I also looved my friend Em's dress! (left)
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
J. Aldridge by Sea of Shoes
Jane from seaofshoes.com has her own shoe brand sold at urbanoutfitters.com!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Anything You Want, You Got It (For $5)
This is an article I wrote for my town paper about a local thrift/vintage fusion warehouse, Udelco.
Anything You Want, You Got It (For $5)
One may think that vintage shops basically give away their merchandise for free, which seems very credible to me because, keeping it real, they sell clothes that are old and used. During the summer on one of those boring ‘what should I do now’ days, I got an acute craving for vintage clothes, so my mom and I hopped the train heading for NYC. Vintage shop after vintage shop, I saw countless groovy 60’s rompers, slick 70’s leather pants, and outrageous 80’s studded combat boots, all adorable and different in their own way, but the entirety shared one detail, they were extremely expensive! Even the old Kmart and Walmart brands were pushing $100! Vintage shop owners may think old clothes equal expensive clothes, but outfits are not the same as wine and cheese. In the apparel business, merchandise certainly does not grow in value with time.
I cannot bring myself to overpay for an item worth far less than the cost, but underpaying, I can do. With my love of clothes, appetite for surprisingly expensive vintage apparel, and extremely guilty pleasure for designer goods, my frugality tends to make my wardrobe, and my wallet, a little restricted. But then again, this characteristic of mine also pushes me to be crafty and cunning when shopping, and of course keeps my babysitting money in the piggy bank. After realizing the high cost of vintage clothes, I decided not to give up and instead find other ways of quenching my ongoing thirst for period apparel. As much as I’d like to say I did, I never encountered a cheap vintage shop, but lucky for me, my sister found Udelco!
Udelco, located in Hawthorne, is a vintage/thrift fusion warehouse brimmed with boxes of 60’s, 70’s and 80’s merchandise ranging from $3 to $20. Although the very amiable owner, Charles, says this to be true, nothing has gone over ten dollars in my experiences. Like I said, underpaying is a capability of mine and is, might I add, quite enjoyable, but Udelco gives the lowest prices of retail a run for their money. It takes quite a lengthy amount of time to rifle through the plentiful containers, but with the willpower you can come up with extraordinary finds. While pillaging through, I found an Armani knee length pea coat, and keeping with the situation, was under twenty dollars! Getting a designer coat for less than twenty bucks is beyond the imagination! Some of my favorite gems in Udelco are the pieces that are relevant today like faux fur jackets, distressed Levi's, leather boots, peasant dresses, high heels, over jackets, and sequin dresses.
Ever since my first visit to Udelco I have found myself looking at merchandise at the mall thinking "I can get something like this at Udelco for five bucks". One day I went to Kmart and Udelco and spent thirty-five dollars at each store. At Kmart I got two pairs of flats, and at Udelco I purchased a leather jacket, a corduroy blazer, a tweed jacket, a beaded sweater and a faux fur coat. Knowing how little I actually need to forfeit for the fashions I want, I feel odd spending more than I have to. For the sake of being dramatic I must say the world seems that much easier to conquer now that I have a whole warehouse of vintage clothes in which I can shop till my heart's content.
Anything You Want, You Got It (For $5)
One may think that vintage shops basically give away their merchandise for free, which seems very credible to me because, keeping it real, they sell clothes that are old and used. During the summer on one of those boring ‘what should I do now’ days, I got an acute craving for vintage clothes, so my mom and I hopped the train heading for NYC. Vintage shop after vintage shop, I saw countless groovy 60’s rompers, slick 70’s leather pants, and outrageous 80’s studded combat boots, all adorable and different in their own way, but the entirety shared one detail, they were extremely expensive! Even the old Kmart and Walmart brands were pushing $100! Vintage shop owners may think old clothes equal expensive clothes, but outfits are not the same as wine and cheese. In the apparel business, merchandise certainly does not grow in value with time.
I cannot bring myself to overpay for an item worth far less than the cost, but underpaying, I can do. With my love of clothes, appetite for surprisingly expensive vintage apparel, and extremely guilty pleasure for designer goods, my frugality tends to make my wardrobe, and my wallet, a little restricted. But then again, this characteristic of mine also pushes me to be crafty and cunning when shopping, and of course keeps my babysitting money in the piggy bank. After realizing the high cost of vintage clothes, I decided not to give up and instead find other ways of quenching my ongoing thirst for period apparel. As much as I’d like to say I did, I never encountered a cheap vintage shop, but lucky for me, my sister found Udelco!
