Get Thrifty: Prom Dress Thrifting

Samantha just had her last Prom of High School this past weekend. We had decided that we would thrift her dress as we had others so we started a few weeks early to give ourselves plenty of time. We've had some good luck with thrifting regular items as well as special occasion dressing at this point so I thought I would share a few pointers. 

1. Have an inspiration.
With special occasion dressing I think it's really helpful to have an inspiration to search for. In this case Sam was moved to search for something you would see in a movie from the 80's! We found photos of the dress from the prom scene of Footloose and the final scene of Sixteen Candles and started from there. 

2. Take photos.
It's one thing looking at yourself in the mirror, but it's something else looking at a photo. There is a remove that makes it a bit easier to be objective about if a dress is working or not. We will often take a quick photo of something we are considering then delete it right away just for the moment of peeking at it. 

3. Be Open to Surprises.
Though Sam was hoping for something along the lines of her inspiration pieces, we both knew that we might not find what she was hoping for. So we were both open to finding something different. This green dress was something special that we both thought might fit the bill. It was a vintage Jessica McClintock that with a little love we though could be a head turner. But we decided to look just a little bit more. 

4. Bring along someone you trust.
Thrift shopping can sometimes be a tedious thing though we find it fun. It's helpful to bring along someone that has the same love for it that you do, and that can see possibility in the racks along with you. (and maybe keep you laughing as you search!)

5. Have a tailor you trust.
We found the dress that we knew would be the one with a little work (that cost $5!). We love and trust Tommy the Tailor downtown and ran it down to them immediately to make sure there would be plenty of time to get it tailored. It needed the sleeves and neckline worked on but otherwise it was ready. 

6. Remember the extras
We have been really fortunate to work with Rebecca of Rebecca's Flower Shoppe and she really outdid herself for this one. Sam decide to really go for it with the Sixteen Candles look. We shared the inspiration photos with Rebecca and decided to go for a flower headband due to costs. Rebecca decided to go ahead and make Samantha the crown, and graciously gifted it to her! We were so surprised and stunned, and it just made her look that much more special! 

So what do you think? Did she do it? We were pretty happy with her look! Her dress with the tailoring cost a total of $30. I love that she brought the Sixteen Candles look into the present! 

Get Thrifty: Our Thrifty Fall Fashion Week

The arrival of September has my attention turning once again to fashion. It fills my instagram feed, it makes the magazines of the month that much bigger. And much like back to school, I feel like I would like to go clothes shopping! But these days I try and be a little more purposeful about how and where I spend my money. And an easy and fun way I do is by thrifting. 

There are a couple of items that we always seem to be on the lookout for when we go. And some that are especially timely this Fall. I'll break down the things we have been having luck with and what we look for!

1. Denim  This is something we are almost always looking at in one form or another. Sam has found some incredible Levi's that fit in the best way possible. Recently I was pining over a denim duster I found in the Madewell catalog similar to one I had in the 90's. Figuring it didn't make sense to pay close to $200 for something I had been there for the first time around I was happy to see we could copy by taking a denim dress, unbuttoning it and throwing it over like a coat! I think it's a pretty great copy for about $10! 

2. Camo  I have to say I look for this print year round as it's a person favorite. But I find it's a perennial favorite of the fashion crowd and it seems to be cropping up again this year. It's almost a no-brainer to find the coats in the men's section. And Sam found a crazy felt like pair of orange print pants recently that were so much fun! I have a coat that I have considered adding a patch or embroidery, but for now it's great. It's similar to the one in the photo of Sarah Rutson below. And though it wouldn't seem like it, it goes with so much. I really like it paired with stripes. 

3. Handbags  I have found so many fun vintage bags while thrifting I have built a mini collection. The most recent one is a Dooney & Burke one similar to one my sister had when we were growing up. It was less than $25 and is a great little cross-body. A classic leather handbag will never go out of style, go with everything and if taken care of can be passed on. If you like to dress them up you can tie a scarf to them or find the cute little clips with pom-pom on them to give them a little personality! 

4. Shoes I can almost never pass up the shoe racks at any store...can you? And I find the thrift stores to be no exception. I have found two sets of shoes that have been more than surprising. The first is a pair that say they are Hermes. I have no reason to disbelieve them, though I have done no real digging. Either way they are in leopard, a favorite of mine and incredibly comfortable. And as I consider leopard a neutral, they are perfection. 

