November's Find of the Month- Gucci!

This month's find absolutely proves that anything is possible at a thrift store. I (Sarah Jane) found a genuine Gucci purse in great condition for $11.00 at a local Salvation Army. If you didn't know, Gucci's go for upwards of $1000 new, and are usually found used on ebay for anywhere from $150-$500. This is a designer brand celebrities choose. Here are some pics I snapped with my phone.

Yesiree looks like the genuine article to me, the GG design is even, and the label "Gucci" is everywhere, on the hardware and on the fabric inside.

*One quick tip when shopping for purses especially- if you're not sure whether it's the genuine article or not, always count on designer arrogance. If it's the real deal, it should say the brand name on the inside tag and on the hardwear (the metal buttons) at a bare minimum. Brand names cost a lot more but are usually attractive because they're a status symbol, so companies are proud to slap their label all over their product. For example, if a purse looks like it's Coach brand and even has C's all over the outside, but inside just has a blank tab where the Coach label should be, it's a fake.

This Week's Finds

With all of this thrift store dieting, I (Adele) am quickly accumulating a complete wardrobe. My closet is really stuffed! (Yes, yes, I must work harder at weeding out in the near future so that others may have the luck of finding MY great cast-off clothes at a local thrift store!) So lately, my shopping has been "slowing down" as I really don't need to buy a lot of clothing. I've been trying to focus on filling in some wardrobe gaps with nicer/dressier shirts, well-fitting khaki and non-black dress pants, and skirts beyond the basic black. I've also been making some headway on Christmas gifts, but I can't post those pics for fear of the recipient(s) seeing them ahead of time!

Lately, I've been having the best luck at consignment shops. I'm still giving the good ole SalVal and Goodwill a chance, but this week I didn't happen to find anything I needed at those thrift stores. I hit up three consignment stores successfully, though! So, I'd say this week turned out rather frugally! But I'll let you, dear reader, be the judge:

Ann Taylor Loft. It has a turtle neck and, though the picture doesn't really show it, it has little puffs on the bottoms of the sleeves. Thought it would be a fun, basic shirt to add to my "dressier" collection. Snagged this for $10.

For those that know me best, I am a self-proclaimed Gap-a-holic. I *heart* Gap! So when I found this purple Gap henley for a mere $6, I HAD to have it.

Calvin Klein jeans. Like-new condition...I couldn't find ANY evidence that they have ever been worn before. Retails for $50 a pair. Got these for $14.

Another sweet dress shirt find! This blouse is Worthington brand (JC Penney).  I was drawn to the unique sleeves (shown above up close) and the lovely purple color. At first I wasn't so sure it was "me," though. But THEN, I realized the price -- $2.50. SOLD.

[Even Henry is impressed with the awesomeness of thrifting! ;)]

These tweed pants are H&M brand. For me, they replace an awesome pair of pants I had to part with because they were too big. :( This "new" pair is brownish in color and, as you can see, has some lovely stitching detail. I LOVE the straight, wide legs and linen-like feeling they have. I also love that they only cost me $13.50.

New York & Company Stretch "dressy" shirt. I wasn't sure how I felt about it at first, but once I tried it on, I found it to be very flattering. The sleeves are wide and flowy, the waistline hits just right, and there's a lovely tie in the back that extends from the black waistband. But perhaps the most attractive aspect of this shirt is the price. $3.00. Yep. Three. Dollars. Yay.

Here you can see the shirt's pattern a little better. Black and white is SO easy, and SO chic. You can accessorize with practically anything when you dress in neutrals, so I find a moderate amount of black and white to be a budget-friendly choice in my wardrobe.

Ok, this shirt is already one of my favorites. Banana Republic. Jewel green (picture doesn't do the color justice). Fun neckline. The comfort of a casual cotton T-shirt, yet stylish enough to be dressed up. All for a mere $2!

Here's another "dressed up" version of a cotton T. The brand - The Limited. The fun ruffles are understated enough for me not to feel like one giant frill. The color is a nice, neutral oatmeal. Even the sleeves are detailed nicely. Got this one for just $4.25.

