Lest my last post on thrifting mislead anyone, let me say: the thrifting gods are not perpetually smiling on me. There are weeks and sometimes months when I find nothing interesting, or at least nothing worth its own post. If I thrifted only for the results (and had expectations of hitting it out of the ballpark every time) … well, I’d give it up pretty quickly. As it happens, I enjoy the hunt as much as the spoils, which is why I’m not easily deterred by a lacklustre haul. Or a ten.

To give you a sense of what a more realistic thrifting experience might be, I thought I’d share some of the hits and misses of a few recent outings. First up, a brief overview of some of the misses – which certainly outnumbered the hits.

This was a cute silk dress, but not quite my style, and not something my wardrobe is crying out for. It could be a charming summer dress for someone else. At times like these, I wish I could play closet matchmaker. Alas.

I was tempted by this Velvet brand sweater dress, but it was the wrong size and, if I’m being perfectly honest, not really my style. Same story as above.

Here’s proof that I don’t just buy for the (designer) label. This Just Cavalli tee was just meh – a little bit dated, a little bit tired (aka used).

I have no idea if this (vintage?) Fendi bag was legit, but the poor thing was in terrible shape and reeked of cigarette smoke. It was still priced at $20, four times higher than the brand new, pristine Longchamp bag I found back at the beginning of August in the same store.

This Meadow Rue tunic broke my heart. One of my fave thrifting hobbies (sub-hobbies?) is finding Anthropologie pieces. I love the girly aesthetic but I can’t with the retail prices. Anyway, I totally would have bought this piece – it’s silk, lovely print, great colours for my wardrobe – but there was colour transfer all over the fabric, and I didn’t feel like taking a risk, even for $8.

Hopefully some braver soul will enjoy it. Sigh.

You guys, I really wanted these leggings. I know: a 35-year mother of two may not have any business wearing these, but I would have loved to rock them (mostly unironically) on weekends. Sadly, they were several sizes too small.

Now, for the hits:

I’m still buying up cheap “art”, both for my own projects and, in this case, for my mom. The matching bird prints on the bottom left ($3.50 each) were a gift for her. The print on the top left I bought solely for the lovely gold frame ($12.50), and plan to replace it with the portrait next to it ($6). I love the romanticism of Winterhalter portraits like this one. The Learning Japanese package ($10, brand new in box – can you say unwanted Christmas present?) was something my husband insisted I buy for him.

I also bought a black Tahari dress ($8) which, as is common for black dresses, photographs poorly on a hanger. I’m sure you’ll be seeing it on the blog very soon. It has a cute ruffle detail around the neckline, and an interesting adjustable waist tie. And by “interesting” I mean a bit perplexing. Will explain more later.

Last but not least, this beautiful Nanette Lepore dress was a true find. It was $20, which is on the pricey side, but it originally retailed for about $500, and the workmanship is superb. I rarely have reason to say that about mass produced clothes these days, but the embroidery and beading here are excellent. And it fits perfectly (although it’s a size 10, and I usually wear a 4, so the discrepancy is significant). The only downside of buying it was the dry cleaning drama that ensued (I’m exaggerating slightly), but I’ll save that tale of woe for another post.

Hit me up with your recent thrift finds in the comments!