Me, My Friends and BTE

In case you missed it, I was on Breakfast Television Edmonton this morning with four fabulous ladies showing off thrifted Fall fashion!  

SO MUCH FUN!  What I love most is how Ryan and Cody and the crew make everyone feel so comfortable and welcome – thank you!  Time flies when you’re on TV so I thought I would share a little more about each of my stylish friends here!  But first, let me highlight the upcoming thrift shopping opportunities I mentioned on the show:

This Sunday September 21st from 11:30am – 4:30pm, Sister Thrifters (that’s me and my sis!) will be hosting a Fall Backyard Boutique Sale!  We have been curating great thrifted pieces in all sizes, most of which have not yet been posted for sale on Facebook or Instagram.  And that’s not all!  We also have Modern Sole from Sherwood Park bringing out amazing footwear at amazing prices, AND we have summer clearance pieces in a loonie bin (um….) AND we have tons of consignment pieces from a special friend in Size Small – Lululemon hoodies, BCBG, J Crew, Banana Republic, Rock & Republic and more.  If you are small or have a small friend (that you still like), come by for great deals!  She Does Create will also have her jewelry on sale!  Basically, you can find everything you need for Fall fashion at great prices while shopping local!  Hope to see you there! 

The second thrifting event this week is Fashion’s Night Out on Tuesday September 23rd!  This happens to correspond with Western Canadian Fashion Week, but instead of having our FNO party with Vogue London, we are celebrating the joy of shopping at the 34th Ave Value Village from 6 – 9pm!  We will meet up after for drinks afterwards at Chili’s and review the spoils of the night, AND award the Grand Prize to the person with the lowest cost per piece!  FNO is always tons of fun, and you are welcome to come for any part of the evening!  No RSVP necessary but please come say hi!  I have other prizes and am still deciding the winning criteria…. maybe a newbie thrifter…maybe someone wearing mustard…!  You’ll have to come and find out!

Now for my models!  I am so blessed to know wonderful women willing to come on TV at 7am on a workday!  Thank so much!  You all looked, as Ryan said, spectacular!  My main message as a self-appointed Thrifting Ambassador is that any one, any size, any shape, any style, any budget can enjoy thrifting success!  There are a lot of myths about thrift shopping that simply are not true!  The truth is that you too, like these ladies, can look fabulous in thrifted pieces! 

Beth

Dress $17
Jacket $7.50
Shoes $7.50

Earrings $2.10

Total: $34.10

This dress has pockets, which automatically makes it awesome.  Plus Beth can easily make the transition to Fall by adding a cardi, sweater or blazer plus tights and boots.  The polka dot pattern makes for easy print-mixing!  It’s hard to see her shoes but they are art-print peep toes!  So fab!  Beth did not find her dress on sale, which illustrates an important thrifting concept – if you love it, don’t leave it behind because it might not be there when you return!  (avoid Thrifting Regret Syndrome, TRS)

Beth is my cousin and roomie, so she’s used to my vanity-shenanigans, like mirror selfies.

Sarah

 

Jeans $6.50

Blazer $2.00

Blouse $3.50

Booties $5.00

Total $17.00

Sarah found staple pieces like boots and black leather flats, fun pieces and even a totally-on-trend robe coat for winter!

Sarah went shopping on a 50% off sale day so that made a big difference to her bottom line!  She got 23 items for $114 which is just under $5 per item!!  Sarah is relatively new to thrifting and wanted to refresh her “mom style.”  The blazer is an easy way to update the typical mom uniform!  At thrifted prices, this is easy to do AND you don’t have to worry about your kids wrecking your clothes when you only pay two bucks for your blazer!  Sarah also had some great thrift shopping advice to try things on because that’s the only way you’ll know if they fit and work for your personal style.

Tineke

Tunic $4.50

Cole Haan Shoes $7

Belt $3

Leggings from her closet $20

Total $34.50

Tineke loved the great fall colours (orange and brown are easy to wear and look gorgeous on her) in this comfortable outfit, which is easy to add on to with a jacket, scarf or boots as the weather cools off.  Tineke could have thrifted her leggings but already had a pair at home – this left more room in the budget for shoes – a pair of orange d’Orsay flats to be specific for $3.50!  We had a blast shopping together – going with another person makes the hunt that much more fun!  

Elizabeth

Citizens of Humanity Jeans $8 

Plaid shirt $4
Necklace $2
Shoes $6

Total $20

Elizabeth and I went shopping months ago and she was skeptical that she could find anything as a petite.  She found TONS of options, including the pieces she wore today which fit perfectly with the hot Fall plaid trend!  Those CofH jeans landed her in the VV Boutique Style Hall of Fame! 

Speaking of Hall of Fame pieces, my BTE ensemble will go in the Hall of Fame just as soon as I can update it!  

Lida Baday dress $7 Goodwill

Chie Mihara booties $7 VV Boutique

Top $4.50 from the San Francisco Goodwill

Necklace $1.50 Hope Missions Bargain Shoppe

I only had the chance to talk about my booties on TV, but really, the dress is an even more amazing score!  

Lida Baday is a Canadian designer and her dresses can retail for more than $1000!  This one is wool and fits like a glove, in perfect condition!  

Now let’s talk about my shoes, swoon!  Chie Mihara is another amazing designer!  Her shoes are sold at Anthropologie, Gravity Pope and other high-end boutiques!  The soles on these are fairly worn but the part that matters are in perfect condition!  I may even get them re-soled – quality pieces like these booties are worth the extra TLC.

I heart you, Chie Mihara, you and your amazing shoes.

All of my models’ thrifted pieces are from Value Village, but I have found amazing scores at all thrift stores – from small local shops to Goodwill and Salvation Army too!  Shopping second-hand is good not only for your wallet, but also for the environment and the community.  It’s the smart thing to do!

And thrifting looks good too!

Thank you so much Elizabeth, Beth, Sarah and Tineke!

You were all amazing!