Thrift haul (& online shopping rant)

(Rant alert 🔔 for the first two paragraphs)
There are a lot of nice vintage clothes for sale on Etsy, but damn, it is expensive. I've seen a lot of skirts labelled "vintage" being sold 40$+ CAD. Most blouses are also 30$+ CAD. I didn't know vintage fashion online was that pricey. Some skirts are even stained or damaged (which is understandable because vintage is secondhand), but the seller still prices them very high. Is it normal or are most vintage items on Etsy overpriced? Add to that the shipping fees. This explains why I haven't bought anything (yet?) from the website. I concede I bought some expensive secondhand Liz Lisa pieces on Fril and Mercari, so maybe I'm being biased cuz the clothes on Etsy are not jfashion...

As for shopping in person, I'm pretty sure Montreal is home to cool thrift stores. I've looked them up on the Internet since they are hardly accessible by subway and I didn't want to bother going on multiple buses for nothing. That was a good idea because my research wound up disappointing. Not only the stores don't carry the type of clothes I'm looking for, but the prices are almost as costly. I do plan on going to some Value Village stores near my place, but that's all.

During the first two weeks of August, I took two weeks off from work and spent my summer vacations in my hometown. 🌿 I never believed the city where I had grown was gushing vintage stuff but it seems like it has more potential than I thought. I visited a couple of thrift stores, including the ones from charitable organizations such as The Salvation Army. The thrift stores where I found vintage/retro pieces in my style were actually places like these.

So here is my haul, comprising purchases from five different thrift stores. I also indicated the prices (all in CAD) so you can assess the price contrast between buying vintage online versus in-person. Following this experience, I'm not too keen on buying vintage from online sellers anymore, especially on Etsy (of course, exceptions would be made when it's a really unique piece—free shipping would help too). And note that this thinking doesn't apply to retro pieces sold brand new in online stores.

I'm still away from my apartment, but I decided to take the pictures with my current phone. Although the quality is inferior to my former phone, it's undoubtedly better than what you get with the old Fujifilm camera.

Thrift store #1

Mocha blouse — 4$

This was my first vintage find. It's a size 5/6 so I thought it would be too big on me (and my mom had planned to alter it) but contrary to my expectations, it fits great. The buttons go a bit too high up my neck, but I just leave the first button unbuttoned. I'm thinking of pairing this mocha-coloured piece with colours such as black, bordeaux, dark purple or beige plaid.

Tag is weirdly leaning more to the left but that's okay

I really like the details and the embroidery on the collar. Notice also the cute scallop pattern on the back of it.

Pink flecked tweed-like skirt — 8$ (initially pants altered into a skirt for 25$)

This skirt was originally a pair of loose and wide 3/4 pants that my mom discovered. The design really put me off, but the colour of the fabric looked gorgeous and to find such a high-quality piece at that thrift store was quite exceptional.

I don't have pictures of it when it was a pair of pants (we directly went to the seamstress when leaving the thrift store), but just imagine that the vertical line in the middle was the in-seam. The seamstress did an amazing job at transforming these pants into a skirt. She also made the waist smaller. I love it now. Yeah, it did cost me a few bucks to transform the pants into a skirt... but I think it was still cheaper than if I were to buy it online.

Thrift store #2

Floral pleated skirt — 1$

Granted, this skirt may not be vintage, but I liked it the moment I saw it. The pictures don't really do it justice as the colours are more vibrant in real life (similar to the pic below).
What I liked about this skirt were the flowers in three different colours: violet, forest green and some grey-ish green/yellow. Coords ideas instantly flowed in my head (e.g. white sailor blouse from Fi.n.t with a purple or forest green cardigan and a round buckle belt).

I admit I wouldn't have bought it for 5$+, but for 1 buck this was definitely a steal.

My mom gave me this eggplant purple belt she had in her closet.

It goes perfectly with the skirt. ✨

I also really liked this blouse (0.50$ !!) but it was way too big for me:

I returned to that thrift store one week later, and sadly the blouse was gone... but I did pick up two other pieces. 😈

Green wool sweater — 0.50$

My mom transformed this sweater from an XXL (18 size) into an S and a little mishap occurred, hence the bit of leftover fabric hanging at the hem... but it's fine because I'll wear this sweater tucked in skirts primarily.

