Meet Sarah, she’s a teacher, blogger (thegurugoddess.com), and occasional thrifter. We got together for a thrift style session at the Goodwill in Kent to inspire Sarah to get back to thrifting and to check a few items off her thrift wish list.
A few things I kept in mind while shopping for Sarah: she feels confident in a pretty sun dress, would like to experiment more with blazers, enjoys dressing up, prefers pieces that can transition from work to play, and is working with a $50 budget.
First of all, the Kent location is awesome. I found items for Sarah (and myself) within the first five minutes of entering the store. In fact, I asked to take three dresses off the mannequins as soon as I walked in, two of which went home with Sarah!
I was in good hands at the Kent store. I found a fabulous $4 faux leather skirt that’s absolutely perfect for fall, a pair of Delia’s jeans that fit Sarah like a glove, and an extremely versatile $5 leopard print sweater that she can wear about 10 different ways.
Seriously though, can we get back to the jeans? Perfection!
We paired the jeans with an oversized comfy $5 Ann Taylor sweater that Sarah can wear with flats or boots this fall, in addition to a striped Forever 21 cardigan she can wear for work or play. I love the addition of a chunky bold necklace to these casual looks; it really elevates the outfits.
For dressy wear, Sarah loved the cobalt blue dress/tunic with embellishments and a girly purple sundress – one of her favorite colors! We also scored a brand new fitted blazer with tags (original price $30) for $6! She can wear this to work or with jeans and heels.
Because I love vintage and retro clothing, I always try to include at least one vintage piece into the selections during my thrift styling sessions. For Sarah, I picked up a 1990s midi floral skirt. We loved this look with wedges and a black or white tee.
Though we found really great items well within Sarah’s budget, I think the best part of the session was inspiring her to get back into thrift shopping and helping her see the potential in things. One of the most common things I hear from people is “I would have never thought to try this on!” and Sarah tried on and bought things she wouldn’t have otherwise. It’s important to develop an eye to really make the most out of your thrifting experiences. One of the easiest ways to do this, aside from consistently going to the thrift store and keeping an open mind, is to do your research beforehand; keep a mental note of reoccurring styles, trends, and prints, and don’t be afraid to make old things new again!
The totals: Sarah went home with 10 pieces and spent $37 after in-store daily specials and a 20% off coupon.
- Three sweaters (including Forever 21 and Ann Taylor sweaters)
- One blazer
- One striped knit maxi dress
- One sun dress
- One dress/tunic with embellishments
- One faux leather skirt (JCPenney brand)
- One pair of jeans
Don’t forget! Donate items to Goodwill before you shop to receive a 20% off coupon and keep an eye out for items that are half off that day in the store!
Happy Thrifting!