As many people (I think many are. Lol ) are aware, I used to spend a lot on clothes. Like, a lot. And since my parents encourage saving up for something we like, I'd usually have to spend days of filter feeding and water dieting back in high school just to be able to buy shoes from Topman or those nice shirts from Zara. It was no easy task. The benefits were great though; we got skinny as a result. Back in the days, if you were gay and skinny, you're fabulous. So we, the skinny bitches, would go shopping for stuff and look great at the same time; it's a win-win situation. Or if I'm lucky, I'd get sent all these fabulous jackets by my aunts from abroad; even if the jackets were meant for countries that lie on the northern hemisphere. It was a comfort disadvantage but definitely a style advantage. And a popularity raiser too. I remember having one of my motorcycle jackets being borrowed by my friend in the other section. After recess, it would be in another section. It's the same case after lunch. I'd have to trace my jacket not only in other sections, but also in the other batches for safe measure. But that was in high school. And with the price of fashion getting higher than my allowance, I had to find a way to sustain my craving for new pieces without sacrificing a whole week's worth of recess and lunch.
Then someone introduced me to thrift stores. Oh God, the glory of thrift stores! Where have they been all my life? I was actually reluctant at first; the shops made me sneeze like hell and wreaked of old clothes. But once I spotted the vintage Givenchys and the old Diors among the Bossini pants and Chinese clothes, I was sold! It found it insane and mind-boggling how these fabulous clothes end up in places like this. I felt like I was rescuing long forgotten luxury and bringing them back to life. It was surreal.
So now, what I'll do is share these fabulous finds and maybe inspire those people who think that fashion has to be expensive to be fabulous; not that it isn't true, but then again, a cheaper alternative is always better. I'll be posting stuff I found that's sure to inspire the fashion adventurer in you to dive in to the experience and maybe, just maybe, get awesome stuff like I do.
I got these boots from a thrift store near SM Centerpoint. I remember squealing in delight when I saw them. I was eyeing these particular boots on mrporter.com, a website that's basically my dream closet. These are around $200 on the website. I got to haggle it from 700 pesos to 450 pesos. And in such pristine condition! Gosh, amazing.
Now these 2 glasses are some of my recent acquisitions from the Super Sale Bazaar. Online, these would fetch around $150 to $275. Even more! So when I saw that these glasses are 250 pesos and 150 pesos respectively, I just couldn't say no! It's insane, I'm telling you. And it looks so vintage too!
These rings, however, ain't really that cheap. It's from Forever 21. But since the rings I usually buy hit 400 pesos to 700 pesos, I think it's only fair that I consider these cheap since it's 160 pesos for 3 pieces. Not bad. Not bad at all.
When I saw this leather envelope/clutch in a thrift store, I just had to have it. I've seen many of these kinds of bags in bazaars and I'm telling you, they're 600 pesos and above. So when I saw this and found out it's only for 200, I grabbed it and paid. It's now one of my fave bags because the leather is so soft. And it's not the type of leather that feels cheap. Amazing, really.
There are so many things in my closet that I got for a really cheap price. It's amazing how the universe seems to provide me with all the things I want but for a really, really, really, lower price. It's like I'm cheating fashion; the hundred dollar look for a huge fraction of the price. A lot of fashionable people will attest to this. So if we could find things like these, definitely so can you.
It's just a matter of looking at the right places.
And haggle, my dears. Haggle, haggle, haggle.