thrift store finds :) - YouLookFab Forum

since i've been so antsy and frazzled waiting to leave for home today (as mentioned in my 'what do i wear' post), the BF decided to take me thrift store shopping yesterday. the thrift store right behind our place recently closed and moved to a new location, and we decided to go investigate. and WOW. soooo much bigger, and with better things, although with that same musty used smell characteristic of all thrift stores!

i went with some specific things in mind from my want list, and was gratified to have a couple of them fulfilled, so i thought i'd share!

- spring/rain coat in a non-neutral color
http://i220.photobucket.com/al.....000470.jpg

boy, did i score with this one. it's a feels-like-brand-new express coat in a prettyyyy shade of peachy pink. it's the perfect complement to my basic navy blue wellies. it's a tad bigger than i'd usually get, but that works as i am such a layer...er. haha.

- lace top to wear with basic skirts
http://i220.photobucket.com/al.....000462.jpg
http://i220.photobucket.com/al.....000472.jpg

it's hard to find lace tops that i like! this one fit perfectly, was in amazing condition, and cost me all of $2. i was also looking to replicate the colorblock/mixed media dress look i've been seeing in so many stores... without actually buying a new dress. i'm looking forward to wearing this on a date with the BF, with some tights and red pumps!

- not on my want list, but too ridiculously awesome to pass up: purple mary jane wedges
http://i220.photobucket.com/al.....000464.jpg
http://i220.photobucket.com/al.....000466.jpg

sooo cute, and brand new with tags still attached! for $2, could i resist? no. sad, but true.

and after all that, what did the BF pick up for himself, besides a couple of bandannas to protect his face while he snowboards? this:
http://i220.photobucket.com/al.....000468.jpg

we spent the rest of the night fiddling with his new toy and taking turns speaking in our darth vader voices and cracking each other up. no time to be sad or think too much about other things - which is exactly what he wanted!

are there any other thrift hunters in the forum? do you have some treasured finds to share? the express coat ranks pretty highly on my favorite thrifted purchases list - others include a wilsons black leather blazer in perfectly-beat-up condition (pristine leather feels a little too...pristine...to me, weird i know), my flat cognac oxfords, and a beautifully lined brown corduroy boyfriend blazer.

now, back to being antsy!

17 years ago

ChristineB

Active Member

Wow, you really scored! I love all your finds, especially the shoes. I am not a regular thrift shopper, but I stop in occasionally. I actually popped into the Sally Ann yesterday on my lunch break & picked up some light yellow cotton fabric I'm going to make a spring/summer skirt out of.

Some of my finds include new with tags wool Gap pants, a like new denim blazer (which I'm not really sure what to wear with) and a great plaid a-line bias skirt, which I love.

Sarah

(website)

Veteran

Great finds! I regularly score at one of our local thrift shops. Like you, though, I have to go in with a "list" otherwise I buy too many things I don't really need.
My best thrift find was a DVF wrap dress or a JCrew cream wool skirt suit. I also found new Cole Haan Air sandals for my mom. My latest find this last weekend was a new JCrew wool pencil skirt.

shana

Wow, those are great finds! I especially like the lace top and I love the mary janes - what a score!!! I haven't done much thrift shopping since my college days. I did find some great buys though - and still have some pieces from well over 10 years ago! I think my favorite buy was a camel colored leather blazer that is still hanging in my closet - it has not fit in many years and yet I am reluctant to get rid of it! I used to wear it with a tight white tee shirt and black jeans with heels - a standard going out outfit way back when....

It somehow seemed easier to find good thrift stores in college towns. Other than our local goodwill (which isn't very good), I don't know of any really good thrift stores locally.

Tanya

What great finds! Those shoes are adorable and I really like the lace top.

I have to admit that I have never found anything in a thrift store, though I have tried quite a few times. They do not seem to have too many really small sizes, and if they do, it's more things for teenagers. However, I have been successfully selling my stuff to two different consignment stores in the area for couple of years.

Antje

Congrats, you really scored! I love those purple Mary Jane's, as well as the coat and top. Well done. You’ve definitely got a knack for finding great pieces.

