It’s been a hectic month, which means lotsa thrifting-as-stress-relief … but I actually haven’t bought a lot. Most of what’s recapped here was actually bought in June, when I went a little a lot overboard. The deals, they are just too good, you guys.

But first, a few things I didn’t get.

I totally squee-ed a little when I found this Lucian Matis skirt. Does anyone else remember his season of Project Runway Canada? It was the only one I watched, I think, back in the days I still had time for TV (sigh) and I loved Lucian … not least because he’s also from the Old Country. Anyway, I think he’s still a pretty big name in Canadian fashion these days. This skirt was way too tiny for me to even try on (maybe a runway sample?) and a little too 90s-vibed, but it was an exciting thriftspot nonetheless.

Talk about a walk down memory lane! I think this was a vintage Kors blazer, from MK’s pre-diffusion line days. It was too comically large on me, but I think it’s a vintage piece that could definitely work on the right woman today.

These were not thrifted (but, rather, purchased at the Strathcona Antique Mall) but they were pretty and I wanted to include them in the round-up anyway. They were each $15 or less.

This teeny bee brooch, on the other hand, was thrifted, and a bargain at that. I didn’t realize it was a signed D’Orlan piece until later. Fun fact: back when we first started dating, my husband used to call me “Bee” — apparently, because I was always buzzing with energy. Things change a lot in 8 years (and two kids later) is all I’m gonna say about that. [In fact, I could use a nap right about now.]

I already have two of these little vases, but I figured I could use two more — they will make perfect table decorations at some future dinner party.

I could not NOT get this, you guys. And I am NOT sharing it with my daughter.

I did not set out to buy turqouise boho necklaces but here we are. I found these on separate occasions, and while the style is not right in my wheelhouse, I think these are fun additions to my casual summer wardrobe.

Two Italian-made leather bags in perfect condition? For under $10 together? Yes, please. I bought these as gifts (for my mom and for a friend) and I think they were hits.

Not entirely in my current style wheelhouse, but too cute to pass up nonetheless. [Damn you, Anthro!] Also, it was $4 (at VV’s 50% off sale). How could I not buy it, you guys? No, really: how could I not? Tell me how to resist the lure of cute dresses that cost less than a latte. Made in China, 100% cotton (with cotton lining).

The label on this dress confounded me, but the details were cute (and read as very Anthro-esque to my eagle eyes) so I took a chance because I was in a rush, and didn’t feel like dithering in the aisle at Goodwill for another 10 minutes.

And what do you know? It IS an Anthro dress. I have a sixth sense for Anthro, I’m telling you. Made in China, 100% silk (with poly lining).

I’m a sucker for butterflies. This one replaced a solid yellow/chartreuse top that had ruffles on it. The care label was cut out so I don’t have deets on this top, but I’m guessing it’s 100% poly.

The fit of this blazer was really good, and I thought it might be nice to have a pinstripe version. No gonna lie, I haven’t purged any of my older blazers to make room for this one. Made in China, poly-viscose-elastane blend (the extra stretch is nice).

I’m also a sucker for tweed. This “English tweed” cloth was too gorgeous for me to resist. It was a size 10, which meant that I had to take a leap of faith and trust that alterations were possible and economically feasible. Made in China, 88% wool, 12% polyamide (with poly lining).

Yes, that is the THIRD new blazer I bought (having purged zero). I fail so badly at following rules. Anyway, how could I resist new-with-tags Ted Baker? Just look at that gorgeous lining! Made in Malta, 55% wool, 44% acetate, 1% elastane (with poly blend lining).

I have a lot of casual pants, but here I am — adding a new pair. Citizens of Humanity (in the Ava style) for under $5 though. That’s all I’m gonna say. Made in the US, cotton-modal-lycra blend.

I spent an entire summer looking for a pair of yellow sandals. Two years later, I finally found one. The heel is quite a bit higher than I would have hoped for casual wear, but I will take new Stuart Weitzmans any day of the week. Made in Spain, 100% leather.

Impulse buy I will probably regret, but it was only $4. Bought this before the rules came into effect (lololol!), but I have been downsizing my dress collection so I feel like I’m even on this score. Made in China, 98% polyester, 2% elastane.

I’m tentatively thinking of replacing my worn-out chambray shirt with this grey (non-chambray) James Perse one, but I want to wait and see how versatile this version is first. One thing I was disappointed to see was that this shirt was not made in the US, as I had assumed from the fact that it’s JP. I didn’t check until I got home, and lesson learned. I probably would have passed on it had I realized that in the store, to be honest. Made in Vietnam, 100% cotton.

Too cute to pass up for $4. Story of my life, eh? Made in , 97% wool, 3% elastane (with acetate-rayon-elastane blend lining).

Here’s another one. Made in China, 98% poly, 2% elastane (with 100% poly lining).

What’s that, another Anthropologie dress? Sigh. Ok, fine. Toss the rule book out of the window. Made in China, 55% silk, 45% cotton (with poly lining).

Wait! Bring the rule book back. This retro-style dress definitely qualifies as a “special piece” — and it was new with $375 price tag still attached. Made in China, 100% silk (with acetate lining).