Anyway, I love this soft pastel. I feel it'd look lovely with other pastels such as gingham yellow. I already tried it on with my floral skirt bought last week along with the purple belt and it looks surprisingly good.

Double-breasted tweed-like blouse — 0.50$

This isn't a vintage piece (it may be from Sirens by looking at the tag) but I thought it would make a really cute outfit paired with 3/4 pants in red or navy (I find the blouse wouldn't look good with a long skirt because it's kind of long and doesn't look nice tucked in—except if I ask my mother if it'd be possible to make it shorter... it would make a cute jacket...)

Although I seem hesitant about this blouse, I still bought it because of the price and because I liked the double-breasted look. It isn't a tight-fitting top, but it still looks okay. It reminds me of a piece from Tralala with the puffed sleeves and the rounded collar. Adding a bow at the collar would make it look even cuter. What I'm unsure of is whether the colour is black or navy. I think it's navy.

The lining on the left side was ripped in two places, but my mom sewed them back.

Thrift store #3

Yellow blouse — 6$

This blouse is really cute. It's a soft buttery yellow with embroidery and a scallop pattern on the collar and on the button placket. I had been looking for a yellow piece and I'm glad I found this one (ok, I don't have a bottom piece yet to wear with it... but I'll find one).

The upper button placket has two lovely embroidered flowers patterns

The way you fully button the collar is somewhat sophisticated...

There are two outside buttons, and an inside button on the left already buttoned.

The buttons on this blouse also go really high up the neck...

I waited to be home before trying on the blouse because I wanted it to be washed first. I had already expected it to be too large for me (case similar to the mocha blouse) and my mom had offered to alter it to make it smaller. However, when I tried on the blouse, I found the waist width was okay; it was rather the shoulder width that was too large which made my shoulders look even broader. However, my mom had the genius idea to sew elastics on the shoulder seams so that it "tightens" and shortens them:

It may seem weird but it actually looks very good.

And it's a million times better than not fixing anything anyway.

I found a way to not button up the blouse completely

cuz I can't pull off the top-button-buttoned look 💀

Thrift store #4

Vintage blouses in red, grey and white — 3 for 5$

N.B. All three blouses were too big on me, so they were altered by my mother to fit me better.

Blouse #1

The colour of this blouse wasn't picked up correctly on my phone, but it's a very deep red. The condition is mint as if the previous owner barely wore it. I had been looking to add more colours into my wardrobe and this red wine piece will look nice with my Mia Mix beige plaid skirt or a navy one. I also liked the hidden button placket with a sole button placed where the collar.

Strangely, I had assumed that this blouse wouldn't be so big on me until I tried it on properly at home. It is actually the loosest among the three blouses; the waist, the sleeves circumference as well as their length were all adjusted. The shoulder seams were also shortened with an elastic on each side. Finally, the sleeve buttons had to be moved so that the sleeves (a bit too long) wouldn't cover my hands. The total length of the blouse is a wee bit long, but I tuck it inside a skirt anyway.

Shoulder seams were tightened with an elastic such as the yellow blouse.

This was also done for blouse #3. I absolutely love this tip.

Blouse #2

I love the colour of this blouse as it's very peculiar, like an icy grey. I plan on pairing it with dark-coloured bottoms.

In terms of size, the blouse is short but wide, so the waist had to be reduced as well as the circumference of the sleeves.

Blouse #3

When I first tried on this blouse, I wasn't fond of it. I don't remember exactly why, but I didn't think it looked great on me. It was actually my mom who talked me into getting it. Well, I'm so happy I listened to her because it is probably my favourite blouse out of the three. It fits extremely well. I can fasten the top button and it still looks really pretty. As for the size, the length is perfect and the waist + sleeves circumference had to be only slightly altered.

