FOCAL POINT STYLING: menswear

Last week I had the opportunity to meet up with another blogger from the east coast: Kate of Dabble In Chic. We met last Friday for coffee, and afterwards, on my way home I popped into a thrift shop along the way: good ole Goodwill. On my way walking down the last aisle making my way to the home section in back, something caught the corner of my eye. I stopped. I took a few steps backward and turned toward the dress rack. But it wasn't a dress that caught my eye. It was a beautiful, charcoal grey wool double breasted polo coat. And when I looked for the label inside, it said Brooks Brothers. I then searched for the price tag: only $7.99.

If this were a NEW coat at Brooks Brothers,

it would sell for $1498 for men and $998 for women...

Gotta love second hand finds!

With a grin on my face and pep in my step, I walked over to the mirror to try it on... PERFECT fit! No buttons missing. No tears. Lined and well made, a perfect coat for the fall & winter here in AZ (or even better - NYC!). It does get very cold here, and although I do have fur coats, wraps, leather jackets and a peacoat, this gives another alternative to them all, especially with a menswear trend I'm noticing happening this fall....

I love history and I also love learning about the history behind some of my thrift finds. The Polo Coat has a history you can read about at The Gentleman's Gazette. The Brooks Brothers Polo Coat also has a history dating back to 1910... in New York City The label also has a bit of a history to it. From what info I gathered, my label shows that it's either vintage 70's or it came from a campus ivy league shop...

1910 Brooks Brothers

Polo Coat

The English polo coat was introduced to the U.S. by Brooks Brothers. Originally white with pearl buttons, it was later offered in grey and the classic camel hair. By the 1930’s, more polo coats were being worn by the students at Miss Porter’s School for Girls than at any boys’ prep school - Brooks Brothers Archives

No, it's not the Renoir that some lady picked up at a garage sale for a few dollars (and it's worth thousands) but it is good to know that good quality pieces can be found for a fraction of the cost, just by thrifting at Goodwill. What have you thirfted lately? Are there any stories behind your finds?

Since Jeff is off this week, we're taking the day to drive up to Sedona, explore and stay the night. I don't know if there are any thrift shops there, but I'm sure I'll be too memorized by the scenery and taking pictures to thrift anyways :) Have a good weekend!

Thanks for stopping by.

It's hard to believe how the addition of one color can totally refresh and renew a color palette, but it can. My latest color infatuation and admiration surprisingly is GOLD. I had first started to take note of gold when the Fall issues of fashion magazines came out this year. As so much of fashion translates into home decor, so has the addition of this color, metal and finish now appearing in our home. I'm planning on using white this year for Christmas, and I can't wait to pair some repainted gold items with our existing silver and pewter decor. Where silver is icy, the gold will definitely be warming it up.

While testing and creating some Thanksgiving tablescapes, I already started to shift the feeling of our home from Autumn to an early winter look. Even while looking around on the Internet for factoids about Thanksgiving to share, I came across some wintery images relating to the look. These tablescapes I made are a combination of a warming wilderness look and celebrating the where I'm from - The North East. However, the tablescape style evolved into a haberdashery look from Ralph Lauren inspired by mixing a plaid and paisley menswear look.

Here are the tablescapes I created - again using thrifted items (like the plates), items I already had (like the runners & napkins from HomeGoods and amber glasses from Pier1), and refreshing some old items with a warming shot of GOLD...

THANKSGIVING TABLESCAPES IN AUTUMN GOLD

TABLE ITEMS USED

Existing square chargers repainted gold

Existing twig runners painted gold

Existing centerpiece refinished in gold & feather sprays at $1ea.

Thrifted white pedestal bowl at $5

Thrifted white glazed bowl

Thrifted white glazed dinner plates at $1 ea.

Thrifted gold rim dessert plates at .50 ea.

Thrifted leaf dessert plates at .25 ea.

Thrifted brass candle holders (small) at $2.50 a pair

Thrifted tall brass holders repainted in gold

Big Lots orange pumpkins painted cream & gold at $1 ea.

Four pack of 14" taper candles at Ikea

Four packs of napkins at $8 from Homegoods & Ross

Paisley runner from Homegoods at $8

Existing pillow cases as slip covers

Existing clear red wine glasses

Existing Amber Colin Cowie wine glasses

Existing Pier One amber glass platters

Existing Crate & Barrel amber glass votive

Existing Emeril white platter

Existing Lenox silverware

Existing found branch

Adding the leaf to the table enabled me to utilize the centerpiece I made (it feels more in proportion and it can be easily removed when we sit and be replaced with more FOOD!! yumm!)

The horse wall art is an image from a $1 calendar updating an existing frame.

Here's where the look started to change to a menswear inspired look. I switched out the gold twig runner I had sprayed gold for a black & white paisley runner I had found the summer at HomeGoods. I had picked it up when I had gotten the pair of tablecloths I used as window panels - soon after painting the front door black (Read about this makeover at Dark Door Project). I thankfully had a Marshalls | HomeGoods gift card (I had been holding onto for Fall or the holidays) so these textiles really came in handy to update our look this year for winter...

A houndstooth throw I found at Target also helps with the menswear mix...

The happy find of Fitz & Floyd dessert plates is what really makes this work.

The pairing of the paisley, plaid and houndstooth on the table, has even now inspired the look I'll be doing this year in our bedroom for winter. Repeating decor elements in your home is a great way to create a harmonious look.

Thrifted Fitz & Floyd dessert plates at .75 cents each.

(When I googled the F&F b&w plaid group - the 10" dinner plates from the group came up as $33 each)

Pairing plaid & paisley - Paisley napkins are Ralph Lauren I got at HomeGoods.

Sneak Peek at Winter bedroom pairing...

Stay tuned for the update.

I actually found a RL houndstooth sheet set at HomeGoods last week and can't wait to pair with my existing printed pillow covers and some fur. Yeah - I know I'm in Florida, and it's all palm trees, coconuts, seashells and the shore, but updating the look changes the mood in our home and helps me to reconnect with the North East...

Hope this helped inspire you for your holiday tablescapes. Adding GOLD can really make a dramatic difference... and it can simply be just spray painting items you already have. And no need to run to the mall to buy an entire set of new dishes. Try thrifting, mixing and matching new looks for a fraction of the cost that the save - and splurge on textiles and other tablescape essentials at HomeGoods...

Thanks for stopping by!