Speed-Shopping the Thrift Store for Jeans
Shopping by color is the most powerful tool in the speed-shopper’s arsenal. Knowing what color you are looking for facilitates scanning the rack quickly for the few items worth trying on. The general guideline is this:
if your legs are greater than or equal to 1/2 your total body length, your jeans can be lighter
if your legs are less than 1/2 your total body length, your jeans should be darker
For some pictures illustrating this principle, see this previously-published article: Color Value Placement.
In some communities, thrift stores may not have the best selection of inexpensive jeans. Scanning the racks quickly for color can be implemented in any store with a wide variety of styles organized by size: thrift stores, consignment or resale shops, discounters such as TJMaxx and The Rack. Btw, did you notice you can now shop The Rack via my sidebar?
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What to Shop for the First Week of February
Thrift:
- Suits. This is a good time in the fashion cycle to be wearing the matching skirt suit. Recently I found a black/white silk tweed at Goodwill for $7.99. It had to be really old (Ann Taylor size 6 jacket and size 10 skirt?) but looked completely contemporary.
- Jeans. Buying jeans thrift is a huge money saver.
- Boots, if you don’t already have too many pairs.
Stores: Hit the clearance racks, if at all possible! Just the other day I heard a story unlike any I’ve ever heard before: customer gets to the register with items marked-down to roughly a quarter of their original price, expecting them to be discounted another 50% off their marked-down price; instead they ring up at $0.00!
Online: baby stuff and maternity, if you need it; cashmere sweaters; and it’s not too soon to think about swimwear.
- Old Navy: Shop our Kids, Baby & Maternity Sale with great deals starting at $5! Ends 2/17.
- Rack New Arrivals Just In ¿ Shop the year’s largest delivery of new arrivals for the entire family online and in-store at NORDSTROM Rack.
- Athleta swimsuits are sold as separates, so you can mix or match. Find the perfect fit at Athleta.com - Shop now.
- Check Out Target’s Weekly Ad
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Boden Introduces Maternity Line!
BodenUsa is now offering maternity-wear - and 15% off for spring.
More retro than contemporary, animated personalities craving something a little different in terms of pattern and/or color will appreciate Boden’s offerings.
They also have baby stuff, which leads me to hypothesize that Boden may be the place to get your diaper bag. Possibly one that is not only fun, but also different from the rest of the diaper bags in the nursery! The second bag pictured is not a diaper bag, but it is available in pink.
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Reminiscing … and Some Really Good Deals
Every now and again, I miss the old days when I could blog alot. And I mean to spell that “alot”. So, here, let me throw a bunch of stuff into one random post!
1) Shoes are a better bet than some items for online purchasing. New to The Space Between My Peers affiliate shopping family (where you can support me in some small way by using my links to purchase): ShoeSteal.com! That sounds appropriate, doesn’t it? Well, not the stealing, but … you know what I mean.
Coming Soon: Three Day Sale!
Save an additional 25% off sitewide at ShoeSteal.com with promo code STEAL25. Valid 10/25-10/27/10.
2) Is This Modest? is giving away a skirt from the Modest Mom. 16 different patterns and a couple of great skirt styles…
AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS LOOK AND LEAVE A COMMENT!
3) I wanted to let you know about two Old Navy sales. Starting tomorrow 10/22, get 30% off Hot Trends or 40% off Hot Trends when you use your Old Navy, Gap, or BR Card. Enter promo code ONTRENDS at checkout. Offer ends 10/28..
Starting tomorrow 10/22, get Get Free Shipping when you spend $50 or more on OldNavy.com merchandise. Enter promo code ONSUPER50 at checkout. Offer ends 10/26..
4) Unfortunately, I didn’t get this out before the last day, but …
Have a wonderful weekend! And pray for me, if you are so inclined. I have many decisions ahead of me, including what to do with my virtual real estate and content here. 
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Macy’s Fit Guides
Macy’s has fit guides. Has anyone tried them? (I am not allowed to click on my own links.) If anyone has any experience to share, please let us know whether they are helpful.
Find the perfect dress for your fit, occasion or style preference at macys.com
Find the perfect sweater for your fit, occasion or style preference at macys.com
Get the exact bra fit with the Bra Fit Guide at macys.com.
Get the exact jean fit with the Women’s Denim Fit Guide at macys.com.
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Another Spin on Spending
I know “Teen Style Tuesday” is supposed to be Tuesday, but I’m trying to put less publishing pressure on myself these days.
Generally speaking, I have issues spending “real money” (translated = anything over about $15) on clothes. Shoes, as you may have noticed, are a different story.
But, sometimes it just makes more sense to go out and buy what you need. As in the case of staples, like jeans. Or for my hero, twill pants for work. I just bought him two pairs of identical brown cotton trousers, and paid $100!, but it was worth it. He wears business casual everyday, and he wears a difficult-to-find size, and he has been looking for brown for a few years now. (And now if he wears a green shirt, he can look like a tree.)
But it was jeans I really wanted to talk about. Last week, my daughter and I were walking past the one store whose jeans she has consistently been able to wear (Express) and they were having a sale. She did more or less the same thing I did for her dad: bought two pairs, although hers were not identical, spending $100. And considers it money well spent. (For the record: she buys her own clothes, so it was her hard-earned $100. How we handled teaching our girls to budget for their clothing: Crazy Budgeting Mama.)