Udelco, located in Hawthorne, is a vintage/thrift fusion warehouse brimmed with boxes of 60’s, 70’s and 80’s merchandise ranging from $3 to $20. Although the very amiable owner, Charles, says this to be true, nothing has gone over ten dollars in my experiences. Like I said, underpaying is a capability of mine and is, might I add, quite enjoyable, but Udelco gives the lowest prices of retail a run for their money. It takes quite a lengthy amount of time to rifle through the plentiful containers, but with the willpower you can come up with extraordinary finds. While pillaging through, I found an Armani knee length pea coat, and keeping with the situation, was under twenty dollars! Getting a designer coat for less than twenty bucks is beyond the imagination! Some of my favorite gems in Udelco are the pieces that are relevant today like faux fur jackets, distressed Levi's, leather boots, peasant dresses, high heels, over jackets, and sequin dresses.
Ever since my first visit to Udelco I have found myself looking at merchandise at the mall thinking "I can get something like this at Udelco for five bucks". One day I went to Kmart and Udelco and spent thirty-five dollars at each store. At Kmart I got two pairs of flats, and at Udelco I purchased a leather jacket, a corduroy blazer, a tweed jacket, a beaded sweater and a faux fur coat. Knowing how little I actually need to forfeit for the fashions I want, I feel odd spending more than I have to. For the sake of being dramatic I must say the world seems that much easier to conquer now that I have a whole warehouse of vintage clothes in which I can shop till my heart's content.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Second Time Around, New York Edition!
So, I felt it was time to have a Second Time Around reunion and take a visit to the swanky NYC storefront in Soho last Sunday. Surprisingly, this was my first ever purchase from Second Time around no matter the countless times I have been. This is a Bill Blass dress from Henri Bendel and it was only 40 bucks! Woohoo gotta love a good deal.
Gotta love the Michael Kors pumps too, but sadly they were a tad small and much more than a tad uncomfortable!
Gotta love the Michael Kors pumps too, but sadly they were a tad small and much more than a tad uncomfortable!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Tim Gunn!
I am lucky enough to say that I have met Tim Gunn, yes TIM GUNN! When I found out that he was going to be holding a fashion show at my local mall, I couldn't even picture this dream coming true, but sure enough, the day of the fashion show I found myself face to face with the amazing stylist and co-host of Project runway, Tim Gunn. I almost peed my pants when I found out we could ask him questions at the end of the show, and of course the moment the last model was invisible from the runway, I shot my hand up. I was tempted to start with "AHH I AM YOUR BIGGEST FAN!!! LIWEGWFEIUF" but I held in the urge and instead asked him if he thought Epperson deserved to stay, he gave some roundabout answer and then asked my opinion!!! To say the least, that was a very good moment.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
City
You can see the the most amazing and beautiful scenes in the city but also the strangest...and I don't know which ones i like more!
A lone blue manikin in the back of Barney's Co-Op store.
An overgrown garden in a New Yorker's front yard...hey, they make do with what they got.
Golf course in Chelsea Piers...how strange is it to think that behind me are the busy city streets?!
Old Railroad tracks overcome by greenery.
New Yorkers can be very eccentric people...
A very nice collection of crap
jelllin' about her camera! She surely knows how to live!
A very cool faux snakeskin purse...and converse!
A lone blue manikin in the back of Barney's Co-Op store.
An overgrown garden in a New Yorker's front yard...hey, they make do with what they got.
Golf course in Chelsea Piers...how strange is it to think that behind me are the busy city streets?!
Old Railroad tracks overcome by greenery.
New Yorkers can be very eccentric people...
A very nice collection of crap
jelllin' about her camera! She surely knows how to live!
A very cool faux snakeskin purse...and converse!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Is Barneys a Dinosaur?
Sooo I write for my local newspaper and the season has just started!! Writing and fashion are two of my loves so as one might expect, I enjoy crafting each and every article. I decided to put up my articles up here so the whole world can see! Tell me what you think :)
All of my life I have overheard countless opinions on Barneys New York including that its products embody the epitome of elegance and that the shopping experience is just lovely, but also that the price of the merchandise far exceeds the quality and that it is a business infused with rip-offs and scams.
One of the most prominent, and most negative, opinions on Barneys was supplied to me by a very fashionable lady in her early 30's when she claimed that a flimsy shrug was on sale for over $3,000. In my 13 year old mind, I couldn't imagine that anything could be more expensive than those Abercrombie and Fitch sweaters that I longed for oh so much, and undoubtedly was taken aback by the expense of such a small and unnecessary item. On the other hand, a girl I met at camp one year told me that Barneys was the only store she shopped in.
From all of the various stories and ideas about Barneys I have acquired over the years from a variety of people, one would imagine that my personal dictionary does not have a solid definition for the high-end department store Barneys. Even though I have been curious about what Barneys really is like, before today I have never gone out of my way to find out.
This afternoon in the city, while on a surprise excursion to my favorite Asian restaurant, Nooch, I was passing by Barneys Co-Op, the much less exclusive, expensive and haute, warehouse. My desire to find a definition for Barney's of my own became apparent in my mind as I saw many girls that looked, walked, and dressed like me exiting the store with black and white 'Barneys' shopping bags.
One detail about Barney's that is shared as an opinion by all is that the prices are higher than the tallest skyscraper in Manhattan. With the knowledge that I would not be leaving with any purchases, I entered the storefront on West 18th Street.
