thrift founds

took a foray into the salvation army in brunswick, maine. and, boy howdy, what a great trip! i spent the evening taking up hems and sewing in side seams.

i do find it difficult to find clothes in thrift stores that are in my sizes (generally 2-6, depending on vintage or not/particular manufacturer), but many clothes in the size 10 and up range. so, either my fellow petite ladies of chicago, montreal and maine are buying up these sizes before i do so, or larger women donate more clothes to thrift stores, or the populations of these cities are skewed towards those specific sizes. i believe the average woman is a size 8, so perhaps that is a factor. it seems as if there is some belief that the surrounding area heavily influences the selection found; i have certainly heard the advice "go to thrift stores in wealthy areas" often, but i am curious to whether those stores offer a better selection. i do not shop at particularly "affluent" thrift stores, and i come across designer brands fairly often. can you predict demographics through donations made to thrift stores? CURIOUS.


tshirts for mr. adam. wolves, a la flight of the concords. tacky gold fish (jury is out whether or not he will wear this). adam is building a collection of old portland sports-themed tshirts, and the purple one is courtesy of "hamlin", number 11. thanks.



deadstock birthday cards.

bike license plates! never mind neither adam nor i have bicycles at the moment . . . all in good time.

they were (apparently) dead-stock, which accounts for the lack of names that were not "ron", "craig", "debbie", "christy". same names as those fantastic birthday cards above. and since i do not have any friends who were born during the 70s, we have taken on alter egos. good for quick bike get-aways.

what a great thrift trip, about $16 in all. i found a couple of neat mugs and books at the goodwill, but that can be photographed in a bit.

tomorrow = chicago!

i am looking forward to seeing adam . . . i miss him very much.

went a thrifting

and was sadly disappointed. if the clybourn and western salvation army is anything to go by, chicago's thrift stores are dirty, crowded and kind of skanky . . . and not in the good way.

i found a pair of black patent pumps, a lavender short cap-sleeved angora sweater and a certifiably bad-ass black and gold tunic. oh man. but it was not a good experience.

i've been in a bit of a sartorial tizzy lately, because i have a job! an office job! and i have no idea what to wear. oh dear.

pictures to come!

up and up and away

in the best interest of furthering humanity's knowledge, i present the travel list for the style-conscious backpacker. it may come to no surprise to some of you that i love lists. and planning. and being neurotic about both.

upon embarking on this adventure [short story=adam+i are living abroad next year, teaching english in a yet-to-be-disclosed location], i explored what the interweb had to offer me in regards to a packing list. after all, a year is a long time to be living out of a backpack, and adam was very adament that i must pack light. so we're looking at about 30 lbs or so. plus a carry-on.

now, some sites suggest such things as teva/chaco water sandals or some sort of convertible garment in line with this. fine, i can understand the appeal of quick-drying, rugged clothing. and if i were, by chance, cliff-diving in acapulco or rappeling down k2, great. get me some patagucci.

but i would rather shoot myself in the face then walk down the champs-elysses or head to a show in shoreditch wearing something that is tan polyester. so i present to you, the fashionable backpacker.

i'm bringing ::

`(4) dresses - one black silk, one blue cotton, one blue silk tunic, one blue shirt-dress
`(4) skirts - one green floral cotton, black american apparel nylon, one pink cotton, one blue wool
`(4) t-shirts - black, green, (2) grey
`(1) pair skinny jeans
`(1) pair nice black straight-leg trousers
`(3) long-sleeves, one grey, one purple-striped, one cream
`(2) cardigans, one black, one cream
`(1) silk blouse
`(1) silk cami
`(1) trench coat
`(3) pairs shoes - one pair silver sandals, one pair black/gold ballet flats, one pair gold peep-toes
`many necklaces
`many silk scarves

this gives me at least a couple of weeks of outfits before i need to start washing things and i can be seen in public.
i should supply you all with pictures, but I'M LAZY. sorry.

next stop: jfk for a 7 hr layover. then onward! on air india to heathrow. will let you know if we get to watch bollywood!


listening to : apples in stereo, her wallpaper reverie. LOVE ME SOME ELEPHANT SIX.

23.8.08

i get a lot of comments on how i am usually in a skirt or a dress; how "dressed-up" i always look. i hate to look slovenly or overly casual but i am fundamentally lazy; the cost-benefit of looking pulled together vs. spending hours doing so results in non-pants. i feel people do not understand the pure easiness of throwing on a dress in the morning; there's nothing to match to each other, no worries about body-images [i find dresses/skirts are generally miles more flattering than pants, on me at least], and you instantly look nice! BAM.

in addition, i believe very strongly in the enduring power of oldey-timey things, such as, but not limited to, watch fobs, gloves, heels, pencil skirts and veiled hats; one feels and acts better when one looks more put-together. in particular, i LOVE vintage hats as no one wears hats anymore . . .



i found this one at the flea market this morning - originally 18$, marked down to 10$, and then i only had 9$, so it became mine for 1/2 off. JACKPOT. the guy said "you never know, maybe those willl come back into style" and i said i was doing my best.
hat : vintage, flea market
shirt : h+m, boston
skirt : aa, montreal
shoes : uo, montreal

i originally had balked at buying this skirt - it was what? like $40? i don't remember now - but i love it. i prefer to wear it with tights over bare legs - it is a bit short - but i love the fabric, the cut, the silhouette and the elastic waist. LOVE ME SOME ELASTIC WAIST.


twoooooo more days until adam and i leave for the old country . . . . blergh. packing.

a call to arms

dear citizens,

i challenge you, my fellow americans, to formalize your life!

please! no more sweatpants, white sneakers or other sloppy attire in public. coif your hair! wear side-button gloves and veiled hats! consult a pocket-watch! don a skirt or dress! free yourself from the tyranny and general discomfort of bifurcated garments!

hear me! i appeal to a greater sense of aesthetic and a common love of beauty! for the sake of your fellow man, apply care and thought to your garb, speech and life; treat every outing as a special occasion, worthy for preening and praise!

until then,
i remain yours,
anna