It feels like a while since I did one of these posts, and the photos have been piling up in my “Thrift” folder … I was almost afraid to look. I haven’t thrifted a LOT in September, but I seem to find a LOT whenever I do go. So, in the interest of not putting you to sleep, I decided to split this recap into two posts. First up, things I spotted but not thrifted recently.

Tahari coat
Tahari coat

Isn’t this beautiful? And only $8. I love the Goodwill coat section, sigh. Sadly, this beauty was too big on me.

Joseph Ribkoff dress
Joseph Ribkoff dress

Joseph Ribkoff is a brand I always watch for these days, because it’s made in Canada and a friend of mine loves it. Some pieces are not my style, but I occasionally come across things I really like. This faux wrap dress was one example of the latter, but it was too similar to a dress I already own (and a bit on the short side for me) so I passed.

Schumacher dress
Schumacher dress

I’m not familiar with this brand, but I think it’s German. This was a cool dress … for someone younger, with more exciting, fun places to go than yours truly.

Stuart Weitzman pumps
Stuart Weitzman pumps

I call these the “heartbreaker pumps”. Gorgeous red patent leather, pristine condition. I wanted these so badly. Sadly, they were a size 7.5 not 9. See, heartbreaker.

Kate Spade pumps
Kate Spade pumps

These Kate Spade pumps looked so 90s to me. Chunky heel, velvet, square toe, oh my. I know the 90s revival trend is going strong, but I just can’t. I lived the 90s, and I’m not ready for that particular trip down memory lane.

Spring (?) booties
Spring (?) booties

I was tempted by these because they reminded me of my Clarks ankle booties. I didn’t get them for the same reason — trying to be better about avoiding the “splitting my wears” scenario.

Miz Mooz slingback pumps
Miz Mooz slingback pumps

I get excited whenever I find Miz Mooz at the thrift store, but these were kinda blah, and a little big. Pass.

Tsubo flats
Tsubo flats

Super cute (and new) flats, but I’ve come to realize that I rarely wear round-toe flats. I have a bunch at home I can’t quite bear to part with, but I’m trying not to add more to that collection.

MbMJ and Zac Posen
MbMJ and Zac Posen

I found — and passed — on a bunch of designer pieces. The lesson? Don’t buy things only for the label. Don’t worry: something better (that fits, and you love) is just around the corner.

Dolce & Gabbana jacket
Dolce & Gabbana jacket

I would love to have a D&G piece in my closet, but this jacket wasn’t going to be it. Ixnay on the sleeves … and that price.

Milly blouse
Milly blouse

I love Milly (made in USA!) but I don’t do green, ruffly, or sheer. Pass.

Michael Kors top
Michael Kors top

I liked the watercolour polka dot print, but I didn’t see myself wearing this top. Hope it found a good home.

BCBG blazer
BCBG blazer

I hemmed and hawed over this BCBG blazer, but ultimately passed. I have a terrible weakness for blazers with architectural details, but I decided this wasn’t going to be sufficiently versatile to find room in my overflowing closet.

BCBG dress
BCBG dress

I used to have this dress! Same size … which makes me wonder if this is my old dress. Wouldn’t that be funny? I actually considered buying it because I love the colour palette, but then reminded myself there was a reason I gave it up in the first place (too short and the neckline too plunging for my everyday needs).

Ted Baker dress
Ted Baker dress

Speaking of hard decisions, I also passed on this Ted Baker dress. Loved the hem detail, but the overall aesthetic was “old Adina” and I am resolved to resist the lure of the past.

Sandro dress
Sandro dress

This dress was cute (and the orchid colour is one of my wardrobe “accent colours”) but I just wasn’t feeling the vibe. I think it would be a stunning dress on the right woman, so I left it behind for her to discover it.

Zara t-shirt
Zara t-shirt

I was soooo tempted by this. It would go so well with my husband’s “Koala-fied to Party” baseball tee, which he likes to bust out on special occasions. I ultimately passed, because I’m probably not cool enough for ironic t-shirts, but I do have a smidge of regret.

Speaking of which, I broke my #noAnthroLeftBehind rule more than once — but without any regret. Sometimes, there are valid reasons to, in fact, leave some Anthro pieces behind.

Maeve blouse
Maeve blouse

Take this Maeve top. What the hell? I assure you, it did NOT look better on.

Edme & Esyllte dress
Edme & Esyllte dress

This dress was cute enough, but not my style. I didn’t even try it on.

Leifsnotes dress
Leifsnotes dress

In defence of this dress, it was a size XL so I’m not doing it any favours. But, also, it’s kinda meh. I’m sure someone one there would love it, but that person is definitely not me.

Toms wedges
Toms wedges

I don’t do peep-toes, but these Toms were cute. I texted a pic to my (spirited) thrifting pal, Nicole, but she pleaded foot surgery and passed as well.

NOT Lanvin
NOT Lanvin

I got SO excited for a second there, you guys! And then I had a closer look, and touched the material and “noped” the heck out. Someday, a REAL Lanvin will find me. Well, a girl can dream, right?

A final word: Nicole and I have been having a lot of fun on our recent Tuesday evening thrift outings … so much so, that we’ve started kicking around the idea of making it a recurring, monthly event and inviting fellow Edmonton thrift-lovers to join us. We haven’t quite hashed out the details (or our schedules, hah!) but we’re thinking about making it official in October. Stay tuned for more details!

