Spring Fling

The thing I love most about what I do, is inspiring others to think outside the fashion box and look far beyond your typical shopping norm to find unique items that inspire you and your closet (and may just inspire others too!)

And that's just what happened when a girlfriend of mine showed up at the door yielding thrifted delights galore, including this $1 vintage spring stunner for me!

The first thoughts running through my mind were... A) Awesome friend B) It will probably need some serious altering, dying, or tweaking because nothing is usually just right, straight off the $1 dollar rack.. and C) Oh, I'm dead wrong.

I seriously couldn't believe how cute and easy this homemade little dress was. I zipped it up (how rare that it fit to perfection!), popped on some Steve Madden cork wedges and I was good to go!

I've been looking lovingly at this vintage white quilted bag in my closet ever since I found it for mere dollars last Fall. Now I had just the reason to pull it out!

It's so Spring and fun and I decided to just go for it with a tiny headband creating the perfect bouffant by pushing back my growing-out bangs, grandma-type pale pink pearl earrings... (they were clip-on, found at a recent scavenger-thrift hunt on a very stressful day!)

And a liquid cat-eye to boot!

The generous sunshine on my face had me fantasizing about playing hooky all day, in my brand new (old) whimsical dress, but I decided to be a good girl and just carry on with it instead...

Besides, bringing out the pretty is what I do for a living anyway, so why not bring in the sunshine?

P.S. Heidi - thank you for the dress! 

With Love,

Tanya D xx

Royal-T

I met a friend over the weekend for brunch at Culver City's Royal T. If you haven't been yet, it's time to take a field trip!

The inside decor is as inspiring as the outside. (Mind you, this is just the back door)...

Going to a vibrant tea house and art gallery made me want to throw on something equally bright. So I pulled on these vintage, high waisted, silk pants, a recently acquired 80's Girbaud top, and some leopard espadrilles and headed over.

Inside the decor is awesome. A cafe stocked with rotating exhibits, anime, photographs, manga... You name it!

This screen was so cool! I blended in like a chameleon...

Wouldn't you love something like this in your living room?

Or this?

I'd take any number of items, including the Thank You signs. ;)

In fact the whole wall will be fine.

But half the fun is sitting amidst the art, and the other half is the waitresses all dressed in baby-doll clothing.

I had a great time, and I'll be going back again for the milk tea and cupcakes. In my brightest, skittle colored garb!

Love,

Noa B

Shirt: Vintage Girbaud: via thrift

Bangles: Larchmont boutique

Pants: Jada, via thrift

Glasses: Coach, via clothing swap

Earrings: Jessica Simpson

Shoes: Sam Edelmann

Sixties Love - a shortened hem

Hi guys - this one's simple. Even the sewing challenged (such as myself) can pull this off.

As you know, Noa and I love shopping thrift for the most unique items to trim and tweak and make our own. And this baby was no different... except it was so easy.  (And nothing makes me happy like easy!)

How cute is this little sixties number? The built-in belt and bold print had me at hello. 

But like all diamonds in the rough, it needed some help. (But not much!)

A simple hem to take off the unflattering length, and I had myself a new little mini dress!

Quick tip for the sewing challenged: You can hand sew a loose hem with needle and thread on the underside of a garment. Just leave a little extra fabric and fold it under. That way if you mess it up, or go too short, you can easily tear it out.

Paired with some easy accessories; aviators, a braided belt worn as a headband, (also seen here as a belt) and slouchy Aldo ankle boots, I've discovered a new favorite look!

Mad love xx

Tanya D

Thrifted free, from sisters three...

We all have those special friends in our lives. The ones we can call anytime. The ones who will pick up the phone when you ring them at 2am and say, "what do you need"?

This post is for them. Specifically, three of them.

This afternoon on the heels of an all night film shoot, I awoke to find that my home computer had crashed--hard. Panicked, I threw on the first, comfy clothing I could find in my closet and headed to Venice to meet a friend who might be able to offer a rescue.

As luck would have it, in grabbing for the nearest things laying out I inadvertently yanked multiple items from last month's clothing swap.

As I drove towards Venice, I realized that the three items I had randomly assembled from my closet were all from one family. More specifically, one family of sisters.

And even more unusually, each piece of clothing I was wearing had come from a different sister.

Enter my girls--the Dempsey's.

 (Photo by Karri Bowman)

You already know Tanya... (yeah, the knockout above and to your right)...

