Considering I'd chucked on yesterday's clothes, sponging off the remnants of last night's dinner from my dress on the way out, several people stopped me in and around the chazzas today to admire my outfit. The manager of one of our regular haunts was on the phone when I walked in and waved at me. I overheard her telling the person on the end of the line "That lady's just come in, the one who wears the clothes". How on earth she'd know who I was by that description is anybody's guess, Walsall ain't no nudist colony.
Is it just me or, when you're in a charity shop, are you drawn to things similar to what you're already wearing? Needless to say, I'm always dressed in something vintage and naturally hone in on it, but when I'm wearing a certain colour or style of clothing I seem to find loads more of the same.
Today, with my Guatemalan top, basket from Madeira and Indian chappals, I couldn't stop finding foreign clothes and accessories and by that I don't mean high street fashion made in some grim Asian sweatshop. By the time I'd finished I'd shopped the world without leaving my home town.
Indonesian Batik kaftan - I love Batik even more now I've learnt how to do it.
This scrap of metallic sari fabric was in the "five for a £1 bin" - I made it into a crop top whilst Jon made lunch. That's the 11th top I've made this week. I'm obsessed with my new-old sewing machine (I'll show you soon!)
A tie-dyed rayon maxi skirt, also made in India. If I try it on I'll want to keep it.
1980s Thai silk boxy shirt. The hipsters love Thai silk and it flies off our rails whenever we have any. Who can blame them? The colours are always wonderful.
I'd love to dress Polly Piglet in this baby Flamenco dress but she'd never forgive me. We often get asked for kids dressing-up clothes when we're trading at festivals so I'll add this to the rail.
Aren't these Mallorca souvenir cuff links fab? They look a million times better now I've scrubbed them.
Seriously tempted to keep this 1970s Egyptian pendant.
A leather trimmed kilim bag from Turkey.
Definitely a keeper, a super psychedelic beach bag from the 1970s. The Costa Brava was the first foreign place I ever visited!
I can't resist a souvenir scarf - here's two (featuring Australia & France) of the three I found today. (The other is from Stratford-on-Avon and, as its only down the road, can't really count as being foreign).
 |
| Wearing: Guatemalan top (Kinky's mates Make Do & Vintage) with added fringe trim I cut off a lampshade; 1969 Van Allan maxi dress (one of a pair bought from the original owner, eBay, 2006); Plastic & wood bangles (car boot sales & charity shops); 1970s Madeira basket (charity shop, 2010); Embroidered Indian chappals (Jumble sale); Vintage purple velvet curtains (part of our festival trading pitch) |
See you on the other side!
Your outfit has to be one of my all time favourites. I love the colours and patterns. You've had a fabulous chazzer hunting day and I'm with you on the skirt, you'd definitely keep it.
ReplyDeleteThere's a weird thing happens when I have my nails painted, the colour of the clothes I wear all have the nail colour in them. Looks like I will be wearing iris pink for the next few weeks now. Im sat here in my dusky pink trevira cardi, pink capri pants and pink gogo shoes. Knickers and bra don't match though.
Hope you have a great trading weekend. We are off to see Teddy Thompson in concert on Saturday night in Manchester but I think I need a Todmorden trip during the day first. x x x
No matching undies? Tut tut!
DeleteHope you enjoyed TT and had a bosting day in Todmorden. Hasn't the weather been fab? xxx
Well of course everyone's looking at you! You don't see Vix-tastic glamour everyday!
ReplyDeleteOoo! Getting my retail therapy vicariously looking at all the goodies you found. xox
That's the one single thing I don't envy about your wonderful life - lack of charity shop opportunities! xxx
DeleteLove the blue crop top! The 70s pendant is great too. Walsall is obviously more cosmopolitan than we thought lol. x
ReplyDeleteI read somewhere that the people of the West Midlands are the most well traveled in the UK (probably 'cos we like to escape at any opportunity!) xxx
DeleteI Love your travels around the world by chazza :-)
ReplyDeleteTwo caught my eye - I grew up just inland from the Costa Brava, and I love the ozzie kangaroos!
Oh! I love that region on Span, I'd love to go back and visit! xxx
Delete"the one who wears the clothes", damn I hope so.
