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Rakia's Fashion Tips: Estate Sales and Vintage Stores

From my previous post about new eyewear, I picked the green ones on the first row in the middle and also the red ones. I am having second thoughts about the red ones and thinking that I should go with a more retro cat eye.

One of you guys wrote in asking about estate sales, so I decided to compile a list of my favorite sites. I rarely go to estate sales. I used to frequent and covet them, but you can find great stuff anywhere if you are really patient and don't mind being disappointed every now and again. Check out www.estatesales.net that's where I get most of my info from. I also frequently check publications for auction houses and estate sales. Currently, I am researching thrift stores in North Carolina ( I have heard its known for its thrift stores) and planning to take a weekend thrift store retreat sometime in November. If anyone has any good leads, please let me know! Here is a list of the sites I browse and buy from:

There is a sample sale happening at A/X Armani exchange on September 22 in Secaucus NJ. I go every year and come out with at least two bags. Find out more info on topbutton.com
decadesinc.blogspot.com
retrospectvintage.com
thevintagepeddler.com
decadesvintage.com - GREAT vintage eyewear!
unique-vintage.com
adorevintage.com
vintageamore.com
nuvany-nice.com
salvationarmy.com
kitschykoo.com - I know the owner. She works as a prop stylist in tons of movies, so she has collected stuff from all over. I almost bought a really cool retro kitchen table from her.
mamastonevintage.com - very cute look book. I have purchased lots from their ebay store.
damngoodvintage.com -  GREAT for vintage sewing patterns
rootsoldmill.com - cool fleamarket
vintageretroclothing.com - Has really expensive items but OCCASIONALLY has some not to be missed deals.

If you are in Philly or NJ:

Forbidden Planet
20 N. 3rd St
Philadelphia, PA 19106 - Super cool vintage store. Its a little overwhelming so be prepared to spend lots of time and MONEY! The woman that works here is a little mean sometimes, but Johnny will take care of you :).

Hala Vintage: Jersey City 326 5th St, Jersey City, NJ
Goodwill Industries Thrift Store
2815 John F. Kennedy Blvd.
Jersey City, NJ 07306
(201)946-6735

Decades Vintage
615 Bainbridge St
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 923-3135--My FAV store!

The Salvation Army Thrift Store
248 Erie St.
Jersey City, NJ 07310
(201)653-3071

Exquisite Vintage Boutique
84 North Main St.
Milltown, NJ 08850
exquisitevintageboutique.com

Rakia's Fashion Tips: Eyewear

This week I decided to go and refresh one of my most needed accessories, EYEGLASSES! Glasses are one of those accessories that people don't put as much time and care into as they need to. If you were wearing one jacket every day for a year, would you make sure that jacket was the dopest, FLYEST, freshest, and most fantastic thing in your wardrobe? Well that's how I feel about my face wear. Every six months, I go and treat myself to a new pair of eyeglasses. This last visit, I decided to go to a cute eyeglass boutique, Esque, which is in Philadelphia's Old City area. Rob, the owner stocks his shop with goodies from places like Denmark, Paris, and Japan. As you can imagine, I was overwhelmed with excitement. It was almost as if I were 6 years old and in Toys R Us again. When choosing glasses, LOTS of time should be spent. This is a serious process. Think of it as jean shopping to the exponential power. I always recommend bringing an honest friend with you. Make sure the glasses aren't too small for your face frame. I also recommend trying the same pair on with varying hairstyles, and lastly make sure your frames aren't super heavy. You never want to be that cute girl who is constantly pushing her glasses up to the top her nose. (I push my glasses up every other minute.) Check out my findings and guess which ones I picked:)

Rakia's Tips: Get more wears out of your wares!

Ladies you can be just as financially forward as you are fashion forward. Are you one of those kazillion women who are addicted to buying bags? Well, I am! I decided to invest in a bag that comes with a TWO FOR ONE DEAL!  Now lets face it, we all can't resist the buy one get one free deals that the ever conscious marketers promote to lure us in. This reversible bag with beautiful prints on each side caught my eye. You can use this bag year round because one side captures those free roaming fabrics and soft colored prints of the summer, while the other side provides you with the richer and bolder textures and colors of the fall. The bag is made with textured upholstery fabric on one side and a light and breathable fabric on the other. Both sides exude vibrant colors and the wooden handle (made of pure pine) gives it an elegant kick. Ladies, do use bags that you can carry year round to get more bang for your buck. This new bag by Letau Designs gives women the option of two bag designs when they can't make a choice. If you are an indecisive hen like me, you'll love the idea of buying something and being able to change your mind from time to time.

WEBISODE 4: Punk Rock Fleamarket Festival

Last weekend I went with Rakia to the Punk Rock Fleamarket Festival here in the heart of Philadelphia. The place was packed with so much stuff that we were in there for hours fighting the crowd trying to see everything. We used my digital camera to record our findings. We didn't get much of the inside because it was too dark, and please excuse my amateur directing and editing skills {{smile!!!}}, but hopefully you get a sense of how much fun we had and of course appreciate the fact that in fashion you can still find cute but yet inexpensive stuff. Click here for the youtube.com version.

Summer Toes

Face it, we all have issues with our feet. Every time we put a sandal on our foot, we stop and think to ourselves, "why do my feet look like this?" or maybe you're saying "is it already time to show my feet to the public again?" meaning its already summer!! Or maybe you are among the 10% of women who feel like they have the most beautiful feet in the world. Well ladies and maybe gents, I have never fit into that category. I am always in search for something to improve what I have. Sometimes I come across a new polish that makes my feet smile. Lately I have been adding polka dots to my pedicure routine and they are so much fun! Make your feet smile this summer by adding some extra color. I have had red, purple, pink, & green with white polka dots, but this week, I tried yellow with black polka dots. Recently, I read that bumble bees were having a hard time finding their way back to their hives, which presents a larger problem to our world. (Can't get into that now) I decided to pay a little homage to our busy bees and do yellow and black. I am having lots of fun with it!

Rakia's Fashion Tips: Shoe Clips

Welcome to a new segment of Fly where you will find fun, simple and cute fashion tips from Rakia Reynolds. She's been featured in Lucky Magazine for her sense of style, she's always working on funky styling projects and experimenting with fashion. I feel honored to have Rakia share her tips right here on Fly. Look for her fabulous tips every week!

BIO:
Rakia Reynolds is a 28 year old earthy, chic, budget conscious fashionista living in Philadelphia. She started creating her own wears out of simple necessity. She enjoys thrifting, antiquing, creating new styles for people, writing, film noir, and food to name a few. She adores playing at the park with her four year old daughter and going on dates with her husband.

Being the pack rat that I am, every other week, I find myself being the collector of something! Be it frog broaches, pieces of blue vintage cloth, rare coins, or dragonfly patches, I love to be a "collector" from time to time. This week my obsession for "collecting" is shoe clips. Shoe clips are great for those who like to transform their shoes without transforming their pocket:). I found these great vintage yellow wedges at an estate sale last week and decided to give them a little boost by adding a cool accessory to the front. I tried two options to see what would look best. Let me know which one you liked best.

You can find shoe clips on eBay or any antique or vintage store. They were really big in the 60's. They range in price from $2 a pair to $25 (roughly. and also depending on where you live). If you can't find shoe clips, clip on earrings can also do the job. Try shoe clips on ballet flats, heels, wedges, and even thong sandals.