Dress, Zara (thrifted); cardigan, J. Crew (via eBay); belt, Holt Renfrew; shoes, Ivanka Trump; bag, Mulberry (via eBay)
This Zara dress was a total impulse thrift buy, but I’m glad I “splurged” the $11 to buy it. It’s definitely a conversation starter. It’s also quite versatile, and has a boho vibe that’s passable at the office. Bonuses all around. Here, I paired it with lots of shiny gold-toned accessories because … well, the magpie instinct is hard to repress.
oooh, shiny!disco ball bag
I did tone it down a bit for my hearing. Bathroom selfie ahoy:
blazered up
All in all, I’m happy with this thrift find, even if the fact that the pattern on the bodice and skirt doesn’t line up still bugs me. And even if I occasionally feel the urge to burst into a certain Disney ballad whenever I catch a glimpse of my dress in the mirror…
Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!
a whole new wooooorld …i don’t know about a magical carpet, but it’s a cute dress
I will confess that I didn’t have as much time to plan my annual clothes swap this year as in years past. Proof? I didn’t realize until about a week beforehand that it’s actually my tenth annual swap. Talk about a milestone … and a missed opportunity to go REALLY big. As it was, the theme this time around was on the vague and pulled-together-at-the-last-minute side: Springtime. Well, duh. Still, I would like to think that everything came together nicely in the end.
My decorations consisted of some IKEA party supplies and flowers from Costco — not exactly the stuff of Pinterest dreams. I did put my growing collection of hobnail/milk glass pieces to good use, which was nice. However, the reality is that a clothing swap is not really about the decor or food … it’s about the clothes, of course. For my part, I traded two extra large bags …
bags o’ clothes to go …
… for a bunch of neat new-to-me pieces. Check it:
Zara peplum blazer
One of the things I swapped was my navy Talula blazer, and as fate would have it, managed to replace it with an awesome peplum version which fits like a dream.
Milly for Banana Republic dress
I also got this Milly for BR dress, which had me really excited; I don’t have any plain black dresses (that fit) and this one looked promising. Afterwards, I realized that it’s actually navy, not black. But! It’s still a super cute dress that I’m sure will see a lot of wear.
Nanette Lepore dress
This was a dress I thrifted over a year ago, when it was far too small for me. I liked it too much to leave it behind in the store, and ended up passing it on to my friend, Cassie. Well, it came back to me! And now it fits! There’s an old adage about that, I think …
Nine West & Ferragamo shoes
I also got two pairs of shoes. I’m excited to see how these cut-out Nine West pumps will work out — they’re a still I wouldn’t have tried on my own. Cassie decided to pass on her thrifted Ferragamos (!!!) and while they sadly don’t fit me (I tried, repeatedly), they are perfect for my mom. Spread the love, I say.
Last but not least, I picked up a vintage wool cape (with matching skirt that’s impossibly small, sadly) which is quite outside my style comfort zone, but too amazing to pass up. I’ll be wearing it to see the Sherlock Holmes exhibit at the Telus World of Science in a few weeks, and I can’t think of a better occasion to take it out for a spin. Stay tuned for pics.
You can check out past clothing swaps here, here, here, and here.
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 …
Stuart Weitzman pumps, $18
I did NOT buy these fantastic orange Stuart Weitzman pumps, but only because they were not my size *weeps*
Lilka dress, $10
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.
Zara dress, $12
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.
Ralph Lauren dress, $12
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.
Joseph Ribkoff cardi-dress, $11
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.
See by Chloe tunic, $15
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.
Floreat skirt, $7
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.
Maeve Lazuli dress ($7)
Seven dollars for a cute Anthro dress? Sold.
Tabitha The Great Escape dress ($7)
And sold again.
Pilcro Stet cords ($8)
Mustard cords in my size … and my fave cropped length? Yes, please.
Ferragamo kitten heel pumps, $8
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!