ReplyDeleteIn this climate I'd be locked up if I didn't! xxx
DeleteWhat lovely finds, Vix. I love those cuff links and the souvenir scarves. But most of all I love that massive colourful basket you are carrying, and how it matches your skirt. You
ReplyDeleteare definitely "the lady who wears the clothes" ... xxx
I know you love a quirky bag, Ann! Bet you can't wait to ransack the UK chazzas very soon. xxx
Deletewhile you talking about - YES! i often walk in a 2.hand shop just to find the sisters and brothers of the look i actually wearing - instant "capsule wardrobe" ;-)
ReplyDeletelove all the international fashions here - you know i have a soft spot for folk wear. and - i have a souvenir scarf post in the pipeline - my other soft spot :-)
wish you a great weekend with a fab trade!!!!
xxxxxx
I love that, Beate - finding the missing part to an outfit you didn't even know you needed!
DeleteCan't wait to see your collection of souvenir scarves! xxx
I supose she meant ""the one who wears the GORGEOUS..., clothes" hahahhahah
ReplyDeleteIf you were wearing Zara´s clothes ( jeans - pants and t-shirt) Thank goodness for people like you. You are the salt of the earth of clothing, hahhaha.
I programme myself to find what I want when I go to a second hand shop or market.Most of the time I just like to find treasures on a big pile of clothing that nobody has eyes for but me,aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Ha! me, too! If it's strange and unwanted I need it in my life. xxx
DeleteHow wonderful to be so *non-beige* that you are instantly recognisable. You are such a stylish lady, Vix. I wish that more people had your fashion sense. We are in danger of becoming High Street clones. You always find the most amazing things in the chazzas. I don't know how you do it here is full of tat. Saying that I am off to my super secret top charity shop tomorrow and don't think that I have ever come back empty handed. Hope your weekend is brill! :) Xx
ReplyDeleteYou are kind, Kelly! Hope you found some charity shop magic in your secret shop. xxx
DeleteYour outfit is awesome. I love the Turkish bag.
ReplyDeleteYour outfit is awesome. I love the Turkish bag.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lila. xxx
DeleteI still where my little old lady cloak of anonymity as I trawl the chazza when I should be working , I'm doing a get rid of a load of tat car boot this Sunday , complete with sarcastic son ...I'm sure it will go well we can bitch into eternity all morning
ReplyDeleteHope you sold loads at the weekend, Kate! Sunshine always encourages the spenders. xxx
DeleteI almost always find something that goes with what I'm wearing when I'm thrifting.
ReplyDeleteThose cuff links are sweet.
I adore your outfit and that massive bag.
Best of luck on the shows this weekend! Sell it all! : )
bisous
Suzanne
Your good wishes worked, Suzanne! At last, a decent vintage selling day. I can pay for the final festival of the season now - phew! xxx
DeleteLove your outfit and I think you should keep the Egyptian pendant, so cool! :)
ReplyDeleteI did take it with me at the weekend but luckily nobody showed an interest in it - hooray! xxx
DeleteThat blue crop top made from the sari, the Egyptian pendant, and the kilim bag---oh and the tie-dyed maxi skirt--I would not try it on bcuz you will def want to keep!
ReplyDeleteThat would make a cracking outfit, wouldn't it? I did try on the skirt and luckily for the stockroom it's about a foot too long. xxx
DeleteI don't comment so much these days since I closed my own blog but I read and devour yours all the time. Love all your clothes picks.Such lucky finds. Though luck is only a part of it. You have a good eye for style and the wow factor. And best of all, you look always look fabulous.xx
ReplyDeleteSo lovely to hear from you, I wondered where you'd gone. Hope all's well with you and yours. xxx
DeleteThe title of this post resonates with me soooo much! No matter where I travel, close to home, elsewhere in the province, or much further afield, I always scout for vintage shops and instantly feel at home in them, no matter how many miles away from the real deal I actually am. :)
ReplyDeleteFantastic finds! I especially love those beautiful cuff links. You find such diverse, immensely interesting pieces, dear Vix, and I just adore seeing some of the highlights that you share here with us.
Many hugs & happy weekend wishes,
♥ Jessica
Me, too, Jessica. Real shops leave me cold, rack upon rack of the same thing, set out in a cold and clinical manner. Give me a rail or colourful vintage to rummage through and I'm in heaven. xxx
DeleteYour outfit is cute! I remeber being referred to as the "alternative" girl at a previous workplace, which is kind of up there with the "one with the clothes". So really lovely treasures from all over the world - I really hope a kiddie pics up that frock, you made me giggle when you said Polly Piglet wouldn't appreciate wearing it. My old cat Mr Lucky had to endure wearing dolls clothes when I was little - he was very sweet, but I am sure he hated every moment of it!
ReplyDeletePoor Mr Lucky! Cats are so easily pissed off - ours are very off with us this afternoon after leaving them all day yesterday and not getting back home till lunchtime today.
