how we tweaked it and styled it with a little inspiration from all the fall runway goodness.

Love, 

Noa B and Tanya D

Fakin' Missoni

Hey Ladies,

How many of you are dying to get your hands on some Missoni brand for Target this week? Starting Tuesday, the legendary, Italian knitwear company will launch another, fashion-meets-cheap-chic line at the low priced, giant. And we here at SHS are always on the prowl for a bargain!

In anticipation of this latest launch, I threw on another frugal, find that reminded me in no small part of those iconic, Missoni striped shirts.The piece was loose and lovely, and was also Italian silk, (though NOT Missoni)...

Can you believe this was procured for 1$? I'd held on to it all summer, waiting for the right swingy, silk skirt to push it on into fall. Alas, LA nights do stay nippy. Especially now that September is in full swing. So I thought I'd throw it on with some skinny jeans and make it comfy casual. Here's my take on applying fakey, designer stripes for a retro-finish.

 Step 1: Throw on some extra large, 70's shades...

 Step 2: Add retro-70's heels. (For me, it's my handy Seychelles with the chunky heel).

Step 3: Throw in hoops and Moroccan inspired bangles. Buff out lips with nude gloss.

 Step 4:  Sweep hair into high pony and wrap a section of hair around the elastic. Secure with bobby pin.

 Step 5: Combine with darkest denim. When I'm sick of my skinnies, I'll tuck in the shirt's length and wear it with high waisted, bell bottom flares. For now, the narrow leg will balance out the caftan-like cut.

Add fringey, hobo bag and stir. Then get in line and await the door's opening at Target this Tuesday for a run on the real thing!

Happy shopping!

Love,

Noa B and Tanya D

Shirt: Via thrift, $1.00
Shoes: Seychelles
Sunglasses: H&M
Bangles: Larchmont sidewalk sale
Denim: Seven by 7

Sweater Love

Hello Ladies,

As much as I love fashion blogs, articles, and tearing bits out of my monthly magazines, on the rare occasion I love feeling like I got it just right on my own. Take as example, this recent DKNY sweater I purchased and decided to rock with some late summer, black leather shorts. I felt that the time had come to start embracing fall, but I wasn't 100% ready to cover everything.

So instead I covered up--some... And layered this cropped, Italian, wool blazer along with some vintage, Bedouin beads and chains. And yes, that's a vintage turban on my head. Yup, that's right. A turban.

I had just thrown this outfit together and went to peek at my email from my Vogue online subscription. Imagine my enjoyment at reading this month's tips on making summer garments transition to fall. Their key? Layering long sweaters with shorts and minis and adding chunky booties!

I also love the idea of the hard and the soft. Soft, open weave sweater mixes with supple leather and hard edged wedges. Once again, my Edelmann's...

Chandelier earrings,  vintage tigers-eye ring, Bedouin beads, and an old silver, heirloom chain.

It's so simple, but I want to live in this sweater. So comfy and cozy.

 I might too...

(I will note as an epitaph to this blog that I risked bodily harm in attempting to buy this sweater, which may account for why I like it so much. I was seriously accosted and nearly trampled by some rabid, elderly women who tried to sucker punch me en route to the rounders during last Sunday's dollar sale. I barely made it out alive)!

But hey, what's a little bruised rib between fellow thrifters!

Love,

Noa B and Tanya D

Sweater: DKNY vintage, (1$)
Leather Shorts: Resale
Chains, Beduin, Israel, antique, and knotted piece from H&M
Wedges: Sam Edelmann Zachary clogs
Earrings: Gift, Alvera Street
Ring: Agate and silver, vintage, (Mom's)
Turban: Vintage, Atlanta's Little Five Points district
Blazer: Italian, vintage, (1$)
Purse: Rafi, (via Crossroads Exchange)

A little bit of "Joanie"

Happy Labor day Ladies!

How many of you out there are as crazy about Mad Men as we are? Any takers? Well I have to admit, we've got the biggest fashion-girl crush on Christina Hendricks, (aka Joan Holloway). I mean, how could you not? Look at these dresses girls! Don't we all just want to "be" her?

Well I for one do! And when I found this amazing, black, linen dress at the Sunday, dollar sale last week I just channeled a little Joanie and let the dress do the rest. And seriously, who better to show it off here at the blogosphere, than the gorgeous, Miss T!

She's got classic, Grace Kelly chic, and this dress fit her like a glove.

The button details, the deep pockets, the waistband stitching. It's all just so flawless! But my personal, favorite detail of this dress is the straight across, shoulder line.

Styling this baby was a piece of cake for my uber-fashionable partner. No sooner had I pulled it out to show her, then she grabbed some mod shades, a seed bead necklace, and skipped on out to the showroom for a little design work. (Yes, she really does make it seem that easy)...

And of course, she would never rock a 60's era dress without the requisite, black suede heels. Tanya and her heels are not soon parted.

But that's why she can make any little 'ol black dress look like perfection. Gotta hand it to her. She can give "Joanie" a real run for her money. Now how do I get my hands on some "Betty Draper" taffeta skirts for next week...?

Love,

Noa B and Tanya D

Dress: Vintage

Necklace: Seed beads, vintage

Bracelets: Vintage

Heels: Vince Camuto Moma's