A Green Plaid Grasshopper + Zip-front Dr. Marten's

Thank goodness for the first-world and the retail opportunities it offers which have previously been unavailable to me back home.

1. fancy vintage stores

The treasure trove of thrift shops in Manila, more commonly known as ukay-ukays, is quite extensive, but I just never had mustered the courage to rummage through those authentically dingy clothing racks. But package the thrift shops a little more nicely, charge a premium if you must, and I'm all over it! I scored a delightful deal at the vintage store today:

a small navy, green and yellow tartan-plaid vintage suitcase by Grasshopper

It's in great condition, handle, zipper, and even the locking zipper pull all in tip-top shape.

close-up of the label

The monogrammed initials sealed the deal for me.

I plan on using it as a briefcase, much like my own re-creation of this extremely drool-worthy combo of vintage bag + Dr. Martens posted on Jak and Jil a few weeks back,

which brings me to the second reason why I'm thankful I'm in the United States now:

2. online shopping

No where is online shopping as convenient, diverse, and affordable (free shipping all around!) as it is in the US. I remember so vividly: April this year, on Oxford Street, London, I was complimenting this dapper Japanese fellow who worked sales at Uniqlo on his sublime pointed zip-front Dr. Martens boots:

the second half of my re-creation of the Jak and Jil look

I asked him where I could get them, he replied they had been in store a few seasons back, and were most likely out of stock now. He was right. Fast forward to today; after a few clicks around google, I tracked down one of the few last pairs, entered my card details, and voila, they're mine.

See you in three to five business days!

P.S. Oh and The Dandy Project just turned one year old last September 2. Thank you, readers, for all your love and support. Congratulate me!