Tag: Sister Thrift

Thrift Finds: April 2018

April was good to me thrift-wise. Let’s do this chronologically.

First up, a trip to Savers in Framingham.

This denim button-down dress by one of the Gap companies (no tag at the neck but the RN number on the side tag goes with Gap co.s) was a great color and perfect sleeve length, but a leetle tight in the chest and short in the hem:

But then I realized I could wear it open, as a duster (one of my favorite lengths) for lightweight warmth and a great silhouette:

Can’t wait to wear it over grey trousers and a white blouse!

This coral dress gave me no shape – pass:

Some bermuda shorts that are perfectly Light Summer, which I bought but probably will rarely wear since Bermuda shorts aren’t my preferred short silhouette… turns out I still sometimes get swept away by a color palette match:


As always, take colors in photographs with a big ol’ grain of salt. For one thing, dressing room lighting is horrible.

Big winners on this trip – Clarks sandals in excellent condition:

They needed a quick damp cloth to get off dinge and dirt when I got home, and now they make perfect Sunday (church/work) warm weather footwear.

 

Next up, Restoration Project in Belmont.

This Marnie West top is vintage – I’d say late 80s/early 90s. The fitted silhouette (thanks to the bodice darts) makes a great contrast with the more voluminous sleeves:

The buttons are down the back.I brought it home but still haven’t decided how to wear it – probably with my linen blue Zara man jeans. Ideas?

 

Later in the month I made it to Sister Thrift where I found some great stuff (with a side of mini-celebrity, if you remember).

This striped dress was too small:

Not my style, and not great colors on me:

Two winners – a Gap striped shift dress and J. Brand jeans in the perfect casual stretch:

BAM.

A very quick stop into Global Thrift in Waltham where I really wish these Yoshi Kondo pants in perfect condition had fit – they had so many great details and they retail for something like $250:

Sigh.

Undeterred, I headed to the new Goodwill in Danvers to inspect their wares.

Fun moto blazer in a great color (I think it was Forever 21?):

But too small to zip without looking like a space-aged functionary:

Great color on this Talbots blazer that was also too wide/short for me:

Awesome vintage windbreaker by American Eagle – sort of wish I had bought it but it was in pretty rough shape in several places:

Love me a neck bow and the metallic accents on this top are totally fun, but my bra showing through isn’t:

These Express jeans had a finish that made them look dressier:

And the little slit on the inside hem gave them a little extra interest (sorry my feet are in focus instead of the pants):

Though I kind of wish they were on the outside, where other people can see them! They came home with me and will be my dressy jeans for Sunday mornings/the office. I love the visual texture of the fabric – makes them pair well with solid tops without being boring.

This Miami chambray top had a nice clean silhouette and fun contrast on the cuffs and collar (I failed to get a shot but will show you all later). It came home with me for the same reason as the pants – great texture in a neutral color to play with other solids. (Really drawing here on the advice I got about bulking up my wardrobe with neutrals so my Light Summer pieces can shine.)

I so wish these sandals had been my size – a great combination of light cognac and Light Summer colors:

This gingham shirt would have been a great Light Summer staple (and I love the floral collar lining) but alas, it wasn’t my size:

This tie-shoulder dress in a great, subtle print by Marled (a brand sold at Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus, dresses retail for $100+) would have been a fun silhouette for some summer barbecue/wedding situations, but it was too big in the bust. Wanh-wannnnh:

A Newport News (vintage?) dress I seriously considered – but ultimately decided the purple was too pink and the silhouette a little too fitted:

Could have been fun as a dress-over-pants look…

Last but not least, I finished up the month at a church rummage sale where the best finds weren’t even clothing.

Would make the cutest cup of tea ever:

I don’t know who thought to paint Michael Jackson on a matryoshka doll, but that person was a genius:

He gets younger as you go further inside:

Jackson Five days – the cutest:

I brought these two sweaters and pair of pants home in a $5 bag (the Duplos I snagged for my kid were more than worth that 5 bucks) but later decided nah.

Too fitted in the middle, too baggy in the sleeves, not sure about the color:

Too tight in the sleeves to wear over any under layers:

Gorgeous vintage Harvé Benard lined wool pants in a purple-y Light Summer neutral that fit if I planned to never eat again:

And also if I wanted to wear all my sweaters tucked in. Love that silhouette; don’t love being cut off in the middle. Sigh.

 

There ya have it! What do you think of my finds – and what did you find this past month?

15 Seconds of Thrifting Fame

I had the slightly surreal experience this week of being recognized in public as a thriftstagrammer.

Here’s how it happened.

(Prepare for a short story to be made long.)

I’d figured out rather recently that I should be tagging not the brand of my clothes in Instagram posts, but the store where I thrifted them.

