Collective Thrift Haul Video: Vintage Show + Value Village Sale

I've done quite a bit of shopping over the past week or so and wanted to show you all the goodies I've found. I start off by showing you my Ottawa Vintage Clothing Show finds and then lead into what I found at the Value Village half-off day sale. I was so happy to find such great pieces and I'm very excited to share with you. Let me know what you think! And please, if you like my videos, subscribe to my YouTube channel.

watch here:

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A grand ol' time: blogger's brunch and vintage show

I had been looking forward to today for weeks now. Not only was it my first day off in a while but it was also the Ottawa fashion blogger's brunch and the Ottawa Vintage Clothing Show!

The Ottawa fashion blogger's brunch was organized by The Eternal Optimist (Darcy) to give Ottawa blogger's a chance to meet in person, exchange ideas and simply enjoy each other's company. I had so much fun at the blogger's brunch and got to meet a few new bloggers (Hippie Lace and Hold My Umbrella, Bitch) as well as caught up with Marcia, Petite Adventures, Tinfoils Tiaras, and The Eternal Optimist. 

After a delicious brunch at Milestone's downtown location (I ordered the 'big breakfast' and ate it too fast to show you a picture), we headed to the Ottawa Vintage Clothing Show. At the show, I saw a lot of really unique hats, jewelry and clutches. I was surprised to see quite a bit of designer vintage pieces including various Chanel shoes and a gorgeous Pierre Cardin black and white striped dress.

I bought three rings, a paisley tunic with belt, and a Roma scarf for my mom. You'll get to see them in my next haul video! (I'm going to the Value Village half-off day tomorrow and will be making a vintage show / vv haul video.)

bloggers brunch

HMUB, Marcia, Petite Adventures, Tinfoils Tiaras, Eternal Optimist, Hippie Lace

at the vintage show

I was LUSTING over this clear round plastic clutch. 

 dress: french look, vintage, $15

heels: joe fresh, $10

All photos taken by myself and a lovely lady at the vintage booth. 

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Never a mall rat

You're probably curious about the name of this post. Let me explain... 
Me, being a thrift shopper and vintage fiend, will most likely not be found at the mall. And that is true for the most part. Lately, though, you could basically call me a mall rat. I've been to the mall at least three times this week. I said it. 

The reason being, I needed things that I refuse to buy in thrift stores. I also believe that mixing modern clothing with thrifted pieces is how you keep your look modern rather than dated and frumpy. 

I would never purchase undergarments used (although they do sell them at thrift stores, and I suppose people buy them). I don't care if there are brand new tags on them, something about it doesn't seem right to me. I know you're probably thinking it's just as unsanitary to wear pants, dresses, and boots from a thrift store but to each their own. 

On to my outfit:
These are all recent purchases. I love the blouse because it can be layered and paired with nearly everything I already own. My pants are Joe Fresh, they are super comfortable and I fell in love with the colour. My shoes were a steal from Winners and I don't have any functional brogues right now so they definitely made the cut. 

I wore this outfit to the mall and to a late dinner afterwards at Chez Lucien. If you live in or near Ottawa, it is absolutely a must that you visit this restaurant. 

         

 All photos taken by Lisa Kidd. 

 blouse: vero moda, winners, $24.99

pants: joe fresh, $10

shoes: wanted, winners, $15

belt: value village, $3

coat: h&m, value village, $12

fur stole: value village, $4

purse: value village, $6

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Thrifting with The Fashion Kidd

I'm an avid thrift shopper. I mainly shop at Value Village but enjoy other stores like Bibles, Goodwill and Salvation Army from time to time. What draws me to thrift is the unique pieces I find. Each piece is one-of-a-kind and has a story behind it. I love when an item looks like it has history behind it. Another plus to thrifting is the price. It's so much cheaper than mall shopping and a lot of the items are vintage, in good condition and are truly different. 


The Eye

Like with anything, to be good at it, you need to have a skill or natural ability for it. With thrift shopping, it's possessing "The Eye". The ability to skim through an entire thrift store and pick up the cream of the crop, really is a skill that must be learnt. With time, you eventually learn which racks to prioritize, which colours and textures to look out for, and how to spot flaws in the items as well. To be a good thrift shopper also means that you know you'll need at least an hour and that finding and trying on items, takes time. 

This video is about my most recent finds at Value Village. Enjoy: 

Video shot by me and edited by Jonathan Lindsay. 

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Spot the Vintage

Ottawa is in no way known for it's shopping let alone it's second-hand and vintage shopping.

HOWEVER

there are more than enough places to find unique vintage pieces as well as fabulous thrift store clothing and accessories.

I've created a handy list of every (that I know of) secondhand/vintage shop in Ottawa.

Vintage

1. Ragtime Vintage 43 Flora St. 

2. Aunt Olives 209 Gilmour St. 

3. Young Janes 223 Dalhousie St.

4. Allegro & Bang On 53 William St. 

5. Gypsy and Co 203 Dalhousie St. 

Secondhand Clothing + Consignment Stores

Small Stores:

1. Rikochet Resale 255 Richmond Rd. 

2. St. Vincent de Paul 1273 Wellington 

3. The Clothes Secret 1136 Bank St. 

4. AMH Style 1440 Wellington 

5. Act 11 471 Hazeldean Rd. & 3500 Fallowfield Rd.

Big Stores:

1. Value Village (multiple locations)

2. Salvation Army (multiple locations)

3. Goodwill 1620 Merivale Rd.

4. Bibles for Missions thrift store 1545 Merivale Rd.

BIG STORES

Pros:
- more selection
- depending on the day, can get very good deals
- less brand names =  more unique pieces

Cons:
- time consuming
- hit or miss
- less brand names (if thats what you look for)

small stores

Pros:
- convenient (less time consuming)
- better brand names (usually better condition clothing)
- designer purses/jewlery/shoes at fraction of retail cost

Cons:
- less selection
- usually more expensive
- shorter store hours (usually)

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