Thrift You, Thrift Me

Vintage Cowboys Boots

Vintage Meunier Silk Scarf

Cottonier Cotton Scarf

Limited Chiffon Scarf

Nine West Phyton Leather Belt

Let me start this post by telling you about Lisa's interesting but appalling blog entry yesterday: Waste Not, Want Not. I wasn't aware of this waste disposal technique by retail stores in Canada and the United States until I read that article and I was abhorred. Considering the large scale of unemployment and homelessness in both countries, these retail discards could have been put to better use. Its one thing to leave trash bags of clothing outside for others to find but to have most items (brand new, just out of season clothing), slashed with box cutters or razors to make sure that they would never be worn or sold, is beyond comprehension. I'm not sure what can be done about it on a larger scale but on a personal level, I agree with Linda at Style Stance and I think we all have a social (and environmental) responsibility and in our own way, we can have STYLE + SUBSTANCE.

Last week, we went to the Value Village for the very first time. Well we, as in E dropped me off at the thrift store and he drove off like its nobody's business to Best Buy. I've been telling JoAnn I will definitely try it but I never had the chance so I hope she's proud of me today! E was confused as to why I wanted to go there and since I really didn't know what to expect either, I said, I'm exploring different horizons... I could be saving you money by going here, you never know! Spend money to save money! Yep that's my math and economics courses put together, whatever works.

It took a long time to sift through racks and racks of not so great (awful) dresses, I saw one I liked but it happened to be an LBD. My first instinct was to grab 'em and buy 'em but how many Little Black Dresses does a woman really need? In the end however, I was able to take these beauties home! And look at the prices! The Nine West phyton belt jumped at me (I was so exited I thought it was Michael Kors) and it looked almost brand new!

I must say that I am so, so proud (hence, the three photos) of my most treasured find - these Vintage Cowboy Boots! They're obviously worn and there's scratches on the leather and heels but they just add more character to them, don't you think? I have to say that they are the best $9.99 (Canadian!) that I've ever spent and part of their proceeds go to funding non-profit organizations, not only in the local community and but also in communities in developing countries. 

What do you think of this New York Times article? I would love to hear your personal views on being fashionable and socially responsible at the same time!