Happy National Thrift Shop Day!

As an avid thrifter, National Thrift Shop Day is basically my favourite holiday. Ok, that may be taking it a bit too far - Christmas and Halloween are still in the lead - but I still love Thrift Shop Day.

Naturally, I thought I would celebrate with a trip to my favourite Value Village - the one on Hastings, for those in Vancouver. You can head over to my Instagram Stories right now to follow along during my thrifting trip there. You'll see some of the awesome finds I came across, as well as some thrifting tips along the way.

It's actually been a while since I've been thrifting. In the meantime, I've been compiling quite a big bag of donations: clothes and even some mugs and glasses that we just don't have space for. The best part of taking those into Value Village finally? A discount on my shopping trip! Woohoo!

I did pretty well during this trip. I usually try not to go in with high expectations, because I feel like that sort of sets you up for failure. You never know what you're going to find in a thrift store, which is great, but it also means you can end up walking away with nothing. That's why I like to go thrifting as often as I can though - it ups your chances! At the end of my trip, I ended up with:

1. A Wilfred Chevalier jacket (I paid: $19.99, but it's worth: $225)
2. A Mustard Seed dress (I paid: $13.49)
3. A Forever 21 trench (I paid: $17.99)
4. A Zara ruffle top (I paid: $8.49)
5. A pair of shearling lined boots (I paid:$13.99)

I'm sure you can tell by the breakdown above that my most valuable find was the Wilfred Chevalier jacket. It's funny because I've literally only shopped at Artizia once in my life, but living in Vancouver, it's basically impossible not to be familiar with their clothes. I've seen these Chevalier jackets re-sold on Facebook selling groups enough times to know I'd found something pretty coveted. And when I went to run my hands along the fabric, I could see why. It definitely has a heavy, silky texture to it that you just can't help but love. And it hands beautifully when on. The one I found it juuuuust a tad small (it's a size 2, and I think a 4 would be a bit roomier on me), but I think it'll be fine, as it has some stretch to it.

But my favourite find of the day goes to the stunning red pleated Mustard Seed dress I ended up finding by a stroke of luck. I just happened to see the voluminous skirt peeking out from a rack, and even though the rack was labelled as size 9/10 dresses (and I'm usually a 6), I gravitated towards it to pull it off the rack. Right away, I could tell it was definitely not a size 9 or 10. And when I saw the Mustard Seed label, with a size 'Medium' on the tag, I had a real good feel it was going to fit like a glove. That's the trouble with clothes that are labelled as 'Medium' - every brand sizes their clothing differently, and that makes it extra hard when staff are trying to find out what rack to put an item on. So that's why I always recommend checking other racks outside of your usual size, just so you don't miss out on an item that could be your size.

As I mentioned above, I try not to go into a thrift store with any expectations, but I did tell myself to try and come home with some fall items, instead of more summer stuff. Which is why I'm pretty proud I ended up snagging that Forever 21 trench and the shearling boots! Definitely not summer items. I know the trench isn't some some fancy brand, but I like how the trench drapes, and I could use a trench in grey. And the boots caught my eye because the heel was fairly low and thick, so they'll be easy to walk in, even in the snow this winter. Look at me, thinking two seasons ahead!!

There were also lots of great brands I came across that didn't make the cut for me, but it was exciting to find them nonetheless. Like a pair of Rock and Republic ankle boots, a LaFayette 148 skirt which looked to be valued at about $300, a cute Calvin Klein dress, and I was also happy to see that Simons clothes are starting to trickle into the store (after the first West Coast store opened in North Vancouver a couple years ago).

All in all, a successful thrifting trip! And the best part of all? My shopping left no mark on the environment! I created no demand for new clothes to be made, and yet I have a bunch of 'new' clothes that I'm exciting to add to my wardrobe. Did I mention everything I took home only totalled $80?? Not bad at all!

I'd love to hear your best thrifted finds, and your best thrifting tips! Feel free to share in the comments below :)



Happy Thrifting! xo

~ Britta



Thanks to Value Village for providing a gift card to support my Thrift Shop Day shopping spree!