Thrift store #5

Geometric print blouse — 1.50$

Hm... this blouse was found by my mom. It's not the kind of design I'd go for, but I think I got carried by the cheap price and the brand which is Mexx... I guess I could wear this blouse with a pair of pants in white or sand beige, but IDK if I like geometric shapes that much... Fortunately, the blouse didn't need to be fixed so no additional time and efforts were spent on that purchase. I don't blame my mom at all though. I just think I should have given this blouse a longer thought before buying it, beyond the price and the brand.

Miscellaneous stuff

My mom's friend gave me this metal chain belt. Yep, just mentioned I wasn't a fan of geometric shapes, but I think it's a really fun belt. ✨ I don't know what I'll pair it with (I feel it comes from a more recent era than the one I'm usually inspired by), but I'm positive I'll find a way to incorporate it into my wardrobe.

Ending this post with a picture of a piece of forest cake from Walmart. I feared it would taste like chemicals, but actually, it tastes AMAZING:

An another angelus FIRST Haul

Isn't it crazy how you can find something ordinary, only to be in awe for it a while later (and vice-versa)?

I discovered Fi.n.t around the same time I got into jfashion (circa fall 2016). I saw the brand on IG and then followed it, but I only had eyes for Liz Lisa. I did like a couple of Fi.n.t's posts, but in general, I found their coords plain and boring and eventually unfollowed them. 💔

Around the beginning of July, I don't remember how exactly, but I came to like Fi.n.t again, even more so than when I had first followed them on IG. I think this has to do with a variety of reasons. The ones I can think of right now are:

• Discovering longer skirts with the Liz Lisa gingham cafe one. Not only they fit me nicer than I thought, but the length is also much more suitable where I work.
• Being more inspired by vintage fashion from the 1960s and before (I always wanted to transition towards this style, but I thought it'd be around my 30s... lol).
• Watching Mad Men and falling in love with the ladies' outfits (esp. Peggy and Betty).
• Getting fed up with being mistaken for a student at work—I don't know why this happens but I stopped pondering over the possible reasons. Anyway, people's perceptions might have played against me. In fact, I may have not been taken seriously at times cuz I looked like an inexperienced child. 💀

Fi.n.t and An another angelus

Fi.n.t really caters to my interests and needs. The brand is retro (hence makes longer skirts) and is mature, yet still youthful and feminine. 🌼 I love the embroidery work on some tops like this blouse, the below the knee plaid skirts and how you can create colourful outfits by mixing and matching their tops and bottoms. Their coords on IG look amazing. ✨

I've been saying "Fi.n.t" since the beginning while there's also An another angelus (abbreviated An3). From what I understand, the latter is a sister brand of the former. However, it seems like Fi.n.t is the "main" brand (or used to be) because clothes from both brands are exposed on fint-shop, fint-blog, fint official, etc. (An3 still has its own IG and Twitter though.)

That being said, I'm not an expert so I'll refer you to this page and this page if you want to know more about Fi.n.t and An3.

As amazing as their collections are, I noted they are recycling items from past collections (that were slightly or tremendously modified). In some way, I think this is great because if an item was really popular in the last collection, you can buy it in a similar (and maybe better) version the year after. In another way, sometimes the change is so insignificant that it's kind of a bummer to have to pay full price (or wait for weeks 'till it goes on sale) for an almost exact copy of an item from practically last year's collection. Or to see an item from last collection being branded as an item from this seasons' collection. Seems to happen the most to skirts and cardigans.

Example 1 (similar skirts):

SS2018

ハンドペイントギンガムチェックスカート/an another angelus

SS2019

チェックプリントタックスカート/an another angelus

I like these kinds of changes. Both skirts share the same retro check concept, but the belt and the colours are still clearly different. I wouldn't mind owning a skirt from each collection.
This reminds me of Liz Lisa's strawberry OPs in 2016 and 2017.


Example 2 (almost the same skirt):

AW2016

アンティークベルト付きパウダリーフレアースカート/an another angelus

AW2019

レリーフ金具ベルト付きフレアースカート/an another angelus

This belt-skirt design seems a classic with Fi.n.t and An3. I've seen it released in multiple variations (colours + belt style) through the years while foraging for their past releases. Here, the belt barely changed. The colour looks a bit browner in the most recent release, but that's all. I compared the 2016 skirt with the 2019 one, but I'm certain it has been released similarly in 2017 and 2018 also.