DeleteAlternative Girl is a very strange description (but a cool band name)! xx
Lovely items, enjoy your travels
ReplyDeleteThanks, BG - we did! xxx
DeleteYour outfit looks lovely. Yes, I often am drawn to clothes the same colour as I am wearing. Our charity shops really are dismal, the staff actually hold stuff back and wont put it out or use it as window dressing with not for sale stickers on the back - ridiculous (I had to put up quite a fight recently to get a glass bottle I wanted because the girl said it would spoil her display to remove it and leave her with nowhere to put her stupid plastic flowers!)... I am going to start hunting further afield.
ReplyDeleteGah! I loathe those chazzas that won't sell what's in the window. So much for raising funds for charity - the whole purpose of their existence. I can't be doing with these chains that try to look like boutiques - I like the ones that pile up any old tat in the hope that some weirdo (usually me) wants to buy it! xxx
DeleteLoving your outfit Vix, the Guatemalan top is a sensational score. Fab foreign finds... especially the kilim bag and the French scarf. (bien sûr!)
ReplyDeleteNow what ideas have you got lined up for those purple velvet (?) curtains on the line?
That's three of us working the BH then! xx
Hope your BH wasn't too mad, Fiona!
DeleteThat Guatemalan top is lovely, I think its wool, its really warm and the cats fight to sleep on it.
Did you see the new French thriller on BBC4? It's good. xxx
Shit no! Can't get BBC4 but going to look on iplayer now. x
DeleteWhat fabulous finds, I'm partial to a souvenir scarf too. I hope the weather holds out and you get a good weekend trading. I'm hoping for a rummage around a car boot sale tomorrow xx
ReplyDeleteI remember you sharing your collection on your old blog, Lou!
DeleteHope you found some bargains at the BH car boot - no chance of any booting for us for a while - I'll have to live vicariously through my friends' finds instead. xxx
Quite true, Vix, that one's closet does reveal color preferences and style strategies. The summer wardrobe for this short and stocky Teutonic/Celtic redhead relies on dark silky tops and trousers with bright silk shirts worn as jackets and bags that are any design or color but boring. Quite right about Thai silk -- when I cruise the chazzas I run my hand along the rails and stop when I feel silk!
ReplyDeleteI bet that Teutonic/Celtic redhead looks spectacular in her finds, Beth!
DeleteWe took a pile of 1980s mens' printed silk leisure shirts with us this weekend and sold the lot (half to stylish women). xxx
Aw, what a nice description "the one that wears the clothes"! Ha! We got known in our local charity shops as "the young couple", then we told them our ages and they have renamed us "that old couple"...
ReplyDeleteAnyway really hoping to get down to Cardiff on Monday. We've both full of lurgy and trying to relax and get rid of it today and tomorrow. xx
The Old Couple - ha! What a cheek.
DeleteJon loved Chris's style, you make one cool looking couple!
Lovely to see you both yesterday - hope you're both on the mend soon. xxx
Your outfit is spectacular, Vix!! Those colors and you!) make me smile.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love your big pot full of ivy - I may just steal that idea.
xox
Thanks, Carol! I love ivy but it does tend to go mad if it's not contained in some way - terrible for the brickwork. xxx
DeleteI love finding things from other lands in thrift stores - I especially love that turkish bag!
ReplyDeleteThanks, CC! It is a gorgeous bag, wish it was bigger! xxx
Deletewouuu, you've hunted some fabulous pieces!, I particularly love that batik kaftan, and all those silk colorful clothes!, and those cuffs put a smile on my face!)
ReplyDeleteYour outfit rocks!, lovely colors and prints and lovely accessories (that bag is amazing!): you're gorgeous! and not so strange that your attitude wearing vintage was complimented wherever you go!
besos
A cool musician snapped up that kaftan at the weekend and it looked amazing.
DeleteThank you, a wonderful compliment from a woman as stylish and colourful as you! xxx
That was a lovely trip round the world, Vix. You've found some gorgeous pieces. I love the Thai kaftan and that tie dyed skirt in particular. The cuff links are fab! Isn't Jon tempted to snaffle them up?
ReplyDeleteI love your outfit, you look gorgeously colourful and I know exactly what the chazza shop lady meant and I'm sure the person on the other end did, too!
The bag is lovely - I remember these bags well, but I don't think I've ever seen one in a charity shop. Your charity shops seem to be fantastic. I must check them out one day.
Have a great weekend with lots of successful trading.
Veronica
vronni60s.blogspot.com
You should pop up this week, Vronnie! I can't squeeze a visit in at the moment and I'd hate for some of those finds I'm missing to fall into the wrong pair of hands!
