Flashback to the 1980s (and 1990s) Estate Sale: Tops

I don’t think I bought any tops Saturday at the estate sale, so on Sunday I really stocked up. Somehow I’d overlooked certain areas of the store so when I stumbled upon the previously unseen garments, I grabbed a whole lot of stuff. I didn’t bother too much with the size because I figured I could probably alter them to be smaller if I needed to. Some blouses I’m not very excited about and others I loved once I tried them on.

White bow blouse. (Top photo) This is one of my favorite tops that I bought. It didn’t look particularly special on the hanger, but when I put it on I immediately loved it. It fit me and draped beautifully. I love the pleated detail and the feminine bow.

Sleeveless black silk top. I love the pleated detail at the neckline. It has covered buttons down the back. It’s just very simple and elegant.

Sheer top with beaded shoulders. I unexpectedly liked this top (unexpectedly because I’m not really into beading). I saw it on Saturday and put it to the side thinking, “When am I going to wear this?” But on Sunday it was still there and I was still drawn to it so I bought it. It fits well and I think it’s cute. Some of the beads have gotten loose, so it will need to be mended.

Off-white blouse. (Left) It’s not the most exciting blouse.

Off-white flower pattern blouse. (Right) I was on the fence on getting this blouse (I swear my grandmother had this exact same blouse…).

White high collar blouse. (Left) It wasn’t really exciting-looking on the hanger…or on me. It’s too big.

Cotton pleated shirt with buttons down the back. (Right) This fits very strangely. It’s loose in the body and tight in the sleeves. When I look at I just feel like I’m an extra in Anne of Green Gables.

Blue and white stripe button down shirt. (Left) I like that the sleeves have that optional button if you want to role it up.

Blue shirt with pleated trim. (Right) I thought the pleats along the front and neckline were kind of interesting; the shirt is way to big for me though.

Sheer gray blouse. (Left) It has buttons along the shoulder and some frilliness at the collar.

White top with pink and blue trim. (Right) I bought this on a whim; I knew it was super 80s, but I still thought it was interesting. (I think I was channeling my inner Molly Ringwald.) Not sure I’d ever wear it…

Red short blouse. (Left) I like the pleating down the front and the wider neckline. It fits well and I think it would work well with skirts.

Red silk tie blouse. (Right) This blouse is a bit large on me…

Pink silk top. (Left) I like this simple top and it fits well.

Cobalt blue blouse. (Right) I like the blue color but the fit isn’t very great.

I love getting a good deal and I think I spent a grand total of $7.50 for these 15 tops.

Flashback to the 1980s (and 1990s) Estate Sale: Skirts and Dresses

While I photographed many of the estate sale items on me, I didn’t for some of them because it was either to large or small for me; or because of the hanger it’d been on. Some of the hangers (for dresses and blouses) had those sponge strips on them (so they’re less likely to slip off the hanger). Well, after however many years these items had been sitting around, the sponge had rather disintegrated; it became a dust that went everywhere. It made everything feel grimy and disgusting, so I couldn’t bear to try them on until they’re washed.

I got a lot of skirts; they’re older so they tend to be longer—about mid-shin.

Purple wool polyester skirt. (Top photo) I love the deep purple of this skirt and I like the pleating. (I wished it was lined, but for 50 cents, who cares?)

Black polyester wool skirt with slit in the front. I didn’t think I would like this skirt as much as I do, but I think the fit is pretty good.

Gray wool skirt. It’s a fairly loose fitting skirt; the best part about it is the pockets.

Navy blue skirt. It’s a simple skirt and a nice color.

Gray pleated skirt. I really like the pleats in the front and I like the lightweight material it’s made of. It has pockets too (which is always a plus). It’s one of my favorite new skirts.

Olive green wool culottes. I’m not really a culottes person (or an olive green person), and this pair is large on me, but worst-case-scenario I got some quality material to use.

Red button-down wool skirt. This isn’t the cutest skirt (I’m not a fan of the waist with the belt loops). I like the color; maybe it can be altered into a short skirt.

And then here’s five skirts that didn’t fit me. Red skirt: wool nylon. Gray skirt: wool polyester. Dark gray skirt: wool polyester. Light blue skirt: wool. Black and white skirt: wool viscose.

And while not photographed, I also got two slips that still had the tags on them; truthfully I’m not sure what all I can wear them with since they’re fairly long slips (below the knee).

Next, I got some dresses.

