I have about a dozen new items to share, and I promise I will do that in the near future. For today, I want to share this outfit which includes a few of those new items, plus many things I love.

I suppose a good camera, or at least a camera not attached to a phone, would be helpful.

I'm starting to get the hang of how to shop for my body! Yay! Even better, I'm gradually defining my own personal style, which as I've mentioned has been nonexistent for years, and was highly questionable before that. On top of all that, I am pretty quick to grab items from the racks that I would never have considered wearing before. Case in point: this vest.

This is what I wore to meet my daughter for lunch today, and I love everything about it. The jeans, vest, and booties were thrifted on my last trip a few days ago. The vest was $7, which is at the higher end of what I'm willing to pay per piece, but it fits like a frikkin' glove and has some cute detailing which I'll show when I list my recent additions. It's also a beautiful peachy/rusty/orange that doesn't properly show in this pic. I love how it nips in just a little at the waist, and I have to say, I've never been a vest girl but I am won over. I wore it over my previously thrifted turtleneck.

The jeans ALSO fit like a glove, and hug my booty, which my 20-year-old son wouldn't have captured if I begged him, which I wasn't about to do anyway. I'll also save that for a future post, but needless to say I squeeled a little when I put them on. They feel like pj's and the length is perfect for me. Since I usually wear flats, jeans like this that just skim the floor end up being just right.

They are actually darker, like in my full-body pic.

The booties (is that right?) are a caramel-brown and super soft, so comfy, and were brand new with the stickers still on them. I finished off the outfit with a bangle that I got for 50 cents on the same trip. Anyway, I just wanted to show this outfit that I felt so good in. :) I'll list my recent purchases, including these, soon. I know I've said it a few times now. I'm trying to convince myself.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention, I love wearing orange and brown together. That's all I have to say about that.

Vest: Coldwater Creek $7
Jeans: Merona $3.50 (1/2 off)
Booties: Franco Sarto $6
Inlaid bangle: 50 cents

Argh.

I bought both of these last weekend, and I like them both, but I just can't decide about the grayish one. It's vintage wool. I feel all kinds of powerful with those sweet, sweet shoulders, and I love the single button at my smallest waist area, but I just don''t think the length suits me. Maybe with heels? Hmm. On the other hand, the red one strikes me as being better proportions for my body, but I actually look wider in it. Hmm.

I actually went back to Garland Road Thrift today with the intention of exchanging the vintage jacket, but I brought the wrong receipt, so it's still here with me. I wore the red one, and people kept trying to steal it from me! Once, I went in the dressing room and came out to find it gone. Gasp! I asked the closest employee, and she had grabbed it from my cart and stuck it on a rack and wheeled it out of sight. The second time, I was trying on scarves in front of a mirror and turned around to find it gone. Gasp! A 20-something "girl" had it at the counter asking about the price. I walked up and said, "There isn't one, because I wore it in."

It was in the cart right behind me, woman! Who does that? Sheesh.

Anyway, got these last Saturday.

Total spent - $14 ( $7 each )
Number of pieces - 2
Favorite item- red jacket
Remorse? - maybe? I still have time to return the vintage one. 

PS-I scored like crazy today. I'll post tomorrow.

This is what $5 worth of thrifted earrings looks like.

Last weekend, I hosted a thrifting class at one of my favorite local shops, Garland Road Thrift Store. It was a fun experiment, and I intend to blog about it, but my life is pretty hectic with an active employment search, so an in-depth post will have to wait. I went in with the intention of finding a few tees and a blazer. Maybe I was just tired, but I didn't have any luck there. I did end up with a jacket which I adore, and I'll post pics of that soon, but my favorite finds were in a bin at the register. 

99 cent earrings, for the win!

These are my fav! Aren't they groovy? 

I'm not even going to add these into my $200 total budget. These are bonus. :)

This is the outfit I pulled together for the class. I *really* love the chambray dress I snagged for about 4 bucks - it's so versatile, and I have to resist the temptation to wear it too often. Actually, I already owned everything else in this outfit, some of the few things that made the cut when I raided my wardrobe and got rid of everything useless or total crap. The blue dress brought them all together.

