skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Today's outfit was really fun for me. I love the browns of this vintage jacket I found over 10 years ago when I was still single. I bought it at a thrift store (of course!) and it came with matching pants. Talk about a sort of zoot suit look! I love the jacket and I'm always excited when I can find a new outfit to wear with it.
The Breakdown.
American Eagle khaki cords ($5 thrift store/ARP $40), New York & Company geometric gauze print shirt ($4 thrift store/ARP $30), Ann Taylor Sweater ($4 thrift store/ARP $40), bronze Gianni Bini boots ($6 thrift store/ARP $75), Banana Republic suede & leather hobo ($10 thrift store/ARP $200), vintage wool long striped coat ($12 thrift store/ARP $40).
Grand Total: $42
Approximate Retail Price: $425
Savvy Savings: $383
So Green goes Brown - what does it all mean? Well, what's more green than recycling? Everything in today's outfit is from the thrift store - woo-hoo! Who knew green could look so good?
My girlfriend, Shannon, just sent this blog link to me. It's called Attention Target Shoppers and this lovely lady has made it her mission to let us other savvy shoppers when the big markdowns and sales are going on at Target. Remember when I said that Target will eventually mark down their overstocked Christmas toys to 75% but I wasn't sure when? She's the go-to lady on that. If you love Target (and their sales) as much as I do, you'll need to bookmark this blog...and mine of course!
So I figure after all this time it's only fair to give the Superstars their due when it comes to children's savvy fashion. They had a great time posing (as you can tell from the hand on the hips thing going on...guess they have been watching Mom even when they don't listen to her).
When it comes to savvy savings on children's clothes, it's amazingly easy. Since I got to a thrift store usually 3-4 times a month I always stop at the children's section to do a quick-through. At Goodwill the children's clothing from baby to 2 years is $1.99 and from 2 years to about 4/5 (sometimes 6X depending on who's doing the tagging) is just $2.49. Then after that 6x/7 and up to adults is $3.49 a piece. Shoes for the little ones are usually $1.99 to $3.99 sometimes higher if they realize it's a good brand name or if it's boots. Older kids run $$2.99 to maybe $5.99.
The Superstars are on the low side of the growth curve and so I've not had to worry about them outgrowing things too quickly but even if they did, for just $10-$20 for a full outfit (shirt, pants, shoes and sometimes jacket) it's not going to break the bank. Yes, shoes & underwear are always bought new...as if!?
Superstar #1 Breakdown
Cherokee black cotton jacket (Target $3.50), Cherokee raspberry polka-dot shirt/dress ($3 Target), black tights ($3 Walmart), Hello Kitty purse ($2 thrift store), black patent leather Gap loafers ($3 thrift store). Grand Total: $14.50
Superstar #2 Breakdown
Gymboree cord jacket ($2.50 thrift store), Children's Place cord skirt ($2.50 thrift store), Cherokee long sleeve shirt (part of 2 piece $1.75 outfit at Target so let's say $1.40), brown tights ($3 K-Mart with coupon), black Circo shoes (Target $3.50). Grand Total: $10.90
As a note although I do respect the idea of quality made clothes, I'm not sure there is anything so different between a $40 shirt from a Gymboree store and a $7 shirt from Target that's going to really "pay-off" in the long run. Goodness when kids are young you are lucky if they wear it for one whole year, even luckier if it fits the next kid(s) in line! That said, if you have the money then by all means, do it! Me, personally, I would just rather take the extra $30 I save and go out for lunch or a movie with the Superstars.
Really, they don't care when they are young and if you make too much of it when they are young, they are going to remember and push for it when they are teenagers. Been to an Abercrombie youth store lately? My goodness, the prices are more than what I would spend for myself!
Anyway, do check your local thrift store or consignment store and always remember to cruise the sale racks at your local Target, Walmart and even mall stores. You never know what you might find!
There's nothing like a bright coat to chase away the winter grays...I told you it was pretty stunning, didn't I? I never would have bought a raspberry colored coat as my main coat, but I found this brand new with tags coat at the thrift store for just $15 I couldn't refuse. Isn't the inside lining gorgeous?
The rest of this outfit is pretty boring, but then all I did was run around a bit today so the coat stayed on the whole time; of course we couldn't have the outfit steal any attention away from the coat now could we? Wouldn't you know at my first stop a woman commented on how beautiful it was. No, I didn't tell her it was from the thrift store! I only tell you, my close friends such need-to-know details like that!
The Breakdown.
Raspberry Koret coat ($15 thrift store), black v-neck The Limited sweater ($3 thrift store), white lace edged tank ($4 Rave), Banana Republic jeans ($10 eBay), black patent leather Bandolino kitten heel pumps ($8 brand new at TJ Maxx), Tignanello black leather purse ($7 thrift store - I saw it at Macy's in the fall for $90!). Grand Total: $47
So take it from me and my raspberry coat, be daring today and if you happen to be out looking for clothes, try on something daring and different from the things to which you normally gravitate, you never know what you might find.
Shop Savvy!
Ever have one of those days when you just want to sit in the house all day long in your PJs? Yeah, I had one of those yesterday, but I had to get some eBay items I sold into the mail so I pulled together this outfit that reflected my mood...gray, oh, with a hint of red of course because I'm still alive and kicking, by golly!
The Breakdown
No Boundaries graphite graphic T ($10 Walmart/ARP $10), American Eagle Cream cords ($5 thrift store/ARP $40), lace tank top ($4 Rave/ARP $4), David Aaron suede kitten heels ($4 thrift store/ARP $50 David Aaron is owned by Steve Madden), JCrew thinsulate gray wool coat ($8 thrift store/ARP $150 ), Johnstons of Elgin scarf (a gift from my Tante in Germany over 10 years ago), red patent leather Coach gallery tote (a birthday present from a dear friend).
