More direct lines of communication with Ms. B.....

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I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Mr. B is on his way home right now and I'm about to go out for some Swedish crepes with lingonberries!!

Prospecting in Manhattan’s Richest Vintage Veins ~ NY Times Article

By SARAH MASLIN NIR

Published: May 5, 2010

Gingerly, I picked the pile apart, pinching the barest corner of each grimy garment between thumb and index finger, reluctant to touch them. Who knew where they’d been? Or what sort of person had worn them?

But when I uncovered what lay beneath them, those concerns disappeared like last season’s Paddington bag. Under the pile of offensive and out-of-style rags were the swirling curlicues of an Emilio Pucci mini dress with a structured bodice that riffed on Madonna’s racy Vogue bra.

I caught my breath. It was $5.

IT happened only once, but once was enough to fan a flame of desire that has burned ever since. As I ambled past a pile of crumpled clothes at a used clothing sale — a crushed blouse, a wrinkled pashmina, faded “mom jeans” configured in that terrifying ’80s silhouette that could give even Keira Knightley a muffin top — I spotted a rivulet of a familiar pastel in the sea of castoffs.

Finds like this help thrift and vintage shoppers steel themselves against the onerous task of sifting through racks of vile and/or unfashionable clothing that seem to make up 99 percent of most shops’ inventories.


But in Manhattan, a host of vintage and consignment stores have done the work for you, selecting the best used (or more euphemistically, “pre-loved”) clothing and selling it at reasonable rates. Even some of the city’s thrift stores — where goods are sometimes less choice because they are provided by donations from the public — are pleasant, run by staff members who tastefully curate their stock.

Shops come in several varieties. Some thrift shops are run for profit and some donate proceeds to a particular charity and are run by volunteers. Then there are vintage shops, specializing in retro clothing, often from a spectrum of eras. Finally there are consignment stores, where owners drop off their unwanted clothing to be sold, sharing a percentage of the profit with the store’s proprietor. The price typically goes down the longer the item remains unsold.

A search on Whitepages.com turns up more than 100 of these types of stores. In Manhattan, we have narrowed the list to 14 — hardly exhaustive, yet a good sampling of stores that have consistently high-quality inventory, as well as high turnover, which often enhances the chances of stumbling on a great find.

Connoisseurs will note that some of the most recognizable names, like Reminiscence and Screaming Mimi’s, aren’t on this list, on the theory that the lesser-known shops are more likely to hold overlooked treasures. In addition, we did not include well-known outlets like Goodwill and the Salvation Army, though the Salvation Army store in Chelsea (208 Eighth Avenue) is worth an occasional visit and the Goodwill on the Upper East Side (1704 Second Avenue) is a jeans collector’s dream: The second floor has more than 900 pairs — we counted — and each pair sells for $9.99.

While you might not find Pucci perfection for a fiver on your first outing — or even your 10th — the hunt is half the fun.

Following are promising sources of used clothing in Manhattan, grouped by neighborhood. See more here.

LOCAL CLOTHING

328 East Ninth Street

(212) 777-3850

VINTAGE STORE

localclothingnyc.blogspot.com

The name is a bit of a misnomer as some of the clothes here, like an African dashiki and coarse linen tunic, are from far-flung locales. The shop highlights seasonal trends (right now it’s “ethnic”) and blogs about what’s in the store on its Web site.

Recent find: Batik-patterned tunic, $68.

Current favorite products

This isn't a fashion post at all but I've come across some products as of late that I'm loving and I thought I'd share. I always love seeing the "products of the month" videos from Youtube beauty gurus and finding out about products I may not have known about before. So since I don't do videos, I thought I would do a post about what I love.

1. Burt's Bees Color Keeper Green Tea and Fennel Seed shampoo and conditioner.
When I shop for shampoos I always look for products that are sulfate free not necessarily because of what sulfates can do to your hair but your skin, specifically the skin all over your body, not just your scalp. Think about it, when you rinse all of the shampoo out of your hair, it comes in contact with your whole body, not just your head. So if you are susceptible to being sensitive to ingredients like me, you have to look at shampoos in terms of your hair AND body needs, not just the former.

