I wasn’t planning to do a lot of shopping in Phoenix; I’m spoiled for choice at home, and our vacation was short and I wanted to make the most of the little time we had. Both my husband and I wanted to check out Nordstrom Last Chance to see what the fuss is about, but that was the extent of our shopping plans. Scottsdale had other ideas.

Last Chance was right next door to an Ulta, and a 2 minute drive to a Nordstrom Rack. And a consignment store. And there was a Goodwill 5 minutes away from that. And … well, you can imagine how the rest goes. Everything was ever so conveniently close by; we simply had to pop in, you see? As the legendary Piaf would say, je ne regrette rien.

I didn’t actually spend a lot of time browsing in any given store, which is probably why I still managed to come home with only one suitcase; but I can see why Phoenix is a shopping destination for some. There were great deals to be had all over the place, no matter what your budget and tastes. If you like to shop new and designer, and don’t mind a scrum, Last Chance is your ticket. The prices are decently low compared to retail, though nowhere close to thrift, of course. The store itself is overwhelming, even for someone like me, but if you’re patient and don’t mind digging around, it can pay off. Things are not always in the best condition so be sure to look over your items closely; no returns are allowed.

I scored a Marc Jacobs bag, mostly because I loved the colour and because it was one of the few bags I saw that was still in great shape. I have a couple of other small MbMJ crossbody bags that I used all the time, so I know this one will be functional for my lifestyle. It was $60USD plus tax compared to about $400 retail, which isn’t the greatest deal, but decent considering the condition and unusual colour.

I also got some Louise et Cie lace-up metallic oxfords for just under $30USD. Again, not a mind-blowing deal, but I am obsessed with this style of shoe and I find the colour to be interesting but versatile. I saw quite a lot of tempting AGL shoes of varying styles, but they were marked down to around $70USD which was too high for me. I also spotted a pair of Valentino ankle-strap pumps (a style that was hot within the last year or so) in my size for around $200USD, but after wearing them in-store a bit, I decided they weren’t comfortable enough for me.

A much better deal were the bikini tops and bottoms I found – each piece was about $6USD. I got 1 matching set, and another non-matching top and bottom (which I can mix and match with some of my existing bikinis). I forgot to take pictures for the blog, but you can see them on IG. Lastly, I picked up a forest green, knit top by Gibson; it was an impulse buy, but only $3USD which is basically almost free.

On the recommendation of a friend, I checked out My Sister’s Closet, a Phoenix consignment store. There are two locations – one located next door to the Nordstrom Rack on Camelback Road; the other a short drive away on N. Scottsdale Road. Both separate their clothing by designer/non-designer, and then by category; the N. Scottsdale location had far larger designer section, much of it very high-end. Prices were quite reasonable, particularly as there was some kind of sale going on when I visited. The stores reminded me a lot of my favourite local consignment shop, My Favourite Aunt’s. I didn’t end up buying anything on this trip, but I will definitely go back next time I’m in Phoenix.

As I mentioned earlier, I did end up checking out a few Goodwill stores as well; there are lots of thrift stores in the area, but there were a bunch of Goodwills located conveniently close to our resort and, as I am generally familiar with the way their stores are organized, they were easy to check out in very little time.

In my first store, I struck gold almost immediately:

This is an Armani Collezione dress that was selling at Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus last year. I did some online digging and it looks like the original retail price was around $1,300USD. I paid $25USD … so, yeah, you could say that I hit the jackpot.

The other stores I visited did not yield quite the same manner of treasure, but I did spot a bunch of designer labels, including 10 Crosby by Derek Lam, Elizabeth and James, Alice and Olivia, Joie, Carven and more. Overall, I found designer stuff to be more plentiful in Phoenix than, say, Houston; prices were comparable with my local Goodwill, though items were individually marked rather than standard priced. I am not sure I’m ready to say that Phoenix’s thrift scene is better than Edmonton’s … but it’s close.

I also picked up this cute Fossil zippered pouch/crossbody bag:

Next time, I plan to devote a bit more time to the shopping scene in Phoenix because, judging from my limited “research”, it should pay off nicely.

Have you visited Scottsdale/Phoenix? What were your shopping experiences, and do you have any other tips for fellow bargain hunters?

