The colour aubergine

I hate paying retail, and I love finding a deal.  That makes it kind of a gimme that I gravitate towards thrift shops.

There are at least three good ones within two city blocks of where I live, which in Toronto is thought of as a hipster area, although I'm really not sure why.   I make the rounds pretty frequently, and my daughters are generally willing accomplices. My older daughter is taking a class called Fashion in grade eleven this year, and part of it involves evaluating their wardrobes and potentially refashioning some of the items in them. 

That probably explains why I bought the dress I found, back in September.  It's sleeveless, v-necked and is comprised of a floaty, chiffon-type overlayer with a crinkled satin under-dress.  The chiffon is patterned in a big, watercolour floral, on a kind of tea-stained background.  The floral is lilac, aubergine, gold and forest green.  The underskirt is a pale gold, and both skirts have an uneven, handkerchief hem.

The dress is Canadian designer.  The price tag in the thrift store was twenty dollars, which is kind of pricey for thrift  and I guess being designer accounts for the price tag, but it practically jumped off the rack at me.  It's EXACTLY my style, except for the fact that it is about four sizes too small for my chest.  Fortunately, measuring showed it just about fit me shoulder to shoulder across the back.  In my head, at that moment, it became a duster, or a long floaty jacket (maybe a vest, maybe with bell sleeves), although it needed some work to realize its potential.

I've been thrifting with a purpose since then.  It has added to my wardrobe more than usual, keeping a particular eye out for clothing in the purple family.  I scored a gorgeous, almost new suede blazer, military-ish, with shiny brass hardware, and a couple of work-appropriate skirts, but I was on the hunt for something else.  Couldn't quite put my finger on what, but I knew that I would know it when I saw it.

This afternoon, I think I found the thing I was looking for.  Another sleeveless dress, in a cool deep purple.  It has a small ruffle down the front and around the hem.  It's the same kind of crinkled satin of the underskirt of the first dress.

I think tomorrow I will break out the sewing machine and see what I can do about making this duster that's been in my head a reality.    I also scored a Liz Claiborne sweater that I hate the shape of but love the colour of, so I'm also going to have a go at unravelling and skeining that beauty soon as well.