More Vintage Finds on eBay

In my search for Vintage Jewelry I found a great spot to find unique vintage clothing on eBay.

The eBay store is called TriftWares. They specialize in in youth-cult clothing from the 1960s-1980s! There is a lot of 60s British mod, go go, hippie, bohemian, 80s rocker, new wave, and street style.

They are based out of NY so they have a lot of great garments. You can find them at http://stores.ebay.com/thriftwares.

Here is a Gray Wool Wrap Coat I found on their site, the bid is currently $15! Some of the items get a bit more spendy, but overall priced low to begin with.

They also have some great Holiday dresses!

Vintage Jewelry

One of the best ways to brighten up an outfit is to add some jewelry!

You can find vintage-looking jewelry in nearly all store today. So why not have real vintage jewelry?

Check out JCrews current Jewelry. All of it is vintage inspired and almost all of it is over $50. This ring, on the left is $55.

My tip for vintage jewelry is to look in thrift store and online. Often times Ebay is a great place to look. Sometimes you can buy a Lot of jewelry for $1. The Lot will come with multiple pieces of jewelry, even if one or two pieces end up being great--you only spent a dollar! About five years go I purchased a group of rings off Ebay for $7. To this day, three of my favorite rings came from that collection.

I found this ring to the right, on Ebay for .99 cents with Free Shipping!

Best of Luck to You All!

Elite Repeat

I thought I would inform you all of another wonderful consignment shop in the Twin Cities, Elite Repeat!

Elite Repeat is located at 1336 Randolph in St. Paul.

Here are some tips for shopping at Elite Repeat:
Printed on each price tag is the date the item came to Elite Repeat. After 31 days, that item will become 10% off, 41 days 20% off, and 51 days 30% off.

Also, there are Two Huge Sales each year. The last two weeks of January and the last 2 weeks in July, everything in the store is 50% off!

Elite Repeat is open 10am-8pm Tuesday-Thursday, 10am-5pm Friday-Saturday, and closed on Sunday and Monday.

You can check out their website at http://www.eliterepeatstpaul.com/

TurnStyle

A very prominent consignment shop in Minnesota is TurnStyle, with ten stores located in Burnsville, Coon Rapids/Anoka, Crystal, Highland Park, Plymouth, Roseville, South Minneapolis, St. Paul and two stores in Eden Prairie.

The great thing about consignment stores, rather than thrift stores, is the partnership between the store and the actual seller. The seller or the original owner of the item receives a percentage of the sale. If items do not sell, normally in a 90 day period, they must be picked up by the seller or they become legally owned by the store. This partnership normally fosters a store that has quality products.

TurnStyle sells Women's and Men's Clothing and Accessories, Children's Clothing, as well as Furniture and Home Accents.

Check out a store near you at http://www.turnstyleconsign.com/

OPITZ!

I referenced the store Opitz in a previous post. I was talking today with a friend and she had no idea about Opitz so I'm assuming there are others of you out their who are unaware as well.

Opitz Outlet, sells upscale name brand apparel, shoes, accessories and domestics at 70% off retail. The type of merchandise you would find in an upscale department store. The merchandise comes from major manufacturers, distributors and retailers. Some items may have flaws or defects. Others may be off season, discontinued items, "odd lots", production problems or sample lots.

Address: 4320 Excelsior Blvd, St. Louis Park, MN
Open: Monday-Wednesday: 12-8pm, Thursday-Friday: 10am-8pm, Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 12-5pm

I suggested signing up online to receive emails and listings for their upcoming designer events!

Shopping In Minnesota

I found some great tips for shopping in Minnesota at www.thebudgetfashionista.com

Shop downtown - Downtown Minneapolis boasts two of the best outlet stores in town- Off Fifth, the Saks Fifth Avenue Outlet; and Last Call, the Neiman Marcus Outlet.
Check the temperature and plan accordingly - There are two seasons in Minnesota: cold and colder. Check the weather before coming, and dress accordingly.
Head uptown - Scandinavian sensibility meets urban flair with a wide range of boutiques and great restaurants (Figlio is a favorite). Stop by Ragstock, a vintage seeker’s delight, located a block west of Hennepin Avenue on Lake Street. If you have time visit their warehouse location downtown.
Visit the Mall of America - MOA, Don’t expect to find high fashion - but you will find an IKEA and four Gaps.
Bring your checkbook - Minneapolis is one of the only places left where the stores will take a check.
Pick up a copy of City Pages - This alternative paper has the most comprehensive listing of activities in the area. Plus, it’s free. Also check out the Minneapolis Star and Tribune.
Go to Target - It’s big. It’s red. It’s nationwide. Visit the store in its hometown.
No sales tax - The great state of Minnesota levies no sales tax on necessities such as clothing and groceries, leaving you more money to spend at the Mall.
Don’t miss the local malls - Minneapolis has great local malls. Visit Southdale, in Edina - the first enclosed mall in America.

You can find the article in its entirety at: http://www.thebudgetfashionista.com/archive/shopping_guide_to_minneapolis/

Vintage Style in Minnesota

vita.mn says it best when they say, "The Twin Cities has many great possibilities for cheaper duds. Think vintage shops, thrift and secondhand stores, designer outlets and the big discount retailers. This season, you can stay thrifty without sacrificing your style by saving on discounted, one-of-a-kind treasures. Plus, you can pretty much be guaranteed that no one else will be wearing the same outfit you are."

Check out their Holiday Fashion spread featuring many of these wonderful stores at http://vita.mn/story.php?id=35496789.

Christmas Wrapping?

Here is another thrifty tip. An interesting way to save some money, be creative, and recycle...

My family has a lot of odd holiday traditions. One tradition that started almost ten years ago was wrapping gifts in cloth. It started because my Mom purchased a large gift for my brother that was very difficult to wrap with conventional Christmas wrapping paper. My mom decided to wrap the gift in large piece of gold fabric that was from a dress from the 80's. She made it look very nice and it worked out really well. Since then, that piece of fabric has been used for presents nearly every year.

A good friend of mine who is quite creative, also often wraps gifts with cloth. I love scarfs, and for my birthday she got me a book which she then wrapped in a scarf. It was really two gifts! I respected the creativity and efficiency of using the gift as the wrapping. I also respected the fact that both gifts were purchased at a thrift store.

This method is actually referred to as "furoshiki" gift wrapping. Furoshiki means "bath spread" -- in feudal Japan, because the method was used to bundle and protect people's clothing at public bath houses, but over the years, the are used to bundle up nearly anything. The traditional "furoshiki" uses Japanese square cloths, most of which are around one-and-a-half to a little over two feet on a side.

A traditional "furoshiki" cloth does not need to be used. You can use a bandanna, or a scarf, or even a piece of cloth from a dress from the 80's!