Vintage Binge

I'm always determined to find a decent pre-loved piece.  I marvel at anyone who, when their outfit is complemented, responds blissfully with 'It was 50p in a charity shop' or 'I found it in my Aunt Hilda's attic, ' before the pangs of jealousy kick in.  When it comes to me buying vintage, I tend to have a vague idea in my mind of what I want, but end up with something completely different.  For instance, I typed 'Vintage Floral Shorts' into the eBay search box, and ended up with this playsuit instead.

Note how this photo has been artfully cropped so you don't see a lot of crap in the corner...

Don't think I'm disappointed; this so-called 'romper' was only $8.  I can't believe this is my first eBay US purchase whilst I've been here, as I'm always finding nice stuff when I'm at home before chickening out due to high postage prices.  I'm going to persevere and see if there are any other gems before I go back; I tend to buy from random sellers but am also partial to a few items from this shop.  Do you have any particular eBay haunts?

Next was a trip to Bushwick with Rachel, who had known of The Urban Jungle Vintage Warehouse, but had never visited herself.  Just like at Metalliferous, I was astonished at the sheer amount of clothing in one space but took her lead and started rifling through the rails of technicolour.  I saw a lot of horrors that would be best suited to fancy dress, but this is the kind of place to take a risk as most tops are $7 and dresses a measly $10.  It's quite worth buying something crazily long in a decent colour and then hacking into it to make something more worthwhile.  The shop was surprisingly almost deserted, meaning I could look for things patiently; scroll down to the end to see what I bought!

This crazy cube of clothing was one of a few left outside; my guess is that this is how the donations come flooding in, I can only image what delights/horrors are hidden in here.  Who gets first dibs, I wonder?

This photo is absolutely nothing to do with vintage fashion, but I've included it anyways; Bushwick is kind of industrial, but there is some kind of 'arty' scene happening.  Could it become the next Williamsburg?

Remember all the fun I had the last time at Brooklyn Flea?  Well, I finally had enough time to visit the outdoor site on a Saturday on a day with guaranteed decent weather and a few dollars in my purse.  Flea markets in New York tend to be very much a destination area, with prices perhaps a lot higher than those in other states and at least a years worth of street style inspiration.  I saw a decent floral dress that was a reasonable $30, but I've adopted the die-hard thrifty mentality of not spending more than $10 on an item (plus a part of me still thinks of these prices as being in pounds), therefore leaving the dress on the rack for someone else to choose.

Fancy four eyes?  You can buy almost anything here!

This $30 top was unfortunately against the thrifty mentality...

Tempted to buy one of these plastic letters; it can hardly make my luggage even more overweight...

After the dress denial, I mooched around a few other stalls, before finding a new calling; bags.  I was amazed at this lady selling some for just $10, as I know other vendors normally sell anything leather for three times the amount.  I went for the mock-croc version seen below, and was pretty pleased for myself before seeing another lady selling even more gorgeous bags for $5 a pop!  No sooner had the words left her mouth, I quickly whipped out a $5 note and picked the long strap bag seen below.  Two bags bought within about 10 minutes of each other and with one similarity; compartments!  Never again will I wonder where my Metrocard/phone/sanity is as each has a specifically assigned space!

As if this post isn't confusing enough, here is the rest of the new purchases.  The cream silk Ralph Lauren  blouse is vaguely what I had been seeking out for a while, to wear with shorts and hareem pants and the floral skirt might be left maxi, shortened or belted as a dress depending on my mood.  Both were $7 each from The Urban Jungle. The two bags were $15 combined, bringing the clothing total to $37!  Let me know of any vintage steals you may have found recently.

The Arctic temperatures of when I first arrived have been long forgotten and I'm currently sweltering in the 30 degree New York heat; hows the weather where you are?

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