I love thrifting. Yes, I'm STILL writing about it.

So, I love me a good thrifting trip for the scavenging fun and the savings. This love was recently reinforced by a weekend trip to the mall. With my boyfriend out of the house all day, I took it as an excuse to do all of the excessively girly things that I don't really do anymore because of the stares I would get from his judging eyes. (Just kidding, guys. I do what I want! But I really like shopping by myself, so it was nice to not have to be all "NO, BOYFRIEND. YOU CAN'T COME PICK OUT CLOTHES WITH ME.") Right after he closed the door, I prettied myself up and took a stroll to the mall.

HOLY GOD, I HATE MALLS. I honestly had forgotten. First of all, no one "pretties" up anymore. In fact, lots of people barely wear pants. But this was my day! I wasn't going to let a few pantsless bandits get in my way! Now, know that I didn't plan on buying anything. I mainly just wanted to oogle clothes. Instead, I became a senior citizen that CAN'T BELIEVE how much people charge for shirts. You! You over there! Do you see how much this costs? My mother could make this for pennies on the dollar! She could also feed me and my 11 siblings for less than $3.50! Just kidding, I don't have 11 siblings. But my mother was mighty creative with potatoes.

And that shock came from looking at the prices for the evil, evil (yet so pretty sometimes!) Forever 21. They pride themselves on being a budget store, and let's be honest--they are. But I had a hard time buying one piece of clothing for $22.50. That could buy me an armful at Goodwill! Also though, I think that I feel this way because the trends this fall are so incredibly thriftable. '90s minimalism/sorta grunge is back with a vengence (like it ever left), and thrift stores seem to only stock things from that era. That ugly floral maxi dress for $19.50 will probably cost you $6, max via a thrift store. And that's a refined thrift store.

Quick "refined" side note: There's a place in Portland called "The Bins" (i.e. the Goodwill outlet) that charges you per pound. It's something like $1 per pound of stuff you have. Sure, you should only root around with gloves on (yeah, people have found gross things in there), but I like the novelty of buying a wardrobe in pounds.

Don't like wearing other peoples' cast-offs? Get over it. Seriously, I don't have much else to say besides that. Normally, lepers aren't donating their clothes left and right, so you're not really risking much by not buying things new. Usually a nice trip through the washing machine will quell any fears you have. Also, you're creating less waste! Congratulations, the environment loves you.

Now, once I have a little more capital, I plan on fully supporting classy retail stores that I love. Because hello--we all need to buy new stuff every now and then to keep the cycle of "Buy, Donate, then Thrift Another's Bounty" alive.

Slices of heaven

Cannot get enough of agate slice rings. Seriously, all I want to do is pile these puppies onto every finger. They're so rugged yet elegant, like a lumberjack wearing a prom dress. Unfortunately, most of these precious gems are out of my price range (meaning they're over $10), but the second these lovelies become uncool, I am snatching them up from the clearance bin.

The Princess Diaries (sans Annie Hath)

Silly Bandz (the Princess edition) have made my life so much better. I'm not being hyperbolic, I promise. There is something intensely--dare I say--SILLY about wearing rubberbands on your wrist that morph into shapes. Even if people think they're stupid (which trust me, some people will), they still want to see what shapes you have. They're the best icebreaker ever! And besides, my accessories are evolving and maturing from "wear the biggest/sparkliest pieces that you can" into "wear the most ridiculous, fun things possible."

*Disclaimer: In case my friend Sanja reads this, I have to give her credit for getting me on the Silly Bandz-wagon. She was the first person that I saw them on, and I made fun of her relentlessly. Now, I see that I was just jealous.

INSPIRATION NATION

The middle photo was taken from The Sartorialist, which I think is a little overhyped as a site, but the boy (Scott Schuman) certainly does know how to take a picture. While these three pictures aren't the be-all and end-all of what I've been (stylishly) thinking about lately, they're certainly a good start.

I'm a sucker for photos of nebulas and other cosmic things of that gorgeous nature. All of the colors work so incredibly well together, and while there are tons of clothes I'd like to buy with that exact picture printed on them, I see it simply as the colors I want to wear together all the time. With glitter sprayed over them to achieve the appropriate effect, obviously.

