A Sweater by Any Other Name...

You may call them 'Cosby sweaters'.  You may call them 'Ugly Sweaters'. I call them 'Sweaters My Parents Wore in Family Portraits in the Late 1980's".  

I also call them 'Sweaters Worn by Friendly Middle-Aged Airport Shuttle Drivers', because I totally matched outfits with the shuttle driver on our way back from the airport this Holiday season. Yes sir, you get an extra special tip for your fabulous taste. 

Whatever you call them, these colorful, comfy, patterned sweaters are fun and easy to thrift. 

All sweaters above were purchased at different times. The green and Off-white sweaters came from Value World. The blue is from Goodwill As-Is and the red is from a church rummage sale. The red sweater was just $.50 (see more in an old post here). I know the green one was $1, because I just bought it a couple weeks ago.

What's up with Urban Outfitters selling these things for too many dollars? I love them, but I won't spend that dough.

Look!    Look!    Look!    Look!


They are perfect for SF weather, but I recently moved to LA (surprise)! I need to get some wears in before the warm weather hits.

What do you call these sweaters?

$3 Chie Mihara Boots!

I didn't know anything about Chie Mihara.  I know more after finding these boots at Goodwill As-Is.

Here's the story of my Chie Mihara boots.

I was an hour into shopping at GW As-Is. The shoe bin had just been rolled out. I was digging and fighting off agressors.  All of a sudden I felt soft leather and thought, "hmmm, that feels expensive." I pulled out these gems (the boots).  I saw the brand name, but that meant nothing to me at the time. On the bottom I saw European sizing and also made in Spain. As intriguing as the quality, condition and details seemed I still wasn't 100% positive I wanted to make the purchase. Instead of putting them down I carried them around for a bit.

Even if your interest in an item is vague, your best bet is to hold onto it until you are done shopping. Nine times out of ten it won't be where you left it when you change your mind. Why take the chance?

Also if you have a smart phone, you HAAAVE THE POWEEEER! When it was time to check out I googled the brand and immediately saw shoes and boots priced in the $200-$400 range. That pretty much sealed the deal. Even the dude at the register said, "Looks like you found yourself a great pair of boots!"

These types of finds happen rarely, but oh how exciting when they do!

Vintage (60's) Slip from Goodwill As-Is

I have absolutely no excuse for my slacker ways. Where have I been for a week? I don't know. Not blogging, unfortunately. I have so much to post, I need to get on the ball.

I actually do have one excuse, my friend Andrea was in town from MI. Also I'm job searching, which is a motivation sucker.

Enough of that. Do you remember my day of glory at Goodwill As-Is? This Vintage 1960's French Maid Lingerie Company Slip is one of my finds.



I didn't know much about the slip when I dug it up. Here's what I did know:

1. It was Old-ish, potentially vintage (based on the tag)
2. It was in amazing condition
3. There was no way in hell it would fit me



Normally, I don't buy clothing that doesn't fit, but for $1...! The design is so intricate, feminine, pretty, soft, etc. Something this special just cannot be passed up! I wish I could wear it, but that would require self starvation and a breast reduction. Instead I will probably bring it to one of my local vintage shops.



Googling French Maid Lingerie Company is a little frustrating. Try it. You will find a lot of French Maid Lingerie Costumes that are, um...not modest.



Most of the relevant items I could find were on Ebay, Etsy or Classy Option. I don't know much about Classy Option. I found them while researching. They actually have a category just for the French Maid Lingerie brand.

For the record, if the slip did fit I would NOT have modeled it for this blog. Ha!

I hope you're having a great week so far!

Retro 1970's Scuda Napkin Set

This Retro 1970's Scuda Napkin Set is one of my exciting finds from Goodwill As-Is. I didn't know what they were when I pulled them out of the bin, but I knew they were cool. I hesitated buying them, because I don't really need napkins, but when they said $1 for the set, I said, "yes please"!


I've been trying to research them, but my search has been clouded by a "Scuda Vintage" shop in Long Beach (now closed), a pair of "Scuda flats" made by Blowfish Shoes and the "Scuda underwater drinking apparatus".

sheeeesh

I did however find these relevant links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

I have yet to find anything about who Scuda was/is. Anybody have some knowledge to drop or a link to share?



