Road Trip! Thrifting in Dallas.

Last weekend, my girlfriends and I made a trip to Dallas for a girls' weekend.  Of course, I couldn't go to another city without checking out the thrift scene.  We decided to visit a few Goodwills, since I'm pretty partial to them.

Our first stop was the Goodwill located in Garland at 1661 E. Northwest Hwy.  

 
I found this Pins and Needles cardigan from Urban Outfitters for $2.99.  That's it.  After two hours.  Not exactly the haul I was looking for.  On to the next stop.

Pins and Needles cardigan, retail - $45, thrift price - $2.99!

Our second stop was also in Garland at 3106 N. Shiloh Rd.  

 
This store was enormous so I was really hopeful that we were going to be lucky.  I left with two items this time, a Ralph Lauren blazer for $9.99 and an Original Penguin silk dress for $5.99.  That's it, after several hours combing the racks.  Not to be deterred, we headed to one final location before they closed.

Ralph Lauren blazer with crest and fab gold buttons, retail - $300, thrift price - $9.99.

 

Original Penguin silk dress, retail - $250, thrift price - $5.99.

At this point, I'll have to admit, I was feeling quite discouraged.  I knew that there had to be a Goodwill in the city where the good, name brands ended up.  There always is.  The problem was I only had one day to find this elusive Goodwill.  So, I pulled out my top secret thrifting notebook and...I'm kidding, I just asked the cashier where the best Goodwill in the city was.  Luckily, she was kind enough to steer me toward their corporate store at 3020 N. Westmoreland.  After the dismal day we had had, I have to admit that I didn't hold out much hope for this location either.  Maybe Houston really was an enigma and the thrift stores in other cities just weren't going to be as great.  

We pulled up to the store one hour before closing.  I usually need two+ hours to thoroughly shop so I was going to have to be strategic and quick.  Within the first five minutes I had hit the mother load!  I had finally found the "good" Goodwill in the city.  Over the next hour I pulled high-end label, after high-end label off of the racks, Carolina Herrera, Juicy Couture, Robert Rodriguez, Escada, Lilly Pulitzer, Christian Louboutin (really bad condition), etc., etc.  Now, not everything was in tip-top shape so they didn't all come home with me, but quite a few did.  

Juicy Couture corduroy blazer, retail - $225, thrift price - $4.99!

Escada denim skirt, retail price - $380, thrift price - $2.99!

Lilly Pulitzer Eliot blouse, retail price - $118, thrift price - $2.99!

Brand new Robert Rodriguez raffia jacket, retail price - $525, thrift price - $4.99!

Anthroprologie We Love Vera blouse, retail price - $88, thrift price - $2.99!

So, in the end, it was a GREAT thrifting day, but it didn't come easy.  We shopped from 1:00 to 7:00, non-stop and looked through massive amounts of clothing to find these few gems.  The lesson of the trip was to not get discouraged if your first few outings don't pan out.  It's thrifting, and it's unpredictable.  Eventually, if you have enough patience, you'll score a major find...and then you'll be hooked like me!

High-quality Style on a Low-end Budget!

I've been styling my friends this week in preparation for a segment I'll be filming for Mirror/Mirror next week.  We have had so much fun visiting different Goodwill stores and finding all of the high-quality treasures hidden in the racks.  The items are there.  I guarantee it.  You just have to look.  Here are a few of the outfits that I put together this week.

Look 1 - J. Crew "Perfect Shirt" and Banana Republic capris.  Look 2 - Matty M sweater, Matty M (brand new!) sequin tank, and same Banana Republic capris.  Look 3 - Loeffler Randall sweater, Anne Klein New York tank and French Connection skirt. 

Look 1 - Faconnable shirt, Esprit scarf (brand new!), and Gap capris.  Look 2 - Tahari tank and Dana Buchman silk maxi skirt.  Look 3 - Moth from Anthropologie "Thousand Carats" sweater and Tory Burch skirt!

What great finds!  All of these looks were put together from Goodwill.

Lillie Rubin Orange and Gold Brocade 60s Maxi Dress

We've just added a beautiful vintage dress from the 60s by Lillie Rubin.  The orange and metallic gold brocade fabric of this dress is amazing!  A truly timeless piece! 

Please visit our website for more information: http://www.shopjenscloset.com.

Vintage Roberta di Camerino and Lilli Ann!!

If you love vintage clothing then what a treat I have for you today!  I've got a vintage suit by Lilli Ann from the 40's or 50's listed and a gorgeous leather and silk jacket by Roberta di Camerino from the 70's!  While both these two items are completely different, they have one thing in common...they're both fabulous!  Check them out before they're gone!

Vintage Roberta di Camerino leather and silk jacket!

Gorgeous vintage Lilli Ann fox fur skirt suit!

Baby it's cold outside!

Are you feeling the chill in the air in your part of the world?  Every once and a while, we'll get a cool morning here in Houston, but we've yet to cross the threshold from summer into fall.  I've got some great coats listed today from Double D Ranch and Cinzia Rocca, plus a gorgeous vintage Shelton Stroller dress and a cute Lilly Pulitzer palm tree print skirt.  Be sure and check them out!

Double D Ranch leather and beaded jacket.  Sz XS.

Vintage Shelton Stroller day dress.  Sz M.

Lilly Pulitzer palm tree print skirt.  Sz 2.

Cinzia Rocca wool and cashmere long coat.  Sz 12.

Amazing vintage finds today!

Wow, what a day!  I found some absolutely gorgeous vintage pieces today.  Unfortunately, my friends, I'm only willing to part with one of them.  :-(  I know, what a tease.  I will however show you a few pics of some gorgeous pieces that I'm keeping for myself.  Who knows, I may part with them in a few weeks.  I'm fickle like that!

So, the piece that I'm selling is an AMAZING Victor Costa dress from the 80s.  This dress is to die for.  So much fun and still beautiful after all of these years.

 

Okay, now for the tease.  I found the most adorable, amazing little black jacket today.  It's a vintage piece by Fred A. Block and the quality and styling are just impeccable.  Truthfully, it's a bit, okay, a lot too small for me but I just can't part with it just yet.  What do you think?

 

The next piece is an amazing dress, I'm guessing from the 60s or 70s with fabulous attached cape/sleeves!  Now, the question remains, where am I going to wear this beauty?  Halloween maybe?  If you were to incorporate this into a costume, what would it be?

  

 

Vineyard Vines and an awesome 80s treat!

Today I have two totally unrelated dress.  The first one is an ultra preppy Vineyard Vines seersucker dress that is brand new.  So gorgeous.  The second dress is straight out of the 80s!  This dress is beyond fun with its black sequined top and rainbow large disc sequin bottom.  Great for your Halloween costume or an 80s party.  Actually, I think if you removed the shoulder pads, you may even be able to get away with wearing it to a non-costume party.  I think it's fabulous!

NWT Vineyard Vines seersucker "Reina" dress, sz 4

Night Line vintage 80s black and rainbow sequined dress, sz 8