Saturday, November 14, 2015

Cheap Shopping Therapy

Hitting the Racks--Saturday, 11/14/15

No outfit photo today; I just threw on some things that felt comfortable and convenient for going to the thrift store.

Black and white striped T with shoulder patches (Chaps/Kohls), $5.83/wear
Rust utility jacket (thrifted, Kohls), $2.50/wear+
*Black hiking skirt (thrifted, Columbia), $5.00/wear+
Black leggings
Black and red plaid sneakers from Rocket Dog

Of course, I managed to spill iced tea on myself and had to change into a black T-shirt later. :/

I had a quite successful trip to Goodwill.  It helps to arrive very near after opening on Saturday (about 9:15 or so)--the merchandise isn't as picked over and there are no lines at the dressing room.  (It was nice not having to wait in line at all today.)  I had a mental list of things I'm looking for, though of course I am open to anything. We donated some stuff and got a 25% off coupon, which is pretty sweet.

Things from the list of wants:

Wanted: Maroon pants--I have seen about 30 cute outfits ideas using maroon pants so I've been wanting them for a while now.

--Maroon pants from Lands End ($5.24).  I think they are these ponte ankle pants ($69) in a color a bit more red than the burgundy they are selling now.  I am very excited to finally have a pair of maroon pants and they're not even baggy and frumpy!

Wanted: Polka dots--next to stripes, these are the most useful pattern-mixing print.

--Black blouse with red/burgundy/white dots by Notations ($5.24).  I'm not familiar with this brand, but it appears to be sold at Macy's.  I love the size of the polka dots on this one.

--Light teal button up shirt with dark teal polka dots from Target ($5.24).  Thrifting Target clothes does not give you that bargain feeling you get with more expensive brands but I still think getting a shirt that is about $23 new for a little over $5 is a good deal (when it's in great condition like this one).  And this color looks incredible on me, if I do say so myself.

--Black polka dot blazer from Talbots ($9.74).  Talbots blazers run $130 to over $200, so even though this was a pricier purchase by Goodwill standards, it was still a bargain.  Although a person could strongly argue that I don't need another black blazer of any kind...well, polka dots!  And I do not actually already own a black polka dot blazer, although it feels like I must, you know?  Well, now I've taken care of things so that my actual wardrobe more closely resembles the Sally Closet Prototype.

Wanted: Plaid--how do I have so little plaid, given that it's a long-time favorite?

--Blue/red plaid popover shirt from Gap ($5.24).  Similar shirts are selling new for about $50 right now.  And it has true long sleeves, perfect for layering.

Wanted: Grey pullover sweater--I was surprised to discover that I don't own one, but figured this is a perfect item to thrift.  As it turns out, I found two really excellent ones at Goodwill and had a bit of trouble deciding which to get: the lighter grey V neck or the darker grey crew neck.

--Grey V neck pullover sweater by Laura Scott ($5.24).  Another unfamiliar brand but it appears to sell at JCP/Sears/Macy's type stores.  I decided that the V neck was a bit more flattering so I got this one.

Wanted: Short-sleeved cardigans--the summer layering staple in Coldville.

--Light pink short-sleeved cardigan from JCP ($4.49).  Once it gets warm again, I am looking forward to wearing this with the maroon pants.  I had the two items on the floor of my office next to each other and it was a perfect color combination.

Wanted: Very long (dress-length) cardigans--have you noticed that this is a thing right now?  Here's a sample of how one looks worn with a dress.  Kind of snazzy, no?

From someonelikeyou18.blogspot.com

--Beige long-sleeved dress-length cardigan from Kohls ($5.24).  It's warm and snuggly and perfect with pretty much any color of dress.  And since the only beige cardigan I have is that very lightweight (summer) cardigan with the tie-waist, it's not even a duplicate.

