Canary suit for holiday cheer!

Hi Ladies,

We all love a little black dress for the holiday season, but sometimes a spot of color goes a long way!
Remember this little reconstructed duo? Well here's your chance to own it girls!

This adorable set yields to fit a size 4/6/8.

Check it out on the stunning Jen via our Model Shakedown Shoot! Because this fabric is stretchy, it will fit several different body types. From long and lean to va va voom!

Find it and other gems on our Etsy store here and grab it before it's gone!

Love, 

Noa B and Tanya D

Leopard Revival

Hi SHS fans,

Remember this adorable little number Tanya wore? Well it's available today for purchase here!

Leopard is everywhere this winter. But we've got a piece that's vintage, one of a kind, and redesigned just for you! To buy it, check in here at our Etsy store to order now.

Belt and necklace sold separately.

Love,

Noa B and Tanya D

See it, Love, Buy it!

Hey Ladies,

We've been hearing from our loyal readers that you'd like to have an opportunity to purchase some Secondhand Star, one of a kind items and killer, vintage pieces. Well we listened. So here's your chance! Starting all this and next week, we'll be bringing you daily blog opportunities to buy great items at even greater prices for the holidays!

Stay tuned each day for more chances to purchase your favorite SHS piece, available through Ebay and Etsy.

Today's catch of the day?

Hand feathered skirt with beading and paillettes!

Click here to purchase this re-worked piece for the holiday season.

And keep tuning in daily to see what SHS has in "store" for you!

Love,

Noa B and Tanya D

From Checks to Sexed - Before & After - Vintage Suit

Well, guys... here you have it. The results of Noa's genius find, turned favorite little suit of mine.

It's hard to believe these pants I was SWIMMING in, turned out to be such flattering, high-waisted little slacks.

I'm also excited to wear each piece separately with other outfits too.

 This giant vest turned adorable shell, will be super cute layered over winter cashmere and easy jeans.

But first I have to get over these pants... I feel a new fave coming on!

It's like having my own personal tailor for the best, most interesting garments! I love my job.

Thanks Noa!!

Make sure to check out yesterday's post for the tutorial.

Love, 

Tanya D xx

Suit - Redesigned vintage for Secondhand Star by Noa Bolozky
Shoes - Vince Camuto Moma's
Earrings - Forever 21
Bangle - Vintage

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$

Costume coat and a beautiful gal to wear it!

This is Shiri G. She's a wonderful colorist, master hair cutter, and all around sweetie, but she also has some bad-ass taste in retro clothing, which is why we wanted to devote a blog to her unique style!

Tanya and I met Shiri several months ago and became fast friends. In fact, I ended up tailoring a pantsuit for my first meeting with her, which she rocked out at a summer wedding, looking oh-so-chic and stylish!

But a pantsuit was the least of it. Shiri showed me this amazing jacket she had picked up at a costume repository in the valley. Remember when we did the redesigned military for Tanya here? Well, we're obviously big fans of the look, so it took me about 2.2 seconds to get my creative juices flowing.

I wish I'd gotten a "before" shot, but you'll have to take my word for it when I say she's the baddest gal at 5'0" you'll ever see, but this jacket was made for someone at least a foot taller and possibly that much wider! In a nutshell, it was HUGE!

Though cut like a cavalry officer coat, it just screamed "Shiri'! So to make it fit properly I took in the sleeves, cuffs, waist, back, and ever the shoulder a bit, to create something a little more Michael Jackson and a little less Napoleon at Waterloo.

 And the result? A fabulous, cropped, number that ever the most petite rock & roller can wear!

And can we please give her an additional, Secondhand Star shout-out? Not only for being an amazing thrifter herself, but for also generously providing me and Ms. T with the most radiantly beautiful hair color and cut we've both had in years! We love you Shiri G! So hurry over to November Grey today to find out how you can get a major hook-up with Shiri if you're in the LA area, and also to enter to win some haircare product from WEN at Chaz Dean Studio! If you find your way into her capable hands, you won't be sorry!

 

Love,

Noa B

Jacket: Warner brothers costume house thrift score

Hair color: Shiri at Chaz Dean Studio

Style watch: Get Molly's Quinn's Look

This summer I had the pleasure of doing makeup for film and television actress Molly Quinn, star of the hit show, Castle. Molly is a big fan of vintage, mod, and mini-dresses, and I was delighted to see when she donned this little cocktail affair for a wedding, that it closely resembled one of our own Secondhand Star creations!

Being a fan of brocade and older fabrics, Molly had this adorable little number made for her, and actually purchased the material herself. (Don't all you DIY'ers just love her)?!

She managed to impress us not once, but twice in two days, donning a fabulous, toile printed cotton vest for a press event, which once again was home-made. This gal knows her way around a sewing machine! But we love her in the soft, brocaded satin she chose for this mod-inspired mini.

We think Molly's on to something. Here's our past take on a similar cut, fabric and color.

We thought the comparison was so apt, we wanted to show you how to achieve this look right here on SHS, here, and here! Check out our previous tutorial as we prepare to bring you more clothing makeovers in the weeks to come.

Love,

Noa B

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