better know a local biz: common era

we hadn't really been shopping much on south platte street in denver, dismissing it as the home of a pre twenty-one yesteryear when nothing meant more then finding a coffee shop open all night that you could smoke cigarettes in (at least for one of us!). but it turns out that angsty coffee shop on south platte is all grown up now and so is the area. one of the most pleasant perks? boulder clothing staple, common era.

1543 platte street is common era's new stomping ground. although it still has its spot on boulder's famous pearl street mall, it has happily graced denver with its fashion-savvy presence and can't-be-beat prices...something not always common in small clothing boutiques. here is a place where you can find unique pieces from dresses to jeans, well organized racks (hello color-blocking), shoes, earrings, and a bag to match.

here are some adorable high-waisted jeans with double buttons that went home with the model. we saw them featured on the mannequin out front and couldn't wait to see them on. nice to see it looks cute on human bodies too!

highlighting of some amazing accessories. k & e particularly love the 1920's head pieces.

denver fashionistas, if you are looking for a cute, reasonably-priced outfit on the fly, forget forever 21 and spend your bucks at common era instead--you'll be helping out the economy where it counts: at home, looking fly, and you won't have to venture into *barf* the mall (added non-mall bonus: this place played morrissey while we shopped, not mind-numbing techno).

p.s.

we heard they are planning on starting how-to classes soon, excellent for those of us who are up on fashion trends but are feeling a little light in the wallet! go to www.mycommonera.com to vote for what classes you think you would attend.

happy local shopping!

cheers!

fashionista of the month: miss beth martin

k's longtime friend, former roommate, and fellow fashion enthusiast beth martin was an obvious pick for our fashion interviewee sooner or later. beth was born and raised around the denver area, and we're always impressed by her ability to stand out and not only be fashion-forward, but unique, and also just fucking adorable and sassy. don't even get me started on her halloween costumes. yay for may!

1. why do you think you're so fashionable?
I guess maybe its the fact i don't take myself seriously. I like to have fun with my style and do silly things. Keeping people guessing always seems really fashionable to me. Plus I have an uncanny ability to wear way too many accessories. 

2. what's the least fashionable thing about you?
My bags are normally hideous. I cant be bothered to hold things so I put my purses down everywhere and they end up getting pretty grimy .

3. what's a secret fashion vice of yours?
I'm the type of person who likes to re-invent myself very frequently or i get board, so right now my current vice is changing my hair. I wanted it short a month ago and now I want it long again so i may have developed a slight addiction to hair extensions...on only one side.


4. what trend or trends do you hate the most right now?
Not so sure how i feel about jumpers. I somehow have one in my closet though. How i ended up thinking "yeah this is cute", going all the way to the counter, getting my money out and purchasing it without a little red flag coming up I have no idea.

5. who or what is a fashion inspiration to you?
People who are elegant and classy no matter what they are wearing always baffle and amaze me. I am inspired by people who are effortlessly glamorous, probably because it is so different than how I feel myself. Also my friends inspire me; we feed off each other. Who knows what i would end up wearing if i didn't have fashionable friends?



bonus beth question!!: as a longtime denver-area resident, what are some tips you have for us about vintage store shopping or places to shop?

For me the most important thing right now is versatility, because i'm quite broke. So i need to find things i can wear lots of different ways. The great thing about vintage stores is that you can have versatility without being boring. I love the unique shapes that you can find. I really enjoy common era over on platte street as well; they are reasonably priced and they have a lot of jewelery that they make themselves and is one-of-a-kind.

imaginary clothing friends

we're jealous of clothing make over shows that give you $5,000 to spend on anything you want. so maybe we're not the worst dressers in the world, does that mean we should be denied this amazing opportunity? according to popular television, probably. so instead we decided to take ourselves on an imaginary shopping spree and see what we would spend other people's money on. 

kendall's picks

stella mccartney embroidered mini dress for $3,945.

kate spade owl bag. price is unknown as it is not available until august 2009 but estimated at around $500.

alexander wang carrington woven boots for around $1,000.

scalloped jacket from chloe's spring 2009 collection for $2,495.

kenneth jay lane octopus ring for $150.

grand total: estimated at $8,090. k only went $3000 over budget for these 5 items!! yay!

el's picks

dolce v by mimi holliday silk and lace bra and panty set because every girl wants to feel a little like marie antoinette under her clothes. bra for $88, briefs (not pictured) $59. 

paige premium denim blue heights mckinley jeans for $179. 

