In case you haven’t noticed, I love thrifting. It’s a game for me and I love the thrill of the hunt to search though a pile of over-worn crap to find the diamond in the rough. I don’t really need anything in particular; I just like to get some stress relief by browsing through and finding gems. With that in mind, August was a bountiful month for thrifting!
{Pssst, you can read about my previous thrifting adventures here}
Thrifted to Flip:
Matt and Nat Japanese Paper Hobo in purple – $5.00
When I spotted this Matt and Nat handbag in a sea of purses, I recognized it. I have NO IDEA why I remembered the brand (I think it might have been from a work trip to Savannah), but dollar signs flashed in my eyes. Matt and Nat is known for their ‘vegan leather’ handbags and this one is the Japanese Paper Hobo in purple with a retail value of $250. It’s in perfect condition inside and out… I mean it doesn’t even look like it’s been used once! My plan was to scoop it up and then list it on eBay. A similar bag in brown just sold for $25 + $5 shipping and other Matt and Nat purses have sold on eBay between $40 – 100. A part of me kind of wants to keep it because it’s super cute and I love the zipper detail around the flap, but I’m going to be strong and list it ASAP. Unless one of you wants to buy it, then leave me a comment and I’ll give you a deal.
A Thrifting Oops:
Land’s End Swim Suit Cover Up/Button Up Tunic/Dress – $4.99
I’m pretty sure what I have is exactly this, but in a different pattern. It originally sold at Land’s End for $59. I think I got a little too excited that this shirt actually fit (button up shirts typically don’t fit me because I’m busty) and looked kinda cute tucked into a skirt. When I got it home and tried it on again… It wasn’t as cute. Let’s just chalk this one up to a $5 mistake. This one will also be hitting the eBay listings.
Mine, All Mine:
Talbots Linen sweater – $10.99
I’m not actually a big sweater person, but really liked the color and lightness of this one. For thrifted, $11 is actually pretty expensive and I kind of wish I had been able to pick this up on half-off day. Still though, it is in perfect condition and still had the Talbots tags on it (it’s this one for $79)… so I can’t really complain. I’m not sure if this will be more of a wear-to-work sweater or a weekend topper with jeans, so I guess we will see in a couple months when the weather cools down.
NYDJ Je T’Aime Knit Top – $7.99
I actually consider this a lightweight sweater, but on the Nordstrom website (from May 2015) it’s considered a knit top and the NYDJ website (for $78) calls it a sweatshirt. Any which way, I like it. The black writing has a little bit of sparkle to it and the sleeves are ¾ length, which are great for me since I’m always hot. The style is a little too casual for work – even with a skirt – so I can see me wearing this sweater/shirt/sweatshirt/thing a lot on the weekends from Fall to Spring. For a casual weekend outfit, I paired it with a pair of greyish black skinny jeans and booties.
Huarache sandals – $7.99
I’m pretty sure that these Huarache sandals are from the 80’s or 90’s, but they have obviously never been worn because the soles are untouched. They actually look almost identical to a pair I recently saw at the J.Crew Factory Outlet (original price $89.50, on sale for $59.99), so I’m pretty happy I decided to grab them. I already wore them a couple times on weekends and last week I paired them with a linen A-line skirt, blouse and sweater for a work-appropriate preppy-ish look.
Cable & Gauge Cardigan – $5.99
I have another Cable & Gauge cardigan from Nordstrom Rack in black that I wear quite often, so when I saw this identical sweater in grey for $6 I figured I should snap it up. Typically I find this brand at Rack for around $20. I like this brand’s sweaters because unlike other brands they very rarely pill up and keep their shape through dozens of washings. I’ve already worn this sweater to work three times this month and think I will definitely be getting my money’s worth out of it.
Michael Stars ¾ Sleeve Crew Neck Tee, $4.99
Jersey animal print skirt, $4.89
Normally the whole ‘one size fits all’ thing doesn’t work for me, or my boobs, but when I saw this simple Michael Star’s black sweater/tee on the rack I just had to give it a try. It fit perfectly and the fabric has a little bit of that sheen that Michael Stars is known for. This same shirt is currently being sold on the Michael Stars website for $58. The skirt is just a little no-name jersey skirt, but I really liked the darker abstract animal print fabric. I can see me wearing this now while it’s hot, or adding tights and a long sleeved shirt for winter. At just $5, it was worth picking up. As an added bonus, they look nice together and the outfit was less than $10!
Lilly Pulitzer Oh Buoy Wrap Dress, $5
Did you know that last Thursday was National Thrift Day? Well, I decided to pop by one of my favorite thrift stores and found out that they were celebrating with 50% off ALL items (except those with yellow tags). This Lilly Pulitzer dress was marked at just $9.99, so I snagged it for just $5. FIVE DOLLARS! I did some googling and it seems like it might be from the summer 2012 collection. You can see a close up of the “Oh Buoy” fabric here in my Instagram post. The dress is in pretty good shape, but there is definitely a little wear showing on the fabric. It’s not quite pilling yet, but has that whitish cast of a fabric that has been washed a few times. It fits great though and was FIVE DOLLARS so I figure I can get a few wears out of it. I might even try using my fabric shaver on it to see if it improves the look at all.
Rag & Bone Tee, $4
Aerosoles Dolled Up Heels in Animal Print, $4
I usually don’t bother checking the t-shirt section, but as I was pawing through a few on my way down an aisle I saw the tag and came to a complete stop. Rag & Bone is one of those pricey brands that I can’t/won’t afford, but the shirt was a medium and I’m typically a large. The tee was a pretty heathered gray and supersoft, so I gave it a try and it fit. It was a yellow tag, so I had to pay the ‘full price’ of $4… but considering that they sell this shirt, called The Vee, on their website for $85… well, I’ll be okay with that! I already wore it over the weekend and didn’t want to take it off.
I have to confess, I do have quite the weakness for animal print shoes. I’ve tried animal print heels a few times over the years, but each time they were so uncomfortable I couldn’t wear them. I had a pair from Target that were *almost* comfortable, until I wore them out of the house and had to walk into a restaurant. It was like they were trying to KILL my feet. Anyways, when I saw these with their high heels I figured that they would be like all the others and cause pain. However, they are by Aerosoles, which is a brand known for comfort… so I tried them on. And wore them around the store for like an hour. I can totally see why the “Dolled Up” pumps have 4.4 out of 5 stars on the Aerosoles website, they are actually comfortable (original price $79, on sale for $40). They were half off for just $4, so I figured I’d give them a try!
Liz Claiborne Geometric Faux Wrap dress, $12.99
Okay, this one wasn’t a super-steal, but the dress fit so well that I couldn’t leave it behind.I forgot that yellow tags were full-price and when they told me at the checkout that it wasn’t on sale I set it down for a minute and then picked it right back up. This is just one of those classic work dresses that never wrinkles and looks great with a blazer, so I decided to bite the bullet and I spent a whole $13 on it. I wore it over the weekend to a work event with a blazer and strappy wedges (you can see here).
August Thrifting Breakdown:
To Resell on eBay or Poshmark:
Purse cost $8, expected to sell for $30-40
Land’s End cover-up cost $5, expected to sell for $15-20
(If you want either of these, let me know and I’ll give you a discount)
To Keep for Myself: $69
The most expensive item was the $13 geometric faux wrap dress, but I spent less than $7 an item for 10 items. Not too shabby, especially since I’m planning to list the resell items on eBay this week!
I’d love to hear your thrifting stories! Did you find a diamond in the rough (literally or figuratively)? Did you go thrifting on National Thrift Day?
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