Random find of the day - $3 gold hoop for my cartilage piercing. I have needed a new, quality hoop for a while now, so it was nice to come across this.

Also picked up a few decorations today for a steal. The grapes are actually a set of 3 individual floral picks for use in a  wreath (or whatever!). They were $2. I love them because they're versatile throughout the seasons and they've got frosty beads on them. It's the little things...

This is one of the Christmas wall-hangings. I just loved the vintage-y-ness of them!

Here's the other wall-hanging. Got both for 6.50. *smile*

This is a Pier One pillow that I've seen in the retail store many times and always wished I could buy. I just couldn't justify spending $35 on one pillow. Just my luck, I didn't have to after all! Though priced at a hefty $18, this pillow IS in perfect condition and has been the object of my affection for quite some time. The "expense" was worth it for me. :)

Here's a floor lamp I snagged when it was on sale for $18. It's wrought iron, and the shade is still in the packaging. Now I have to decide a) where to put it, and b) if I should paint it. Opinions??

A close-up of the lamp base. Lovely, isn't it?

Just one more post to prove that the title of thrift store "diet" may just be misleading. The Frugal Friendzies have found themselves fattening up their wardrobes, expanding their clothing choices, and in no way noticeably depleting their checking accounts. I guess the "diet" really lies in the fact that we're supposedly limiting our shopping choices, but in case you can't tell, we sure aren't feeling deprived!

More great staple items for less!

Just wanted to show you some more of the basic, yet stylish staple clothing items that can be had from thrift stores. Don't make the mistake of thinking of thrift stores as places you go to get only quirky or vintage accent pieces (although those things abound there too). I can now honestly say that the majority of my wardrobe is made up of pieces I bought second-hand, and by majority I mean about 65-70%. How awesome is that? Here are some of the great clothes I have found recently, and all in excellent condition of course :)

These jeans are New York and Company brand, and fit like a dream! Found them at Salvation Army for $3.20.






"Manhattan Chinos" from New York and Company, $8.99 at
Wannabe's Upscale Resale Shoppe.

 


Adorable Forever 21 dress, $9.00 at Wannabe's Upscale Resale.

 



Mix It (JcPenney's I think) brand 3/4 coat, $4.99 at Goodwill 

 

I don't know why the color isn't showing up, but there are also shades of teal
in this. I just loved the interesting design. It's Target Brand, found at GoodWill for $3.49.

 

New York and Company violet ruffled shirt, $2.90 at Salvation Army. Looks
super classy :)


    

 Found these awesome, warm BareTraps boots at GoodWill for only $5.99. They are genuine leather!! with a faux-fur lining and look as if they have only been worn once, if at all. I actually had to grab them from a lady who literally was taking all the boots on the wrack and piling them into her arms. She wasn't even trying them on, just grabbing and piling. I reached for these just before she did and she stood really close next to me as I tried them on. She kept making hinting comments about how nice they were. I threw them in my cart after a quick try-on and got away from her as politely (but as quickly) as I could. She was a little scary.




My husband really liked this sweater when I tried it on because it's such a pretty,
happy yellow. It's New York and Co. The pic doesn't do it justice. It's very soft and warm I might add.
Snagged this for $3.00 at Salvation Army.

 

Okay this I bought for $2.00 at Salvation Army on a whim- it's gold and
different and I didn't have anything like it. The label says Henry New York.




I know it's not summer, but this was adorable and very soft! It actually didn't have any
label inside except the size, so not sure where it's from. It was $3.49 at GoodWill.

Final tally of the clothes on this page: $47.15 for 2 pairs of pants, 1 coat, 1 pair of leather boots, 1 dress, and 5 shirts. Not too shabby!

Adele and I really actually need a couple mannequins to fully show off how cute all these clothes are, and show you all the chic everyday outfits we now regularly put together from entirely thrift store-bought finds. So far it's two months in, and we are dressing better than when we started.