This is the first sulfate free shampoo that has gotten progressively better as I've used it. At first your hair will not like this. But the more you use it, the better it gets and the smell is heavenly! I can definitely smell the green tea but the fennel gives it a kick of spiciness that is so unique. A word of advice though, do not attempt to use this shampoo without using a conditioner afterward, you will regret it.

2. Beauty Without Cruelty Leave In Conditioner

I have always loved using a leave in conditioner before blow drying my hair. It just seems to help tame any frizzies and helps my hair do what I want it to do. For the longest time I was using Neutrogena's Silk Touch Leave In Cream and when I figured out that it has a bunch of nasty ingredients that I probably didn't want to be exposing myself to on a regular basis, I switched to this and haven't looked back. It does everything the Neutrogena cream did but has nothing but good ingredients.

3. Desert Essence Thoroughly Clean Face Wash

Besides lye soap, this is the most simple face wash, ingredient wise, that I've ever seen or used. You can understand every ingredient. It has castile soap and the rest of the ingredients are oils and essences. That's it. Now for those of you thinking, that since it has oils you can't use it because you have oily or breakout prone skin, think again. I have had oily/acne prone skin for almost 20 years now. I have never seen more consistent results from a cleanser than from this one. Best of all, you can buy a 32 oz bottle online for less than $8! If you get a foaming pump bottle it will last you even longer! I think I have finally found my HG cleanser, knock on wood!

4. Desert Essence 100% Jojoba Oil
I use this for the following:

To tame hair flyaways after styling with a blow dryer. No, it doesn't make your hair look greasy if you use a small amount, i.e. one drop.

For my facial moisturizer. This will NOT break you out. In fact it will help heal blemishes you already have as it has anti-bacterial properties. Small amount needed here too, one drop, maybe two if you want to do your neck as well.

For my nail and cuticle moisturizer. Again, only a small amount needed. Your nails and cuticles will soak it right up.

It does all of these things and you're only dealing with one ingredient. So simple but so effective. Why didn't I think to use this sooner?

4. Yes to Cucumbers Face Cleanser Towelettes.
Sometimes I like to give my skin and hair a break from showering. Exposing your hair and skin to water everyday is actually kind of harsh on them, especially with all of the chemical treatments pumped into our public water systems. So on those days, I use these to cleanse my face. It leaves me feeling completely clean and no water is needed. Depending on how oily my face is that day I sometimes use two at the most but they do a great job. and you're saving water at the same time! For those of you concerned about the waste factor, these are biodegradable and the package they come in is recyclable.

5. Crabtree and Evelyn Black Tea, Sugarcane and Vetiver Body Mist.

When I smelled the Burt's Bees shampoo and conditioner I mentioned for the first time, I knew I had smelled a scent before that was very similar but I couldn't put a finger on it. I then figured out it was this fragrance. It's very green but very spicy at the same time. Very hard to describe. If you get the shampoo and you like the scent, look for this body spray, you'll like it as well.

6. Burt's Bees Natural Toothpaste Whitening with Fluoride.
For those of you who would prefer your toothpaste without fluoride, there is an option for that as well. I, however, need all of the anti-cavity help I can get. This is great toothpaste, great taste and texture. It has just a little bit of graininess, what feels like baking soda to make your teeth feel like they got a good scrubbing. This is also sulfate free which is important for the skin around your mouth. Yes, your toothpaste can give you acne around your mouth so make sure you are getting a sulfate free toothpaste as well.

7. Opulent Alchemy Tom Ford (type) Tobacco Vanille


For those of you who like gourmand and/or oriental scents, this is something you will love. The vanilla is definitely the first thing you smell but it also has the tobacco at the very end rounding it off and making it very creamy and heady. Great price too, only $4.75 for a purse size roll on bottle. I really recommend this seller, she has so many great scents to choose from, great prices and she sends samples as well.

Sunglasses that make everyone stop and stare.....

....either because they think you look fabulous or that you look like a fool! But who cares! Recognize this lady?

What about this one? I have always wanted glasses shaped just like Iris's and Edna's and they are on Ebay for cheap!

These are the perfect duplicate! Got them today and LOVE THEM! Got stares everywhere I went! I felt very chic teetering around on my sky high espadrilles wearing my bug glasses!

They come in white too! Click on the pic to go to the listing!