I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty for the lack of men's fashion posts, so this one’s for the boys! The return of the bow tie still brings a smile to my face, and stumbling upon the Dapper + Dash website felt like discovering a gold mine.

Dapper + Dash is based out of Phoenix, Arizona and specializes in making modern bow ties. These aren’t your grandpa’s bow ties. Refurbished vintage fabrics are used for each Dapper + Dash piece, which adds a fresh feeling without down playing the bold or polished effects of wearing a bow tie. And even though we’ve all been told a million times not to judge a book by its cover, I must admit the packaging of each bow tie makes them look that much more appealing. Here are a few of the pictures that made me such a fan of this brand:

A few different prints close up. They each come with instructional tags for the newbies!

Adorable packaging.

Patterns of the three different styles Dapper + Dash carries: The Churchill, The Dagwood, and The Huckleberry.

Just a handful of bow ties in their Phoenix store.

While those of you looking to master that “urban gentleman” look have probably built up a hefty bow tie collection by now, you should definitely still consider adding one of these to your collection. And If you’ve been wanting to step a little outside the box but just haven’t been bold enough to rock the bow tie yet, you might find these to be a little easier to wear than the traditional bow tie.  They do custom orders as well in case you want something extra special. I wouldn't mind seeing these bow ties worn by more men around here! Everything from fabric used to the packaging is unbelievably swoon-worthy.

Courtesy: Oaktownlife.com

Today I am here to share with you a little shopping secret about the San Francisco Bay Area in honor of my return home there in a couple short days. I am talking about the annual White Elephant sale.

OK, so it’s not exactly a secret. But it’s still really freaking cool. Throughout the year, people around the Bay donate stuff to the Oakland Museum’s warehouse full of goodies, and every spring the collection goes on sale for two weekends in the middle of the abandoned railway tracks and old buildings by the west side of industrial Oakland. The dates change from year to year (you can find them online), but it always takes place over a couple weekends in the spring. My family has been going on the last day every year for a while now, when everything in the warehouse is half-off. And let me tell you, that’s a lot of half-off stuff.

The Interior.
Courtesy: MissBargainHuntress.com

The place is probably the biggest room I’ve ever been in. It’s absolutely huge. And inside it’s divided into maybe 20 departments, selling furniture here, accessories there, art in this corner, shoes to the right, jewelry over here, clothing over there, etc. And each department has heaps of things, ranging wildly in price and quality (so if you don’t like hunting, stay away. This is a thrifter’s dream). It’s all donated materials (and to a museum fundraiser), so much of it is rather old, which can either mean awesome-vintage or ugly and falling apart. But it’s fun to sift through, and you can get some incredible finds if you’re lucky.

My advice? Skip the clothing department and head straight for accessories and shoes (and art, if you’re into that kind of thing. There are a lot of really interesting paintings that people just make and donate. But this is a fashion blog, so let’s stick to the wearable items). I have never had good luck with the apparel, but I got a really cool leather waist-belt one year with a gold, lion-carved metal clasp in the middle for $2.50. There are tons of beautiful, real silk scarves which sell very cheap and look adorable in the fall, and you can’t even imagine the variety of jewelry there is. Oh, so many lockets. And over in the shoes department one year, I got a beautiful brown leather pair of Salvatore Ferragamo pumps which are my favorite heels ever and I still wear, for a wee $10! My point is, if you like vintage, you like cheap, and you don’t mind digging through a lot of stuff to find it, then you would love the Annual White Elephant Sale of Oakland. So if you live in the area, or you find yourself visiting there in the spring, I suggest you check it out!

Living with my Grandmother, I always rummage through her old things. Photo albums, files, even random boxes of junk. I adore the aged, almost decrepit smell of her belongings shoved away in dusty trunks and boxes, and every time I go through her things it’s like I am transported back into the 40’s, 50’s or 60’s. My absolute favorite thing of my Grandmother’s to explore is her closet. There are an abundance of treasures that I have found in my Grandmother’s closet, and the best part? It’s all free! I’ll be telling all of you what you should be looking for when shopping your Grandmother’s (or Mother’s, Aunt’s, Long-lost-cousin’s...) closet, as well as some of my best finds.