As promised, in today’s post, I’m going to talk about my shopping adventures in Houston. They were not extensive, since kids and shopping don’t mix well – at least in my family. We did manage to hit up a Target and a Walmart, which the kids like because they can usually squeeze a snack and a toy out of the excursion. To be fair, I like those stores for pretty much the same reason, except in my case it’s snacks and cheap beauty products. None of us were disappointed; as I mentioned in my last post, the American snack aisle is a wonder. Hello, Strawberry Nut M&Ms!

Apart from these, more pedestrian diversions, my shopping was limited to a few stores. Nordstrom Rack was OK; I was lucky to find some practical things on sale – my favourite perfume, my favourite bras, replacement Crocs for the kids – but the clothing was a disappointment. Even on sale, the prices on my fave brands were simply too high when compared to thrift. This is not an issue limited to Nordstrom Rack, obviously; I do like the variety of non-clothing items they offer, and I can’t wait for the Edmonton store to finally open. Generally, though, I have come to the conclusion that non-thrift shopping for clothes is a non-starter for me, barring a few exceptions.

I also hit up the outlet mall in Katy, though the trip was largely devoted to taking the kids to the Rainforest Café. I peeked into Neiman Marcus Last Call and Saks Off Fifth, but the experience was similar to that at Nordstrom Rack; everything I liked was way outside my budget comfort zone. I spotted a lot of designer brands, though, which made me hopeful about the Houston thrift scene. Alas, I was destined to be slightly disappointed on that front.

Most of the brand name stuff I saw on my thrift “tour” fell in the “mall” category: J. Crew, Ann Taylor, Loft, Gap, Banana Republic. The higher end stuff I spotted was in poor condition, and I didn’t find much to begin with. I went to 3 thrift stores in Houston (out of many, many dozens), so it’s hard to say whether the thrift scene is better or worse than Edmonton’s, simply because my sample was not large enough; also, since successful thrifting owes as much to frequency of visits as anything else, that was another factor that weighed against my chances. Based on the stuff I ended up buying, prices seem comparable to my local Goodwill (after you factor in the exchange rate) and generally lower than Value Village.

The best part of thrifting in Houston was not the clothes, though; it was getting to hang out with my former Edmonton thrift buddy, Nicole (aka The Spirited Thrifter). Nicole and I met a few years ago through social media, but she has become one of my dearest friends; I am forever in awe not just of her thrifting skills but also of her generous heart and wonderful sense of humour. As much as Houston traffic is a drag, I loved driving around with Nicole and catching up on life – even if we never did make it to the drive-thru margarita restaurant.

The other person I got to meet during my thrift tour was Elisa, who is a long-time reader of BCRL. Here, again, is the wonder of social media. Elisa found my blog through another blogger, then found Nicole’s blog through mine; when Nicole moved to Houston, Elisa reached out to her and the two of them became friends. I think that’s a great story, and certainly an example of the good that can come from social media. Elisa is one of the most interesting people I have ever met – in addition to being incredibly funny, warm, and stylish (of course) – and I hereby go on the record as saying that she needs to start writing a blog because I would read the hell out of it. She joked that she would call it “70 plus and Still Learning” but I think it might as well be “70 plus and Still Being Awesome” because, well, it’s true.

Here are the three of us being some thrift version of Charlie’s Angels:

As I alluded earlier, I didn’t end up finding a lot of stuff in Houston, but here’s a look at what I did get:

The purple Cartonnier blazer might end up getting listed, sadly; it’s an XS and a smidge too tight in the shoulders for me. I’m a little bummed out about that, because it’s one of my faves – I have it in 2 other colorways (black and red/pink). But, c’est la vie. In the end, I got so much more than just a few new pieces from my Texas thrift adventure that I really can’t complain.

Those of you who follow me on Instagram will know that I recently went on a family vacation, loosely over Spring Break, to visit friends in Houston. Or, to be precise, in Katy. It’s a testament to how little research I did ahead of time that I only appreciated that important distinction in retrospect. I had always assumed that Texas was a sort of sunnier Alberta (my home province), which was not necessarily a wholly wrong assumption except when it comes to scale. EVERYTHING in Texas is bigger.

Houston, I quickly discovered, is a massive city – the 4th largest in the US, which I hadn’t realized. It takes a long time to get around, especially if you’re coming from one of the surrounding suburbs; I thought traffic in Edmonton was bad, but it is nothing compared to Houston. So I cannot truly say that I’ve visited Houston because, apart from the Zoo, a couple of stores and a Cheesecake Factory, I didn’t see much of it. We spent most of our time in Katy, where our friends live, and for the most part doing non-touristy, kid-oriented things. I did get to see a couple of dear friends (and meet a blog reader – more on that in my next post!) and enjoy some absolutely beautiful weather, so it was a vacation well spent.