Grand Total: $31
Approximate Retail Cost: $254 (not including the Coach or scarf since they were gifts)
Savvy Savings: $223
I found this top when I was shopping at Walmart for household items. I thought it was pretty cute for just a casual top, and at $10, not a bad price either. It reminds me a little of Juicy Couture and some of those more trendy looking brands (I use to be in the music industry so it's ok if I go funky now and again). Like Clinton Kelly says, just keep the trend to one part of the outfit if you're a little "older" so that you don't look like you are trying too hard. At 40, I don't want to look like I'm trying too hard but I'm not ready for Golden Girls polyester!
Cream colored pants and a classic like this JCrew coat keep this from looking too casual. It would be easy to change the purse for a black purse and change the scarf to red and have a different outwear look. The gray coat is very versatile and although rather neutral in and of itself, great to pair with pink, red, blue, etc., and well, $8 for JCrew coat can't be beat.
So, a red purse. Who would have thought a red purse could be so versatile. I wear it all the time! The funny thing is that this comes from a woman who never really carried a purse regularly till after I had Superstar #1 at the tender age of 33 (Yeah, I hear you gasping out there). I told you I was a tomboy growing up! Seriously, I'm thinking back and not a single purse stands out in my mind. I don't even remember what I did, though I vaguely remember using a wallet and sometimes stuffing money and my license into my back pocket.
Once kids, and all their STUFF came along, that chapter of my life shut rather soundly and yet another wonderful world opened up to me. The world of purses! It started out when I decided somewhere around the second child that A) I didn't need to carry around SO much stuff, a couple diapers & wipes would do and B) if this stage of carrying extra stuff was going to last for a couple years, why not carry the extra stuff in just a purse?
Thankfully the thrift store was my "laboratory" which allowed me to try different purses without breaking the bank. With the help of eBay (and the selling off of purses that didn't work as well for me), I was able to slowly start a collection of purses that were not only useful but FUN. I like how I can "dress up" an outfit like this one, with a pop of color. Any number of black leather purses would have been fine with this outfit, but the red is a nice surprise that stands out a little more and I love it.
On a side note, I do have several different wallets as well, but I find that changing over from one purse to another is enough changing for me. I do occasionally swap one out when the clash between purse and wallet is too much, but for the most part I'm not organized enough to do so on a regular basis.
Changing purses is easy. I generally have but a few things to switch over: wallet (a gorgeous Kate Landry electric blue patent leather wallet I got at Dillard's last year for $8), make-up bag (a cute studded Coach wristlet I found at the thrift store for $6 last summer), cell phone, and MP3 player. Sure I may collect a few things along the way or throw in the antibacterial wipes for the Superstars when the purse is big enough to do so, but for the most part, that's it. Changing purses has been a great way to keep me organized as well.
One last note for the day, another great thing about savvy shopping is that I've gotten a chance to try things I wouldn't ordinarily try. For instance, the bright blue Kate Landry wallet. Had it not been $8 I would not have bought it. It's now my favorite. I get tons of compliments on it from teenager cashiers on up to people as old as me and older (ha, ha, ha), and it's easy to clean, a definite plus in my world with Superstars!
So the Superstars and I decided to make a quick stop at the thrift store and boy did I score a couple of great finds - a gorgeous pair of Michael Kors black suede & leather pumps for $3.99. I have a pencil skirt that I can't wait to wear with it...when it gets warmer around here. BRRRRR - it's COLD in Music City. Judging by the Zappo's $379 original price tag of the Alison pumps from Michael's "Michael Kors" line (as opposed to MICHAEL by Michael Kors and KORS by Michael Kors...anyone else confused?), I think I scored a pretty sweet deal!
Of course I could wear the yummy Timberland Monogram Wedge Boots that I found last week for just $8 since it IS so cold. Originally $150 these boots look brand new as well.
The Superstars found a Magic Treehouse book, a new Swan Lake coloring book and two readers today so we all went home happy campers for less than $10 (not counting last week's Timberlands :)
Repeat after me, "Oh how I love Savvy Shopping!"
I didn't start wearing pink until sometime after Superstar #2 was born. It's not that I had anything against the color, I just grew up as a tomboy so I guess I never really embraced my feminine side. I was more at home in sweats & t-shirts running from soccer practice to volleyball practice and then to the football training room (I used to help tape up the players and help with injury recovery/physical therapy on the side). Not to say that I didn't have more feminine friends. I did, and some of them wore big ole bows in their hair that matched our uniforms. I just didn't.
ANYWAY - all that to say, I am falling in love with pink...in moderation. I love using it as an accent color like in this outfit where, yes, I am wearing jeans. But per What Not to Wear rules, they are a nice dark even wash and look dressy even though they are "just jeans".
The Breakdown.
B. Laguna jeans (Macy's sale $15), white tank (Rave $4), white cotton Old Navy long sleeve ($4 thrift store, new), Ann Marino black leather wedge ($8 Parisians), Pink Signature Coach clip purse ($10 thrift store), pink cashmere scarf ($6 hospital sale). Grand Total: $47
You know, I did find a pink Coach signature hat at a local thrift store (for $15) so I could have worn that as well, but it felt a little over-the-top and too matchy-matchy for my taste so here it is, sans hat. It's easy to see that with just a change in accessory color I could have a whole new outfit, but it would have to be bright in order to have the same impact, wearing black or brown accessories would be a little boring. Yellow, orange, green or red would be other good colors to pop this outfit.