I knew that because of the supposed drastic drop of price range of Barneys Co-Op store from Barneys, the premises would be less elegant and the service would be to a minimum, but the stand-offish ways of the employees and obvious warehouse look of the store surprised me thoroughly. I added that to my still formulating definition, but decided that I would delete it if the prices really impressed me.
Ready for Barneys to redeem itself, I looked at the price tag of a knit skull-cap, expecting it to be about $75, a still very high price for such a little and unremarkable item. The front of the price tag flickered into my view and my eye caught hold of a number reading $180. After a long stare with my mouth ajar in amazement, I put the cap back and ventured off to see if this was an unlucky pick, or if Barneys truly is full of rip-offs.
This time I decided to pick up a light jacket, a much more substantial item than a knit skullcap. My mind was finally made about Barneys when I saw that the jacket was nearly $2,000 dollars! Me, being the frugal person that I am, could not stand to be in such an ill-priced store any longer and left immediately.
One question has been haunting me since I left; if items in Barneys Co-Op warehouse were this expensive, what does Barneys New York merchandise cost? That is a whole other adventure of itself that I will have to conquer when I recover from today's price tag shock.
Finally, after many years of wondering the reality of Barneys New York, I have come up with a definition and here it is: A false state of mind for those who can afford to be scammed by a department store just like any other except with the addition of an expensive and exclusive image. In today's economic environment, there is no room for paying the big bucks simply for an image. Barneys is a dinosaur.
All of my life I have overheard countless opinions on Barneys New York including that its products embody the epitome of elegance and that the shopping experience is just lovely, but also that the price of the merchandise far exceeds the quality and that it is a business infused with rip-offs and scams.
One of the most prominent, and most negative, opinions on Barneys was supplied to me by a very fashionable lady in her early 30's when she claimed that a flimsy shrug was on sale for over $3,000. In my 13 year old mind, I couldn't imagine that anything could be more expensive than those Abercrombie and Fitch sweaters that I longed for oh so much, and undoubtedly was taken aback by the expense of such a small and unnecessary item. On the other hand, a girl I met at camp one year told me that Barneys was the only store she shopped in.
From all of the various stories and ideas about Barneys I have acquired over the years from a variety of people, one would imagine that my personal dictionary does not have a solid definition for the high-end department store Barneys. Even though I have been curious about what Barneys really is like, before today I have never gone out of my way to find out.
This afternoon in the city, while on a surprise excursion to my favorite Asian restaurant, Nooch, I was passing by Barneys Co-Op, the much less exclusive, expensive and haute, warehouse. My desire to find a definition for Barney's of my own became apparent in my mind as I saw many girls that looked, walked, and dressed like me exiting the store with black and white 'Barneys' shopping bags.
One detail about Barney's that is shared as an opinion by all is that the prices are higher than the tallest skyscraper in Manhattan. With the knowledge that I would not be leaving with any purchases, I entered the storefront on West 18th Street.
I knew that because of the supposed drastic drop of price range of Barneys Co-Op store from Barneys, the premises would be less elegant and the service would be to a minimum, but the stand-offish ways of the employees and obvious warehouse look of the store surprised me thoroughly. I added that to my still formulating definition, but decided that I would delete it if the prices really impressed me.
Ready for Barneys to redeem itself, I looked at the price tag of a knit skull-cap, expecting it to be about $75, a still very high price for such a little and unremarkable item. The front of the price tag flickered into my view and my eye caught hold of a number reading $180. After a long stare with my mouth ajar in amazement, I put the cap back and ventured off to see if this was an unlucky pick, or if Barneys truly is full of rip-offs.
This time I decided to pick up a light jacket, a much more substantial item than a knit skullcap. My mind was finally made about Barneys when I saw that the jacket was nearly $2,000 dollars! Me, being the frugal person that I am, could not stand to be in such an ill-priced store any longer and left immediately.
One question has been haunting me since I left; if items in Barneys Co-Op warehouse were this expensive, what does Barneys New York merchandise cost? That is a whole other adventure of itself that I will have to conquer when I recover from today's price tag shock.
Finally, after many years of wondering the reality of Barneys New York, I have come up with a definition and here it is: A false state of mind for those who can afford to be scammed by a department store just like any other except with the addition of an expensive and exclusive image. In today's economic environment, there is no room for paying the big bucks simply for an image. Barneys is a dinosaur.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
NYC Photo Shoot
It was perfect weather and a great spot for a photo shoot in the City today. I was inspired to be a model for the day when I saw a woman posing for animal crackers in front of a beautiful city skyline.
Wearing: Vintage Dianne Berkely leather purse, Vintage leather skirt, Forever 21 hat, Anthropologie shirt.
Wearing: Vintage Dianne Berkely leather purse, Vintage leather skirt, Forever 21 hat, Anthropologie shirt.
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