So, while I am not in a position to pen an actual travel post, I have a few observations about my time in Texas:

– Houses in the suburbs are, almost without exception, massive. My husband and I joked that every street in Katy looked like the set of an “average family” sitcom – i.e. fancier than anything we’re used to seeing back home. We were very jealous of all the lovely brick construction, not to mention the not-infrequent backyard pools. Continuing the same theme, the local high schools looked to be the size of an average mall in Edmonton. You could probably fit my son’s K-9 school 2 or 3 times over in the local elementary school. There were a lot of schools around, so I can only assume that these suburbs are way bigger and more populated than it first appeared.
– H-E-B is the bomb. Pro-tip: the Grandma’s brand of hummus is amazeballs. I very seriously considered taking some on the plane back with me.
– There were far fewer ethnic restaurants than I am used to back home. As someone who loves all manner of ethnic food (Japanese, Thai, Chinese, Indian, etc.), this was disappointing. But I did discover the deliciousness that is Cracker Barrel’s hash casserole.
– Traffic in Houston is insane, and the city is heavily dependent on cars – I did not see a lot of public transit. As someone who hates driving at the best of times, I found this overwhelming.
– While shopping in general was not noticeably better than at home, the snack aisle remains the exception. Why don’t Canadians get all the amazing snacks y’all get in the US? We are talking the same brands, so it’s a question of variety – or lack thereof. Whyyyyy?
– For the most part, people dressed pretty casually, but I saw more than one Louis Vuitton bag at a playground. I definitely skewed to the casual vibe.

Since this is, technically, a style blog, I suppose that I had better talk about what I wore on vacation. But, you guys, I warn you: this is going to be hella boring. I gave up on being stylish … well, actually, pretty much all of the time, but especially on family vacations. I would love to be one of those people who can pull off the “off-duty supermodel” casual look after a 10-hour travel day, but I’m not. My look is more “frazzled mom after a 10-hour travel day”, which is factual if not particularly aspirational. I guess Instagram fame will be forever elusive.

Anyway, my only useful tip for traveling to hot climates is this: wear linen. Lots of linen. Earth-shattering, I know. Seriously, though, I have always underrated linen; it’s wrinkly and, therefore, anathema for someone who hates ironing as much as I do. I’m now the proud possessor of a steamer, but it doesn’t really matter anymore; I have embraced the wrinkle. And linen. So I wore lots of it in Houston, which was perfect.

Particularly perfect were these linen joggers from J. Crew (day 1). The coverage of a full pant (because I can’t be bothered trying to find flattering shorts, or worry about re-applying sunscreen on my pasty appendages every half an hour) without the perspiration. Genius!

The Tracy Reese sack dress is linen … ish. It feels like it, at any rate. I take it on every warm/tropical vacation because it’s such an easy outfit.

More linen pants, these ones courtesy of Vince. Also, I now know the perfect climate for this sleeveless, cotton mock turtleneck from Aritzia; too bad it’s not a climate I am likely to encounter at home very often.

My family is not particularly religious (and we observe Orthodox Easter), but I “dressed up” for Easter Sunday – mostly as an excuse to wear my Anthro swing dress. This is another dress I pack on most of my vacations because it’s easy and fun and always a compliment magnet.

These are the jeans I also wore on the plane and, oh look: more linen. My top is Elizabeth & James Textile, and it’s a fun, swingy piece. And then, on the last day, a repeat of the linen joggers with another loose, swingy top from Anthro.

I wore these slide sandals (and my Aritzia straw hat) every single day; I had packed a pair of loafers, but they were superfluous. That’s a lesson for my next vacation. In terms of packing, other than the items pictured here, I brought a sweater and jacket (for the plane), some maxi dresses/pool cover-ups I never ended up wearing, and some lounge clothes (yoga pants and a T-shirt). It was a very minimalist packing list – pat on the back, Adina – which could have been pared down further. And, still, I didn’t *technically* repeat any outfit; for a former chronic over-packer, this is tremendous progress.

Stay tuned for the second part of my Texas recap: all about my shopping adventures!