And you've seen her beautiful and talented sisters Lisa and Leah here:

But what's even more amazing is that each sister has become a huge part of my life. Each one is both individually and collectively, a close friend and creative partner in her own rite. So it seems appropriate that when I needed something comforting and soft to wear, my hands grabbed at a piece of each "sissy", (as they often refer to one another).

After working all night and into the wee hours of the morning, these softly broken in, yet flattering cords, (a swap from Tanya's clothing discards) were the coziest pants to pull on.

This awesome, knitted sweater was Leah's American Apparel trade to me. And this gorgeous leather jacket came from Lisa's pile.

In the end, without even thinking about it, I'd assembled an outfit with a little piece of each of my girls worn, (literally) on my sleeve. Because sometimes when things get a little stressful, you just want your "gals" around.

Love you ladies. This post's for you!

Love,  
Noa B 

Gladiator flats: Jeffrey Campbell "Chainiators"

Sweater: American Apparel

Corduroys: Yanuk

Jacket: IE

Sunglasses: Liz Claiborne

Clutch: Volcom

Necklace: Onyx and silver, Mechanized

The Wild Horses

This post is in dedication and support of the Japan Relief Fund via Chictopia ~ "Wear Red Wear Hope"

I found this shirt weeks ago at my local Out of the Closet for a dollar. And I knew it was really cool. But, um..."how do I wear this thing"? I didn't know quite what to pair it with. Until Tanya and I started playing around with midi and maxi skirt lengths for spring.

When we threw this bright red, pleated skirt over the shirt and tucked it high on the waist, the vintage, 60's, polyester took on a whole new life!

 I added a skinny, copper and silver belt, and some Steve Madden, nude gladiator heels.

 And it suddenly looked really current!

So I high stepped it with my horsey shirt and swingy skirt.

Cause deep down, don't we all just love a pretty pony?

Love, 

Noa B

Blouse: 1960's Vintage, via thrift

Belt: Urban Outfitters

Heels: Steve Madden

Skirt: Vintage, via thrift

From rags to riches, my clothing exchange faves!

I heart clothing exchanges! As I've always said, one woman's thrash is another woman's treasure. (And no, I'm not speaking about men.)

And treasure is right! I ended up with a brilliant assortment of bits and pieces at our recent one, including shoes, clothing, and accessories.

One of my treasured items? This adorable little shrug sweater. It kind of goes of with everything! And it's one of those things that I would have never purchased myself (we all get in style ruts) but was something my closet was obviously lacking.

Not to be outdone is this awesome necklace I also traded up for...

 So pretty, and so easy to take from casual to dressy.

The magical thrifted item that pulled it all together? These 80's, high waisted silk trousers! A little gift from my partner here at SHS. (Thanks, Noa!)

Girls, seriously, clean out your closets, and get your best friends involved. If your friends love fashion as much as you do, there's bound to be some fabulous trade offs!

Love,

Tanya D and Noa B

Purse: Chloe--gift from a loving husband

Shoes: Steve Madden

Pants: Jada, via thrift

Shrug: via trade

Necklace: via trade

Tank: H&M

Springtime stripes

Here at Secondhand Star we love following and blogging about trend reports. They're a great way to stay current when you're not able to shop the ready-to-wear market. One of our favorite constants for this spring was stripes. Another was brights and the color red.

So here they are, like peanut butter and jelly.

 

Enter the red and white striped shorts with the classic Lacoste logo. (Notice the tiny alligator down below)? Found while on a local thrifting jaunt, these babies are straight out of the 80's.

 

I loved the pleats and the candy striper color, but I didn't think they'd be super wearable until I began to notice that red, white, cream, and porter shorts were all popping up for spring!

 Adding the wide, red, vintage belt gave them some structure.

And I loved those little double pleats!

 You know how sometimes clothing just makes you feel like you're in a film still?

 Well these shorts along with the perfect, silk, cap sleeve blouse had that effect on me.

 And I felt like a 50's ingenue out sunning.

And of course what ensemble would be complete without the right shoes...?

 

And earrings?

One of the most enjoyable things about styling vintage clothing is that you never quite know what you'll find and how it will sync up with the rest of your wardrobe. Until I got hold of this blouse and belt, these shorts just sat around in my closet. But once the right piece came across my path, they were ready to rock!

So I guess the moral is, keep hunting and always have your eyes open for the next thing. It just might snap the life into that odd little garment you've been saving.

Love, 

Noa B

Blouse: Banana republic via thrift

Belt: Vintage via thrift

Shorts: Vintage Lacoste via thrift

Shoes: Hego's

Earrings: H&M