fall 2008 ann demeulemeester lace up boots $1800.

vanessa bruno ruffled top. no idea what season it's from, just love it. estimated cost $500.

vivianne westwood distressed linen "worthmore" jacket for $865. again, no idea what season it's from.

ashley watson dunlin bag for $440. this is being currently sold at composition, our favorite denver store!

jennifer behr victorian crystal and silk stain head wrap for $264. not sure about the season yet again.

grand total: estimated at $4195! leaving el an extra $805 to go to town with. she would probably at least get another pair of jeans and a couple of these...

crazy expensive ($81!)but super cute harlow cropped sweat pants from ella moss because she loves to lay around in her pj's so much and no fashion make over show would ever break her of this habit

just remember folks, you are never too poor to shop with your imagination. cheers!

dress for the resesh: exploring denver thrift stores

we hate talking about the recession just as much as the next gal, but there is no denying the fact that it is time to start thinking about shopping on a tighter budget (not that we don't already!) so today we went on a quest to explore some of denver's more reputable thrift stores. we really only had the time to get down to the south broadway area, but that's where most of the good ones are anyway. here are the four that we hit and what we thought about them:

south broadway ARC--1515 s. broadway. denver, CO.

this arc is interesting. it hovers on the thin line between the hip baker neighborhood and one of the more ghetto areas of denver (close to south federal, santa fe, etc), so the items in the arc can range from amazing finds to disgusting t-shirts that smell faintly like pee. but it is worth the trip, as we both have found some real gems there. this arc is pretty large, so you have to be committed to searching a bit. don't count on the tiny dressing rooms being available.  

k found these hot ankle boots by rampage for $3.99

regal vintage--1866 s. broadway. denver, CO

we were thrilled to happen upon regal vintage (previously called rare bird vintage) at its new, rather unfortunate location (it used to be on 13th ave in the capitol hill area). this vintage store is a real treasure. its spendier of course than your typical thrift store, but its got high quality clothes and accessories as well as vintage furniture, ashtrays, new kids on the block pillows, etc. if you love vintage stores, be sure to make the trip down to south broadway to check this out. judging from the location, they probably don't get a ton of foot traffic. the staff seemed knowledgeable and friendly, and they also buy vintage items so try taking your high quality goods down there if you'd rather be making some cash than spending it.

regal vintage is a colorful oasis on south broadway. check out that cool old luggage in the window!

our favorite find: a fun faux fur collar with a chartreuse tie for $15

flossy mcgrews--1824 s. broadway. denver, CO

this store is best known for being THE spot for halloween costumes, so we weren't sure what to expect on a tuesday afternoon in may. turns out its chock full of all sorts of vintage clothes, accessories, jewelry, hats, and of course, random costumes for that ugly sweater party you rsvp'ed to. we found it a bit off-putting, though, because it was so dirty, unorganized, and cluttered. it looked like no one had taken a broom to the floor since last halloween's busy season, so if you're a vintage clothing lover, be sure to block out a chunk of time to do some serious digging. some of the hats, for instance, looked too dirty and wrinkled for anyone to actually want to wear them, but there are no doubt some gems hidden in flossy's. 

you're going to need to dedicate some serious time to digging through this wall of costume jewelry

safari seconds--422 broadway. denver, CO

there is one word for this store: gnarly.

we traveled here at the behest of the westword's 2009 best of denver edition (westword is our local alternative newspaper) which had this to say about what they called, "the best thrift store deal in denver":

We already like Safari Seconds enough to have raved about it here in 2006 and 2008, but the place, a dirt-cheap, refugee-run thrift store that helps African immigrants get on their feet, just keeps on giving. Since moving last summer to a more visible space on Broadway, the shop has hosted clothing giveaways every last Friday of the month, sometimes with a bit of fanfare and African food and music, but always offering secondhand specials at the best price of all: free. Spring cleaning was never so much fun.

while that's all well and good, it doesn't change the fact that safari seconds is seriously thread bare and has an overall unhygienic smell that makes shopping there unpleasant. after scanning the few racks we didn't even find anything to snap a pic of. so maybe donate money to these folks, but don't spend it there.

overall we are slightly disappointed in denver's thrift store selection. compared to other cities we've been to, there just doesn't exist that same culture of upper echelon thrift. but maybe because of the good ole recession the denver thrift store scene will perk up soon and surprise us all. here's to hoping! let us know if you have any special places in denver you go for great deals, we'd love to hear about it.

cheers!