Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Turn a XL into a XS in Seconds!

One of my favorite tricks in the book is buying every size. 

To me, sizes don't define me. 

I can wear everything from a XS-XL. 

The trick is how you wear it!


This dress is from Rue 21 and is a XL.

But you wouldn't guess that on first glance right?

Check this out:

You can make two cute darts in the back using safety pins!

This is how I borrow my friends clothing, my moms or when I just MUST have a dress even though it doesn't fit. 

Safety Pin darts are easy and quick!

All you have to do is inside out your shirt or dress. Pinch two sections near the waist line and pin!

Inside it back out and there you have it! Try it on and edit it accordingly!

((If you have more time and own the dress *the one I am wearing I am borrowing* you can sew the darts in so they are forever!))

Hope this encourages you to look past your size range in the stores this summer :)


Saturday, July 7, 2012

Learn to Thrift!


So today there was a 50% off sale at Goodwill!
I thought I would share what I brought into the dressing room and why.
I will be listing the prices as if they were 50% off.

((everything posted below, I did not buy, They were all a wee bit big on me *tear*))

I will post later what I did buy though :P

Lets start with handbags!





Tan/Gold Chain Clutch: $2.00






White/Tan: $3.50

These two purses stood out to me out of the huge pile of handbags because:
1. I love clutches
2. They were in excellent shape, no tears, scratches, pen marks, ripps.
3. They are very modern and classic & would last a really long time in my wardrobe. 
4. Their hues go well with everything! Brown, Black, All the  colors of the rainbow (maybe not grey).

So why didn't I buy them? Because.. I already have 3 brown clutches and 3 other colored ones.. I need to practice self control!

Now I usually have fantastic success at the skirt/dresses rack at Goodwill in particular, but today I only found one that tickled my fancy!

$3.00 Originally from Forever 21

This caught my eye because of the color! I am a sucker for this tuscan orange! 
It was in great condition with no stains, pulls, snags, pills & the zipper worked. 

Main reason I didn't buy it: It was too big in the waist, and a little too long!


Moving onto tops!

A quick tip when looking for tops is to conserve your time by knowing what fabrics to eye for. I don't want family reunion matching t-shirt fabric, I want nice, soft, dressy materials. 

So to go through racks quickly I eye through the rack until I see a non-t-shirt fabric and then I look (I repeat this throughout the whole rack!)

$2.00 Originally from Banana Republic

I loved this shirt! I just needed to be my size. I would have loved to pair this shirt with the skirt above! That would have been a fantastic work outfit!

$1.50 Vintage

Now normally I would not have grabbed this, but it reminded me of something I would find at Urban Outfitters or Free People. 

It had that 'hippie-allnatural' vibe. 

I didn't buy it because.. I personally cannot pull off that look. 


$3.00 Originally from Forever 21

I thought this would look great with a bandeau, a bathing suit top or with a classic tank underneath. 

I was really surprised by the quality of this shirt, there was no snags or stains. Which is very difficult when looking for dainty white shirts at the thrift store. 

$.200 Vintage-ey

I always grab the silk tops. If there are no stains and it is my size.. its going into my basket. That is that. 

The reason: They are perfect for pairing with a nice skirt for a professional polished look. 

You can also pair them with jeans or shorts and twirl a knot in the front. 

The reason I didn't purchase this: the length was not complimentary and was not the correct cut to be able to tie it in the front. 


$1.50 Vintage-ey

I grabbed this for two reasons;
1. Scallop Cut Neckline & Arms. SO CUTE
2. The fabric quality & color (it was the silky fabric I was talking about)

I didn't buy it though because the arms were a little too loosey goosey for me. 

Footwear!!
Shoes are where it is at ladies. Never ever leave the thrift store before looking at the shoe rack! 

Many women buy shoes, find that they are uncomfortable for their foot and then get rid of them. 

Perks of buying shoes at a thrift store:
1. Broken In
2. Just because they hurt THAT persons feet does not mean it will hurt yours
-everyone has different feet & different irritation zones-
3. Amazing brands for INSANELY cheaper.
It's like Macy's clearance rack great grand children. That is how low the price is. 


$4.00  Cole Haan (HELLO ITALY!)

I grabbed these the second I saw them I LOVE these types of shoes. They are able to be worn with EVERYTHING (almost) && they are so comfy!

The reason I didn't buy these: They were a size 8.. and I am a 6.5 :( 

I was devastated to say the least. 



 So this is just an idea of what my thrifting adventures look like. I hope you all see that I grab everything I think I might like. I don't look at sizes because sometimes a bigger size ends up looking better! 


I grab a whole bunch of items and then have a fashion show in the dressing room :) 


The thrift store is full of amazing brands and quality clothes. I hope that the fact that they used to sit in someone else's closet does not freak you out too much! 


I highly encourage you to take a hour or two and look for your buried treasure :)


Another fun thing to do in the thrift store is to grab 1 or 2 completely ridiculous items, either a wedding dress, a terrible bridesmaid dress from the 80's or whatever else makes you giggle and try it on! Have fun with your shopping time & don't take yourself to seriously!