Incidentally, when we were there, I mentioned to the young lady helping us my most recent visit to that particular shop, which I describe back here. Her response - to the idea that a salesperson would not bring me skinny jeans to try on - hilarious laughter! That relieved the tension! LOL (Paranthetically: what brought it up was dd buying a pair of bootcuts and a pair of skinnies. I am convinced skinnies are more slimming and flattering.)
BTW, there was no possible way I could shop for myself. Am I the only one who has to spend all their energy to keep from break-dancing in those stores?
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Friday Fashion Lab: In the Fitting Room
This post is sort of a part two to a previous post picturing some items I purchased for $4.97 each at JCPenney earlier in the week. Today, when I went to return the skirt and the jacket (to a different JCPenney store), the final clearance was all priced at $3.97!
The top was not clearance. However, it was still a contender. In the end, I decided to go for the dark green pictured further down (they were each on sale for $12.99) and wait for this one to be reduced further.
The skirt is several inches longer than the previous one, but it is all cotton. Should I keep it?
Purely for your amusement, I threw in thepictures of these two skirts: the magenta wouldn’t have been bad without the zoomy zipper up the bu** and the long one … well, what do you think I’d look like wearing it? (Have you ever heard the term “bun head”? And must it always be disrespectful?)
This third set of pictures illustrates my new personal rule: pants, for me, must stop at or above the knee or continue at least to the ankle. The reason? While my legs in total are short, from the knee down, they are actually (proportionally) an inch long.
Now, about these last two pictures:
- I am elated! Ever since the early ’90s, when I was shopping Lane Bryant for pregnancy clothes, I have been waiting for this green to reappear on the scene.
- Yes, I really did wear Great Northwest outdoor gear to the mall. Sssshhh! Don’t tell Angie.
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This Week’s Bargains
Since y’all asked so nicely, here are the three items I picked up on my trip to the mall the other day. Each was $5.
- Extra long, extra wide, white linen pants. LOL. When my hero first saw me in them, he asked me if I was “that old”. (He somehow got the idea that white linen pants = old lady.) I was undaunted. When my daughter first saw me in them, she smiled. Her natural smile. This excursion solidified my inclination toward wider, flowy trousers WITH HEELS (with flats I prefer tapered pants). Since Imogen said my pants should not be the hero, I will need to wear these with an exciting top.
- As long as I’m rambling on about my own personal preferences (aka style idiom), I may as well address skirts too. Here you see that I am a sucker for a groovy print. And sick to death of above the knee skirts. But this one has at least two fatal flaws: one, it’s polyester, and two, full skirts make me feel like a hippo. If I’m going to wear a skirt that makes me feel like a hippo, I might as well save my $5 and borrow one from my lovely daughter (who gets most of hers for $1 at the thrift store and at least half of them I picked out for her when she wasn’t even there).
- The most astonishing thing about this metallic and linen blend jacket was the response of the woman working the counter at the store when I bought it to my question about whether or not I should wear the color. The trouble is it’s very neutral for my complexion, but fabulously flattering to my hair. She was almost shocked that I would even ask; “for $4.97?” she asked incredulously. As if! My new theory about why some people let themselves go is the utter incompetence of the help in stores these days!
Anyway, what are your thoughts? Should I keep any of these items?
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Teen Style Tuesday: Charlotte Russe
Every now and again, I feel guilty because my thoughts are so self-centered. Like on Tuesdays, when I’m supposed to be thinking of teen clothing. Says who? Well, says me. I like routine.
And my routine for Mondays is to hit Value Village first thing in the morning, usually accompanied by one or more teens. This week I tried on a jacket by Charlotte Russe. (Although it was a nice cotton/spandex fabric, great fit, and super cute styling, I didn’t buy it because is wasn’t one of my colors.)
Anyway, because we agree that online shopping is a frugal move these days (did I tell you I figured out a round trip to Walmart costs me $5 in gas?), I wanted to link you to Charlotte Russe.
Because now not only is online shopping frugal, it’s social with Charlotte Russe’s Shop Together application. Plus, if you buy something through my link, they’ll pay me for it!
Make your next visit interactive. Visit the Fashion Lounge at Charlotte Russe and check out what’s new. (And play with their outfit builder, which is where I got the picture of the safari dress over the bermuda shorts.)
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The Demise of Retail as Therapy
If you’ve been around since the beginning of the blog, this post will seem familiar. I’m trying a new blogging concept: throwing a re-run in every week or so. Perhaps it will force me to do a little (blog) “house-cleaning”.
Retail therapy. Supposedly that’s when people go shopping to make themselves feel better. In the real world, where most of us live, shopping just can’t do that anymore. It’s confusing, depressing, exhausting and, as often as not, futile. Who hasn’t spent hours looking for something that should be easy to find, only to find rack after rack of the same old not-gonna-do-it garbage?
Which brings up an important question: Where would you shop if money were no object?
(Consider that question now, and find out when to expect the lowest prices in those stores. Maybe the first week of February you can afford to shop there.)
More and more women say they seriously hate shopping for clothes. What about you? Is retail therapy or does it make you need it?