Not sure why I'm so attracted to the middle picture--I think it's the absolute effortlessness that this woman exudes while wearing an ensemble that's decidedly full of effort. No one wakes up and decides that it would be easier to throw on their multi-buckled gladiator boots instead of a pair of flippy-floppies. And that dress? I DIE. Seriously. Chiffon dresses that blow around in the wind like they're going to show everything if you don't move the right way are my all-time favorites. Only in theory, though. I unconsciously tried to re-create this look for my last birthday. Let's just say that I did not exude natural grace and beauty like this lass does. No, I exuded more of a "desperately clutching to the world's whispiest fabric and using my boyfriend as an ineffective wind shield" effect. It was charming.

And finally, we have Winny and Johnny. I include this picture because I'm getting a wee bit obsessed with cross jewelry and sheer shirts/dresses/everything else, but also for the "coupling" aspect of the duo's outfits. I find that even though I have a distinct style that I like to play around with (Golden Girls sparkle meets all-American comfort with a strange dominiatrix moment thrown in for fun and confusion), I definitely have a tendency to blend in with whoever I'm dating at the time. Yes, I'm that amorphous person that starts to look like their dog. Except I look like my boyfriend. Who's not a dog. Anywho, I wake up every so often realizing that it's been a long time since I wore a pattern OTHER than plaid and a jean other than a skinny, so I have to remind myself to take a little extra effort and look more like myself. Which, to make a rambling point, is what Winona does perfectly here. Though, if my boyfriend looked like Jim Carrey during his Mask days, I'd probably try a lot harder to look like myself too.

So, there we have it! A PEEK INTO MY SECLUDED (fashion) MIND. Kind of like Inception, but not at all.

Let's fall for Fall, shall we?

We shall! In all seriousness, as much as I FREAKING LOVE the concept of back-to-school shopping (or for most people, back-to-oh wait, nothing's really changing for me except the weather shopping), I have a really difficult time thinking about fall trends, "it" colors, and the purse that you simply must have, or you'll cease to be a fashionable creature.

Of course, I buy all of the fall fashion rags. But for the most part, I'm finding that I have a hard time following their tried-and-true trend stories. What if I don't want to look like a dandy schoolboy OR a sexy secretary? What if I want to look like Rosie the Riveter? Or Mae West? That's why I think it's more helpful (at least for me) to focus on general pictures that get me all excited (and yes, 1/2 of them are pornographic) rather than a concrete item like harem pants. My main exception for this is with jewelry. Because I'm like an angry toddler when I see a great ring/amazing earrings, and I'm all "FUCK THEMES! I WANT IT I WANT IT I WANT IT."

So, because I bet you're all super curious as to what's inspiring my fall wardrobe*, check back in either 10 minutes or tomorrow--depending on how on top of things I am--for some pictures and stuff!


*I feel the need to clarify something about a "fall wardrobe" here. By no means am I the kind of person who is able to--or feels comfortable--buying an entirely new wardrobe for the season. I mean that I'll be taking an inventory of my current (slightly shrunken, thanks to moving) closet, and then start thrifting to beat the band. Because babygirl's gotta stay on a budget! There's no point in buying knee-high cognac boots if you can't afford to go anywhere in them.

Mean reds.

OOOO DAMN, I am in a mood today. Yup, after not blogging for forever, I've decided to end my radio silence with "God guys, I'm in such a shitty mood."

While I'm trying to help it, (cue whining voice), it's hard to do that! I think it's a mix of a bunch of things (most of which mainly concern my job), but I also get in a funk whenever I ignore my blog. I still read all of the blogs on my blogroll, of course, but during the summer months, I can't really stand getting dressed, and as a result, all of my writing inspiration goes out the window. With fall coming though, and with the start of school for both me and my boyfriend, I feel like I'll get some of the fantastic "back-to-school" outfit excitement that I missed out on last year. I plan on wearing at least one plaid skirt, and I'm going to try to get my boyfriend to dress like a 1920s newspaper boy. IT'S GONNA BE GREAT.

However, since I can't stay in a bad mood until September, I'm going to try and look pretty today. Life-changing goal, right? Awhile back, I found a silky Christian Dior blouse at Goodwill and snatched it up for $4. I'm thinking that, paired with my pinky-mauvey-what color ARE you skirt that I've worn to death plus a few things called huge jewels and make-up will be a first step toward a thrillingly good mood.