Earth Day Thrift Shopping with Women Who Workshop & Value Village

As a thrifter, Earth Day has become a pretty fun day on April 22nd every year. After all, thrifting is not just about getting a great deal, it's also eco-friendly! This year was even more special, as I had the pleasure of hosting a thrifting workshop with Women Who Workshop at Value Village. We talked about reducing our textile waste, why thrifting is eco-friendly, and I shared some of my top strategy tips for thrift shopping. I don't want all of you to miss out on what everyone learned, so keep scrolling below to see my full list of thrifting tips (and see what everyone found, once I set them loose in the store!). Big thanks to Value Village for graciously providing our workshop attendees with gift cards to get them started with their thrifting hunt.

If you're scratching your head thinking: "how is thrifting eco-friendly?" Then here's quick recap on what we discussed in the workshop:

When you shop from a retail store, you're putting demand on the textiles industry, because that shirt needs to be made from scratch, in order for you to buy it. In fact, it can take up to 700 gallons of water to make 1 new cotton t-shirt. And 1800 gallons to make a new pair of jeans. Unlike regular shopping, thrift shopping doesn't put that kind of burden on the textiles industry. Instead, you're simply buying something that has already been used by someone else (meaning no demand for new textiles). And rather than throwing your old clothes into the trash, increasing your textiles waste, by donating them to a thrift store, someone else could have the chance to love those items of clothing too!

My top thrifting tips:

1. Be patient. Give yourself time to hunt. There's lots to sift through, so giving yourself ample time to go through the racks one-by-one will reduce that overwhelming feeling you might have when you walk through the door.
2. Not sure? Try it on! If you pick out an item off the rack, something must have caught your eye, so why not just try it on! You might second guess yourself, thinking it may not fit, or your not sure of the cut, but you won't really know until you try it on. Also, that's why it's best to use one of the shop's baskets or carts, so you can toss things in there as you go.
3. Don't get stuck on the 'size'. It's best not to rely on what it says on the tag, in terms of sizing. Sometimes tags are mislabelled, or an item might have been misplaced and put in the wrong size section. So it's a good idea to search beyond the size section you'd normally look it. If you're usually a small, check the x-smalls and mediums too (if you have time!). Particularly if you've found a vintage item, they tend to be smaller, so you'll likely need to size up.
4. Use your fingers to feel for quality. Rather than checking every label to see if it's a quality item, use your fingers! Especially in the sweater section, you'll be able to feel the softness of cashmere and merino wool. For other items, the heaviness/thickness might also indicate quality. I like to touch each piece as I move the hanger on the rack, and then if I feel some that seems quality, I'll check the tag. Sometimes, it'll confirm your guess!
5. Look for brand names. This relates to #4. I usually come across brand names based on touch, but sometimes just taking a peek at the labels as you flip through the hangers will also just do the trick. If you know the names of more obscure labels, even better. As those may not have been marked up, and you'll get an even better deal! Or...if an item seems like it might be an expensive brand name, but your not sure, just pull out your phone and do a quick Google search to see what they usually retail for.
6. Be open-minded. Thrifting is best when you go in open-minded. It can be a bit difficult if you have something very specific in mind, because of the layout and contents of thrift stores. It's not like a shopping mall where you can go to a specific store for a specific type of clothing item. Instead, be ready to find all kinds of amazing items! If anything, keep your goals wider, like "I'm looking for spring dresses".
7. Give your items a twice-over. Just like you would in a normal store, you'll want to give your items a once-over, or even better a twice-over, before you buy. Sometimes, items are donated with small rips, stains, broken zippers, etc. which you'll want to be aware of before purchasing. If it's something that would be easily fixed, then you may choose to buy it anyway. If it's a more expensive fix, like a broken zipper, then you may want to think about how much the item will cost you with that fix included in the price.
8. Go often! Stores are restocked daily, so your best bet is to go often. This way, you might be lucky enough to snag some great finds before someone else finds it!

Helpful tips for thrifting at Value Village:

1. Join their Super Savers Club. By signing up online, you'll get an alert of when their sales are coming up, and even get access to shopping their 50% off sales the day before the rest of the public!
2. Save more by donating. Donating is great because you'll clean out your home, give your clothes new life, and Value Village will pay local non-profits when you donate. The best part though: you'll also get a stamp card when you donate, and based on how many bags you drop off, you can earn up to 30% off your next thrifting purchase!

