Hot for Polka dot

Have you ever gone thrifting and discovered a piece that just made you want to smile, really, really big?

Well I did! On a trip to Hawaii I found this adorable, polka dot, 80's number in an unlikely little shop. (See yesterday's post)...

My initial reaction was tempered by my husband remarking that it looked really, really dated. But at Secondhand Star we always have a few simple tricks and tweaks to fix that. In this case, I took the hem up from a below-the- knee length, to just above. That easy fix guaranteed me a chic re-do.

One of the things I loved about this dress was the boxy, cutaway shape that ran from the front buttons to the back. Plus the shoulder pads gave it a "working girl" boxy finish. (A la Melanie Griffith, not Julia Roberts)...

In keeping with that theme, I paired it with classic, nude heels, courtesy of a previous SHS clothing swap.

To add some retro-flare, I threw on a black fedora and some long pearls, along with pearl studded hoops. I started feeling a little like a gangsters "moll", but in a good way!

 Like all I needed was a pearl handled pistol to finish it off...

Sometimes all it takes is a few inches to turn something really dated into your next, favorite, retro-chic piece. When in doubt, try hacking a hem!

Love,

Noa B and Tanya D

Dress: Vintage re-design
Shoes: Guess, via trade
Pearls: Hawaii
Hat: H&M
Hoops: F21

Tara's Closet

This is Tara. And this is her closet. Literally. Tara's Secret Closet is a funky, re-sale and vintage store located in the heart of Honolulu. And this gal knows her stuff!

 

On a recent vacation with the hubby, I visited this gem of a boutique for some thrifting inspiration. After checking out her store listing on Yelp, I needed to stop in and see what all her reviewers were cheering about.

So I did. Tara's Closet is primarily a re-sale boutique, (and she's got a nose for buying). But she also maintains a petite section in the back devoted to true vintage. Note my arms filled with dresses? That's the vintage row I'm obsessing over!

 Plus she's got belts and jewelry, hats and the like. I scored a killer, white leather belt with dangling coins which I can't wait to find multiple uses for! I was hankering after half her glass case when my husband finally pulled me out.

It's a bit of a challenge to find a good variety of thrift and vintage on the islands. But shopping at Tara's was a wonderful surprise! I had to stop myself from buying out her entire back row of dresses...

I did manage to stay disciplined and whittled my choices down to a killer, vintage Betsey Johnson strapless, linen frock, a pink, mandarin collar dress, and a polka dot, early 90's dress. (Very "Pretty Woman". Stay tuned to see what I did with it tomorrow)...

So if you're island hopping, give this boutique a look-see! Located at: 2013 South King Street. Honolulu, HI 96826.

Happy hunting loves!

Love, 

Noa B and Tanya D

Shirt: Re-sale: Buffalo Exchange
Shorts: Thrift, silk, $1.00
Bangles: F21
Necklace: Vintage, Israel
Wedges: Jessica Simpson

Bridesmaid dress double duty

Okay, how many of you gals have been asked to participate it someone's wedding and ended up with some awful, Laura Ashley, taffeta dress that sat in your closet because you felt too guilty to donate it to charity? Show of hands? (Ya, me too.)

Well, not the beautiful Ms. D! Tanya not only has great taste, but is fortunate to have friends with similar propensities. In this case, the wedding she was asked to be in had a Mexi oriented theme and each gal got to pick her color.

Naturally, Tanya chose red-hot and I can't say I've ever seen a more chic looking bridesmaid!

At SHS, we wanted to illustrate how even a dress intended for ceremonial purposes can be worn daily. So Tanya added her signature, vintage belt, bangles, and a fabulous, woven fedora to make this dress casual-friendly. 

Braided hair also accented the daytime look.

We'll be sure to show you pictures of how we intend to hem it up, glam it up, and how Miss T will actually wear it at the wedding. That is... if the bride doesn't change her mind and put her in a mumu.

Love, 

Noa B.

Mexi Dress - via Ebay

Belt - Vintage via thrift

Boots - Aldo

Hat - The hubs, via Robert Graham

Inspiration meets Chanel

On a recent "Dollar Sunday" thrifting hunt, I came across this adorable, lemon yellow, two piece. It was such a cute color, and the retro knit was in great condition. The 60's era tags not withstanding, it reminded me of a hybrid between Chanel twin sets and Juicy Couture's acid color palettes.

I really wanted to go from the above to something resembling this Chanel inspiration from the 2011/12 Cruise wear look. Granted, I didn't have the sleeves, but the general idea was there.

