Dressing from the Ground Up

More often than not, I build an outfit around my shoes. In this case, a pair of Stuart Weitzman spectator-style pumps I scored at a yard sale.

Paired with a Guess skirt I got from Mia at a clothing swap and a shirt from Santee Alley, I felt good to go for hardly any dough.

Fun at the Office

 

I ThriftScored this dress, a little silk number from Built by Wendy (retails around $200) for $8. But my favorite part of this outfit is the retro black nylon slip with the fringe at the bottom that I found for $1. Paired with my gold and black Timberlands, I feel very Moulin Rouge.

I will be Japan through March 10, I'll post if I find any good ThriftScores there. Sayonara!

When in Vancouver ...

"During a lull on a train from Amsterdam to Paris, it hit me. A group of Canadian backpackers was chatting with the Belgian conductor, and inevitably the subject of Canada's southern neighbor arose.

The predictable sighs about American foreign policy were balanced by compliments about Americans' general good-heartedness -- until one of the Canadians offered a scalding criticism of American tourists' wardrobes.

'Oh, please,' I thought. 'As if Winnipeg's such a fashion capital.'

Then I looked down. He was right: my outfit was baggy (jeans), backward (hat) and blousy (shirt). I was a sartorial simp."

>>> READ MORE @ Vancouver's secondhand stores: a real treasure trove - chicagotribune.com

Designer ThriftScores

Los Angeles is lucky enough to have many Council Thrift Stores in and around its environs. My friend Erica and her teenage daughter make regular pilgrimages to the Westside to score there.

If it's important to you to shop for labels, this is one way to do it -- cheap. The goods have been vetted by shrewd volunteers and put away for the Best of the Best sales, which happen periodically through the year.

Best of all, your designer duds help those who really need it. Here's the mission: "Because of your generosity to Council Thrift Shops, NCJW/LA is able to give away more than 30,000 items to 2,000 needy individuals each year through the 20 social services agencies that partner with us at the NCJW/LA Annual Clothing Giveaway. NCJW/LA provides these same agencies, as well as its own clients, with free clothing vouchers that can be used by individuals who may be returning to the workforce or who need back-to-school clothing for their children."

Hunt and pounce

I saw this shirt, which is from a designer named Donna Lou, a few weeks ago at my local Out of the Closet. But it was pretty pricey at $8.25. I held onto it longingly, and then let it go.

Last week, it was 30 percent off ... still a little more than I wanted to spend. But Sunday, it was half off, and I pounced. I knew it wouldn't make it to the $1 rack next week.

Paying the extra $2 isn't that much in the scheme of things, especially because I really like this shirt and would have even paid double digits if it were new.

But sometimes, just sometimes, it's about hunt.