Once we were all done chatting about textiles waste and thrifting strategy, I set them loose in Value Village to shop! I was so proud seeing my little thrifting protégés combing the racks. And they all did such a great job. Not everyone found something, but they now all have a few more tricks in their arsenal for thrift shopping another day. Others walked away with some awesome thrifted finds!

This dress was picked out for me by Sara, a member of the workshop, and it turned out being my favourite find of the day! Luckily, it was a pretty good fit (I'm planning to do a bit of adjustments to make the top a bit roomier), and it's just super cute for spring. It's made in Italy, and was only $24.99!

How cute is Julie's laser cut top? She found a ton of awesome items, including a bunch of tops and an adorable red romper. And I ended up taking home the royal blue dress on the right, along with a few other items.

Debra did really well too! She found a great Joe Fresh sweater (with tags still on!) and a couple other items.

I'm most proud of Chantale. Even the idea of thrifting stresses her out, as does shopping at stores like Winners, so I knew it would be a challenge for her to shop with us, let alone find something she liked. But she did! She found a great 100% merino wool sweater from Ellen Tracy, in perfect condition. How great is that?

Here's just a few of our workshop attendees, with their bags of goodies!

If you haven't tried thrifting before, I hope you're feeling a bit more inspired to give it a try. It's a great way to reduce your environmental footprint, while also refreshing your wardrobe on a budget.

Happy Earth Day!

~ Britta

Holiday Style: It's All in the Accessories

Okay, okay, last holiday outfit post, I swear! I just had to share this one, because I was so excited when I found these shoes at Value Village. They look brand spanking new, and are part of Payless' seasonal collection with Christian Siriano. Aren't they the perfect shoe for any holiday outfit? The matte silver finish caught my eye, and then I saw the 40% off sign: woohoo! They ended up ringing in at a grand total of $13. You definitely don't need to break the bank on accessorising your holiday outfit.

The other accessory starring in this look is a vintage Chanel necklace I thrifted years ago. You may also have spotted it in my other holiday outfit here. In that post, I wore it in the front, to fit the plunging neckline. This time around, since this awesome dress has a plunging open back, I thought I'd drape the necklace down the back! There are lots of drop necklaces out there right now too, so they're easy to find if you want to try the same thing. I've linked to a few below.

As for the dress, I literally searched the entire internet for this dress. I kid not. I search for hours and days to find this dress. I was absolutely stuck on finding the perfect deep green velvet holiday dress. I just couldn't find a cut that I was happy with - until I found this one online at H&M! I loved that it cut at the knee, was bodycon, and had something interesting to it (the plunging back!). SO many of the other dresses I looked at were way too short, had huge front plunging necklines, and were cheap-looking velvet. When I saw this one, I knew it was the one. Unfortunately, it looks like they're out of the green colour now, but they do have a beautiful sparkly silver version that I think would be fantastic for New Year's Eve!

Dress - H&M | Necklace - Salvation Army | Shoes - c/o Value Village

Happy Holiday Styling! xo

~ Britta

Holiday Entertaining on a Budget

I love hosting parties. Unfortunately, my tiny apartment isn't exactly conducive to that, but I still like to regardless. This year, I did some hunting on Pinterest (of course) to find the perfect cocktail to serve, and ended up coming across the 'Ornamentini' by Inspired by Charm. I loved the presentation. The drink is presented in signature clear ornaments, held in martini glasses. The jewel tone red of the cocktail shines through and looks oh-so-festive!

I changed up my recipe just slightly from what you'll see on Inspired by Charm. The recipe called for an orange liqueur, and immediately I thought of Grand Marnier. It's the liqueur my parents had growing up, and for the last few years, I've been using it in my own cocktails. It just has the most lovely smooth, orange flavour. It tastes great even on its own! It's definitely the more premium of the orange liqueurs though, so I thought I would try to keep my budget under control on the presentation of the drinks to balance things out.

I made a trip to Value Village in search of some cool drinkware, and ended up coming across the incredible contraption you'll see below! I rarely check out the 'home' section of Value Village because I usually go straight for the clothes and shoes, but every once in a while I browse the home section and find something amazing (and cheap!) like this.

It's a 6-part cocktail set that includes a lovely glass cocktail shaker, 4 crystal glasses, and the holder, which houses the shaker as well as hangs all 4 glasses on it. The whole set cost me only $18.98 - which is a great deal, considering the glasses are all crystal. And what a unique design! I'd never seen anything like it before, and immediately when I saw it I thought I could make it work for this ornament cocktail.

