The joyful benefits of thrifting!

I FINALLY figured out how to enable the 'REPLY' button in the COMMENTS!  Yay for me!  Geez, that took long enough.  To those of you who have commented, thank you; now I can finally reply directly to your comments instead of posting a comment separately to do so!

This thrift shopping habit is addicting AND sobering.  I believe since I have added the thrift option to my repertoire, my wardrobe is better than ever.  I am a better shopper in a thrift store than I am in a retail store.  I have a different mindset when thrifting.  I am more discriminating; I figure if I am going to take someone else's clothing home, I am going to be choosy.  I look at labels and choose higher quality brands.  I couldn't afford to do that in retail stores. There is a more unique selection available in thrift stores and I think more creatively.   If I need a garment, and I am shopping retail, I will usually settle for an item that I like but don't love.  As I examine each piece in a thrift store, I think about how I would wear it and what other items in my closet work with it.  When shopping retail, I used to pick up something that sort of appealed to me and put it in the shopping cart.....I didn't look at the fabric content, the label or the quality of the piece and I didn't consider how it would fit in with the rest of my wardrobe.  Shame on me.

In one of my earlier posts, I admitted that for years I was very resistant to thrift shopping.  I had many preconceived notions about the type and condition of clothing that was available.  I was so wrong.  I have found name brand pieces in perfect condition for pennies on the dollar. I was surprised to find that most of the clothing is in very good condition; clean and usually not in need of repair.  Again, shame on me.

My husband is very supportive of this leap into a new world of dressing myself.  He's been a long time thrifter.  I must admit, though, that my husband's thrifting was one of the reasons I was so put off by thrifting. Although he brought home some nice things occasionally, more often he brought home some really ugly things.
He has since upped his game with my help, and has learned to be more discriminating.  He has helped me to become more frugal.  Thrifting has been a win-win situation in my home.

Let's move on to the clothing........

I apologize for the poor quality of this photo, but it's was just a quick shot to see if the dress was going to work.  I have decided it will work...but I want to add wider straps.

This is the BACK of a evening lovely dress that I purchased at Goodwill for $7.00.  

 When I first tried on the dress....I was under a little pressure from the husband and son to 'hurry up'.  So I tried the dress on and loved it, but thought it was a bit too low cut in the front.  I purchased it anyway and planned to take it to the tailor.  Yesterday, I washed it (in the 'hand wash' cycle of the machine, in a pillowcase) and when I hung it to dry, I noticed darts on the 'back'.  Oops.....I had tried the dress on BACKWARDS!

De Laru dress; you can't tell in this picture, but the dress is a very soft silver metallic and has a luminous sheen

This is the front.  This way, it fits perfectly and needs no tailoring!  I like it even better this way. Leave it to me to try on a dress backwards...and still buy it!

Merona; $3

I have not had much luck finding cute skirts at thrift stores, but yesterday, I found this.  It's very cute on....

and I love the pattern.  Not sure how to style it yet.

Victoria's Secret; $1.50 each!

Since it was half price day, I picked up each of these Victoria Secret chemises for $1.50 each.  They were all in perfect condition!

Chaps; $1.50

I like this for nights I don't feel so 'silky'

Bill Levkoff; $15.00!

 And here is the dress I posted about previously; my great find.  It needs to be let out a pinch to make it fit comfortably under the arms, but I have a great seamstress, Rosemary, who can do just about anything.  She's amazing....she has even made a too short ballroom gown longer for me.  Not everyone can work with specialized ballroom dance gowns...but Rosemary is my gem.

  

Trinni; $4

I was on the fence about his dress.  I love the pattern, but it's a bit more body hugging.  I snapped the picture (above) to see if I could pull off this dress...and I decided that I can, if I have Rosemary make wider straps, to balance the upper half with the lower half.

This top is a blouse...that looks very similar to an orphaned pajama top that I purchased!

Covington; $3.50

$1.50

I couldn't resist this pretty red nightgown...it was brand new with tags from a specialty shop...called 'The Maid's Secret Closet'.  What a cool name.....I tried to look up the shop online but didn't find anything.

Notations

I was very attracted to this kind of loud pattern, but I am not totally sure I can pull this look off.  I put it back on the rack three times, but kept going back for it. It's silky and feels lovely against my skin.  I love the colors.  To me, it has a slightly 60's-70's retro feel (Partridge Family!) to it.  I decided put 'loud pattern' caution to the wind and get it.  

Here's the pajama top....looks so much like the blouse I purchased!  I'm almost tempted to wear this as a top, paired with some ivory trousers....

I've spent quite a bit of time in thrift stores since my 'conversion' from retail; I'm learning how to spot the real bargains; clothing that will last and that I will love for a long time to come.  

My wardrobe now reflects my tastes and style better than it ever has.

Thrifting has been a real treat!