This brings up yet another reason why I love to thrift. If you asked me last week if I was familiar with Scuda I would have said, "Scuba...huh"? Now I can at least recognize the style. And, if I feel like being pretentious I can walk around saying, "aaaaah yes, that design is Scuda-esque".

In all seriousness, I really do enjoy learning about artists, designers, companies, manufacturers of the past. Finding cool stuff and researching is just one of the ways to do it. To me, Antiques Roadshow and American Pickers is riveting television. Well maybe not riveting, but good stuff nonetheless.

I'm not sure what to do with these napkins yet. I think framing them could be cool? The condition is so nice I can't really see myself using them to wipe my mouth. What do you guys think?

100th Wrinkly Post & The Craze That is Goodwill As-Is

I just realized this is my 100th wrinkled dollar post. It comes at a perfect time, because my weekend thrifting adventures are well deserving of an honorable place in the history of this blog. Ha.

Part of the reason this weekend was such a thrifting success is because I spent it with my thrifting-partner-in-crime, Jenny. She is one of the very few people I know that is ready and willing to get down and dirty to dig up ‘great finds’. Not many people can handle the craze that is Goodwill As-Is, but Jenny can!

Speaking of Goodwill As-Is, we went twice, Friday and Saturday. Friday we dropped in on our way back into the city. We parked at a paid meter so our time was very limited. Also, we were unprepared. We put another quarter in the meter to find a place to wash our hands. We failed. The last 5 minutes of our meter time was spent washing our hands with a bottle of water and hand soap I bought the day before at Target (it was in the trunk). This scene was pretty hilarious, not one I will soon forget.

Most people my age will go out on a Friday night in San Fran, party and have a good time. Jenny and I relaxed inside. Our plan, which we accomplished, was to leave my apartment around 7:00am on Saturday morning, eat breakfast and walk to Goodwill As-Is. You may think we are nuts already, but it will seal the deal when I tell you we spent a good 2 ½ hours there.

I took photos this time!



Both days we found great stuff, but Saturday was ridiculous. We both had a basket overflowing, but in the end we only bought a few items. The key is to grab ANYTHING that seems appealing and decide whether it is worth purchasing later. Beware of buying just because the price is right. Bring a friend that will put things in perspective and help you to determine what to throw back.

I saw retro/vintage stuff, but also a LOT of Jcrew, H&M, Banana Republic, Forever 21, Gap, etc. Lots of great stuff. Condition of course varied. There was a lot of shii… crap in there too, but that’s where the digging comes in.

Just like Goodwill Outlets, shoppers are competitive. Some dude had his cart covered with a sheet so no one could see what he found. We were there when new bins rolled out and people lined up to wait. Some girl tried to start grabbing before all the bins were out and a crazy-veteran-lady-shopper called her out, "HEY WE ARE WAITING"! It is important to be observant and figure out the “rules”.

Here are the prices. For those with a range, price is determined by the cashier.


On Saturday when we checked out we were charged less than we thought on some items. Love that!


They have some pretty awesome stuff for the home too. I didn't buy anything, but a nice woman who was shopping next to us found two beautiful throw pillows (in plastic bags still) that were originally marked $78. She also bought a lamp I was eyeing for $1!



We were told that new bins are rolled out approximately every two hours on Saturdays. We were tempted to wait for the next round, but by that time we were exhausted and decided lunch and gelato sounded more appealing.

Anyway, I can't wait to show you what I bought. There are some items in particular that I'm especially excited about. Stay tuned!

Oh yeah, we also went to Thrift Town on Friday during their 50% off all clothing sale. By that time I was so burnt out I barely looked and didn't buy anything. I did however take a photo (below).



Ok, I'm out. Stop back (hopefully tomorrow) when I post one of my great wrinkled dollar finds.

P.S. I swear, I'm not a hoarder. Whatever amount I bring in, that same amount gets donated. It is imperative to maintain closet balance.

Take a Chance with Wrinkled Dollars

So much to blog, so little time.

I'm spending some quality time with my good friend Jenny, AKA my thrifting-partner-in-crime. We have a full day of thrifting tomorrow, which will include another adventure at Goodwill As-Is. Exciting.

