29 . 12 . 2011
Diary of a Frugalista:
My SWAP finds of the year
Photo taken by Christian Roy
Written by Nadya Ershova
December is here, and so the end of the year comes along. It is time to summarize the results of the past SWAP season. This year my wardrobe got a great update thanks to three clothing swaps!
The first one was at the YWCA.
Left: my favorite fall item! Right: a black blouse with a pink lace inset, which I also got at a swap event, the one at Place-Des-Arts.
This SWAP brought me my biggest catch. I have already written about it here, but I cannot resist the pleasure of talking about it again and again. So here it is! My favorite dress ever: a grey dress from the 80s. As you remember, it was Aleece who brought the dress to this event. She bought it in a Brooklyn vintage store, but eventually realized the color didn’t suit her, so she decided to swap it! The dress was made in the 80s, but the cut was inspired by a 50s revival which was going on at the time. I wore it to the Piknic Electronik, got my picture taken for the SWAP gallery and even gave an interview for the SWAP video.
Another great piece I got at the event was a hippie flowery coat. It stayed abandoned in my closet for quite a long time, because I have a hard time combining patterned clothes, but this fall, I got a fashion epiphany! Solid blue, brown, and pink pieces help the coat stand out, making the coat my favorite fall item.
The biggest event of the year was the mega Place-Des-Arts clothing swap.
It lasted for two days and occupied the whole of the Grand Foyer Culturel (indoors) of the Place des Arts. I was volunteering, and thus did not have much time to hunt. Still, my instincts helped me spot a few pieces which now occupy an important part of my wardrobe:
First, I want to show you my three dresses.
Better knee long!
Esprit brand dress
This nice blue dress is made of cotton and the top part fits perfectly. The secret of the perfect fitting? The dress has elastic insets on the back. The stylist consultant who volunteered for the event, Jeff Golf, gave me a great suggestion: if I shorten the dress up to the knee, the silhouette will be more balanced. I haven’t got around to shortening it yet, but I totally agree with him.
The second dress is from the brand Esprit. It is made of thin silky polyester and has a lining. It does not stick to the body, and has a loose-fitting cut that makes it very comfortable during hot summer days. I love the tricolor Indian pattern, and that its blue hue goes well with my eye color.
I wore it for the second day of the SWAP and showed it to the visitors of the event. “Look, I got it here yesterday!” Some girl from the crew recognized the dress. She had spotted it on the racks before I did, but the size didn’t fit her. The dress was clearly waiting for me 
Amazing shoes
No doubt, you have noticed the summery sandals in the previous picture. Yes, I got them at the clothing SWAP event, too! The wedges are made of wood, but the shoes are not slippery at all. They have rubber cover pieces attached to the sole. The straps may promise some blisters, though. If it is indeed the case then I will simply swap the shoes again.
The golden flats you see on the picture were also found at the YWCA event!
The third dress is a real godsend. Given the quality of the fabric and the look of the label, I believe this is genuine 80s. It is always the dream of a thrift shopper or swapper to find something this genuine. The brand is FIORICCI and it still exists, you can check it out here: http://selecteddenim.com/.
I know you would say it fits me perfectly. It does! However, it is not easy to put on – and it is even more difficult to take off. The thick fabric does not stretch much, and the skirt part is quite tight. Still, I am very determined to wear it as often as possible!
It is actually made in Canada! Good old – oh, I guess I am allowed to say it – vintage stuff!
Emanuel Ungaro
This incredible Emanuel Ungaro vest was a piece I fell in love with at first sight. The color, the cut, all this was an ultimate match with my style and appearance. The beige goes well with blue, so I combined the vest with a pair of jeans and an awesome 70s style hat I found at Renaissance.
Porcelain skirt
The third event was at the Piknic Electronik festival.
It was a pretty small event compared to the Place-Des-Arts one. The SWAP Team had only one tent. However, the items present were very different from the ones usually present at swaps: more accessories, more bright items – the SWAP team did its best to match the festive spirit of the Piknic!
At this swap, I got a milky white maxi skirt with embroidered flowers.The skirt is made of wool, and it wraps over the body. I like it very much; it reminds me of a fine Chinese porcelain with a delicately hand-painted ornament. However, I have trouble finding items to pair it with. Winter is approaching, and I think I might be able to match it with something like a black fur Russian hat, a faux fur black coat and big army boots with ribbed soles. Maybe you guys have any other suggestions on what to combine it with?
Cat eye sunglasses
I also grabbed some over-sized, cool-shaped sunglasses. The outer corners are elevated a bit, giving them a cat-eye look.
Every fashionista needs to have many accessories to accent her outfits. However, when the style changes, the old accessories do not fit it anymore and need to be replaced. Well, when that happens, bring your not-fitting-anymore sunglasses, belts, bracelets and necklaces to our events and exchange them for the ones that do fit!
Part of my growing collection of swapped clothes
The year 2011 is almost over. It brought me tons of positive emotions and great clothes. I cannot wait to see what new clothing and emotions the next year will bring!
