Never buy new unless you cannot find a reasonable alternative secondhand (and that rarely happens)

I have been known to buy new clothes here and there.  ALWAYS ALWAYS new lingerie and more often than not, SHOES!

But when it comes to clothes, 99% of my closet is secondhand.  It is a rare day when I cannot find what I am looking for in a thrift store or garage sale.  And sometimes, it happens.  For instance, when I wanted to recreate the Shorts Suit look, I could not find a pair of long(ish) white shorts to save my life!  And I scoped out four thrift shops and two garage sales!  Following my first philosophy, I went directly to the clearance racks of my two discount stores and found what I was looking for!

On the other hand, I have found some amazing and one of a kind pieces secondhand.  Which makes me wonder why on earth I ever shopped retail? I picked up a silky tank top with a scattering of sequins at a resale shop a couple weekends ago for $1. Thinking about the mix and match style combinations is making me crazy, so I’m weeding it down to just three outfits. Besides, if I ‘over’wear something, I’m sure to get bored of it soon. And it’s a fabulous top! I’ve actually seen that top in department stores for upwards of $75!

If you take away your preconceived notions of branding and price, you can more often than not find almost exactly what you’re looking for secondhand, if not exactly. I’ve found Miss Me jeans for $10! I have noticed a few brands fit better than others, and I make a point of looking at those items closer before I move on to the next hanger, but I don’t get distracted by a label. If I’m looking for a particular cut of slacks, then I will look for that cut and color. If it fits (and a lot of resale shops have dressing rooms), then it’s MINE! But I have been making the effort to go with a list, rather than willy-nilly shop. Because even though secondhand shopping is ALWAYS less expensive than retail, it can add up just like that. And while I don’t mind spending $20 on fifteen items, in the end, if I never wear it, what’s the point? And I have a small pile of clothes I have purged from my closet for the next garage sale. Picked up for a penny but never worn. I hate when I do that.

If you are looking for a specific something, keep it on a list and bring it with you while you browse the resale shops and the garage sales. If after a period of time (I usually give myself a month) you still haven’t found it, then it’s a pretty reasonable assumption that you’re going to have to buy it new (BUT at a discount!) Most likely, you’ll find it within the first two weeks of looking.

And if you absolutely NEED that certain piece right away, you’re not planning your closet calendar, are you? Get thee the services of a closet stylist!

09-22-11

Inspiration:

At first glance, I thought they were tights with heels. Upon deeper inspection, I realize they are boots. However, my inspiration was the tights! I’m not brave enough for print on print houndstooth yet (although I do have a jacket, two skirts and a pair of slacks in houndstooth!) So I’m searching the past two weeks for houndstooth tights when a little voice in the back of my head tells me to go look in my sock drawer. Lo and behold! Apparently I’ve held onto a pair of houndstooth tights since the late 80’s! So far back in the drawer, I actually had to pull the drawer out of the dresser to get them! And even though I was a couple sizes smaller back then, they still fit!

And my ensemble for today:

    

Excuse the goofy expression! While from the photo you can’t tell it’s a print tight, I did a close up detail of the print! 

I am going to be rocking these tights all season! I LOVE houndstooth!

The rundown:

Tights – Circa 87/88, no idea what I paid for them then.

Top & Skirt – Express via Garage Sale, $3 for both pieces

Long Cardigan – Uniform via Thrift Town, $1.50

Belt – Target, $5 on clearance

Shoes – ShoeDazzle.com $39.95

Necklace – Craft Show find

Ring – Gift from a waitress at Applebee’s a few months’ ago!

Outfit Total – $49.45, all because of the shoes! 😉

Are you planning on putting some houndstooth in your closet this fall? How?

Fabulous Find – Arty Colors!

I LOVE Dita Von Teese’s style. She is always so perfectly put together. And she epitomizes the 30’s, 40’s and sometimes 50’s glamour that I have wanted to experiment with for years!