Blue plaid polyester shirt and skirt. I was on the fence on getting this outfit… It’s not my favorite piece (but for whatever reason I thought it was kind of interesting); I have yet to try it on so I have no idea what the fit will be like.

Blue silk dress. This dress has sun damage along the shoulders. Really I bought this dress thinking I’d either make it into a skirt or tear it up for the fabric.

Red silk shirt-dress. This is a very simple dress. It does have a small hole in it (maybe the hanger poked it?), so that will need to be fixed.

Blush silk dress. The shape of the dress is fairly simple; it has a tie to bring it in at the waist. I like the covered buttons that go down the back of the dress. I am not a fan of the sleeves or the beaded shoulders. While I can appreciate the workmanship it may take to create the beaded detail, I can’t see myself wearing this as-is…ever. It’s so 80s—like what you might see on Dynasty. I thought I could just use the fabric for something.

I think I got all my skirts and dresses for around $10. Pretty great deal.

Two Silk Shirts

When I received a box of my mom’s old (mostly wool) clothing, I made the decision that (although I’d always avoided it) I was just going to have to hand wash dry clean items. It comes down to the fact that I like expensive fabrics and want them, and since I don’t want to dry clean everything, and I don’t want to ruin everything by washing them normally, that pretty much just leaves hand washing.

With this hand washing decision in mind, I decided not to immediately dismiss two (slightly large) silk shirts at a thrift shop, and instead bought them for a total of $9. The tank is a very light pink; it’s a blush tone that I really like and feels very light and summery. I also appreciate that this tank is well made; it has a lining (so it’s not paper-thin) and it has a little strap with a snap at the shoulder seam so you can hold your bra-strap within it (so genius).

The purple blouse I bought solely because of the color; I love deep rich jewel-colored purples. (Although you wouldn’t know it looking at my closet, which tends to be a mix of black, navy and white; there’s just a smattering of color). The blouse design itself is nothing special; it was a popular style back in the day. It just has a button in the back for the closure. I’m hoping I can alter this blouse, bringing in the sides and getting rid of those too-long sleeves.

$5 Silk Dress

Recently I did some thrift shopping; I wasn’t looking for anything in particular nor did I expect to find anything—but I did. It was at a thrift shop I nearly didn’t go to; I’d already had an unsuccessful shopping morning, so I was on the cusp of calling it a day but decided to stop by this last thrift shop for just a few minutes.

After finding nothing in the tops and sweater racks, I stumbled upon a Talbots navy silk dress. I love navy and it’s a very deep lovely midnight navy. I got kind of excited as I pulled it from the rack and hoped it would fit—and it does (mostly). The sleeves are short on me (and slightly damaged with a couple of snags) and the top portion is somewhat voluminous in the back, but I love the way it looks from the front—very simple. I love the stitching that goes down the front and I like the covered buttons in the back. To me, the dress is reminiscent of one from the 1930s; it’s loose in the body and more fitted in the skirt, it has kimono sleeves, a longer skirt and a more conservative overall look.

When I look at a dress like this, it makes me appreciate the craftsmanship it takes to make a garment. While I do try to sew, I’m not a great sewer, but I know enough to see when something is put together properly. The darts on this dress match perfectly. The top half and the skirt portion each have four darts in the front and back, and all align with precision. (I know when I’ve sewn some of my dresses, being even an eighth of an inch off can throw everything off.) [Pause.] I wish I could sew better. [Sigh.]

The upside and downside to this dress is that it’s silk. I love the way silk feels but I don’t really want the extra effort it takes to take care of it. I tend to avoid dry cleaning—sometimes to the detriment of the garment itself. Two items come to mind (that were never the same after I washed them in the washing machine): a silk dress that ended up with watermarks on it and a white linen-blend wide-leg pant that shrunk (about two inches in length). The dress I bought new (so that especially sucked) and the pants I bought from a thrift shop (so that sucked a bit less). At the time I hoped nothing bad would happen to them when washed, but I knew I was taking a risk. However, there have been other garments I washed (that had a dry clean only tag) that came out unscathed.

So I guess it comes down to how much you really care about the garment itself. How much care will you put in to cleaning and maintaining a garment? This silk dress only cost me $5. It wouldn’t be the end of the world to risk it in the washing machine, BUT I like it. It’d be a shame to ruin a dress I like. If I’m not too lazy, getting it dry cleaned and the sleeves altered would probably be the “smart” thing to do…