I had a lesson with Marcel on this very hot day today. It was a challenging lesson....he's making sure I work very hard to elevate my dancing to the next level. In September, when I compete at the Windy City Open in Chicago, my very favorite International Standard champion dancer, Lorraine Barrichi will be one of the judges. She is my dance icon; she is the reason that I love the International Standard style so much....and she will be judging.....yikes! Marcel is pushing me to be my very best. I want that too. It's all so exciting. The link below will lead you to a beautiful performance by Lorraine Barrichi....goosebumps!
This is what I wore today to my lesson. This is another Goodwill purchase....$2.50 on half price day last Saturday. I love the fresh white with the tan leaves and yellow flowers.
Please try to ignore my heat wilted hair and the horrible bang trim that I received yesterday. I'm not sure how the stylist interpreted my request to "clean up my longish sideswept bangs, not too short"...but I promise I did not ask for short spiky bangs....I basically plastered them to one side to soften the spikeyness.......hopefully they will grow out quickly and be long enough to sweep into my ballroom hair at Windy City!
On the way home from my lesson...I happened to drive past the Goodwill and my car pulled me into the parking lot. I had to go in.
It was jackpot day for evening dresses!
I mentioned numerous times that I need several for formal events that I attend fairly often.
This is what I found:
This is a luscious Chocolate velvet dress. I adore it and it needs no alteration at all! Oh yeah...it was $7.00! I know it accentuates my pear shape..but I don't even care because I love this so much. 
You can't see how luminous the wine colored fabric is from this picture...it's a deeper color and has a lovely iridescent quality. It's a bit big on the sides at the top and will be taken in. I will also shorten the straps so it will drape better on the bottom. I adore this one too.
And...I adore this! This also needs to be taken in on the sides at the top. $5.00. Bingo!
The best find of all today...a dress that looks very Tango for my next Tango showcase performance in December! This was a very lucky find. It's much prettier and more detailed in person. It fits perfectly and needs no alterations. It's hard to see the ruffle around the hem..but it's very flouncy. I will add some black Swarovski Crystals to it for sparkle and a red rose at the waist to make it scream Tango. I hesitated to purchase this because it had a $30.00 price tag on it. It's not a good name brand...and I have seen far fancier and more modern dresses for a lot less at Goodwill. I wasn't sure it was the right price! I ended up buying it anyway, because the extremely low prices of the other dresses balance it out. What are my chance of finding a Tango dress like this for this price that fits! Of course, I also consider that Goodwill Industries is also a community service establishment, providing jobs for people with barriers to employment.
This shows the subtle sparkle throughout the dress and the flounciness of the ruffle.
Oh, almost forgot my super deal! Yes, the dress below is a 100% silk J.Crew dress....new with tags in place! The beautiful melon color won me over..even though the hemline is a bit longer than I prefer on a dress that is not for a formal event. Heels and the right accessories will balance the dress length. I think this is a perfect dress for a romantic date night. Oh yeah...it was....$5.00!!
Pardon my slumpy posture, but the heat was getting to me and to my photographer.
My sly photographer took another self portrait..and advised me to caption it; "hello ladies".
Sly photographer also snapped his beloved big brother Jayme who is home from college for an internship in Chicago. Sigh....my two youngest boys.
So, hubby has been asking me to reel in the shopping trips a bit. Even though he appreciates the value of my purchases....there has to be a limit...so
This is the last time, honey, I promise! Until the next big bargain......
Happy 4th, everyone!
You've had such great luck finding dresses at the Goodwill. Perhaps if your husband saw the steal the J. Crew dress was he'd understand. Love the tango dress and that chocolate velvet. And, oh dear, the son who is home from college...he is quite the handsome fellow!
ReplyDeleteAww....thank you Terri! The ladies love my Jayme!
ReplyDeleteI really have had good luck lately at the Goodwill and I'm not sure why. To think that I used to turn up my nose to thrifting is inconceivable now.
I did show my hubby my dress bargains and he said..."they are very nice, but do you have enough dresses yet? And by the way, I'm going golfing tomorrow morning" The J.Crew dress doesn't look all that great in the picture...but when I had heels with it and a necklace it was gorgeous.
Gosh, I love all of my new dresses. I'm so excited to have a showcase performance dress so that I don't have to use my competition dresses.
Happy 4th Terri...and I will pass along your compliment to my son...I'm sure he will appreciate it!!!
Believe me, I was flying high today after finding all of these things!
Wow I share your joy at theose wonderful bargains. What cute boys you have.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I have had some good luck lately at the Goodwill!
DeleteHow many great bargains! Good luck for your upcoming dance competition!
ReplyDeletehttp://myvintagecurves.blogspot.it/
Thank you!!
Deletewow, you got so many amazing deals on those dresses! love them!
ReplyDeleteChic on the Cheap
I got lucky, for sure! It's hard to say no to so many beautiful bargain priced dresses.
DeleteI love the dresses! You have a much larger dress collection that I do. Jealous.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.glamkittenslitterbox.com/
Twitter: @GlamKitten88
You must be a fellow dress lover! Thanks for the compliment!
DeleteMy dress collection has grown considerably since I became open to the idea of thrifting. I do attend a number of events that require formal wear...so it's a good thing that Goodwill is an option! I would never be able to afford so many dresses if not for that!
ReplyDeleteWow! You're an amazing bargain shopper! I've never had that kind of luck at Goodwill! I'm so impressed!
ReplyDeleteYou did so well on the formal dresses! I totally get where you're coming from on the $30 dress - and I often come to the same conclusion. The more expensive items balance out the really cheap ones, and it's all for a good cause.
ReplyDeleteYou look amazing in that green one - I think that's my favourite.
Thank you so much for visiting my blog and for commenting. I really appreciate it.
Cheers,
Sheila
Hi Sheila,
DeleteThank you for the compliments. I got very lucky. I love that I have opportunity to wear them. And it's nice that I won't have wonder "what should I wear" if an occasion arises. Of course, that I spend less on all those dresses than I would on one dress at retail...I hit the jackpot!