So when I found this watercolor floral skirt at a garage sale for $1, I HAD to get it and try her look!

Here’s my take –

Ok, granted, I don’t have her figure and height to pull off an allover print like hers, but I like the way this turned out.

Skirt – Jonathon Martin via Garage Sale $1

Top – Theory via Style & Grace $3

Necklace – House of Introspection via GIFT!

Shoes – Vera Wang for Kohl’s $20 on clearance

Outfit total – $24, once again, because of the shoes!

What other ways could I pull this skirt off?

 

 

Fabulous Finds – Bollywood

Garage Sale Finds are the BEST. Especially if they were only worn once and there’s barely any scuffing on the sole!

These shoes are PURE BOLLYWOOD! Look at the beading detail! And it’s orange-y bronze leather, not fabric, although it looks like it. 3″ stacked heel, absolutely perfect fit! I fell in love with them at first sight!

BCBGMaxAzria $5

Thoughts?

Genesis Benefit Thrift Store

I realize this is a location specific shop, but it’s my absolute favorite place to find treasures and it’s right around the corner from my office (BONUS lunchtime shopping!) If you happen to have a similar shop near you, let me know, I might invite you to guest post a review of it!

Genesis Benefit Thrift Store is located in between two crazy fashionable neighborhoods of Dallas, the Park Cities and Oak Lawn. Park Cities because, well, it’s the Park Cities and Oak Lawn because I have always said a gay man laughing at you is the worst fashion insult ever. I’m always reminded of the scene in Legally Blonde where the pool boy masquerading as the defendant’s lover outs himself by pointing out Elle Woods’ heels are so last season!

I have never walked out of there empty-handed. Not only that, but they also sell furnishings and tchotchkes. Last time I was there they had a nine piece Neiman Marcus teak patio set for $750. No lie, if I had had the money, it would have been mine! We’ve actually furnished our front office with pieces from the Genesis Benefit Thrift Store! A dark green leather cantilever chair, anyone? Or vintage dark brown wicker trunk? Yep, just a couple of the fabulous finds from Genesis.

But the very best part of Genesis is the clothing! It’s a donations type of operation and because of its fabulous location, the merchandise is often high end classics or last season’s cast-offs. My very first purchase was a pair of nude suede Kenneth Cole pumps, $12. I wore them into the ground and then had them resoled…and resoled again. They’re on their fourth sole now. And I recently purchased a pair of last season’s black Stuart Weitzman pumps for $14. I’ve also found True Religion jeans, Ann Klein, Talbot’s, Sigrid Olsen, Marc Jacobs, DKNY, Burberry and Michael Kors, to drop a few names. And speaking of name dropping, it’s a bit of what I look for when secondhand shopping – clothes that have reputations for quality, classic silhouettes and longevity.

I can’t even begin to tell you of all my fabulous finds from this shop. It’s well organized and staffed. There are even men’s and children’s clothing. Not as big a selection as the women’s but you can’t have EVERYTHING you want, right?! They get new donations daily, but I’ve been told Tuesdays and Thursdays are their main days for putting out new items. We tend to shop on Saturdays when we go because it’s easy to lose track of time when I’m in there on my lunch hour!

Have you shopped Genesis? What do you think?

J’s Everyday Fashion

One of my new favorite blogs is called J’s Everyday Fashion.  J attempts to recreate fashion magazine/runway looks from items in her own closet.  I was recently introduced to her blog by a great friend, fellow shoe ho and fabulous fashionista who is a retail shopper – but I don’t let that color our friendship!  And one of the first things I did was take J’s look from 8/10/11 and tried to recreate it using items from MY recycled closet.

Fortunately, I had all but one piece – and a quick trip to the WalMart clearance rack and I was in business!  And to copy J’s rundown, here’s what I got and where:

Blazer – Garage Sale, $2

Sleeveless Button Down Shirt – Garage Sale, $1

Shorts – Faded Glory, WalMart clearance rack $7

Necklace – Garage Sale $1

Belt – Thrift Town $1.50

Shoes – Nine West, DSW $56 (birthday gift cards!)