--Dark grey-blue short-sleeved dress-length cardigan from Kohls ($5.24).  Short-sleeved, so yep, it's a two-fer.  The color is a bit strange.  You think it's grey until you put it up next to grey; then you think it's a dark blue until you put it up to blue/navy.  It's an inbetween slate kind of color, I guess, that makes me think of a military uniform.  This one is going to be less useful than the beige one but since summer layering options are harder to come by (this one has an open weave so it's perfect for summer), I still think it's worth the money.  And as long as I don't confuse the issue by wearing it with grey or blue, I should be OK.  (I'm thinking bright pink for its first outing.)

Useful things:

--Denim trousers from Boden ($5.24) to supplement or replace the pair I have now that fit OK but not great.  (Their pants are about $75 and up new.)  Robert and I just had a discussion of whether these are made from denim or from another cotton fabric that looks a lot like denim.  Either way, I pretty much wear these as a substitute for jeans so it's all good.

--Light pink blazer by Kasper ($6.74).  Another classic Macy's type brand (around $80-100 new).  I had a light pink blazer that I got at Goodwill a couple years ago, but before I wore it, I realized there was a slight little beige stain on the collar that didn't come out when I washed it.  So I donated it back.  It's not generally a big deal to me when that happens, which is actually a lot less often than you might expect.  I probably could have worn it without anyone noticing, but as I've said before, once I've noticed the stain, it's done.  So I was happy to find another light pink blazer, which I like better than the other one because this one has long sleeves instead of 3/4 length sleeves.  It wasn't on my list per se, but I will enjoy the opportunity to finally wear a light pink blazer.

Just couldn't resist:

--Pink-orchid boyfriend cardigan from Target ($3.74).  The color of this sweater drew my eye immediately, and when it fit, I just had to get it.  It's a color I associate with my mom, so now perhaps I'll be better prepared to wear twin outfits.  That's an important consideration, you know.  (I already twin my sister every time I wear my grey Skechers.)

--Grey herringbone hunting jacket by Relativity ($6.74).  So this is not a modern hunting jacket (which is almost always camo print, etc.).  I am just calling it that because it looks like an old school hunting jacket...like someone at Downton Abbey might wear hunting...or like Dr. Watson would wear.  Some British people in the late 1800s/early 1900s, anyway.  Mine even has epaulettes!

From vogueent.com


Because I didn't find a brown skirt, we went to Savers as well, where I found 2 brown skirts--a corduroy one (for fall/winter; Walmart, $2.99) and a lightweight pleated one (for spring/summer; Casual Corner, $5.99).  I also picked up an inexpensive plaid shirt (Walmart, $2.99).

Then we went to Target to pick up some things, including these bunny lounge pants I'd seen online.  How I could possibly resist, right?

From target.com

But they didn't have them in the store!  THUMP!  We even asked a sales associate but she pretty much boggled out of her mind at the idea of a pair of lounge pants with a rabbit on them, having not seen them in the store (and not regularly looking for bunny gear online, I suppose).  So I ordered them on the Internet and will hope that they fit.  If the photo is anything to go by, I am not worried about them being too short.

However, I did do pretty well at finding tights at Target.  I wasn't going to make the mistake I made last year of trying to buy tights once it's actually winter--I wanted to get them before they sold out.  And with the Cartwheel app, they were only $9 a pair!  I got black, black with a faint floral print, "berry maroon," "Atlantic burgundy" (darker and a bit more purple-y than the berry maroon), and a crazy patterned pair of tights, plus one pair of black fleece-lined tights leggings. Along with the other tights that I ordered from Kohls earlier in the week, these should have me set for wearing skirts and dresses for the next 6 months or so.  I still would like to find a pair of teal tights and a pair of olive tights, but I feel lucky to have found the ones I have.  (I wear a pretty big size in tights, so the options are a bit more limited.)  Actually, thinking about it, I have a store credit at Sock Dreams, and I see that they have both olive and teal in a size that would fit me for $14 a pair.  I might need to supplement my supply with an order to them.

And to reward those of you who made it all the way to the end of this post, a bunny!  A deceptively sweet-faced dwarf.

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