More thrift store karma, and some musing

This might just be me, but there is totally something about this time of year that makes me want to scour thrift stores. (Not like clean them, just look around in them, scour is a weird word...)

I think maybe it's because autumn makes me want to dress like my Auntie M or my ma in the late 70's. Which, doesn't mean a lot to you guys, so um, think west coast, granola, feminist, whip-smart, potty mouth'd, sexy. With paisley. And good boots.
Still not clear?
Like this:

Germain Greer, 1974, Tuscany( image)

And this:

Margret Atwood, 19??, but she STILL dresses with enviable badassery, (image)

And lookit these suckers:

Ms. Atwood's shoes. Swoon. (Image)

So, thrift stores is where I'm shopping (H&M also has a few things but I'm still off the buying new - WR4life baby!).
A few weeks ago I had a couple of bear-free hours, a giant vat of sugary coffee beverage, comfy shoes, pointy elbows and some steely-eyed determination. Prerequisites for a successful thrift store haul.
But I also reckoned I'd hedge my karmic bets. That is, I figured out what we'd been buying for the bear most urgently, (footie jammies, sweaters) grabbed some of his old ones and took them with me to drop off. I was mostly thinking how crappy it would be to need warm fuzzy jammies for your baby and to not be able to afford them; pretty crappy I imagine. We really are lucky.

Anyway, apparently the thrift store dryads were happy enough with the trade, 'cause I scored these
(badly photographed) goodies:


The first one looks way better in person, I've worn it a BUNCH already. The second dress is kind of a tough one for me, I love it, and it kind of makes me feel like a Shieldmaiden of Rohan (heh, ubernerdy!); but it's tough to find the right situation to wear it.
Got any tips for Good Thrift Karma?

It Really IS a Wonderful Life

Last friday, before I got embroiled in a weekend of battlement-sewing HELL (ok not hell, but man, I am sick of crenellations) I went to the movies.

With Britt. To see It's A Wonderful Life at Bloor cimena. It was funtimes squared.
Firstly, It's A Wonderful Life is magic. I love it so much. I managed not to cry like a baby from start to finish but DUDE, it was a near thing. This is my very favorite part:



It SLAYS me. "I know you feel bad Mr. Gower..."

Secondly, The Bloor Cinema is pretty magic too, it's a hundred year old picture house in delightfully creaky repair and the folks who run it are LOVELY.
We went to the Winter Gala performance of IWL and there were cookies and cakes, eggnog and cider and reindeer/movie trivia games. The audience weren't afraid to sigh and laugh and and wolf whistle in the right places, which I LOVE, other people's responses are my favorite thing about going to the movies.

And lastly I got to dress up. I happen to have made Vogue pattern 8615 and it has this vintagey vibe to it. So that's what I wore.

My very favorite thing about the dress is the back.
I also threw some VERY RED lipstick on; which, you guys, SO far out of my comfort zone. I felt a bit like the Joker but it kind of worked for the occasion; of course the whole thing made a little less sense at the Green Room bar afterwards... but after a couple of drinkies I really didn't care. So yay for Dark Rum.