Category: Thrifting Fun

This month’s thrift haul is a mix of clothing finds from the thrift store and a handful of jewelry treasures I scooped up at antique and consignment shops. The funny thing is, most of these pieces feel a little outside of my usual style and don’t blend in with the rest of my closet. But, that’s what makes this haul fun! Trying out new looks feels a lot less intimidating when you’re shopping secondhand.

Let’s take a look at what I found this month:

Soma Camisole, $5.99

Okay, hear me out on this one. This is very much giving me 90’s slip dress vibes. In fact, I remember wearing silky slip tops with jeans and a cardigan in perhaps the late 90’s? I recently saw someone I follow on Instagram style a beautiful, thrifted lace and satin teddy-looking thing with jeans and a textured knit cardigan and it must have stuck in my head when I was out and about.

Anyways, I loved the saturated blue of this as well as the delicate lace around the neckline. It is a bit oversized on me, so I plan to do a little tailoring to make it fit perfectly on my figure. Here is in a ‘try on’ pic where I just threw it on with the black leggings I had on:

I have a couple plans on how to experiment with this piece, so welcome into my brain… First, I’m thinking it will be super sexy paired with a pair of black jeans, studded boots and a simple topper (black cardigan, denim jacket or moto jacket?) for a date night. I’m also thinking this would be super flirty underneath an oversized sweater when the weather gets chilly – maybe with just a little peeking out of the top. Cute, right?

Eileen Fisher Linen and Leather Tank, $5.99

Yup, that’s a $198 Eileen Fisher top right there that I thrifted for $6! It’s a loose woven linen knit with leather edging around the neckline and armholes. I found the original style photos and it was shown layered over a simple black tank top, which does look really cute:

Source: EileenFisher.com

However, when I first saw it, I was thinking it could be a fun UNDER layer for visual interest. I have some spaghetti strapped tops that I don’t wear a ton because I hate lining up the correct bra underneath… so by adding this to the mix, it could make things a little more interesting:

It’s a work in progress, but I’m excited to try it out with what I have in my closet.

Ben Amun Two-Tone Necklace, $14

You may recognize this necklace from my recent Instagram reel, if you follow me over there. I found it on a wall of cheap jewelry at one of my favorite consignment shops and was immediately suspicious of it because it was VERY heavy. I even tried looking at the tag with my phone magnifying app when one of the salespeople caught me and asked if I wanted her to check it out with her loupe. As she gazed at it, she said they check brands when they arrive to price them properly so this one was probably nothing special. She thought it said “Benjamin”, but when I looked into it further, it was actually Ben Amun and DANG it was a pricey piece!

Ben Amun jewelry is sold on his website (he operates out of New York), as well as at Neiman Marcus and runs from $150 – 500 depending on the design. This one looks like it retailed for $220, which makes it a super score for just $14! I love that it is two-tone and especially how heavy and chunky it is. I anticipate wearing this one alone, as well as stacking it with other pieces for a fun look.

Vintage Chainmail Necklace, $5

I found this necklace in an antique/consignment shop collective where lots of different sellers had booths. I picked it up and put it down a few times, before deciding to just buy it because it was only $5. After some research, I learned that this is a handmade Persian four-in-one vintage chainmail necklace. The four-in-one refers to how each link is woven into the next to make the chainmail. On etsy something like this runs anywhere from $50 – $250 depending on the artist who makes it. It is so pretty in person with a gold/silver look to it – I’m thinking it was gold dipped and it wore off a bit over the years.

My initial thought was that I’d shorten this for a layering necklace. But after doing my research, I’m hesitant to rip it apart. I may add a little jump ring to cinch it up without ruining the weave. Or, I may just wear it as it is!

Vintage Wells Company Starburst 14k gold filled Jade Cabochon brooch, $10.80

This brooch screamed Mid-Century modern at me when I saw it sitting in a bin at a consignment shop. I liked it and the price was right, so I snapped it up. After doing my research, I found that Walls Jewelry Manufacturing Company was based in Massachusetts from 1923 – 1976. This piece with the Jade Cabochon center was most likely sold between 1940-1960.

This was in great condition with no bent or missing pieces to the starburst. I just liked it so much that I had to have it.

This month’s thrift haul is quite the cornucopia of vacation thrift and consignment finds, and a quick run out to celebrate National Thrift Shop Day. It just goes to show you that while you may have a ‘thrift list’ of what you’re looking for, you never know what you’re going to find…

First up, some thrift + consignment shop finds from North Naples, Florida:

Modcloth Linen skirt, $7

While my husband once again had all the Florida thrifting luck with shorts and pants, this is my ONLY item I thrifted on our vacation. It’s a linen Modcloth skirt and it’s probably 1-2 sizes too large for me in the waist. With that being said, I feel confident that I can easily add elastic into the channel of the waistband to cinch it to my size, while still leaving all the wonderful volume through the hips.

I think that this skirt will look adorable in the fall and winter with booties, tights, lightweight sweaters and maybe a denim jacket.

Eileen Fisher linen sweater, $20

I love Eileen Fisher sweaters and this linen sweater is so soft and pretty. It’s a v-neck dolman sleeve cut, which is super flattering. This is one of those tops that will be great for telework days (since it looks professional on a Teams video), but also super cute with a pair of distressed jeans and some sparkly necklaces. For $20, I couldn’t resist!