I started off tagging brands because I thought people would be inspired to thrift by seeing the great brands that can be found secondhand. This was…pretty pointless. If people search IG for, say, Banana Republic or Vince Camuto, they’re likely looking for retail looks they can buy now, not thrifted looks they’d have to scour online secondhand stores to find.

BUT. Thrifters want to know where they can find great stuff, regardless of whether they nab a specific item I showcase (which, after all, is pretty unlikely). And for people who do want to search for one of my finds, they can ask me for the brand in the comments.

Plus, it’s more fun to be connected with the people behind store brand accounts – they’re more likely to leave comments and to invite you to special events, and if you develop a relationship with them, they might be willing to hold an awesome find from their IG feed for you.

And as I discovered last Friday, they might even recognize you when you patronize their store:

I was browsing the racks at Sister Thrift in Watertown when an energetic blonde woman came up to me and asked, “Are you Leah?” As a pastor I run into people I know every time I get groceries, but I had no idea who this woman was. “I’m Tiffany, one of the co-founders. I saw you shopping and thought, I recognize her from Instagram!” She proceeded to thank me for mentioning Sister Thrift whenever I sport items from their stores.

“You’re welcome,” I said. “Thank YOU for having such awesome stuff at really good prices.” (True. I visited another store after them and was not impressed, price-wise.)

Well that had already made my day – how delightfully unexpected! And then Tiffany asked the cashier to give me 20% off my purchases. Uh, yes please! The thrifter’s dream.


What I found that day – Gap & J Brand.

So if you’ve ever wondered whether it’s worth it to post all those outfit pics on Instagram – it could earn you celebrity status and a discount. Just be sure to tag those hard-working thrift store IG accounts!

The end. :)

Local Thrift Stores: Davis Square Goodwill & Sister Thrift, Watertown

Hey all! Today we have a little tour of two different thrift stores in the Boston area. On Thursday I’ll share some of the things I found therein for my September thrift finds post!

First up is Sister Thrift in Watertown. Sister Thrift is a small, nonprofit chain supporting the Humane Society, which is A+ in my book. I’ve visited two so far; they are of the “small, packed, and you never know what you will find” variety while still being well organized.

On this visit I didn’t snag any clothes for myself, but I did find some great toys for my kid to spend her birthday money on, and as I mentioned earlier, some notecards, office supplies, and throw pillows.  Prices on dresses were a little higher than I’m used to ($8.50) but everything else was priced decently.

Here are some great things I found but didn’t take home – pics from my old phone’s crappy camera:

Chartreuse velvet blazer by J. Crew:

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Tweed blazer by Banana Republic I would have snapped up if it had been my size:

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Oh hello chic Chico’s jumpsuit, sz 2 (that’s like a large in Chico’s sizing):

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Some winter coats I wish would have worked:

A puffer coat by Calvin Klein (with a broken zipper):

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A faux fur olive green wrap coat by Jennifer Lopez which was super chic but didn’t strike me as able to stand up to New England winters:

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Sorry the picture is so shapeless; it’s hard thrifting with a kid in tow!

 

Next up, Goodwill in Davis Square (Somerville). There were two floors, with women’s upstairs:

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And men’s, kids’, and books/housewares downstairs:

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The prices were reasonable (on par with Goodwill of North Georgia’s before their recent price hike) and the selection was pretty good! The women’s shoes were scattered across the tops of the racks which was annoying; I didn’t have the time or patience to wander around checking them all.

One big upside: they do returns! I can’t remember if it’s 7 or 9 days, but when we ended up accidentally buying a $14 wolf costume for our kid (miscommunication for the win), it was great to be able to return it.

It was a good visit and I nabbed a few things I’ll share in my September thrift finds post. Here’s some of what I spotted, clothes-wise, but didn’t take home.

 

Gumby! (and collection bins filled with Trader Joe’s bags):

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I shared these on Instagram the other week but for those who don’t follow me there, some of my finds.

An Xhiliration blouse, size small, with a great pattern BUT SOMEONE CHOPPED OFF THE BOTTOM:

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Not really, it’s just cropped and I’m annoyed because otherwise it would make a great work top for someone. But short-torso’d readers, perhaps this is your dream?

Uniqlo turtleneck that was made of some kind of classy fleece:

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Super chic cobalt blue Kenneth Cole jacket with great shoulder and pocket details. I couldn’t find this exact coat online but I imagine it retails for $100+. Love the collarless collar:

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The tiniest tweed jacket, with velvet collar!

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Odille (Anthropologie brand) dress in mustard:

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And what I wore for the excursion, as it was on the warm side:

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Floral blouse: Old Navy, thrifted
Shorts: Bebe, thrifted
Sneakers: City Sneaks, thrifted
Bag: Marco Avané, thrifted

 

There are two more Sister Thrifts in the Boston area and two more secondhand stores in Davis Square to check out. I’ll keep you posted next time I visit one!