As promised yesterday, here’s a peek at my thrift loot from the past few weeks. The post title says it all, by the way: I bought All The Things. But! But! I have also been diligent about cleaning out my closet, so there are some new things listed in my Shop My Closet page for anyone interested.
DVF tunic ($9)
I loved the beautiful rich purple colour, and this seemed like the sort of easy breezy dress perfect for a hot weekend.
Blacky Dress Berlin top ($9)
The name of this brand vaguely rang a bell, and upon Googling, turned out to be a German label. The material, though not silk, has a lovely hand-feel, and I liked the soft snakeskin print. I think I can work with this, but we’ll see.
Pilcro cord leggings ($8)
Cord leggings are a preposterous invention, and all the softest things ever.
Maggy London dress ($12)
Maggy London is not normally a brand I’d single out, but I’m a sucker for a midi dress, and I liked the print of this one a lot. Those colours are right up my alley too. As a side note: it turned out that this dress was still listed on Nordstrom’s website (on sale) for $70 when I bought my version. That’s pretty impressive turnover.
Club Monaco jacket ($8)
I’ve already talked about how much I love this jacket so I won’t repeat myself. Awesome khaki jacket is awesome.
Stuart Weitzman shoes ($12)
Stuart Weitzman shoes for under $15? Yes, please. Brand new, *red* Stuart Weitzman shoes for under $15? YES, PLEASE!
Comme des Garcons top ($7)
Ugh, this top. This top made me so mad. I’m still mad about it! It’s cute, right? So cute. I was so excited to wear it (and the brand, Comme des Garçons, was another thriftspotting first for me). Well, I washed it — by hand, in cold water — and watched in horror as the red dye bled all over. It was a blood bath in my sink, you guys. I almost started crying, and then I got really mad. Who makes a COTTON t-shirt dry clean only? That is insanity.
Anthro dress ($12)
Hey remember this dress? So, funny story. I saw it again, after a few weeks, and decided to give it a try, just because. Well, it was still there, and that had to be a sign, right? Anyway, it turned out that the likely reason for its failure to sell was the fact that, while marked a size 10, this dress fit more like a 6-8. It’s a little bit large in the armpit area on me (not unusual because I’m smaller on the top half than on the bottom) but fits pretty well otherwise. Score!
Michael Kors dress ($12)
I normally don’t bother with Michael Kors (I think the quality is over-rated/over-priced), but this dress was a total Issa lookalike, and since Issa is a brand I’ve been hunting unsuccessfully for years, I couldn’t resist getting it. It’s a faux wrap style very similar to dress most famously worn by Kate Middleton at the announcement of her engagement to Prince William. It’s a very flattering style and I think it’s going to be work appropriate too once I add a snap at the front.
Nanette Lepore dress ($13)
This tweedy Nanette Lepore dress was a no-brainer as well. The original retail price was $400, which is cray-cray. It will be a cute office dress, for sure.
And that’s a (real, not faux) wrap, you guys. Tell me all about your thrift finds in the comments.
Ah, my coat game! For most of my adult life, my coat game was the very picture of “weak”. I’ve mentioned it before, but I have an unexplained reluctance to spend a lot of money on things that are more functional than pretty. And, let’s face it, no matter how beautiful a coat might be, it’s true raison d’etre is functionality – at least in my neck of the (cold, wintery) woods. As a result of my weird quirk, I spent years looking vaguely disheveled on my commute to work, and elsewhere when exposed to the elements. Back in those days, I had 2 or 3 coats in total (at least one of which was always non-fashionable heavy-duty parka) and gave them little thought at all.
The situation started to change after I bought my MaxMara wool coat (long story you can read here), which proved to be a little like Diderot’s dressing gown; it invited – nay, begged – me to up my coat game. With my thrifting turned up a few notches in the past year, it became a very easy (and inexpensive) proposition. I was organizing my downstairs coat closet the other day, and realized that I have managed to accumulate a pretty sweet (and extensive) collection of outerwear. Naturally, my thoughts immediately turned to cataloguing it, because what else is a collector to do?
Let’s take a look, shall we?
MaxMara Camel Wool Coat
MaxMara coat
The one that started it all. I have worn this coat well over 200 times in the almost-2 years I’ve owned it, which tells you everything you need to know about it. I’m loath to tell people what they need to buy, but I would strongly urge you to consider adding a camel coat (or trench) to your wardrobe. It really does go with (almost) everything.
