Threadflip.com

What I like about threadflip.com is it has style.  The way it is set up makes me want to browse through the  photos of cute high end current clothing that is not inexpensively priced, but affordable, compared to shopping new.  Also, the photos give you ideas of how to put outfits together with the clothing each person is selling.  And you can sell, too!  Or try to before you hold your own Bitch and Swap, which, let's face it, is probably still a lot more fun...

RE-Fashion

My cousin Kim sent me this amazing article that has pretty much everything you need to know about one of my favorite subjects: Re-fashion! It even has a link to a woman who made a dress out of a table cloth! Sound familiar?

Thank you, Fair Companies.com!

Housing Works in Hell's Kitchen

Shop for bargains and donate to a good cause on 9th Ave. in Midtown (730-732 9th Ave. between 49th and 50th). Today I walked past in a hurry, even though was a sign reading %50 off all clothing! Quel damage!

If you've never been to one of the many locations all over the city, Housing Works comprise seven upscale resale stores that not only provide steady funding to address the needs of people living with AIDS, but they also ensure a supply of clothing and essentials to people that other organizations have deemed too difficult to serve.

It's a wonderful place for the novice thrifter because of it's large selection of upscale clothing and furniture and often sells new items that stores have donated from overstock.

On a previous visit to the Chelsea location, I found an amazing fragrance pour homme that I gave to Ted for a birthday gift. $15 instead of $45. And all going to a good cause.

Eight Dollar Coats!

Better late than never.

Some of you know that I have just started rehearsals for a new play at Lincoln Center called War Horse so blogging time is scarce, but I woke up in the middle of the night tonight realizing that I had neglected to post about the Salvation Army Coat Sale that is tomorrow, or actually, later this morning!

• 46th Street between 10th and 11th in Manhattan
• 9am to 5pm (Get there at 8:45am to get a cart to shop with and the best selection!)

I wasn't going to attend the last one in December because it fell on my husband's birthday, but to my surprise, we woke up in the morning and he actually said (and I almost fainted), "Shouldn't we go and see what we can find for my birthday at the coat sale?"

What? My HUSBAND wanted to go THRIFTING? On his BIRTHDAY?

Well, I didn't need convincing so of course we were out the door and in less than 2 hours, we came home with 2 large bags of new (used) clothes for his wardrobe (we HAD to go upstairs to shop for other things, too!) including a black toasty warm down coat (pictured above) that he has been wearing almost every day since.

And the best news of all is that their prices for coats this year are even lower: Eight dollars for non-leather, non-fur regular length coats. EIGHT DOLLARS ! Can't beat that.

Later that evening, at his Birthday Party, our friend Todd (who is a fellow reader of What Would Leenya Do) showed up in his new/used coat, almost identical to Ted's and he had bought it... (wait for it) FROM THE SALVATION ARMY COAT SALE! Eight dollars!

Now I'm going back to sleep to rest up for another eight hour day of puppetry, but go! Shop! Be warm! And let me know what you find...

Reuse your T's

Happy Holidays, readers!

For your gift this year, I'm linking you to Huffington Post's list of reuse ideas, mostly for t-shirts. I want the book called 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt by Megan Nicolay!

Here's to a creative and eco-friendly 2011!

Thankful for Coats

This Thanksgiving I'm thankful for you, my faithful readers.

AND for my faux leopard swing coat and Ted's charcoal wool dress coat that I bought at last year's Salvation Army Coat Sale, both worn to the recent opening of the play Elling (starring Denis O'Hare and Brandan Fraser) on Broadway at the Soho House! (paired here with a winter white lace mini dress that I found for $15 at H & M and a long gold chain and pendant I bought at a flea market for $8)

AND for our friend Kelly (pictured here) who accompanied us to the opening.

AND for the coat sale that is coming up at 9:30am on Saturday, December 4th at the Salvation Army between 10th and 11th.

It's good to be Ren!

Fall Bitch and Swap

Have you thrown your Bitch and Swap yet? What did you get?

Three Coat Sales!

No, I haven't posted in a while, but yes, I want you to know about the upcoming Salvation Army Coat Sales!

• Saturday, November 6th 9:30am to 5pm
• Saturday, December 4th 9:30am to 5pm
• Saturday, January 8th 9:30am to 5pm

Check back to my first Coat Sale posting for my tips to navigating these hectic and hilarious events.

And I promise to post again soon!

More Divawear...

Another performance at Symphony Space with some amazing celebrities (I performed between a video of Stephen Colbert and Leonard Nimoy!), another reason to create another "Divawear" design.

This was a top I made from 2 identical silk scarves that I found in a ten cent bin at a thrift store in California (I bought 10 of them, stay tuned for the gown...) and then sewed together. I added a draw string and my Divawear tag... et voila! "Wow" comments from Jane Curtin, Carmen de Vavallade, and Eugenia Zukerman!

p.s. Strappy sandals from Payless, dark wash skinny jeans from H & M...

