While I'm not a huge fan of 'theme' days on blogs, this is something I've been wanting to do for a while.  I absolutely love thrifting and started when we were planning our wedding.  I was on a super tight budget, but still wanted to shop.  I found I was getting the same 'thrill' in finding vintage/unique items at the thrift store, as I normally would at the mall, all on a much cheaper budget.  There are five thrift stores between our house and work, which makes for some excellent budget-friendly shopping (so long as you only buy things you love or need... not just for the sake of buying).  I've found so many great things in the last six months (yes, we planned our wedding in five months), what better way to showcase them?  Now that the wedding is over, you might think I'd head back to the mall, and yes, I have, but I still have a huge love for thrifting that I cannot give up and scoring something no one else will have, plus at a great price?  Can't beat it.

Onto the jacket.  Last year, about this time, the BFF and I were shopping (at the mall) and she found the most beautiful jacket.  It was the Soia & Kyo 'Cali', a brand we'd never heard of before, with a cool price of $400.  Beautiful, without a doubt, but with that beauty came a hefty pricetag.  Fast forward two months and her then-boyfriend surprised her for her birthday with the jacket (hint dropping works!).  Needless to say, since then, I might have scouted out the Soia & Kyo website and looked at their collections and drooled a little - they have some beautiful stuff.  To my surprise, while shopping at Winners a few weeks ago, I noticed they were carrying two styles of the brand, for a fraction of the price ($200).  Still, I didn't need another black jacket, so I passed them by, but noted what a great deal it was.  The next day, I popped into one of my (five) thrift stores and perused the rack.  You would not believe my utter shock and excitement when I pulled this Soia & Kyo jacket from the rack... in my size!  I zipped to the fitting room and the rest is history.  Oh I forgot, it was $13.   *insert happy dance here*

I came home and washed it immediately, which was a bitch.  Too cheap to dry clean it, and too lazy to hand wash it, I threw it in the wash and hoped for the best (and consoled myself by saying, 'If it doesn't turn out, oh well, it was only $13' - but I seriously would have been pretty upset).  The washing machine doesn't really like wool, and it took two extra, 'Spin & Drain' cycles, on top of the norm, to get it somewhat wringed out.  From there I had to wring it out myself and hang it over the laundry tub so it could drip dry.  Fortunately, all my efforts were not lost and I can't say I'm looking forward to winter, but this jacket will make it somewhat sweeter.