Good{will outlet} Friday #4 District 12

I went to Goodwill Outlet Center twice this week and tore through those bins with a mission: finding clothing and accessories to put together a Hunger Games inspired outfit.

Not a Katniss Halloween costume, but something that I would actually wear on a regular basis.  By focusing on finding items in generic colors with simple designs, I found some great basics.  This type of clothing is common at the outlet, but usually not exciting enough to catch my eye and come home with me.  Normally, I try not to go in looking for specific things because I end up disappointed if I don't find them, and overlooking other really great articles of clothing.  The odds were in my favor: I had great luck finding what I needed!

If you are into the Hunger Games books, then you know all about fiery Katniss.  In her father's old leather jacket, she sneaks under the metal fence that surrounds her district to hunt with her bow & arrow in the woods.  This (imitation) leather jacket was a great find.  Its a worn, dark brown with plenty of straps, pockets and zippers.  I've never really worn a leather jacket before, and its a little intense.  But it is warm and if anyone wants to take me for a ride on their motorcycle, I am prepared!

Another first-time-buy this week was a pair of jeggings!  Yup, that's right: Jeggings.  When I have them on, I can't help but feel a little bit like Conan O'Brian.  The wash is very dark and they look brand new, I was surprised to see them in the bin.  

They just look so funny with the big, goofy elastic waist band and they seem so small and silly, but when I wear them I'm very comfortable and they really do look just like skinny jeans.

(Conan image from http://teamcoco.com)

I found this belt a while back and grabbed it because I like the twisted leather bands.  I think unique belts are a great way to add interest to a simple outfit like this.

My boots were one of the first good Outlet Center finds ever.  This was one of those, "Oh, Heather, are you really going to buy that and try to fix it?" items.  The soles were floppy and caked with mud.   After I re-attached the soles with super glue and polished them up to a shiny, new black, they've held up amazingly well.  I wear them constantly and haven't had to do any more repairs.

My last Hunger Games crafty project (I posted five this week) is this t-shirt.  All kinds of ideas were rolling around in my head that involved altering an article clothing.  To avoid creating something that would only be appropriate if I was trying to Cosplay as Lara Croft, I decided to keep it simple.

Shirts like this are a dime-a-dozen at the outlet (haha, almost literally!).  I chose this heather gray v-neck boyfriend tee because I knew that I would wear it often, not just for this post.

Can you guess why I picked that specific number?

If you guessed 'Because Katniss and Peeta are from District 12', you are correct!  If you guessed 'Because liking a young adult novel this much makes me think you are actually twelve years old,'...I guess that answer would also be correct.  This is a quick project.  Just grab a pack of iron on letters; mine are ALSO from the outlet center.  Yes, I'm that good :)   They can also be found at craft stores and even the dollar store.  Decide on a unique location and simply iron on your number!

*These amazing photos were taken by by Molly Heaven-Hoyle.  Contact her at mheavenhoyle@gmail.com