14 Comments on Tales from the Thrift: Spotted Not Thrifted Edition

  1. Hello Adina! My name is Janet Gordon and I am so thrilled to have found you and your site. We share the same passion for shopping with responsibility, but more importantly our ‘style’ is so very simpatico. May I ask what you do when you are not thrifting?

    Looking forward ,
    Janet Gordon

    My website is not launched yet, but you can see my style on my Pinterest page .just google Jane Gordon Style on Pinterest

  2. I love reading your thrifting posts with explanations why you DIDN’T purchase items – I am such an impulse thrifter myself and it’s nice to see your rationalizations. Although if I had been in your shoes, the BCBG blazer and that Ted Baker dress would have been mine (as long as they fit)!!

    • Oh man, I am totally an impulse thrifter too, this post notwithstanding. I’ve gotten better, for sure, but I still buy a LOT, and still end up with a lot of turnover for a variety of reasons (often, because I impulsively bought something that seemed like a good idea at the time, but wasn’t). One reason why I like doing these “spotted not thrifted” posts in particular is because they are a good reminder to be more selective — looking back on these photos, I don’t have any regrets about the things I left behind. And, for the record, at the time, I did agonize over the Ted Baker dress for a good 10 minutes, LOL!

  3. Hi Adina, Thank you for this post. I started thrifting recently courtesy of reading yours and a few others’ blogs. I really appreciate seeing the reasons why you left behind certain items. I love how you resisted the temptation of the former Adina style. I’m trying to perfect the art of resisting my former style too, which is very similar to yours. I’m looking forward to more of your thrifting posts.

    • Thanks, Wendy! I should be more clear: I am by no means disparaging my old style. I know people who pull it off fantastically. It’s simply not what feels most like “me” currently, and I am working on aligning my closet with my current vision.
      Good luck with your thrifting — I hope you find some amazing scores!

  4. I guess you do have to be ruthless, but I would not have left behind that gorgeous Tahari coat and the Ted Baker dress! Too bad I don’t live in Canada…. 🙂

    • I wish there was a way to “reunite” pieces like that with the people who would give them a new lease on life. If there was a start-up/app I wish I could get off the ground, it would be that, LOL!

  5. Your ability to exercise restraint is VERY inspirational, Adina!! Love your idea of leaving things for someone else who may love it even more: that’s an approach I’ve also tried to follow, along the lines of accumulating good “thrifting karma”!!!

    This was a fascinating post–many thanks!

    • It’s totally thrifting karma! That and finding things for friends … it’s putting good vibes out into the (thrifting) universe 🙂

  6. Hi, longtime lurker here, and I am totally jealous of your finds, even your misses! I know you have quite the blazer collection, and I just purchased my first one from the thrift store! How do you wash them? Most are dry clean only, but that seems like a lot for a thrift store find, almost takes the fun out of it. Do you find most of them are hand or machine washable? Thanks so much!

    • Here’s my take on blazers:

      One, be really selective about the ones you buy. I always check for signs of wear in 2 places. 1) the elbows. If the material has been worn to a shine, it means the blazer has seen a lot of wear (and/or has been drycleaned often, which also puts a lot of stress on the fabric, I think — same result). I would pass. 2) the inner lining at the armpits. It’s basically impossible to get rid of stains here, even with professional drycleaning. If we’re just talking about some deodorant residue, you can do a quick test — rub some pantyhose on the residue, it should come out. If it doesn’t, or if the stain is something else (like sweat), I would pass. In fact, most of the clothes I buy are either new or like-new — precisely because I don’t have to worry about heavy duty professional cleaning. If you thrift often, finding pieces in like-new condition is not that hard, so this is something you can be picky about.

      Two, invest in a home dry-cleaning kit. I’ve always used the Woolite version, but Dryel is another option. I buy mine through Amazon, because I can never seem to find it at the grocery store, but YMMV. (Walmart might carry this stuff; I don’t shop there much, but you may want to check that or places like Target.) It’s super easy to use, and relatively inexpensive, and it refreshes clothes in much the same way as professional dry-cleaning. It won’t remove stains, but will remove odours, etc. I’ve never had any problems with any of the clothes I’ve “dry-cleaned” this way.

      None of the blazers I buy are machine washable — most higher end designer pieces generally aren’t. With some things, you can get away with hand-washing. I wouldn’t try it with blazers, because you’re dealing with 2 different materials (outer and lining) and often with wool, which can be extra tricky. With other items, you can certainly try hand-washing in place of dry-cleaning, especially for items that say dry-cleaning is “recommended” versus “dry-cleaning only”. However, to be honest, at this point I only try it for 100% polyester pieces, or solid colour 100% cotton pieces … or pieces I don’t mind potentially ruining.

      • Wow, thank you for such a detailed response. I totally forgot about dryel; I gave up when I couldn’t find it locally. Will definitely try amazon. Thanks again

  7. That coat is amazing – you have much more willpower than I as it would be at my house right now, despite that I have so many coats already.

    • Haha! It was beautiful, so I knew it would find a home with someone who loved it AND fit it better than me. Sometimes, letting things go is the best thing to do — it just means that the right piece will find me.