I do 70% of my shopping at consignment shop. 20% at thrift and 10% new.
I had my book launch party last Sunday and I was stressed that I could not find anything I would ever wear where I live (Berkeley CA is a fashion wasteland).
I wanted to feel pretty and confident. Luckily, I discovered a luxury consignment shop two towns over and got a beautiful Emporio Armani silk top with hand sewn glass beads. It still had the tags and was obviously new. Tag said $935. It is a very small size (I'm a 4) and it had been there since December. I got it for $67 😀
I also got some beautiful BA&SH flowy cargo pants for $70 that are still available on their site at full price of $325.
When I lived in a more fashion forward area, I could find great steals at actual thrift stores. That's rarely the case in Berkeley, so I'm mostly trolling luxury consignment shops in other towns.
First of all, congratulations on the launch of your book! BRAVA! Link it here if you'd like. Second of all, you found a few really delicious deals! Everything you describe sounds gorgeous! I'm sure you looked chic and elegant. Congratulations on that! Whoo hoo!
I love thrifting! I think it's the absolute best sport around.
I started thrifting on and off in college, but it wasn't until I moved back to NYC, that I became a serious thrifter.
While job hunting, I signed up with temp agencies. I had assignment after assignment where I had to dress professionally, or as some people like to say "Betty Banker Blue," and "Betty Banker Black."
Thrift stores were a godsend for me. I had little cash, and didn't want to plonk down my hard earned dosh on clothing I hated. I was able to create an "adult" professional wardrobe for not much money. I got hooked.
I think 75% of my wardrobe is thrifted, the other 25% is gifted.
My husband and I moved to Europe 5 years ago and moved back to the states 3 years later and we were shocked at the downward spiral of quality in new clothing. Because we had been away and came back, we saw it very pronounced. Even Nordstrom, which had been my favorite, had awful quality clothes that looked cute... for hundreds of dollars. Thrifting is wonderful in LA because of the celebrity population. I miss that so much.
Thank you for posting the link! You should be proud, writing a book is a hard, terrifying task!
It's such a frustrating experience to buy something new, no matter the price tag, and have it fall apart after a few wears.
As I'm writing to you, I'm wearing the hoodie pictured in the article over a 1970's button up shirt and thrifted jeans. It's amazing to me that the button up shirt is what, almost fifty years old (that's a scary thought) and is in better condition than some of my newer ones!
Exactly! I'm sad that I can't really collect much In terms of beautiful clothing because I am still nomadic. At this point, It's not by choice entirely. We don't know if we're going to stay in the United States, so it doesn't make sense to lean into all the trappings. But I really, really need to nest now.
Yeah. And I trade things out since I'm not paying too much for each piece. When I'm just sick of the capsule wardrobe I've created, I donate things and pick up other things. But honestly there are things that I would love to keep, but it's just not practical.
My absolute best consignment shop find ever was a brand new Carolina Herrera dress that looks like a dream. I found it in a very small consignment store in Pasadena California. It's a $3,000 dress that I got for $65. I have so few fancy opportunities to wear it, but I absolutely adore it and I'm never getting rid of it.
I’m so impressed by that Missoni sweater find! My best finds are a pair of Louis Vuitton sunglasses for $6.99 and a Dior nightgown for $3.
Those are amazing finds! Kudos! Especially the sunnies, LV's sunglasses start at $495, I'd say you got a steal of a deal!
I do 70% of my shopping at consignment shop. 20% at thrift and 10% new.
I had my book launch party last Sunday and I was stressed that I could not find anything I would ever wear where I live (Berkeley CA is a fashion wasteland).
I wanted to feel pretty and confident. Luckily, I discovered a luxury consignment shop two towns over and got a beautiful Emporio Armani silk top with hand sewn glass beads. It still had the tags and was obviously new. Tag said $935. It is a very small size (I'm a 4) and it had been there since December. I got it for $67 😀
I also got some beautiful BA&SH flowy cargo pants for $70 that are still available on their site at full price of $325.
When I lived in a more fashion forward area, I could find great steals at actual thrift stores. That's rarely the case in Berkeley, so I'm mostly trolling luxury consignment shops in other towns.
First of all, congratulations on the launch of your book! BRAVA! Link it here if you'd like. Second of all, you found a few really delicious deals! Everything you describe sounds gorgeous! I'm sure you looked chic and elegant. Congratulations on that! Whoo hoo!
I love thrifting! I think it's the absolute best sport around.
I started thrifting on and off in college, but it wasn't until I moved back to NYC, that I became a serious thrifter.
While job hunting, I signed up with temp agencies. I had assignment after assignment where I had to dress professionally, or as some people like to say "Betty Banker Blue," and "Betty Banker Black."
Thrift stores were a godsend for me. I had little cash, and didn't want to plonk down my hard earned dosh on clothing I hated. I was able to create an "adult" professional wardrobe for not much money. I got hooked.
I think 75% of my wardrobe is thrifted, the other 25% is gifted.
Thank you. I'm proud of myself for finishing this book. It's required a lot, but also has brought a lot of joy. It's available at Amazon.
https://a.co/d/7XF4IQ0
I'm the same as you. I love buying second hand.
My husband and I moved to Europe 5 years ago and moved back to the states 3 years later and we were shocked at the downward spiral of quality in new clothing. Because we had been away and came back, we saw it very pronounced. Even Nordstrom, which had been my favorite, had awful quality clothes that looked cute... for hundreds of dollars. Thrifting is wonderful in LA because of the celebrity population. I miss that so much.
Thank you for posting the link! You should be proud, writing a book is a hard, terrifying task!
It's such a frustrating experience to buy something new, no matter the price tag, and have it fall apart after a few wears.
As I'm writing to you, I'm wearing the hoodie pictured in the article over a 1970's button up shirt and thrifted jeans. It's amazing to me that the button up shirt is what, almost fifty years old (that's a scary thought) and is in better condition than some of my newer ones!
Exactly! I'm sad that I can't really collect much In terms of beautiful clothing because I am still nomadic. At this point, It's not by choice entirely. We don't know if we're going to stay in the United States, so it doesn't make sense to lean into all the trappings. But I really, really need to nest now.
I completely understand! Maybe the thing to do is find a few unique yet wearable pieces that will work in any situation?
Yeah. And I trade things out since I'm not paying too much for each piece. When I'm just sick of the capsule wardrobe I've created, I donate things and pick up other things. But honestly there are things that I would love to keep, but it's just not practical.
My absolute best consignment shop find ever was a brand new Carolina Herrera dress that looks like a dream. I found it in a very small consignment store in Pasadena California. It's a $3,000 dress that I got for $65. I have so few fancy opportunities to wear it, but I absolutely adore it and I'm never getting rid of it.