Outfit Total – $68.50  (all because I had to have dark brown pumps!)

J’s philosophy is to set a monthly clothing budget for herself and she buys what she needs based on what she has in her closet.  However, the outfit total was often higher than what I would have spent.  For example, the total piece by piece look for J was $187, and that’s not including the other accessories she included in her look (I don’t carry a bag like that, so I didn’t include it in my look.) The majority of her pieces are bargains, but I couldn’t help but wonder if those same looks could be created using garage sale prices! And I think I’ve succeeded for less than half what she spent on hers!  Nothing wrong with saving some money!

Do you read J’s Everyday Fashion? What do you think?  Have you tried any looks?  Let me know if there’s a look you’d like me to find and recreate for less than $20…I think I’m going to go through her archives and see what else I can recreate…might be a new weekly feature!

Button Front Tops by LOFT
Shorts by Dickies

 

 

Hello World!

Hi!  I’m a thrift store, garage sale, second hand junkie.  Not only am I a sucker for all things resold or given away, I am also a rabid recycler and live furtively with my one vice – being a shoe ho.  Pretty much the only things I will buy new are shoes.  But even then, if I can find a great pair of shoes at a garage sale or thrift store, BAM!  I am deliriously happy!  Not only with my find, but the dollars I saved buying it.

I try to be fashionable in my own style.  I don’t have any one marker, but I’d call myself classically modern.  I do lean heavily to the retro 60’s, but that’s because I find that such a fun and colorful clothing era! I have been complimented on my style quite often and I always find it a thrill to know that the whole outfit probably cost me less than $60 on any given day.

A friend once told me that she couldn’t dress like I did because she shops at thrift stores.  When I pointed out that I dress like I do BECAUSE I shop at thrift stores, she asked me to take her with me next time. My goal with this blog is to show how you can find great looks at pennies on the dollar, whether trolling thrift stores, resale shops, garage sales or even sometimes clothing swap parties.

Even if money isn’t an issue for you, it just doesn’t make sense to buy brand new when you can recycle someone else’s closet for your own!  I hope you enjoy my clothing adventures as much as I do!  Drop me a note and let me know what you think!

Never Pay Full Retail…

Unless it’s handmade or one-of-a-kind.

That’s one of my main philosophies. Why? Because it can almost always be found at a lower price somewhere. And if not, well, it’s probably handmade or one-of-a-kind…which are my only two acceptable reasons to pay full retail. I mentioned earlier I’ve been on a retro 60’s kick lately…take a gander at today’s outfit:

I found the top at a garage sale recently and realized it went perfectly with my leggings and boots for a go-go girl kind of look. Which I think is so much fun! And at $0.50 for the top, I had to get it, of course! On a taller woman, the top would be more of a flowy blouse, but on my 5’3″ self, it’s a mid-thigh skimming tunic! For once, I am A-ok with being short.

I know the picture isn’t the best quality, I had my co-worker take it on a whim this morning with my iPhone, so please forgive me and I’ll take a better picture next time!

The run down:

Sheer Retro Print Tunic Top – Garage Sale $0.50

Black Tank Top (underneath) – Steve & Barry’s $4, seven years ago (RIP Steve & Barry’s)

Black Leggings – Target $8

Zip Up Knee High 2 ¾” heel Black Stretchy Vinyl Boots – Dana Buchman for Kohl’s $40, two years ago

Necklace – Birthday gift from House of Introspection – Thanks, Lindsay!

Ring & Earrings – Craft show finds $5

Outfit Total: $58.50

Here are some comparable looks I created on Shopstyle, a website that lets you shop for whatever you’re looking for and create looks from those items! My thought process for these ‘lookbooks’ is to print them out and take with me when I go shopping the thrift stores and garage sales so I know exactly what I’m looking for…