Leopard Lovin'

I have been yearning for Georgia suburbia lately and I have been wanting to go shopping like I always did with my friends and my sisters and my Mom.  Alas, with my lack of car here in the Windy City and my lack of where-to it is always a project to plan out a trip on the CTA.  Therefore, if I'm going to go shopping and spend the money than it's usually going to be somewhere where I will be able to hit multiple stores in one area.  Before now I thought N. Michigan Ave. and State St. were my only options. But oh was I wrong!

I found a website dedicated to Chicago thrift stores!  This site is fabulous- not only does it list almost every thrift store in the greater Chicago area, but the author actually divides the shops up into "sections" and describes neighborhoods where one should shop if one is traveling by car or by public transportation.  What a lifesaver. What better hobby to have when feeling a little homesick than to enjoy the art of "digging" through a thrift store to find steals and deals that you will treasure and collect?

So, as I had heard and experienced before with my previous trip to the fantastic Bleeding Heart Bakery I decided that the wonderfully eclectic neighborhoods of Wicker Park and Bucktown would be my first thrifting destination.  Well well well!  When I stepped out of the bus on N. Milwaukee Ave. I was so pleasantly surprised by the shear numbers of vintage, consignment, thrift, and second-hand stores!  I didn't even have time to explore them all!  I know that I made several purchases at The Ark Thrift Store and I also made one "big" purchase at The Buffalo Exchange (Which I am assuming is the Midwest equivalent of a Plato's Closet).

At the Ark I spent $20 bucks and got a beautiful seafoam green hand-knit J Crew  thick cable-knit scarf, a vintage gold stretchy waist-cinching belt, a pair of weatherproof black furry boots (see pictures below), a 100% silk netted sweater, and a cream-colored Guess Jeans cropped sweater.

And I know I asked you to guess in my previous post and as you've probably guessed by now my purchase that I made at The Buffalo Exchange was my fabulous new leopard-print faux (YES I said FAUX Zach and Rachael) fur trench coat, AKA: "Pimp Coat" - Thank you, Jonny.  And the grand total for the coat?...
A mere $20.00.  There's just something to be said about thrifting and finding good deals and steals and treasures and collecting and putting unique items together.  Is it thrifting that I love?  Or just the shopping in general? Who really knows.  Here are some pictures that I had Jonny take of me in (some) of the new loot!

Thank You, Katherine, for your more-than-helpful guidance to the wonderful world of Chicago thrifting. What does tomorrow bring in terms of thrifty finds?  I guess we shall see!

Love,

Claire xoxox