Recessionista's Halloween

I haven't been blogging for a while due to my busy work schedule, but I decided that a blog post before Halloween is blog worthy. Prior years, my Halloween costumes were Dragon Geisha, Lara Croft Tomb Raider, Alex Munday (played by Lucy Liu) from Charlie's Angels, and the list goes on. All these costumes sit in my wooden chest in storage now.

This is the first year that I decided not spend a dime on my Halloween costume. Prior years since I can't even remember when, I have been going out every single year to shop for a Halloween costume. 2009, I decided to be a good Recessionista and take what I have in my closet, use my creativity and Voila! I have my Halloween costume! I am going to be an Old Hollywood Starlet. My decision was mainly influenced by the Alfred Hitchcock movies and black and white movies I watched recently.

To keep you in suspense, I will post photos of my Halloween costume sometime this weekend. :D Stay tuned!

I Am Recessionista Loves Vintage & Thrift Store Shopping

This blog entry should have been up on my blog since I started blogging in April considering that this is a blog written by a Recessionista. It has been a best kept secret that many know about but perhaps many others don't know about (yet)! Did you know that you can find one-of-a-kind cool pieces or designer couture pieces at vintage or thrift stores? If you are like me, who is sick of blending in with the crowd or can't afford the fine expensive apparel that designers have to offer, vintage and thrift store shopping may be for you!

Back in the day (which wasn't very long ago actually), I was a Fashionista who rarely shopped at thrift stores. Although I wasn't a huge fan of chain store brands, I still had my share of shopping at major malls, factory outlets and occasionally high-end retailers. Everything I had in my closet was brand new with the exception of a couple of vintage pieces that I picked up during my business travels within the United States and Europe.

My first introduction to vintage and thrift store shopping started in my sophomore year in college when I visited the local Goodwill and several cute eclectic vintage boutiques with my trendy friend Becca. I did grab a couple of cool vintage pieces and a couple of sweaters and jeans that looked almost brand new. After graduation, I dived into the world of Corporate America of crisp black suits, and so my vintage and thrift store shopping discontinued.

Now that I am not working for a global conglomerate, I have more freedom to play dress up. My recent vintage and thrift store shopping with my new friend Susan has definitely awoken my appetite for vintage. In my upcoming blog entry, I will post photos of some of my cool vintage and thrift store finds.