Purchased: 2014
Cost: $270 (after sale + gift card; retail $800)
Cost-per-wear: $1.20
J. Crew Lady Day Coat
J. Crew coat
I love the style and colour of this coat, but the fit is a bit off for me. It was a bit snug when I bought, and now it’s a little loose, but the bigger problem is the sleeves – they’re too long for my stumpy arms. It’s a vicious circle: I don’t wear the coat enough to justify (likely costly) alterations, but without alterations I probably won’t wear it any more often than I do. Still, it’s a nice alternative to have, especially for special (wintertime) occasions when I’m wearing a dress.
This was a consignment find – great price for a good, made-in-Canada brand – and I thought a black wool coat would always come in handy. I don’t wear it as often as my MaxMara coat, but it’s nice to have an alternative.
Impulse buy! I actually admired this coat on a friend, then found it at Winners on the clearance rack. I like the cocoon-like shape, and the Pepto pink colour seemed fun. It’s now a little bit big on me, but I’m keeping for the sheer fun value. It will probably fit again at some point.
The cut of this coat is impeccable, and it’s a great transitional piece for spring/fall. Or (occasionally) summer, if you live in Edmonton. It can be dressed up (pants) or down (jeans).
The unicorn! I spent YEARS looking for a replacement trench after my cheapie Gap one bit the dust, and I am so glad I waited until the perfect one found me. I love the style and fit, even though a small part of me wishes it was a plain, solid colour not a pattern. Such a small quibble, all things considered.
So, after not having a trench for years, I now have two. Like I said, it’s good to have alternatives, and a plain black trench is a good one for the Burberry.
I actually “borrowed” this from my mom a couple of years ago, and never returned it. In my defence, I was the one who convinced her to buy it in the first place. Wait, is that a defence, or a further indictment? Anywhoodle, it’s a nice dressy option for transitional weather, with the bonus that it can become a part of the outfit if needed. Pin a brooch on it, and call ‘er done.
Purchased: 2009-ish
Cost: Free to me but originally $25 (via consignment; retail $150+)
Cost-per-wear: $0
Joe Fresh Wool Cape
Joe Fresh cape
Yes, you are seeing double; that is basically the same coat, with a different label on it. I can only assume that one of these copied the other. I believe that, at one point, the chief designer for Joe Fresh used to design for Club Monaco. I don’t know which was the chicken and which the egg, but I enjoy having both options available.
This is one of the few coats I’ve bought at retail – and I don’t just mean at the mall, but at full price to boot. Denim jackets are just too hard to find secondhand, you guys. Nine out of every ten will look awful on me, so having found the magical one a few years ago, I didn’t hesitate and splurged. No regrets, I still wear this regularly in the summer.
I bought this to replace my old Old Navy khaki field jacket, and figured that the grey colour would be equally versatile. I wasn’t wrong, but I still found that I missed my khaki version. (Though not for long – see below). This is a nice option for spring/fall casual wear.
I couldn’t resist getting this, even though it’s sleeveless, because of the style and colour. The sleeveless aspect makes it a little less functional (or, rather, restricts the amount of time I can wear it) but does add some additional flair (hah!). I’m not generally a huge fan of green, but I love khaki/olive, and find it very versatile.
This is definitely a flair-only piece, since it won’t do much to protect me from the elements, but I like it. When you’ve got your bases already covered, it’s nice to add a little fun to your wardrobe, right? Right.
How did I survive for 35 years without a leather moto jacket? Who knows. I’m so happy to have found this version to fill the hole in my life. All joking aside, a moto leather jacket? Surprisingly versatile, you guys. Jeans, pants, dresses, skirts – it goes with everything.
Let’s summarize: For a little over $600, I have acquired 14 jackets & coats (not including my non-fashionable heavy duty parka, which of course I still have). The total retail cost would have been somewhere close to $5,000, but of course ain’t nobody paying that when we’re talking secondhand shopping. (Only 3 of my coats were bought new.) It’s sustainability that helps the environment, your closet and your wallet. Win, win, win. Achievement level “coat game on fleek” unlocked.
Yep, this is still my hands-down favourite dress. I would love nothing more than to wear it on its own, twirling around like Julie Andrews on a mountainside, but alas, my workplace is not particularly conducive to such shenanigans. So I threw on a cardigan, because nothing says “responsible professional” like a cardigan, right? Well, maybe a blazer would, but I wasn’t feeling that, so. Cardigan it is … and leopard print pumps, because apparently I can’t help myself. Sigh.
almost ready to twirlblue crush
You know what else? (How’s that for a terrible segue?) I’m currently obsessed with labradorite pieces, like this ring. I found it at Winners (on sale!) and fell in love instantly. The stone is a dark, almost black, blue most of the time, but will flash this intense shade every so often — it’s gorgeous. And while the quality of the jewelry at Winners has been hit and miss in my experience, this ring has been a definite hit.