Johnny Was Workshop shirt, $27

I love Johnny Was brand clothing and I’ve been lucky enough to pick a few pieces up secondhand over the years (since retail prices are ridiculous). This top is from the Johnny Was Workshop brand, which is where they re-imagine menswear and retailed around $300. It has super soft flannel on the front, and then the back is velvet with embroidery! It’s oversized and eclectic and I love it!

As for styling, I will play up the ‘grunge’ by layering it over a graphic tee and leaving it open over jeans for a warmth layer. I’ll also button it over a tank top and pair it with comfy joggers for telework Teams meetings. It’s super fun and I can’t wait to try different ways of styling it with what I have in my closet.

National Thrift Shop Day was on August 17^th, so I hit up my favorite thrift store to take advantage of their 50% off sales. I also had an additional 10% reward in my account, which took the prices down even more!

Black cotton/linen Target dress, $7 on sale for $3.14

Just a simple dress – I just liked the feel of the cotton/linen fabric and the cut of it. It also has an open back with a tie that secures it (right at your bra line), so I’ll probably try layering this over some slim fit tank tops as well as some of my exercise bras/tanks that have fun strappy backs.

Jenny Yoo Annabelle Convertible dress, $15 on sale for $6.74

I was initially drawn to the pretty purple color of this dress and all the tulle. The tulle placement on the bust is just so gorgeous! While in the store, I did a quick google to make sure this wasn’t some sort of Shein brand. I found that this exact dress is still sold on the Jenny Yoo website for $280 and that it is a convertible dress where you can style it in like a dozen different ways.

It was a couple sizes larger than I wear, but I tried it on over my clothes and it fit… so it looks like its bridal sizing. With that being said, I LOVE the style of the dress and have a couple weddings on the horizon. I have no idea what the dress codes will be though, but it’s always good to have options. Also, I have had to attend Gala events over the years in my line of work, so it makes sense to scoop this up for less than $7 just to have it on hand if I need it!

Converse embroidered high tops, $13.50 on sale for $6.07

I’m pretty sure someone was hiding these shoes. I was walking past the kids toys section and found them tucked away with the toys. They’re Converse high tops + fantastic embroidery + MY SIZE, so they were obviously waiting for me to find them. Ironically, I added them to my cart and was walking around and another lady stopped me to tell me how cool the shoes were and inquire about the size… so I almost had to throw hands to keep them.

They were a little scuffed on the toe and sides, but a quick rubdown (inside and on the rubber) with a bleach wipe returned them to perfect. These retailed for $90 and I got them for $6! I can’t wait to pair them with leggings, joggers and oversized hoodies in the fall when it gets chilly.

This month I totally had what I like to call a ‘medicinal thrifting trip’ for my mental health. I left everyone at home and went by myself to the thrift store and browsed EVERY SINGLE section to my heart’s content. And with that browsing, I ended up finding one dress and THREE pairs of shoes…

Cotton Dress, $10.99

I really liked the bold pattern of this dress and the tiered skirt. I wasn’t quite sure about the neckline though and felt like it might be a little too high on my shape. Since my thrift store no longer has dressing rooms, I brought it home and styled it with items in my closet:

I wish I would have also thrown on some sandals with the straw belt, because I think that will also be really cute. OH, and even though it’s a cotton dress, I think it will be adorable with black tights, boots and maybe my black denim moto jacket. After playing around with it a bit, this one gets to stay in my closet for some experimentation!

UGG Endell Black Suede Leather Shearling Lined Boots, $24.79

Yes, I paid up for these. At my local thrift store, any ‘recognizable’ name brand boots tend to be marked at $25ish. These UGG boots have the metal branded nameplate on the heel and the telltale shearling interior, so there was no way that they would have slipped through the ‘brand’ cracks as they were pricing. With that being said, these are absolutely gorgeous and really well made. Someone must have purchased them to sit in a closet unworn, because there is no wear to the interior shearling and the grippy rubber on the bottom is in great condition.

I realized last winter that I actually don’t currently own a pair of winter boots appropriate for snow (I had some workarounds, but nothing warm and waterproof), so these will be perfect for Maryland winters when there is snow or slush on the ground.

Johnston & Murphy Harness Moto Boots, $12.79

Well, the pricing person didn’t recognize this brand… so yay! One of my *tricks* when checking out the boot section is to pick up a boot that looks interesting. If it is relatively heavy, it gets a closer look (cheap boots are typically super light). This one was heavy and the leather is a really thick, chewy kind of leather, so I flipped the boot and BOOM Johnston & Murphy was embossed on the bottom. Similar boots sell on their retail website for $200 – 300.

These are a hybrid of a moto boot and a cowboy boot, with a nice, wide shaft. I think these will be really cute with some of my longer skirts/dresses in the fall, as well as layered with tights and shorter hemlines over the winter. You can see them on in my try-on photos above. They will also work great for my Renaissance pirate costume I’m putting together for a September or October faire visit.

Chuck Taylor All Star Lift Platform Sneakers, $17.79

Yes, it was quite the lucky shoe day for me! This is the first pair I picked up and I was absolutely thrilled that these are my exact size. I had been looking at these on the Converse website, because I like that they were a mix of classic and cool with the platforms. They are $70 retail, so even marked up at $17 made them make sense for me.

The platforms make them so, so comfortable with extra support! I love these so much and may add a little embroidery at some point.