The Tiny Closet

I've been inspired lately from Fashion Steel NYC and A Pair and A Spare.  Fashion Steele NYC is a fun vintage shopping blog and A Spare and A Pair is full of fabulous DIY projects.  Fashion Steele's Monroe Steele is all about vintage finds.  Well, my favorite fashion era is actually right now - I am on the post-apocalyptic, drapey, oversize styling kick so I've never been inclined to wear vintage clothing.  However, Steele's spectacular vintage/thrift fashion finds are so superbly priced that I couldn't help doing a little hunting of my own.  A Pair and A Spare's Geneva, her eye for style and fashion art is so amazing, her DIY tutorials are the best I've seen.  So these ladies sparked an idea :)

My style is very modern so I knew I wouldn't be wearing any vintage pieces I found as is.  But since the clothing I like is in my opinion terribly overpriced (jersey, oversize, zero tailoring and you're charging $500 for harem pants?  Forget about it.)  I decided to cut, sew and basically craft the vintage pieces I find into my signature modern style.

While there are some spectacular vintage and antique clothing stores in Seattle, I decided to go the less expensive route.  Who's interested in cutting up a $70 fur?  Not I.  So I lowered the bar and went to Value Village.  Not sure if this thrift chain made it to the east coast but its pretty amazing in there.  It's a crafty girl's dream and the clothing is mainly from the 70s and 80s - you won't find anything older than that.  Since clothing is between $2-$10 (yes all of it and this place is huge!), I was in alteration heaven.

Part I of my thrifting adventure:




So I am sold.  Vintage shopping + fabulous DIY = more precious signature pieces for my Tiny Closet.


Visit again soon for Part II of my thrifting adventure!  And if you ever find yourself feeling uncreative or plain bored with your Tiny Closet, check out Monroe and Geneva's blogs.  These girls will kickstart your creative fashion butt!

I finally took some time to dive into ELLE's AW11 Fashion Week recap.  Ahhhh :)  I went through the usual [traditional] string of emotions: pure joy and wonder (pg.13, letter from Editor in Chief), a gasp of awe ( pg.28-9, Burberry Prorsum snowfall), green with envy (pg. 61, street shots), and a giddy concentrated obsessive mess on each ELLE Manifesto and Front Row News section....

And each time I surface out of the rabbit hole, I am resolute that one day, instead of turning the pages of these events, they will instead be happening right before my eyes.  One day :)

My entire evening and night yesterday was quite busy.  Racing from one social event to another, I just barely had time to take a few photos of my impromptu outfit.  I threw it together (carelessly I have to admit) but with the rain pouring down in buckets and the sky looking like dishwater, I was not inspired to be creative.  Why should I when everyone's looking down and speeding down the sidewalk trying not to get drenched [and more importantly, not looking at what I'm wearing]?

So - not my most thoughtful outfit but I did play with textures and I broke out a very stylish parka!  Not too bad in the end.

 This is the only denim shirt I have and its enough.  Why? It has a drawstring so it can be cinched at various levels on your waist or hips for various looks.  Worn loose, it turns into a tunic.  Genius design.  I will be wearing it later with a completely different outfit to show just how versatile it is.  Clothing with versatility is key for The Tiny Closet!
 This parka is extremely light and much better suited for Spring and early Fall.  But for light errands (especially if you are not relying on public transportation) it works in pretty much all weather!

These leggings are for high performance so the quality rises to the occasion.  The most durable leggings I've ever worn and - tummy control, which gives a smooth look under any top.
 My guy works at an art gallery bar so its always fun to stop by when I'm catching happy hour with friends.  I am looking nonchalant on my phone but in actuality, I had just received a job interview request for today!  Eeee!  Out of the places I've applied, this is the one I want the most.  My fingers are still crossed so wish me luck!