A new[ish] year means time for new resolutions, and let’s be honest — you aren’t actually going to eat more carrots or spend less time on tumblr anytime soon. Why not keep it real and resolve to support independent fashion publishing? If you haven’t picked up a copy of issue 11 yet, maybe this snazzy vid put together by Ave Wornette will convince you to finally check it out.

- Anna Fitz

We have spent the last few sleep deprived weeks frantically scrambling to get issue 11 to the printers - the launch party is on November 13! - but that doesn’t mean we are ready to forget about issue 10. Now, I may be totally biased (full disclosure: I actually work for this magazine. Shocker, I know), but our last issue has a ton of good content including, but not limited to:

A gender-bending photoshoot inspired by hairstyles of kickass historical women! Setting the record straight on hijab terminology! Don Cherry’s iconic suits! An interview with Iris Haussler! A model tearing apart a chicken! Tavi talks Avedon! A look at the intense world of button collectors!

If haven’t already, I recommend you pick up a copy. As always, we strive for timeless content, so barring a zombie apocalypse this issue will still be relevant five years from now.

(Heads up, the next issues that will probably sell out are issues four and nine - my personal favourite - so get those while you still can).

- Anna Fitz
Video by Ave Smith

Ave Wornette recently ventured to South Korea, where she picked up, as she calls them, “the Holy Grail of socks.” No further commentary necessary.

It all started when I was a kid. I would walk to the convenience store, get a blue raspberry lollipop filled with gum, and head to the thrift store a couple shops down in the strip mall, where I would peruse stacks of used books and feed my Archie comic addiction with their huge selection. I poked around other parts of the shop—at furniture, wicker baskets, old wedding dresses—but I wasn’t interested in that stuff yet. As I grew older, moved around, and found new thrift stores, the sections I checked changed: black clothes to cut up and safety-pin back together when I had just started high school; boots, belts, and shoes; dresses to alter once I started sewing, cassette tapes for when I got my car, and vinyl to play when my roommates had record players. Over time, I learned that the key was to check every section and leave your trip open to the thrill of discovery.

Now imagine someone who has dedicated most of his or her life to learning these tricks of the trade, someone who can perfectly describe the thrill of the hunt, the ever-growing mental list of things you want to find, the triumphs and tribulations of searching for that perfect item amongst the discarded. Al Hoff is that person, and reading Thrift Score feels like sitting down and listening to a real thrift expert funneling years of that knowledge straight into your brain. In her introduction, Hoff mentions that the content of Thrift Score is as varied as what you might find in a thrift store, and this observation is apt. Chock full of facts, tips, and trivia, it’s hard to believe so much information can be crammed into one book.

The first section of Thrift Score talks about thrifting as a concept, describes its history, and includes some basic strategies for when you hit the store. The rest of the chapters are divided into “rooms” for convenience (kitchen, bedroom, patio/pool, entertainment, etc). The tone of the book retains the intimate feeling of a zine, full of personal stories, thrifting anecdotes, trivia about all manner of things you might find in a second-hand store, and the typical ponderings that all thrifters contemplate (why are there so many macramé owls in this world?).

You can definitely feel that the book is based on a zine – it’s full of side panels, lists, facts in the margin, and pictures with funny captions. Although the whole thing is well organized into multiple chapters, headings and subheadings, at first glance the sheer quantity of information can feel somewhat overwhelming. But, happily, the book’s format lends itself to dipping in and out whenever you feel like it (today I’ll learn about dead fads! Or choosing a cookbook! Or throwing a theme party! Or decorating a living room using only orange items!).

I am an inveterate thrifter, as are many of my friends. If you’re in this crazy boat with us, you’ll probably enjoy a flip through Thrift Score. It’s a great reference if you’re ever looking to purchase something specific (since it includes tips on how to buy quality items in each category) or planning a theme party (there are tons of ideas on to do it on the cheap), or just looking to impress your friends with your knowledge about the collectible lunch box craze. Trying to describe what lies within Thrift Score is like trying to list every item in a thrift store at any given moment. You’ll just have to trust me when I say it’s worth it to take a look, even if thrifting isn’t your thing. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty—you never know what kind of treasure you might uncover buried amongst everything else.

Thrift Score by Al Hoff, Harper Collins, 1997
Review by Ave Smith
Photography by Anna Fitzpatrick
Modeling by Ted Kulczycky