Bright & Thrifty

janeterin — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:31:53 +0000

Despite the fact that this Maggy London dress I bought to wear to my friend’s wedding last weekend cost only $30 at Crossroads, had a bad stitch that caused it to bunch all funny and not hang right, the fact that the zipper broke between the ceremony and reception, and several other corset-related mishaps that I don’t really need to go into on this blog, I have never gotten so many compliments on a dress, ever. People actually stopped me on the street to compliment me. So, if you’re looking for a fun dress to wear to an upcoming event, I say keep it simple and cheap with a fun, brightly-colored, previously-been-owned (that sounds a lot cuter than used, no?) dress. I guarantee you’ll get lots of compliments on your bold frock! By the way, the bride’s cousin introduced me to my new favorite phrase at the wedding – we’re frocked up! Love it.

If you don’t have a great thrift shop near you, eBay is the place to shop! True, it’s not quite like trying something on in the store, but if you generally know what size you wear, shopping online is a great way to find gorgeous, cheap pre-owned clothes. Plus, you might save so much that a little tailoring wouldn’t be out of the question if your item isn’t quite a perfect fit when it shows up. Or you could just hope that no one notices a few imperfections – hey, it worked for me!

When searching on eBay for fun party dresses, I enter terms like “BGBG dress,” “Anthropologie dress,” or “Maggy London dress” and then refine my search with the sizes I’m looking for. You can also enter just the brand name, like “FCUK” or “Tracy Reese” and then click on women’s clothing, then dresses. Next, I specify (on the menus on the left-hand side of the screen) that I’m looking for something “pre-owned” or “used.” “New” and “new w/o tags” may also bring up what you’re looking for, but there are a lot of resellers on eBay, which I feel kind of defeats the purpose of buying used. I always check seller’s other items to see if they are clearly a reseller before deciding on a purchase. You can refine your search by color, if you’re looking for something specific, like a fun bright yellow dress or a pretty blue one, like I’m seeking for my roommate’s upcoming wedding, length and more. I prefer to search by brand name as opposed to just “blue dresses,” because I find a lot of strange things come up with more general searches, like “club wear” and floral denim dresses. Not quite the look I’m going for!

I bet this cost a lot more than $30 at Nordstrom!

Happy shopping!

Nothing Over $30 Sale

janeterin — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 15:36:07 +0000

Eco-friendly fashion site The Green Loop is having an awesome sale! Stewart+Brown, Edun, Sublet… some of this stuff usually goes for up to $300 (!). Fair trade, organic fabrics, upcycled materials – they’ve got of cute green fashion you can feel good about buying (and can actually afford, for once). Check it out now before everything sells out!

Some faves:

Sublet Belinda dress, orig. $275.00, now $29.99

Stewart+Brown Organic Cotton Racerback Jumper, orig. $199, now $24.99

EcoSkin ‘Ranier’ Dress, orig $193, now $29.99

Grace & Cello ‘Empress’ Cardi, orig. $110, now $29.99

Kelly B. ‘Taylor’ Trench Coat, orig. $275, now $29.99

So, what looks cute to you?

pretty green girl » clothes

Bright & Thrifty

Nothing Over $30 Sale