Thrifting Fun - Pocketful of Joules

Another Thrift Store Haul

The thrifting bug has bit me again and after last month’s thrifting success (read it here) I’ve been dying to steal a few hours and have another go at it!

I ended up going on a mini version of my thrifting hunt last Friday and I certainly was NOT disappointed. After spotting another new with tags Diane von Furstenberg dress in my size, I really have to wonder WHO this person is that keeps dropping off brand new clothing?! I also saw a brand new with tags MaxMara blazer that had the original tags on it for $915, I was tempted, but after trying it on I decided to leave it in the wild for the next thrifting fan.

There were no tag sales this time, but I did end up buying 5 items. What to see what came home with me?

Talbots Linen Blazer – $16.99

I always keep my eyes out for a good blazer – especially if it has cropped sleeves – so when I saw this Talbots linen blazer on the rack I grabbed it immediately to try on. It has no size tag, but it fits me perfectly… so I’m going to call it fate. The blazer was in good condition, but had some dirt/crud/yuck on the sleeve of one arm… so I dropped it off at the dry cleaner and all the yuck came out. The lining is a little floppy, but once it is on you can’t see it. I don’t own any other off-white blazers, much less one that is a longer length… so it will be an interesting experiment to style this one.

Brooks Hoodie – $12.99

I’ve already established that I just can’t pass up a well-made hoodie, so when I saw this one I knew I had to try it on. Especially because it has THUMB HOLES! To be honest, it was a little pricey for thrift but it is in absolutely brand new condition (no tags though), so I decided to go ahead and buy it. No regrets here!

No Tag Kimono Cover-up – $3.99

This was one of those impulse buys, but it was only $4 so I’ll allow it. I tried it on over the t-shirt and jeans I was wearing and it just looked so cool that I decided that I needed it. I don’t know if I’ll end up wearing this layered over a tank top during the summer or as a swimsuit cover up.

Patterned Skirt – $4.99

Remember how I told you all in my last post to totally disregard tag sizes and try on anything you like? Well, this skirt is marked as a 3x and fits like a large. How ridiculous is that?! I sent it to the dry cleaner and it looks as good as new. In person it is reading more Fall/Winter to me, so I’m going to pack it away to wear next Fall with some tights and booties. I could probably run a sewing machine over each side of the waistband to make it a little tighter, but I’ll see how it fits 6 months from now before I make my decision.

NY Collection Skirt – $12.99

I have been looking for another knee-length black swing skirt for over a year, so I can’t believe that this one fell into my lap while thrifting. It still had the original Macy’s tags on it for $48 and fit like it came directly from my imagination. The price was high for thrifting, but much cheaper than the similar skirt I’ve been eyeing on the Nordstrom website. Even thought it had the tags on it, I still ran it through the washing machine on cold and let it hang dry. I already wore it to work earlier this week and I can tell it’s going to get a bunch of wear this summer.

For about 90 minutes at the thrift store, I had quite the score: 2 skirts, 1 blouse, 1 hoodie and 1 blazer for a total of $55! And you wonder why I can’t wait to go thrifting again…

I’d love to hear your thrifting stories! Did you find a diamond in the rough (literally or figuratively)? Have you ever gotten in a fight over an item? What do you like to look for while thrifting?

Thrift Store Haul

I had a few days off last week as a perk of working at a University (yay, Spring Break), so I had some time to myself. It was weird. And kind of awesome. So, instead of doing stuff that I could easily do with Jack and/or Travis, I decided to do some things that only I enjoy… like thrifting!

I’ve written about how much I like thrifting before and while I can take Jack, it’s much more peaceful to go by myself. So, last Monday I strapped on my cross-body bag so that my hands were free to look through every piece of clothing on the rack (and possibly fight off other thrifters) and got to it!

I stopped by two different thrift stores and OHMYGOSH did I get some total scores! On the day that I shopped, there were some colored tag sales. Anything with a green or orange tag was an extra 33% off and anything with a blue, pink or violet tag was an extra 50% off. There was basically no rhyme or reason to what item had which tag, so I just picked up anything I was interested in and tried most of it on in the dressing room.

Here’s what I got:

4 Men’s ‘wicking’ t-shirts – $17.36 total ($4.34 each)
We are going to be going to Universal Studios in a couple months, so Travis will be basically living in his swim shorts. I picked up three ‘wicking’ t-shirts for him to wear on our water-ride days. I also found a super cool ‘Punisher’ running shirt in a men’s medium that I claimed for myself (you can see it here). I have a hero/villain 5k coming up and this might end up being part of my running outfit. The color tags on these shirts made no sense, two were green, one orange and one pink. All in all, I paid $17.36 total for them all which is less than one shirt from Under Armour.