I picked up some plastic empty ornaments from Michaels (make sure you check their app for coupons - I got 40% off!), and decided I would use the mini crystal glasses to hold the ornaments full of cocktail mix - kind of like an egg-holder holds an egg. I remembered having some cute striped straws in a cupboard, so I cut a few shorter so they would fit in the glasses, and voila! I also decided to add a couple small sprigs of rosemary not just to the cocktail itself, but in the bottom of each glass, just to give it an even more festive look.

Want to give these babies a try at your Christmas or New Year's party? Here's the recipe:

The Grand Ornament

• 1.5oz Vodka
• 1oz Grand Marnier
• 2oz Cranberry Juice
• 0.5oz Orange Juice
• 1 Rosemary sprig

Just shake together your juices and liquors with ice, pour using a funnel into the ornaments, and add the sprigs of rosemary to your ornament, and in the bottom of the glass!

Happy Holiday Entertaining!

~ Britta

Disclaimer: Grand Marnier and Value Village provided the products featured in this post. As always opinions here are entirely my own, and I only collaborate with brands I truly love!

Thrifted Style: Looking Chic for Under $30

You know what's better than a well-styled, put-together outfit? One that's also thrifted! I had a great haul from Value Village about a month ago now, and while it rarely happens, all of the items could be styled together all in one outfit!

As you know, I always look for items that stand out when I'm thrift shopping: a texture, a colour, a label...it could be anything. This Asos skirt ($8.99) caught my eye originally because of the volume - I always get excited when I see a full skirt or dress hidden amongst the aisles. Then I was even more overjoyed when I saw the lace trim along the bottom: how sweet! The top ($4.99) I found was far more basic that what I usually hunt for, but hey it's good to have some simpler pieces too. Here, I dressed it up by styling it with this white statement necklace from Nobis & Grey.

As for the purse ($4.99), the little bow on the front stuck out amongst the other bags (I have a lifelong obsession with bows, after all). Bags are a bit tougher to search for, since smaller bags and wallets are hung up and down the tops of many of the aisles. But if you've got some extra time, you might just find some treasures! Don't forget to check the pockets. You never know what surprises could be inside. I once found a clutch full of some brand new rose gold Aldo bracelets!

Last, I was over the moon when I found these simple single-strap high heels ($9.99). In fact, I found an identical pair in highlighter yellow too! And the kicker: both sets were in mint condition. I have been lusting over other bloggers' heels like these for quite some time, so to find them for such a deal was an absolute treat.

Have you been thrifting lately? What goodies have you found?

Top - Seduction (thrifted via Value Village) | Necklace - c/o Nobis & Grey | Skirt - Asos (thrifted via Value Village) | Purse - Gap (thrifted via Value Village) | Heels - Anne Michelle (thrifted via Value Village)

Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

Affordable & Sweet Spring Style

Here on Vancouver Vogue, I love sharing affordable outfit inspiration with you. An outfit shouldn't have to break the bank to make you feel awesome. I feel absolutely giddy about this sweet bow-filled outfit, and guess what? No item here is over $20!

I am so over the moon with this top: I love black and white, and have a not-so-small obsession with bows, so when I spotted this SheIn checked bow split back peplum top online, I crossed all my fingers and toes that it would fit. It's got quite a boxy, looser shape in the front, but I think this is actually preferred for hot spring/summer days, and the openness of the back is not only super cute, but great for letting a much needed breeze through to keep me cool. The temperatures are on the rise here early this year (is it summer here already??), so I'm going to be choosing tops like this more to stay cool in the summer heat.

I also love that the bows on the back are adjustable - you can tie them as tight or as loose as you'd like, if you'd rather show a little more or less skin! If you're feeling like your shirt wardrobe needs some spicing up, "party in the back" tops like this are great. You can see a few of my other "party in the back" tops here and here.

Top - c/o SheIn | Necklace - Blue Ocean Jewelry on Etsy | Jeans - Simons | Heels - H&M (thrifted via Value Village) | Purse - Gap (thrifted via Value Village)

Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

Disclaimer: SheIn provided the shirt featured in this post for review. As always, opinions are entirely my own.