I enjoy thrift store for the same reasons that everyone else likes them: you can find unique pieces for a great price. It does depend on where you go, and the day that you go, but it doesn’t hurt to look.

You can find so much more than clothes there, and some have more of an assortment than others.

You can find accessories, shoes, books, furniture, toys, etc.  Some of the items I have found and love include sweaters, jackets, scarves, shoes, and handbags.

Today I will briefly talk about a few of the items, and share pictures of them. I will show more another week, so that it’s not picture overload!

The four pieces include a bracelet, purse, boots, and a scarf.  The bracelet is a silver cuff that curves up slightly at the edge. The center of the bracelet kind of looks like it is wrapped with rope (using my imagination to describe it hah), but it is long, rounded silver, with lines dashed into them.  The purse is a vintage tan Coach bag, which I’m sure everyone has seen before. The boots are Ann Taylor. They are black, tall, heeled, and have a gold inside lining. Last, but not least, the scarf. It is mainly purple and blue, but has a little bit of white and orange on it as well, and has a paisley design on it. I love the colors on it together. This scarf can also be used as a belt, headband, bracelet, or anything you can come up with!

Have you found anything nice or interesting at a thrift store?

—Raina

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As mentioned before, I really love handbags, and there has been one bag, well a picture of this one bag, that has been sitting in a folder on my desktop that holds all the pictures handbags I fall in love with. Handbags are so beautiful to me, although my idea of “beautiful” usually doesn’t always conform to what most would say is beautiful…well not upon first sight at least.

Since I do not have a picture of the actual bag in this post, though you can click the links below to view it, it might be a bad idea for me to describe it by what first comes to my mind. Well, here I go, it kind of resembles a larger version of a fanny pack. I was hesitant to describe it as that because of the history of the fanny pack, which, I should add, aren’t that bad in my opinion. Really though, I have seen some nice fanny packs haha! Not all of them are bad! And what could be better than having your hands free?

Anyways, the bag is the ‘Kilgore’, made by theMADLY. A better way to describe it might be that it is shaped like a basket (like on a bicycle), and protrudes out. Or, as described on their website, “wedge-shape messenger…a unique design inspired from vintage wicker creels used by fisherman in the early 1900s.” This leather bag has a top handle, as well as a long shoulder/cross body strap, and opens with a zipper. It is $420 and currently out of stock on their website.

I have not seen a similar bag in stores since I first saw this back in March of last year. However, I have been seeing a lot of street shots of people carrying a Givenchy bag that also has this basket shape. The Givenchy ‘Pandora Messenger’ is available in three sizes (small, medium, and large), and is more boxy-shaped compared to the ‘Kilgore’ bag. On the Barneys New York website, it shows the prices ranging from around $1,000 up to over $2,000, depending on the size and style.

I like these bags because the shape is different from what I have seen recently. I like how the bag is flat against the body, but sticks out in the front like a basket. They are a size nice, and look very durable. I think I would get a lot of use out of it. Hopefully we will start to see more affordable, but still quality, versions of it in stores soon!

—Raina

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Today I have an interview with Victoria (on the right in the picture). She is a Kent State student, and a good friend of mine, who is currently studying abroad in Switzerland for the semester. She has also included a couple of beautiful pictures she has taken while there. Enjoy!

Name: Victoria Jackson

Year: Senior

Major: Pan-African studies, Minors in International Business and Political Science

• What is the time difference between Kent and Switzerland?
  • The difference is 6 hours.

• Have you discovered any cool shops, restaurants, café, etc. that you enjoy? If so, what are they called?  And, can you describe them?

• Restaurants here are extremely expensive, so I have only been to a few. The best restaurant I have been to so far is the Spaghetti factory, which I can only describe as Italian fusion. The food was good but expensive. There is an Irish pub, called Mulligans, which is a half a block from our building so we usually will hangout there. The beers aren’t too expensive and the bartenders are friendly. I went to the Salvation Army here and it was really nice. It had a great selection of books in English and a nice clothing section especially the skirts and coats. There is a cafe near my internship that has a really nice tarte tatin. The café is expensive so that was a one-time thing.

• I love the weather here. Recently it has been around 40 degrees Fahrenheit.  I have only seen it snow twice here, and it was extremely light, did not stick to the ground, and lasted for a few minutes.

• Folders. Hands down folders have been the biggest adjustment. American style folders are not sold inGeneva. I wish I had brought my own from home. Also nothing is open on Sunday, which is difficult to get used to.

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