DeleteJon was tempted with the cuff links but I found him a pair of 1970s Danish stainless steel ones last week and he's not allowed any more! xxx
There definitely is something special about your outfit today. When I had only seen but a teeny bit of it I said to myself, "Oooohhhh I'm going to love this outfit. I can already tell." I would imagine that wonderful things probably hop out of the racks and find you. Why wouldn't they? You will save them from obscurity and help them to find a loving home. "The one who wears the clothes." That's our Vix!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Connie! Funny how things you throw on without a second thought often end up looking better than a outfit planned for days! xxx
DeleteI tend to find this grouped by colour. Today I came home with three bags all in the same shade of orange/tan leather, and two bright blue dresses.
ReplyDeleteOh do keep the pendant, it is beautiful.
Three bags? That's chazzing magic. Hope we get to see them.
DeleteI did take the pendant with me but no-one bought it, I call that karma, it's mine now! xxx
Oh, you're the one who wears the clothes are you, you crazy clothes-wearing person! :D Of course she meant fabulous clothes, we all know that. Cor. You've been on a world trip! There's some corkers there. Love the Guatemalan top over your maxi dress and look! There's my bag's big sister! Still love it. The little sari top is gorgeous and if I were you, I'd definitely keep the pendant, it's just fab. Hope you've had a blinding weekend of trading. Xxxxx
ReplyDeleteYep, I'm mad me with my clothes and everything!
DeleteBig sister bag's looking a bit ratty - Polly Piglet sniffed it out and used it as a scratching post, the little monkey.
Yesterday was excellent in sunny Cardiff, Reminded me of our girls' day out there a couple of years ago! xxx
I love that description of you - "That lady, the one who wears the clothes"! I also find that I will find pieces that are similar to what I'm wearing when I am out thrifting, although they are not as interesting as the stuff you find over there. Your bag is beautiful, and the cuff links and necklace are wonderful finds.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Shelley. I wish that Flamenco dress was Vix size, would make a great festival outfit with the Costa Brava bag! xxx
DeleteHi Vix, I love your outfit and your bag. You found some beautiful stuff! You should put that dress on Polly Piglet just once, a quick snapshot then off it goes! You look so cute as usual and living the dream! :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cherre! She'd hate me for days, they aren't called "Naughty Torties" for nothing! xxx
DeleteYep - you're certainly 'Round the World' without having to tread one sandalled foot outside of the Black Country. Neat, eh? Hope you and Jon had fun on tour with Kinky Melon over the weekend! xxx
ReplyDeleteYou're not wrong there, love!! I went all the way to Wales and didn't bring anything back but find a world of souvenirs in sunny Walsall. xxx
DeleteOh my gosh!!! A baby flamenco dress!!!! You should totally carry kid's stuff - I've found that vintage baby clothes are waaaay better quality and last a heck of a lot longer.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it cute? I've made a few little girls' skirts out of vintage fabric for the festivals, why should grown-ups have all the fun? xxx
DeleteThe same thing happens to me at estate sales! I'm drawn to what I'm wearing. Your finds are exquisite! I too love Thai silk and the cuff links are amazing!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Judith! The Thai silk top is just your colour. xxx
DeleteI am really enchanted by what I see here!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Serena! xxx
DeleteYou always find such great things, the charity shops in London are terrible! The ones where I live are just full of primark and h&m, I think I cleared them out of all their J&G Meakin stock a few years ago and I haven't found anything good since! x
ReplyDeleteThat's so disappointing - you need a trip up here in the Mini! xxx
DeleteWow, what a wonderful bunch of awesome finds! You two certainly have an eye (and the patience) for picking out the good stuff.
ReplyDeleteNot as beautifully photographed as your fab finds though! xxx
DeleteMy goodness, the idea of squeezing a tortoiseshell spitfire in a flamenco dress is a scary one! Our Jessica took exception to being stroked sometimes!
ReplyDeleteNo wonder your outfit got so many compliments, it's beautiful xxx
Thanks, Melanie! Torties are really naughty, aren't they? Polly loves a cuddle but only if she's in the mood. xxx
DeleteThat Australian scarf is fab.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what the charity shop staff think other people do with their clothes? Ebay them?
The colours are ace, aren't they?
DeleteThere's a big African community in one of the towns we regularly shop at and they buy in bulk to send back home for relatives who love British clothes, I think the shop staff just assume I'm a shopaholic! xxx
I absolutely love this outfit Vix! x
ReplyDelete