THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF UKAY-UKAY


Vintage is back in the mainstream! It's once again hip to sport the styles of yesteryears. Two nights back, I was watching "Chances Are" on HBO and I said to myself, who would've thought that Cybill Shepherd's outfits in the movie would be the hottest ensembles hanging on the racks of Mango, Zara and Topshop?

We have our own neighborhood thrift shop, what we call in common Filipino parlance, as "ukay-ukay." It is conveniently located five minutes away from our house. Part of the tedious search is the humid and dusty interiors of the Ukay ukay store. But I guess it is part of the rewarding experience that goes with an Ukay Ukay adventure!We scoured through all the racks of the thrift shop and found treasure finds. We bought about 4 dresses, a yellow frilly top, a pair of Marlboro Classic denim jeans, a long brown vest, a long sleeved embroidered purple shirt by BCBG Max Azria and a denim victorian vest, all for the retail price of P1600! We walked back home with a huge plastic bag filled with such interesting finds. If I had brought the same amount to Rustan's or Powerplant, the only thing I would have brought home was a solitary blouse!

I know that these ukay-ukay items are contraband goods as defined by law. In the Philippines, it is prohibited to import used clothing by bulk. Still, they figure their way into our customs territory. Just as they say that piracy is stealing, people may say that buying ukay-ukay is congruent to that. They can complain all they want, but it's still a thrill reenacting the TV show, "Look for Less" inside our friendly neighborhood Ukay-Ukay Store!

I will post the pictures of these wonderful pieces soon, after undergoing a stringent washing procedure hehehe...