As far as re-design, my find wasn't monstrously big. Still, it definitely needed some adjusting to get from there to here. The shirt was loose and the cowl was super long in the back. The skirt was slipping and the elastic was shot. Here's how I altered each piece:

For the skirt:

Step 1: Removing the waistband with the old elastic. (I cut off about 2.5" as the skirt was a little long anyway). 

Step 2: Cut a long piece of  1" elastic and measure it around your waist. It should be comfortably snug, but not tight. Snip the length that meets at your comfy zone.

Step 3:  Pin the elastic on 4 corners, so that it divides evenly throughout the skirt.

Step 4: Run the sewing machine in a wide, zigzag stitch over the elastic, and then fold the waist over and do it again for a prettier finish on the inside.

For the top: 

Step 1: To take in this knit top, I had to distribute the nips and tucks evenly because it was fairly big all around. So I made darts. Do this by measuring two diamond shapes on either side of both the front and back.

Step 2: Pin the diamonds so that the points narrow at the tops and bottoms, and the middle areas are the widest. To keep everything symmetrical, create darts on both sides of the garment.

Step 3: Iron flat pressing the diamond shaped darts open.

And here's our reveal! From frumpy to funky...

...Via a few alterations and some killer kicks.

I was inspired by the thigh high, white boots with the open toe. But I'm still an east coast gal at heart, so I subbed in black suede instead...

 Since the boots had amazing studded detail, I kept the jewelry minimal with studded hoops.

This look will be perfect for fall as well as the present. I'll just need a killer jacket. (And I think I just found one today on a thrift run)...

And that's how we rock a trend report here at Secondhand Star!

Love,

Noa B and Tanya D

Top and bottom set: vintage re-design, found for a dollar!
Boots: Jeffrey Campbell
Hoops: via Main Street boutique, Abbott Kinney

Black and Gold go Bold: Part 2

Hi Everyone. Remember this jacket from my pantsuit combo? Well poor Tanya was drowning in it when we threw it on. It was bad enough on me but on our favorite, petite goddess it was swimming!

 But never fear! Where there's a will, there's always a way. (Trust us).

All this jacket was screaming for was a cut. A big cut. So I cropped it like crazy, narrowed out the arms, and curved out the back.

In my mind, I pictured this jacket becoming an homage to Yves St Laurent and 70's smoking jackets. Can't you just picture the ruffle? And guess what I found for a dollar at the local re-saler??

That's right! Ruffles! We threw this bad boy under the jacket and added Tanya's killer, leather shorts and Voila! 70's fashion reborn!!

Amazing right? It's all about the studio 54 vibe...

 And of course, fabulous heels...

And there you have it! Two great takes on one, (formerly) dated pantsuit combo!

Love, 

Noa B and Tanya D

Jacket: Thrifted vintage redesigned

Shirt: Thrift

Heels: Vince Camuto

Shorts: Thrift

Black and Gold goes Bold: Part 1

Happy Monday to all our thrifty friends! Have we got a "re-do" for you! Remember when people actually wore these pantsuits "as is"? I found this wonderfully atrocious combination jumpsuit and blazer for a few bucks at the local thrift store last month.

Admittedly, in its present state it's nothing short of awful, but just wait til you see what Tanya and I have in store for this baby!

We talked about making this into two separately themed outfits. One dressy ensemble for night, and one funky yet casual piece for day. But eventually we realized each of us wanted to rock a part of it in our own, fabulous way!

So this mess of an ensemble met its match last week--us! Here's what I decided to do with the pantsuit. The first step was to turn it backwards. In its current state the neckline was frumpy and the back was even worse. But turned around it had potential to become something new. 

I cut a deep v-neck into the back and chopped all the extra fabric off. I then removed a mandarin style neck piece from the back and instead cut another plunging shape into the front.

I secured the zipper at the waist and added a hook and eye above it. 

Hem tape was added to keep the front lace from flopping over in the bust. A small button and loop were added to the lower back/waist just above the zipper.

I hacked off the pants below the pockets, took in the sides, and created a sexy romper.

The key was to plunge not only the back, but the front as well, creating a deep-v symetry on both sides. All that was needed was the addition of a vintage, 60's, Oscar de la Renta belt to polish this look off. And here's the result!

Low in the back... 

With a draping batwing. 

And a modest plunge in the front... 

Nude heels, retro earrings and some bangles added the finishing touches.

Love,

Noa B and Tanya D

Jumpsuit: Thrifted vintage
Heels: BCBG
Earrings: F21
Belt: Oscar de la Renta, vintage