Maybe I'm overreacting because LL also does that; I noticed several of their OPs have a repetitive design/style, it's merely the print that changes. I know Ank Rouge also has really similar tops coming back each new arrival. I don't know why the practice struck me with Fi.n.t and seemed to give me a more negative impression of the brand...

Purchases I had planned

Despite wanting to raid the store's summer collection, I kept my composure and tried to make a strict selection. The fact that the embroidery blouse in lavender got sold out "helped" because I didn't buy anything else afterwards. In fact, I had planned to pair the blouse with three other skirts, but when I learnt that it was sold out, I was much less enthusiastic about purchasing the skirts.

Embroidery blouse in lavender

ラベンダー刺繍シャツブラウス/an another angelus

I also intended to buy these sailor tops in white and black but decided I could instead try to DIY them:

Sailor top in black

レーススカーフ衿テレコT/F i.n.t

My actual purchases with DEJAPAN

I bought three items from the brand An3—one from Fi.n.t's official store (on July 10th) and two from Fi.n.t's store on Rakuten (on July 10th and 11th). I ordered through DEJAPAN. I made a dumb (voluntary) mistake and purchased the three items individually without checking the option to consolidate the items. I hadn't checked the int'l shipping fees and thought I was being smart for shipping each item individually and not having to pay 100 JPY for each consolidated item. 🤓 But once the moment came, I found out there was a minimum shipping fee even if your item weighed less than the minimal shipping cost. So instead of paying something like 2 720 JPY for three items (+ 300 JPY for consolidation), I paid 3 x 2 000 JPY lol FML. 💀 But—and knocking on wood—I usually learn pretty well from my mistakes so I shall not make it again.

Also, my apologies for these dark pictures. I forgot my phone at my apartment and resorted to using an old camera to snap these.

Puff sleeve top in ivory コルセットパフスリーブT/an another angelus

Although I was interested in this top, I was a bit skeptic because the price was 50% off (it was one of the few shirts with such a good sale price at the time), the sleeves looked too big and not a lot of people seemed to have bought it despite the good deal. I still bought it because of the price and because I thought it would go extremely well with this skirt I had planned on purchasing:

南フランス柄ベルト付きギャザースカート/an another angelus

I ended up not buying the skirt because of the lavender blouse I didn't get. I had already bought the top when I made that decision, so I was a bit disappointed. Despite this, I figured the top could otherwise look good with a brown skirt or other colours like deep purple, navy, forest green, etc.

When I received the top, my doubts vanished. The quality is really good. 💕 The fabric is a little bit thick and elastic which is a nice difference from the usual polyester fabric that always carries a lot of static.

I feel I can wear this top both tucked in skirts or untucked with pants. Although the description on the website says the top is ivory, it looks more like beige. I expected it though since I had previously seen try-on pictures of it.

Green check retro skirt チェックプリントタックスカート/an another angelus

I immediately loved this skirt when I saw it—it gives such retro vibes. Look at that green check skirt on the right that looks like the one from An3:

source

Close-up of the belt

The skirt has stretch in the back plus a zipper and two hooks on the side

With the puff sleeve top. Really like the fit of both pieces.

The bust area is a little tight, but a snap would easily solve the issue.

Sailor 3/4 sleeve blouse in white マリンタイカラー5分袖ブラウス/an another angelus

I really like 3/4 sleeve tops and sailor collars, so naturally, I wanted this piece. Because it's white, I knew I could pair it with anything.

The sailor knot is made simply by buttoning

I absolutely love this blouse. 💗

I can wear it with a skirt as well as with pants of any colour.

Onto Fi.n.t's AW2019 collection...

Fi.n.t started to release some items from their upcoming collection and nothing is on my radar yet. I feel relieved in some way because it means I won't spend or won't be tempted to too much. Nonetheless, I plan on purchasing a few Fi.n.t and An3 items from past collections, on Fril (preferably) and Mercari. 💸