I love consignment shopping. The shops I like aren't quite as cheap as thrift stores (no $2 tops, sadly) but the prices are less than half of what it would cost at retail, and they have some great unique pieces that I wouldn't find elsewhere. My favorite pieces are the designer ones that I would not have found or bought at regular price. My very favorite ones are all little jackets, e.g. this crochet jacket, which is funky and unique and has great colors for me:
http://s291.photobucket.com/al.....G_0028.jpg
http://s291.photobucket.com/al.....G_0033.jpg

and this cheetah print jacket:
http://s291.photobucket.com/al.....G_0270.jpg

Also have a black jacket with little white dots from Mac&Jack, and a charcoal jacket with tulle ruffles that I’ve not posted before, I might do that tonite. I love both of them.

Most of the jackets I got there are around $40, which is a steal compared to retail, and they are just more eclectic than what I’d easily find in stores.

Come to think of it, I'd say that at least 50%, if not more, of my favorite clothes (the ones I feel happiest in and wear the most) come from either this one consignment store or Express.

(password: youlookfab)

Ariadne

Wow, those are amazing finds, Hanna! I especially love the shoes and would like to steal them from you right now, please. Heh. Sara, yours sound amazing, too. DVF??? Wow.

I'm a regular thrifter. Some of my best finds have been items from local designers--a Dace cropped olive jacket and turquoise cropped silk short-sleeved blouse thing, an Alice & Olivia belt, and a Nanna denim skirt with vintage fabric detail spring to mind. I also recently scored "the" Gap denim jacket that lots of ladies here have, in my size and in the wash I like. Oh, and my favourite metallic dress heels, which were only $4! I also often have amazing luck at our local consignment stores, which have sale prices that are on par with the Salvation Army's regular prices. I just got a pair of much-longed-for red high-top Converse for $22, and a pinstriped RW&Co pencil skirt with pinstripes and kick pleats for under $10. I also get a lot of belts, scarves, and new- or like-new shoes at thrift and consignment stores.

Amanda

Hanna - I'm glad you got to participate in some "thrift store therapy" -- what great finds! Can't wait to see what outfits you put together with them. I hope that all goes well on your trip and with your family.

Antje, I'm dying to see the jacket with the tulle ruffles.

hanna

yay more thrifters! thank you for all the kind comments, everybody!

christine, i wish i was more of a crafter and sewer! i have all these ideas but none of the patience to learn how to execute them :P.

sara, a DVF dress?! that would be a dream for me, to score one of those! unless i find it in a thrift store it would definitely be way out of my budget.

shana, that's a good point about college towns - when i went to school in evanston the consignment and thrift stores there were always amazing! this new thrift store is in a pretty well-to-do area though, which helps.

tanya, i know what you mean about sizes - thrift stores, especially the salvation army, can be like searching a very large haystack for a very tiny needle (literally, in your slim case ;))! it usually takes me forever to find something in my size.

antje, those finds are amazing! i especially covet that crochet jacket - so funky! i wish there was a better consignment store around here for me to frequent, but the closest thing is a plato's closet that is full of teen and tween clothing i don't really think is appropriate for me anymore. i'd love to see those other two jackets you mentioned, they sound amazing!

brianna, post pics of your finds! they all sound so good. i have trouble finding proper "designer" names that fit me in thrift stores - they're generally just secondhand items from the regular high street brands, like Express or AT. maybe i just haven't looked around enough...

aj, thank you for the well wishes about the trip - it involves a very sick relative that i am very close to, and it will be very difficult for me. i appreciate the nice thoughts!

Angie

Fashion Stylist

Wonderful Hanna! Your items are great and I’m happy you’re happy. I wish I had your luck at thrift stores. In all my worldly shopping experiences at thrift stores for YEARS, I have purchased 3 items. I guess Tanya, that you and I can shake hands.

Hanna, I'll try to post some of them! Some of the brands I mentioned (ie RW) are the equivalent of Express and AT, I think (I've never been in either store).

What I've found is that thrifting takes a lot of time, a lot of patience, and a lot of willingness to get grubby and take risks. And it's very true that pickings are generally slim in the XS and S size sections.

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