Black Flowy Dress – marked at $14.99 with a violet 50% off tag ($7.49)

I admit, this dress is giving off quite the ‘witchy woman’ vibe. I liked it because it is super soft and the tie belt adds some nice curves. With that being said, its super long and kind of takes over my entire body. I’ve already cut off the bottom to make it knee-length and just need to buy some black thread so I can stitch up the hem. I’m not sure if I’m going to wear this as a dress or maybe just use it as a beach cover-up. What do you think?

Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress – marked as $14.99 with a green 33% off tag ($9.89)

Well, this dress was obviously the thrifting find of my entire life. This is a brand-spanking-new with tags Diane von Furstenberg dress that sold at Nordstrom for $428. I found it on their website here and it was an exclusive collaboration between DVF and Piece & Co. The dress is made from one-of-a-kind artisan textiles from India and was sold in Nordstrom in Spring/Summer 2015. The most amazing thing is that it was in perfect condition, it is my size, AND it is a print/style that I like with a flowy skirt. The entire time I was shopping I was afraid someone was going to steal it out of my basket! I had some initial thoughts of possibly selling it for a huge profit, but I’ve decided that it’s mine, mine, MINE!

Red Floral Pleated Skirt – marked at $8.99 with a green 33% off tag ($5.93)

This skirt is one of my other favorite finds of the day. It didn’t have new tags on it, but it looked and felt like it was in brand-new condition. This is a lesson in trying everything on regardless of size, because this skirt was marked as a 14 petite and I would say it fits more like a 10. I love, love, love it and can’t wait to wear it this spring!

Here it is styled for work:

Would you guess that it cost less than $6?

Soybu hoodie – marked at $5.99 with a with a violet 50% off tag ($2.99)
I’m pretty sure that the hoodie I bought from the thrift store is the same as this hydrangea “wendy” hoodie on the Soybu website. Do I need another lightweight hoodie? Nope. But was I going to snap one that looks brand new up for $3? Heck yeah!

I’d love to hear your thrifting stories! Did you find a diamond in the rough (literally or figuratively)? Have you ever gotten in a fight over an item? What do you like to look for while thrifting?

Thrift Style: Men’s Dress Shirt

Last week in my Thrift Store Haul post I showed you a men’s dress shirt that I scooped up for less than $6. I’d been eyeing button up blouses, but not really sure if the look was too ‘preppy’ for me. I figured that by trying to style a thrifted shirt I could try the look out without too much commitment.

First things first though, it was a bit too big on me. Now, let me tell you, I am NOT a gifted seamstress at all. I have a sewing machine and I know how to sew a straight line. That’s about it. So, knowing that the arms were a bit too loose and the body could be a little more fitted, I put the shirt on inside-out and threw some pins in to make it a little smaller. Then, I put it on the machine and stitched four straight lines. That’s it. And the lines weren’t even that straight.

Here’s after I spent a few minutes sewing:

Not a huge change — you can mostly tell around the arms– but I’m no longer swimming in it.

So now that the shirt looks a little better on me, I decided to try styling it in a few different ways. Oh, and forgive me for the crappy pictures. It was too cold to go outside and I just set my camera up for some casual shots and didn’t even bother getting my whole body. What can I say, I’ve been busy!

Look #1: Paired with a Grandpa Sweater

For my first try at wearing the men’s shirt, I was inspired by the layering in this pin. I really liked the loose shirt, loose sweater, cute cuffs and skinny jeans, so I decided to try it for myself. I’ve had this sweater for a couple years, but hardly ever pull it out of my closet. By pairing it with the button up shirt, I feel like it makes it a little less stuffy and I’m kind of loving the mix!

Look #2: Office Chic

For my second look, I decided to try it with a more fitted three-quarter sleeve sweater. Instead of just folding the cuffs up once, I doubled the over on themselves again to match the sleeve length of the cardigan. The more fitted shape gives the whole look a more preppy look and I can see pairing this with a pair of trousers and wearing this to work.

Look #3: Masculine + Feminine

Janice from Mom Life & Style really rocks this look (you can see her version here) and this was one of the first outfits I wanted to try to recreate with my men’s shirt. I tried it both with a belt and without, but I still don’t think it’s quite a winner on me.

Look #4: Paired with Sassy Pants

I love these coral colored skinny jeans that I got from Stitch Fix, but I find them really hard to style. I mean, they basically scream LOOK AT ME, so I want to tone them down a bit to leave the house. Mouthy pants. I kind of like the mix of topping the bright pants with the men’s button up and a peek of my black tank top. What do you think?

I have to say, I definitely got more than $6 worth of fun out of this shirt and it hasn’t even left the house yet. While I’m still not sure if I’m really a ‘button up’ type girl, I can see myself wearing it in so many different ways that it has earned a space in my closet.

Oh and I didn’t forget about Susan’s comment on the Thrift Haul post suggesting I try styling it like Audrey Hepburn, it just didn’t work. I think once I tailored it a bit smaller it didn’t have enough extra fabric to make the wrap work well. Or, my boobs where the problem.

Now I want to know… which look do you like best?