The first, and my personal favorite thing that you should keep your eye out for is of course, jewelry! “Back in the day”, pearls were really popular -- a timeless look that will surely never go out of style. And they didn’t have Forever 21 or any of those cheap chain-retail stores (no offense) so you can bet that almost all of their pearls and other necklaces are real. I’ve found some amazing pearl necklaces that could easily be worth over $300 today. I’ve also found some great vintage earrings that are so unique and distinct from anything being sold in the shops today. You can find all types of great vintage earrings, from huge square gold studs, to elegant teardrop diamonds. Another great piece of jewelry I often come across is brooches. Brooches can add that extra touch of vintage glamor to any outfit. Pin it to the front of your button-up sort of as a “bow tie”, or your collar. You can even pin them to your purses or clutches, and shoes too!

Scarves are also something that I come across very often while exploring through my Grandmother’s things. I found a huge bin filled with all types of silk scarves, and most of them were in really good condition. They were printed with unique designs, like maps and anchors, and came in all different shapes and sizes. A scarf can be used in place of a necklace, or you can even wrap a scarf around a metal bib necklace for a more structured look. You can put them in your hair, and tie them to your purse, or put them in your pocket in place of a pocket square. Vintage scarves are very vibrant and unique, unlike anything I’ve seen in a modern retail shop. The interesting thing is that most vintage scarves were silk, and used year-round, not just in the cold months. My favorite vintage look with a scarf is the “casual Sunday driving” look, as I like to call it. That is, use the scarf as a head wrap, tying it under your chin, and put on a huge pair of sunglasses for that effortless feel.

It seems as though everything was made with much better quality in the 40’s through 60’s. My number one favorite find that I’ve ever found in my Grandmother’s closet was a pair of vintage, high-waisted jeans, in perfect condition. The denim is much thicker and sturdier than any modern type of denim jean that I’ve worn. I tried them on and I couldn’t believe that they actually fit me. I instantly fell in love. Always look for anything denim! The quality is simply so much better. High-waisted shorts are also another one of my favorite finds. I stay away from those “fake” high-waisted shorts, from Urban Outfitters or American Apparel. They’re honestly just not the same. When I’m wearing a piece of clothing following the vintage trend I want it to be just that—real vintage!

You don’t have to go to a vintage shop or consignment store to find great vintage clothing and accessories. Ask your grandparents, older relatives, or maybe you’ve made some friends at a retirement home. Not only will you find some amazing things that surely no one else will have, but you’ll also learn a lot about the history behind the clothing.

Who hasn't seen this lovable 80's flick? If you haven't and wish to find some fashionspiration, I highly suggest taking the time to view. The movie stresses individuality and originality. The main character is a cute and creative swarm of pink outfits in the making, with a flare for fashion herself.  Basically, a slew of soft pink, purple, and blue pastels embody this flick. Clothing with a slightly used or vintage personality works best. Black jackets, hats, and shoes are also hip in this situation. For optimal Pretty In Pink spirit, personalize your clothing items with buttons, broaches, flowers, and pearls.

Nowadays, seemingly everyone thrifts -- and for good reason! The typical image of ugly, worn and ill-fitting used clothes hardly applies to the vast range of secondhand clothes available now. As high-fashion designers have been sparking new consumer interest by resurrecting decades-old fashions, vintage and thrifting has been given new life.  Here’s a short list of a few tips I’ve collected from experience:

Places

Know your thrift! There are huge differences between the methods and styles sold at different secondhand locations.

The first category would be charity or consignment shops, like Goodwill, The Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul, etc. These items are donated for free or for a tax reduction by everyday people, and the items are usually not sorted for particular quality, style or trendiness. There's a huge range of items available -- the majority of items are from within the last decade or two, with some recent items and vintage mixed in.

Many charity thrift shops roughly gauge an items' sale price by its quality. Other shops -- Goodwill, for instance -- offer flat rates depending on the type of item, regardless of quality. This can be a blessing if you find a fantastic item, or a curse if you want something simple. Regardless, prices are pretty fair.

