The title says it all: I went a little bit wild with my thrifting last month. On the plus side, I’ve been shopping almost exclusively secondhand this year and my purchase-price-to-MSRP ratio is under 10%. Score! Speaking of which …
I did NOT buy these fantastic orange Stuart Weitzman pumps, but only because they were not my size *weeps*
I also didn’t buy this Lilka dress, despite my general buy-all-the-Anthro thrifting MO. This is actually the second time I’ve found this dress at the thrift store, so I took it as a sign. No joy sparked here.
I DID, however, buy this rather, um, eclectic Zara dress. I am calling it the “carpet dress”, and it will probably turn into a regretted impulse buy but … YOLO and all that.
This dress, on the other hand, will probably be a keeper. Laying it flat on the floor doesn’t do it much justice. It’s a very flattering style on the body, and the colour is fantastic.
This was another impulse buy (VV was having a sale on women’s clothing, sensing a theme here?) that I purchased without even trying. I’m happy I did however, because it turned out to be pretty awesome. It’s a lot like my grey Joe Fresh tube dress, except shorter, more fitted, and equipped with a built-in cardigan. I know, that sounds dubious, but trust me — it works, and it doesn’t look dowdy. Joseph Ribkoff is a Canadian designer largely targeted at an older crowd, I believe, but some of the pieces are pretty classic. (They’re made in Canada, which I really appreciate). I’ve been won over to the versatility of plain grey dresses, so I’m excited to see what I can do with this one.
I may or may not have audibly squealed when I found this on the VV rack. The fit is all kinds of weird (more on that in another post) but I adored the 70s-ish print … and, well, you can’t go wrong with silk.
Here is my buy-all-the-Anthro MO in action. I couldn’t pass up this skirt even though it’s two sizes too big. Look at those sequinned flowers! I’ll either have it taken in, or come up with a DIY solution to the sizing issue — I have bazillion outfit ideas for this already.
Seven dollars for a cute Anthro dress? Sold.
And sold again.
Mustard cords in my size … and my fave cropped length? Yes, please.
Of course, nothing beats paying $8 for a pair of almost-new Ferragamos. The only visible sign of wear is on the back of the heel, which seemed like no biggie. These were too cute to pass up — the hardware matches my Sofia bag.
Hope you guys enjoyed some thrifting success of your own!
Amazing finds! I am in awe.
How do you know what brands are Anthro? I love the last two dresses!
I think it has the brand/designer’s name then “for anthropologie” at the end? I seem to recall finding a dress like this on the weekend. IIRC, the fabric was Grandma’s couch in the worst possible way: shiny and matte beige floral in a heavy, textured fabric. 🙁
I’ve seen a few, but definitely not most, of the labels (often the inside tag, not the one on the back) refer to Anthropologie. For example, the Floreat skirt (which I am wearing today) has no reference that I can see to Anthro.
For the most part, I have just memorized the brand names (common ones are Maeve, Moulinette Soeurs, Floreat, Odille, Elevenses, Tracy Reese, Pilcro, Leifsdottir, Tabitha, Deletta, Guinevere, Cartonnier, Fei, Tiny, Weston — I’m sure I am forgetting a ton), and I can quickly spot them. The easiest way is to simply look up the brand on your phone and see what pops up. I always do that with brands I don’t recognize off the bat, because they would be a hidden treasure (or not).
My thrifting success has NEVER been this good. Your stores are just incredible especially with the crazy low pricing.
See, I think prices have actually INCREASED here at Value Village, which kinda sucks. I would say that prices at consignment stores have remained pretty steady, and they are miles ahead of bigger cities like Vancouver or Toronto. There are actually a lot of people buying designer goods here, so the secondhand market is excellent — perhaps surprisingly so.
You have the best thrifting skills/luck! I always find amazing things in other sizes…the other day I found a NWT J. Crew tweed skirt (originally $120, priced at $5.99), gorgeous brand new purple suede Cole Haan pumps (orig. $298, priced at $8.99), Pelle Moda pumps, practically new (orig. $158, priced at $4.99), and a bunch of other things. None of it in my size, or even close to my size. UGHHHH. Also, the outfit on your Instagram with the Anthro Floreat skirt is perfection!
Ugh, that sucks! I hate finding amazing deals that are NOT my size. It always happens with shoes … mostly because with clothes, I have more leeway (as long as things are larger, not smaller than my size). This skirt was a perfect example — I just safety pinned it, and voile: fits great. It helps that it has pleats, which conceal my DYI approach to “alterations” 😉
Wow! You did really well. The thrifting in Edmonton is incredible! You never see that much designer stuff.
I had a nice haul on Sunday. I went to a thrift store an hour outside of my city, which I tend to think has nice dresses, and I picked up 2 maxis, 2 3/4 length sleeved knee-length dresses, a t-shirt dress, and two tops for about 50 bucks, but they are not designer quality. I’m dieting at the moment so these clothes will last me several months but won’t be in my wardrobe forever. The shoes, unfortunately, were hideous. I once found a pair of shearling-lined clogs there. 🙁
You can’t beat those deals!
Are those SWs a 8.5? I would have totally bought them off you from your store. You should just start selling these bargains that are not in your size 🙂
I think they were an 8. My assistant is an 8.5, and I would have gotten them for her otherwise.
I’ve thought about it, but the ridiculously high Canada Post shipping fees make it almost impossible 🙁
First time commenting but I wanted to say I love your blog. I was wondering if you’d consider talking in a post about proportion when pairing blazers and skirts. I love how they look on you but they always seem to hit me somewhat weirdly and I don’t know why. I suspect we’re not all that far off in size/shape, so maybe it has something to with the length of my torso or where the jacket hits? Thanks!
I think that’s a great idea for a post, although I’m not sure that I can speak authoritatively on it. I usually just eye-ball things and if it looks “wrong”, I don’t wear it. I would say that, for me, the key is the blazer length. A boyfriend cut blazer doesn’t look as good to me with a pencil skirt (and even worse with a full or A-line) as with pants. On me, a blazer should *ideally* hit just above the hip bone if I’m wearing a pencil skirt, and a little higher (i.e. “cropped” style) if I’m wearing an A-line or full skirt. But that, of course, is dependent on body shape (I have a longer torso and shorter legs, although average in height overall).
Can’t wait to see these in action!
Me either!! I’m like a kid in a toy store 😉
After nearly a year of terrible thrifting luck, 2016 seems to be the year I get my groove back. I’ve been on a roll lately! Cannot wait to see you style those cords and the blue dress. Also dying to see the cardi dress because I was positive it was simply a duster cardigan!
xo nicole
writeslikeagirlblog.com
Yay! Sending thrifting luck your way <3
I'm excited to wear everything ... it's almost overwhelming. Where to start??
Nicely done! Good ol’ VV Boutique always rewards a dedicated digger 🙂
Haha, that’s me 😉
I have that Anthro skirt with the sequin flowers, purhcased at the same time as the mustard skirt when I went up to London. I’ve worn it loads with green to pick out the stems, coral / red (obviously) and white. It’s a great skirt and despite saying dry clean only it comes out of a hand wash cycle on the machine just fine. Enjoy!