This outfit (excluding shoes) is completely thrifted! I’ve been disappointed with thrift shopping in the past, but my desire to spruce up my wardrobe for next to nothing sparked a renewed interest in the treasure hunt that is thrift store shopping. I have to be in a very specific mood to browse through jam packed racks of closet rejects, but with a little spare time, a lot of patience, and low expectations, thrifting can be really fun!
It all started last month when I took a random Wednesday off from work. I had plenty of time on my hands and decided it was the perfect occasion to stop by a couple thrift shops that I’d heard great things about. It was wonderful to leisurely pick through the merchandise sans the weekend crowd.
After my 30 for 30 Remix in July, I gave myself a $100 clothing budget for the month of August and was interested to see how far I could stretch it. First I hit up The Lucky Exchange, a second-hand/vintage boutique in Ormewood Park. I’d been meaning to check this place out for a while, and they just so happened to have a Scoutmob deal (woot!), so a quick peek was a no-brainer. From there I ventured to Avondale Estates, a neighborhood just east of Decatur, to visit Finders Keepers, a second hand consignment shop.
I thoroughly enjoyed my shopping experience at both shops, which are well curated and organized to resemble regular boutiques, but with drastically lower prices. That afternoon I purchased an adorable vintage dress from The Lucky Exchange, a J. Crew sweater, Tulle blouse, and a long sleeved tee shirt from the Gap (with tags still intact) from Finder’s Keepers, all for under $40!
I patted myself on the back and was on my way home when I passed a Salvation Army store. Riding high on the finds I scored at the “nicer” thrift shops, I was willing to do a little digging in more suspect territory. I’m so glad that I did! Not only did I learn that all clothing is 50% off at Salvation Army on Wednesdays, but I ended up buying my very first 100% silk shirt for only $2.13!
Silk blouse: $2.13 Skirt: $4.50 Necklace: FREE (clothing swap)
I’ve never owned a silk blouse and that’s a pity, because they are awesome; silk feels absolutely sublime and is very figure flattering! I’ve been intimidated by the hefty price tag that silk is accompanied by in regular stores, but various fashion bloggers have proven that silk can be affordable – cheap, even! You just have to be willing to look, and pay a few bucks for dry cleaning.
I went into the Salvation Army store with only one objective: to find silk. This required touching pretty much every article on the blouse rack and checking a lot of tags. I was elated to find 100% silk on the tag of this blouse… and instantly deflated when I saw that it was a size 12 and from Casual Corner. Still, I took it off the rack and continued on. When the remainder of my search came up empty, I decided to try the blouse on just for kicks. Initially, it looked like I’d put on a silk tent, but a few rolls of the sleeves and a tuck into my jeans and it didn’t look so bad. I’d have preferred to find a solid color, but the pattern didn’t hurt my eyes too much. For $2.13 I was willing to give it a new home in my closet. Worst case scenario, it would find it’s way into my next donation pile.
I found the black Ann Taylor skirt that I’m wearing here at Goodwill last week. I also scored a button down blouse from J.Crew and a pair of skinny black cords, a button down shirt, and a long sleeved tee (with tags still on) from The Gap. All for a whooping $26!
Like I said, I have to be in the right mood to thrift shop, but my recent success has me looking forward to my next thrifting excursion! My little stay-cation next week will afford me a lot of time to go on the hunt if I fancy.
Are you a fan of thrifting or does the ick factor outweigh the bargain possibilities? Have you found any treasure lately?
Atlanta Native 
So impressive and cute! My town has no thrifting. It is a sad sad affair. But hats off to you! Love this look!
Ohh you know I love love a thrift store. Love the shirt. No need to dry clean silk just hand wash and hang dry. Dowtown Avondale has a kind of new thrift store where all the procedes go to animal rescue. Very cheap well displayed and cute clothes.
Michelle, I would love to go thrift shopping with you someday! I’m off of work all next week… interested??
So great! I love the stuff you got. That shirt is so great and pure silk for 2 bucks? Wow! I just did a post on my blog about sizes at thrift stores and I’m so glad to hear that you tried it on and figured out how to wear it despite the fact that it wasn’t exactly your size. I think it’s really pretty and you should keep it 🙂
I would love to go. I will be your own personal shopper I always seem to see your size in cute vintage stuff. I will let you inon my local secret spots
Wow, great looks and I can’t believe you thrifted almost the whole thing! I could totally thrift. Just maybe not shoes. 🙂
Ha, yeah, I draw the line at shoes as well!
this shirt looks great on you! Can’t believe it’s a size 12. Great finds!
xoxo, Grace
I absolutely adore that blouse! Solids are great, but a good black and white pattern is almost as versatile!
Definitely inspired to try thrifting for silk now. I would love a button down blouse.