You guys, this was probably a $1,500-$2,000 dress originally. I want me a piece of that, even if I’ll need two pairs of Spanx to fit into it comfortably (fingers crossed). Definitely a “special” piece. Made in Switzerland, 100% silk (with 100% silk lining!).

All in all, I … mostly failed miserably at following any sort of thrifting rules. But I had fun and bought a bunch of cool things, for not a lot of money, and that’s a pretty good score at the end of the day. How was your (thrifting) month?

Yes, friends, it has come to this: I now have to dedicate an *entire* post to things I did NOT thrift. Never fear, there’s a separate post coming up detailing my actual scores.

What, did you think I hadn’t bought anything? Come now, you know me better than that.

I’ve also started to do a bit of thrifting for friends, and I have to say I’m enjoying it tremendously. It’s really fun to try to spot things other people (with different tastes and needs than mine) might like. It’s a whole new kind of challenge … and you know I love me a good thrift challenge.

Speaking of which, I now kinda regret not getting this eShakti dress for a friend — I just found out she loves owls. This was the first time I’d ever run into this brand locally. I call that “thriftspotting”. There’s always a first time for everything, as they say.

This J. Crew Collection was cute, but two sizes too big and also strapless. I don’t do strapless. I have no idea why Goodwill priced it individually as a “special” piece, since far better brands have ended up on the regular rack. Maybe because this looks vaguely bridesmaid-y, and those sorts of dresses tend to get marked up at GW.

Cute separates (that kinda go together!) but not really my style.

Brand new Geox sandals — very cute, but a little too girly for me.

I have a funny story about this dress, but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to hear all about it. For now, I will say that I was sad to see that this dress was a size 10, because I’m not.

I have this blazer in the coral version, and the green would have been tempting but, alas, wrong size again.

This was super cute (and 100% silk), but I’m generally not big on pussy bows, so I passed.

Wrong sizeitis strikes again … but I talked Nicole into buying it.

… but I was not able to talk her into this Plenty by Tracy Reese blazer. I’m sure it found another good home.

I think Aryeh is an Anthro brand — correct me if I’m wrong, peeps — but this dress was definitely not my style. I’m proud of myself for resisting the Anthro lure.

VV’s denim-pricing strategy eludes me. I’ve bought Paige, J Brand and AG denim for under $8 (without discounts), so I have no idea why old True Religions would be going for over $30. Boggles the mind.

You know what else boggles the mind? The cut of this DVF dress. That was … very unfortunate. I like to think I have a reasonably good figure, but this dress did it zero favours. I would never have thought I’d pass up DVF for $3.50, but I couldn’t think of a single person who would look flattering in this dress.

This dress might look like something your toddler would wear (reluctantly, after ample bribing if she’s like MY toddler), but it’s in fact a Very Special Dress. The label is legit — I googled it and it does appear that a version of this dress was worn by one Bella Swann in some Twilight movies. By which I surmise that Bella Swann has terrible fashion sense.

Another dress that fit weirdly around the middle. Not as egregious as the DVF dress, but not great either. I can see this being cute on someone else though.

This scarf caught my eye because of the print, and I googled the signature just for fun. (I always look for signatures on scarves — you never know what treasure you might find.) It turns out this is a Canadian designer, whose vintage scarves sell on Etsy for $25-30 a pop. If I was in the re-sale business, I might have been tempted.

I’ve been waiting to find a pair of Miz Mooz shoes in my size for ages … so it figures that when one finally turned up, it would be a pair of peep toes. Sigh. I have sworn off peep toes for good, so I couldn’t let myself buy these, but they were very cute.

Another thriftspotting first — Saint James!! I was pumped to find this cozy cardi-jacket, and even more excited to buy it for my mom.

I ended up buying this without trying it; I was in a rush, it was new-with-tags, and I remembered it from eBay (having been tempted to buy it before). Sadly, when I got home, I realized that I was not crazy about the fit on me — too straight up-and-down. It’s a nice dress (BCBG knows how to do an interesting print), but it’s better off in someone else’s closet. I returned it.

This was wasn’t a thrift find, but I figured I’d add it here. I impulse ordered this floral tunic from Zara, and then hemmed and hawed for a week over whether to keep it or not. I loved the print (it reminds me of the Gucci Flora print I’m obsessed with) and the fit of the dress, but I hated the side slits and the slight sheerness of the material. Not to mention that it was 100% polyester fast fashion. Oh, and $70 to boot. Do you know how many dresses I can thrift for that amount? Needless to say, this dress went back. It’s Gucci or bust, baby!

If you’re not experiencing thrift overload, check in tomorrow to see what things did end up finding a home in my closet. Spoiler: it’s gonna be another long post.

In my last big thrifting reveal, I mentioned that one of my remaining unicorns when it comes to thrift hunting is another pair (or 2! or 3! I’m never gonna say no!) of Manolo Blahniks. Little did I know how soon such unicorn would cross my path. Behold:

OK, these are not the Campari pumps I am dying to get, but they are beautiful nonetheless. The colour is stunning, and you guys know how I feel about floral anything. I did a triple take when I saw these Gisella flats at Value Village, particularly as they are absolutely pristine. Check it:

Thank you, person who donates barely worn Manolos! No, seriously, thank you. You made my day. And thank you to VV for not jacking up the price on these. They were marked at a reasonable $20, and with a 30% off coupon, they came in under $15. Huzzah!