Target Women

Watching Target Women will definitely save you money.

I ran across this hilarious off-hand cable TV show between Tosh.O and the Daily Show and recommend it for a healthy dose of perspective.

Second Annual Bitch and Swap

It's a small world in this big city.

I was doing a reading of a new musical and met two marvelous new actors who had just come from a hike upstate: first clue that we probably had tons in common... But then I found out that Anna (who has a blog, too!) is also from Missoula Montana! Next (drumroll ladies and gentlemen) I invited her to my Bitch and Swap.... and she couldn't come because she was already having one that week! What?

But we did compare notes afterwards on Facebook. Seems more people are into purging than acquiring and we both had huge piles to bring to Sally's (thank you Renee for filling up your car the next morning!) and varying sizes of donated clothes are inevitable and everyone has more fun if none of that matters.

How was your Bitch and Swap Potluck?

For the Love of Boots

Okay, who else has a little crush on their Shoe Repair Guy?

I think my husband has accepted it and is okay with it so I'll just sing his praises a bit here.

$70 dollars just revived 6 pairs of fantastic boots, some of which I've re-heeled 3 times already! I mean, these boots have miles on them. And he not only re-heeled them, he gave them each a beautiful polish. That's love, isn't it?

And it's good for the environment.

And it's good for our pocket book.

Yay, Shoe Repair Guy!

Swapapalooza!

You may need an NYU i.d. to get in, but why not try? Come next weekend to the grandDaddy of all Bitch and Swaps!

Swap-A-Palooza
Sunday, April 25, 1pm-7pm
Kimmel Center, 8th Floor
Swap-a-Palooza is a clothing swap and celebration that lets you reduce your environmental impact by exchanging gently used clothes and accessories. Take advantage of the ultra-stylish NYU community's fashion sense and harvest a new look without putting pressure on your wallet - or the planet. Admission price is one bag of clothes. The Swap will feature do-it-yourself design stations to make your new wardrobe one-of-a-kind.

Bitch and Swap Time

Okay Ren People! It's that time of year again.

Spring, though little more than a tease right now, is truly around the corner and it's time to trade out winter clothes for warmer togs. Re-read my posts about purging in Lady Godiva for tips on what to get rid of during this transition.

Also, start organizing a Bitch and Swap now! Not only is it a good excuse to gather your stylish-but-bargain-savvy friends together for a party, but you'll get new stuff for the price of snacks and beverages! And with all those around the world who are newly suffering lately, why not make it a fundraiser for a Charity? Multitask, I say...

Fancy Shmancy

Okay, I'll write later about where the *&$#^%&@ I've been the last 3 months and why I haven't written recently. There is a post I need to write!

A fellow singer/actor wrote me recently and I wanted to share. I'm honored to have her as a follower!

Oh Financially Savvy Fashionista!

Dear Leenya,

I never did update you on the results of my formal wear foraging! Your recommendations were wonderful- the first place I stopped was the Goodwill on 25th street where I found a two piece outfit with a wonderful full black satin skirt. The top half didn't fit, but for $35 I was happy for it to come along for the ride! So with my workable separates in hand I continued thru your list of venues, just to see what was out there. Most of the other locations on 25th and Housing works had a better supply of everyday clothes. Finally I arrived at the massive Salvation Army on 46th street where I found a bronze strapless gown I actually didn't need at the moment but will probably end up using it next month. And for $40 I figured it was worth taking home as well. It was quite a successful voyage!

Thank you again for your guidance!

I say, Sally Forth, oh fellow Ren Girl! A lot of people shy away from looking for formal wear at Thrift Stores when it's one of the first things that people purge, as they see it as a "wear one time only" clothing item and therefore, but you didn't let this stop you!

I just competed in the American Traditions Vocal Competition and for each round of the competition (I won the Bronze Medal!) I wore an outfit that was purchased entirely at a resale shop! In the quarterfinals, I wore my newest favorite grey pinstripe suit with a flea market sequined tank and the semi-finals featured me in an empire-waist flower knee length cocktail dress with a velvet blazer on top. Pictured here is me backstage in the final round at the gorgeous Lucas Theater in downtown Savannah with my amazing accompanist, Keith Burton, wearing the gown (complete with train!) that I found at "Sally's" for the opening night of Cyrano de Bergerac with Jennifer Garner. I was so happy to have an event for which I could wear this unique dress again!

To those who are reading for the first time because you heard about my blog in my introduction at the finals, Welcome! And I meant what I said about Savannah audiences...

Actor Crafts

ActorCrafts is here, just in time to start your holiday shopping!

Shop for jewelry, clothing, and gifts this Saturday November 21st at the Holy Cross School (332 W. 43rd St. between 8th and 9th Ave.). It's all designed and created by New York City actors (it's good to multi-task!) and the festive sale never disappoints!

Shop between the hours of 10:00am and 6:00pm.