The other smashing find are a pair of Italian leather J.Crew flats in a crazy sherbet orange that make me all kinds of happy. I had to make it a point to take a photo of them on a festive rug just to do them credit! J. Crew has a hashtag #shinyponies and I think these fit the bill of being a mood-lifting, gorgeous shoe! 

These are some of the usual suspects we look for when we thrift, though we always keep our eyes open for the unusual, never seen before statement pieces. The last time we went we bought Samantha a bright pink prom dress just because we couldn't leave it behind! 

Do you thrift? Is there anything you go looking for? Do you have any questions about it, or anything you want me to keep my eyes open for? I love the hunt! Let me know! 

Get Thrifty: Small Touches with Big Impact

When I was in my 20's I wasn't very thoughtful about my clothing choices. I would purchase things without an idea about how it would work with other items in my closet, or with a purpose. These days I have more specific ideas for my closet that will take some savings (hello Swedish clogs!) but I still want to shop in the meantime for items that will make a difference with items I already own. That's where thrifting comes in!

There are so many small ways you can make a big impact on your wardrobe. One way is with bandanas. We have found them in so many colors and prints, and all about $2. Tied around your neck, wrist, or even on your bag they give a quick pop of color and fun! 

Jewelry is another quick and inexpensive way to add some oomph to your look. These earrings feel really contemporary and thankfully super light. And at $3 I was happy to bring them home! 

The shoe racks are another place I always browse to see if there are any pairs of interest. I have a gorgeous pair of italian made J.Crew flats that I love, and I just found these red Fidji sandals that add a fun pop of color. And a quick note on brands...I find a smart phone handy when I want to check out a brand name. I knew nothing about this one, though when I looked it up I found it's sold at Nordstrom among other stores and appears to be a quality line. There are treasures to be found! (I think these cost $8!)

Another find that my girls and I have found helpful is small zipper bags. Samantha uses one in her backpack where she keeps a bunch of helpful items that she may need throughout a day. 

And we always use the little zipper bags when we are traveling to keep our make up, electronics and other bits of our life together in manageable ways. 

These little finds have given me the little kicks to my wardrobe that I am looking for while I at the same time saving money for the big items that I am hoping to add to it. Having a mix of high and low keeps allow me some freedom while being purposeful at the same time! 

What do you look for when you go thrifting? Do you have any small buys that make big impacts? Please share! 

Get Thrifty: Five Thrifting Tips

I like to talk about clothes and fashion, do you? I find my usual answer when I am asked where I got something to often be "thrifting." This leads to discussions about how to be successful finding things. I've come up with some tips to start! 

1. Be Open Minded: And by this I mean about your stores. We have a few standards (Value Village being one of them) but we are always open to the little, funky non-profit stores (The Assistance League of Bellingham is a favorite of the smaller stores in town). When I say be open minded don't disregard cleanliness or things of that sort. I am thinking more of what you may find that would work for you. The smaller stores tend to have smaller prices, and an interesting mix of stock. 

2. Be Flexible: I'm not talking like a gymnast. Be flexible as to go into the store with an idea of what you are looking for (palazzo pants, light coat, ect.) but then be open to what you find and where your wanderings take you. We have found staples such as t-shirts and jeans, but more often than not, it's the surprise finds that have been the best additions to our closets. 

3. Go often: We tend to hit the thrift stores on Fridays which is just our way of relaxing and starting off the weekend. But we go as much as we can as stock turns over a lot and you never know what you will find. 

4. Take photos: Sometimes (often) I need to see myself in an item to see how it looks on me objectively. It sometimes help to remove yourself a bit to make a final call on a piece of clothing. (this coat by the way was a big YES before I even took the photo!) 

5. Have fun!: This is our number one rule for thrifting. Somehow it's turned into an outing that the whole family enjoys. We are either laughing over sayings over t-shirts, trying on ridiculous shoes, or squealing over an amazing find! (the above is Sam trying on a beekeepers jacket! We almost couldn't stop laughing!)  A general rule I have about my attire is that it should include an element of fun. A talking point makes your clothing a point of connection. And shouldn't our clothing make us happy? 

Do you thrift? Do you have any tips for me? Or any questions? It's a favorite topic, so I would love to talk more about it! (ps. When this post goes up we should be returning from San Diego...hopefully there are some thrift finds in our baggage!) 


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