Courtesy: buffaloexchange.com

Courtesy: crossroadstradingcompany.com

The second category would be what I think of as specialty consignment shops, including some of my favorites in San Francisco, like Buffalo Exchange Co., Crossroads Exchange Co., Wasteland, and others. These places buy clothing from everyday people for a small percentage of its value. Most of these shops focus on current trends and consumers wants, so they're very selective in choosing what merchandise to sell. As a result, the pickings are great, including very current, trendy items -- but the costs are usually somewhat higher.

Included in this category is vintage consignment, which is hugely popular here in San Francisco. These shops sell only vintage clothes. Many specialty vintage shops do not buy from everyday customers, instead picking over charity shops or garage/estate sales for rare vintage pieces. These clothes are usually more costly, but if you like vintage and are willing to shell out the cash, these places are totally worth it.

The third category would be estate and garage sales. The majority of my wardrobe comes from garage or estate sales. In my experience, they have the best value for cheap prices for high quantity. The variety of clothes is largely unpredictable, but if you’re a vintage snob -- like myself -- piles and piles of the stuff are nearly always included, especially at estate sales.

Estate sales mean that typically the entire contents of a home or “estate” is being sold, including furniture, clothes, antiques, etc., and a garage sale is simply when unwanted items are being sold. If you’ve never been to a garage or estate sale, there are several easy ways you can start! In suburban areas, garage sales can be found simply by driving around and looking for signs on the weekends. Both in cities and the suburbs, craigslist.com is a great place for tracking down estate and garage sales in your area. Checking the classified section of a local newspaper can help you discover upcoming events in your city, as most newspapers include a special section just for weekly sales. There are also many mailing lists for estate sales that you can sign up for, guaranteeing a degree of exclusivity and better items.

A tip within a tip for estate and garage sales -- many of them start on a weekday or in the middle of the week to weed out customers, and the earlier you get there, the better the selection will be. On the other hand though, the later you get to one in the week, it’s more likely that the deals will be better, as they want to get rid of stuff at that point.

Courtesy: alamedapointantiquesfaire.com

Courtesy: alamedapointantiquesfaire.com

Courtesy: alamedapointantiquesfaire.com

The fourth category would be antique fairs and flea markets. These are totally unpredictable -- there are always clothes to be found, but the variability in type is huge. Antique fairs can have absolutely fantastic selections and some really fantastic deals, especially in vintage. However, I would highly recommend "haggling" at antique fairs, flea markets, estate and garage sales. You might feel a bit awkward, but trust me, you’ll feel amazing after naming your price on a great item. In my experience, vendors can always be "talked down", even if an item is inexpensive to start with.

The Clothes

1. If a designer label is too good to be true, it just might be. Always check for glued-on or loosely stitched-on labels, which may indicate a switched tag label intended to fool the buyer. It helps to know the minor idiosyncrasies of your favorite designer labels -- like what the labels look like and say, what color they are, what the quality of the items are, what materials they are typically made of, etc. E-bay.com has some great user-written guides to discern the differences between a fake and real designer items.

2. Always double-check a garment for stains or wear and tear. Overlooked places include the insides of collars, under-armholes, cuffs, and loose or missing buttons. Some minor makeup and sweat stains can be washed with a little scrubbing, but stains like paint, oil or blood are much more difficult, if impossible, to remove. Also, check items (especially vintage) for discreet moth holes. Too often I’ve taken a piece home only to find a small section irrevocably tattered with those tiny and un-repairable holes.

In addition, check shoes for missing, heavily worn or loose insoles and heels. Sometimes the insole is so thrashed that it peels out easily, or is uncomfortable to wear. I’ve paid the price of replacing used shoes with new insoles. Most of the time, it’s not worth it! Sometimes the heel of a shoe will be missing on one, and intact on the other, or completely worn down. These small details can totally ruin a purchase, so look over shoes very carefully.

3. Knowing how to sew a little helps a whole lot. A torn hem or seam can be repaired pretty easily most of the time. If a garment is a little big, remember that it can always be taken to a tailor (or sewn at home) but be aware that tailor costs can rack up very quickly.

4. Try on clothes, if possible. If it won’t be, wear something easy to slip a pair of pants or a dress over -- like shorts and a tank top, or leggings and flats. A too-tight waist or slightly too-small armhole can make you regret your purchase once you try it on at home.