The other day I checked out Thrift Town for the first time. It is HUUUGE! I was a little overwhelmed. My first impression was positive: large selection, decent prices, discount sales and a dressing room! I noticed that they also have sections called "better clothing", which I assume means nicer brands. The housewares and furniture were impressive. I need to explore more. Jenny and I will be going back tomorrow for the 50% off sale! Hopefully it is not too picked over by the time we get there.

Have you ever been to a Thrift Town? What do you think?

I wanted to take a quick second to show you this skirt I bought at Value World for $.50 ($1.00 with 50% off coupon).


Something about the pattern attracted my attention. I second guessed myself before buying, but eventually decided to give it a try...for 50 cents.


I like it paired with this knit top, a birthday gift from my mom from F21.


It is easy and fun to take a chance on an item when you are only spending wrinkled dollars. I'm not sure if this skirt is a wow-er, but I did feel good about the outfit walking down the street. I guess that's all that matters.


Maybe I felt good about the outfit, because I was wearing my favorite boots. I love my boots.

Time to rest. Bye.

$3 Purse from SF Goodwill As-Is

There is no Goodwill Outlet in San Fran, but there is a Goodwill As-Is.

Goodwill As-Is looks just like the Outlet, a warehouse full of rolling blue bins, except it is much smaller. Instead of paying by weight, As-Is has set pricing by item type. For example, purses are marked $1-$3 depending on size, material, etc. The cashier makes a judgement call when you pay. They charged me $3 for this purse, most likely because of the size.


Items at Goodwill As-Is range from shoes, clothing, purses, household items, linens, etc. Not for the novice thrifter! As I reccommeded with the Outlet Store, it is best to bring gloves. From my experience nothing is dirty, but it is less icky when digging through the bins if your hands are protected. I was totally unprepared when I was there, tsk tsk. I saw two lovely young gentlemen who were obvious As-Is pros. I watched them dig up tons of great stuff. Needless to say, I will be back soon.


I don't know why the items at Goodwill As-Is are there. From what I could tell there was nothing wrong with them. I doubt they are items not bought from normal Goodwill Stores, because they don't have the Goodwill tags. My guess is they are just unsorted overstock. Next time I'll ask and let you know.


So this purse...
It is pretty sweet, no? I'm pretty pumped, because my computer easily fits inside. There are three large openings, which I find convenient for, um...separating things. Ha. The tag says Barneys New York. Whether it is real or not, I don't know. That is not my concern. It fulfills all of my purse needs: large, lots-o-pockets and cute. Also, I like that it is inexpensive. I get sick of purses quickly, with this one I'll feel less guilty.



Any questions about Goodwill As-Is?
Would you consider shopping there?
I promise to take a photo next time!

Two Tops for $Three!

I've been in San Fran for almost a week.

I like change. Change is good. That being said, I can see why some do not. With change comes an inevitable grace period of discomfort. During this time nothing feels familiar. You have to test the waters, see what makes sense, figure things out. Im in that stage right now; smack dab in between excitement and scared sh*tless. Beyond this time of uncertainty is new confidence and growth. I look forward to being in that place, but at the same time I'm doing my best to embrace this fresh feeling that will quickly fade.

So now, how about some wrinkly clothes? I bought both of these tops at Value World (in Michigan) with a 50% off coupon.



You may recall another lace top that I recently featured. I donated that one back to the cause, because this one is long sleeve and therefore I like it better. There really is no need to keep both.



I was nervous about the weather in SF, but so far I am pleased. My preference is to layer and feel cozy, so the chill suits me quite well. Plus I like to wear boots, scarves and hats.



Speaking of hats, I bought this one for just $1 at the 'Hoosier to Hoosier Sale' last fall while living in Bloomington. It is really soft cashmere. I wear it a lot.

Missing you, Hoosier to Hoosier Sale.



You've all seen this cowel about 1MM times and I posted about my black cords before too. You can't see them, but I'm wearing my $.25 shoes.

Next post will be about a sweet purse I found at a Goodwill As-Is store; my first SF purchase with wrinkled dollars. Stay tuned.