T-Shirts Re-Mix

T-Shirts. One symbol we'll leave behind as our legacy, punctuating our lives with events and eventually fill up the bottom of our drawers in faded piles of our history.

According to the PBS documentary, T-Shirt Travels, literally tons of our discarded clothing is shipped overseas to Africa where their sale has put the local clothing manufacturing out of business. In this striking documentary, African children were shown wearing oversized t-shirts depicting M-TV and brands of beer. It made me think that there must be a way to reuse and recycle our T-Shirts in a less destructive way.

In my previous post, Your Own Gypsy Robe, I wrote about a way that I can still wear my Show T-Shirts.

But now, new (and often overpriced) t-shirts have the look of old, worn favorites so why not make your old, worn favorites into wearable fashion? Or take your husband's/boyfriend's/brother's old white t-shirts and dye them to the color you want? (See you earlier post, Do or Dye)

The first example pictured is a North Shore Animal Shelter t-shirt that we got when we adopted Maya. This was the easiest fix as it was a size Medium and I shortened the sleeves (cut at an angle with the longest part at the top of the shoulder), cut out the neck, and then cut off the hem and turned it into a belt. One of the best things about t-shirt material is that it doesn't fray, even when washed. This means hems are optional.

To make an oversized shirt into a more form fitting tee, cut off the sleeves right at the hem. Leave the bottom hem, neck, and sleeve hems intact. Then take a shirt that you like the fit of and lay it over your favorite. (see photo below) Fold the sleeves in along their hem and cut along one side of the old t-shirt about an inch outside of the line of the t-shirt on top. Fold it in half and cut the other side to match. Shorten the sleeves by cutting parallel to and in from the cut that was the seam. Make the bottom part of the sleeve the shortest. Pin the newest sleeve cut right sides together to the shoulders (over the shoulder seam) and sew (the most difficult step). Then turn the bodice right sides together and stitch up the new side seams, making sure that hems match.

Now you have remaining fabric that can be used to create your very own design. Shown here is a leaf design that I hand sewed diagonally across a purple tee, a t-shirt that my husband was getting rid of that I dyed yellow, used the above process to make it more fitted, and created a long wrap-tie from the remaining material, and my favorite, a self-dyed tee (red) that I made into a fitted tank, skipping the sleeve step, and then machine-sewed the remaining material in a design on the front and shoulders. (rock and roll under a black pinstripe sportscoat)

Now cutting up your old t-shirts isn't reserved to the fringed and beaded looks of the early 90's (Yikes! What were we thinking?). With a little imagination and minor abilities with a needle and thread, the sky's the limit.

Coat Sale Question

Leenya -

Would it be possible for me to navigate the salvation army coat sale
with a bambino strapped to my chest in a carrier?

Signed,
Seriously-in-need-of-a-"new"-warm-coat

Dear Seriously-in-need-of-a-"new"-warm-coat,

I have seen kids at the Salvation Army Coat Sale, though never strapped to a shopper, though as long as you don't have any other accoutrements (ie. purse, coat, other shopping bags) and if you bring a foldable grocery cart (aka Granny Cart), you should be okay. I'm guessing there's a smaller window of time for you to hunt for treasures and a bigger challenge in trying on the coats, but I'd say try it anyway! Then head upstairs to find kids/baby clothes...

Leenya

Get your own!

Just letting you know that I'm LOVING my new fur/suede reversible vest and swing faux leopard! Don't be jealous, get your own!

Go this Saturday, November 7th at 9:30 am to the next Salvation Army Coat Sale of the season (check out my previous posts...)

Coat Sale Redux

BAD NEWS: You may have missed a great coat sale at the Salvation Army this last Saturday.

But two close friends, hundreds of New Yorkers, and I didn't!

Kevin and Sarah of We Click Photography and Kevin Fox Photography are spending more time in the Great White North and wanted to stock up on winter coats so they met me there early, following all of my advice (Except for bringing their own cart. Difficult on a motorcycle...).

I knew I was only looking for a fur vest (to pair with skinny jeans and a blousy top with long necklaces and high boots) so my pile of coats at checkout paled in comparison to theirs. But how could Sarah resist 2 long embroidered suede jackets, a hooded shearling, a thoroughly hip skin colored short fitted car coat with a long collar, an adorable shearling vest, and two coats for Kevin to replace decade-old favorites? She couldn't. And she didn't!

Some highlights of the morning:

Leenya: Wow! This is a gorgeous coat, but with purple and green embroidery, I don't know if Sarah will go for it.

Kevin: You never know. Some people's "loud" are a belly dancer's "blah". (Sarah is a fabulicious belly dancer)

Kooky Mirror Hogging Lady: Oh, you again! Just buy the coat! How much can it be? $25? Just buy it!

Leenya: I know, but do you think it actually works on me? I mean, do I really need a medium length fake leopard swing coat? (answer: yes, I did.)

GOOD NEWS: There's another one Saturday November 7th at 9am!