The actual dress is this piece:

I'm playing around with different ways to mix-n-match the wardrobe I'm building and help myself to pull outfits together. So far, I'm having the most success with finding images of similar items and just bring those into a slide, so that's what I'll stick with for now.  

                                                           

Today I have no interviews, no plans, nothing. Well, I met my daughter for lunch, but that involved  walking the 5 minutes to her school and back again 20 minutes later. Other than that, it's an easy day at home just resting, cleaning, cooking, and preparing for a fun event I'm hosting tomorrow. 

                                                                                       

I'm also recuperating from the massive blisters and mild shin splints from yesterday's run in heels. Argh. Hence the cozy Vibrams for the times I'm not totally barefoot, like right now.

I couldn't find a pic online to approximate this top, so I just grabbed a pic of another graphic blouse. Yes, it's the same top I wore yesterday. 

Plus my free specs from Firmoo. I have another pair coming in the mail, maybe today. I ordered the same pair, but in tortoise. So, not thrifted, but free except for $6.95 shipping! I have a few other pair saved with other companies. I'm starting to love glasses, which I never really did before.

My interview today was a success! I mean, I haven't received an offer, but I did interview with two attorneys at the firm and felt wonderfully confident and comfortable.

I decided at the last minute to wear this top instead of the blue one I had picked out yesterday. This top is actually a sort of fuschia and midnight blue/plum sort of blend, and it really looks great with my yellow skin tone. I actually missed a bus downtown, and with only 30 minutes until the interview and 2.5 miles between me and the uptown office, I decided to walk it. More like run it. Long story short, this top is much more, um, sweat-friendly. So glad I opted for this one!

There's more to this second pic, though. See that tucked in top? See right below that, just at the waistband of those pants I love so much? See that round thing? That, dear friends, is my belly.

<sigh>

I'm on a mission to be kinder to myself, and that is actually an integral part of this wardrobe project. I eat a healthy diet which is mostly vegan and all vegetarian, and I exercise (walking and running - totally thankful for that today!) yet my body still insists that I have a tummy and a booty. Fine. I'm done hiding behind baggy clothes, done waiting to lose some pounds, done wishing this or that body part were a little different. Done done done.This is me, 40 years old, size 14, showing the world my little belly and smiling all the way to the...interview. And you know what? I felt great,and confident, and heads turned. THAT sure as hell never happened in my red tent dress.

Running in heels did a number on my feet, though.They're literally shredded and it looks like I'll be losing a toenail. Yowza. Next interview, I'm tucking my Vibrams in my bag, just in case.

PS I need a haircut. Every time it gets so round and poofy I think of Steel Magnolias and brown helmet head.  I'm growing out a short boy cut that I loved and might do again. Like this:

 But I found this and like it, too,so I'll maybe do something like this next. All I know is that I'm not rocking good hair right now.

Thrifted Interview Outfit

I have a job interview tomorrow that I'm pretty excited about. It's an entry level position, but in a field I want to enter, so it would be a great foot in the door. Of course, as soon as I scheduled the interview, I realized I need a suit. Unfortunately, I still only have a teensy little income, so I hit up a favorite thrift store in pursuit of a suit I could tailor and have cleaned in a few days.

I tried on about 20, and the ones that weren't too small (Calvin Klein gray suit, new with tags, just a size too small, grrr) or outdated and hideous were either too large - meaning too much tailoring for my time frame - or too frilly or casual for the occasion.

I decided the next best thing would be to pull together a crisp and professional outfit that would be comfortable enough for me to feel confident in. I'm all about comfort. I think that's part of the reason I've avoided more tailored clothing.  There is a common opinion that fitted clothing lacks comfort, and I think that can certainly be true, but as I break out of my old habits in building this new wardrobe, I find that comfort definitely does not have to be sacrificed.

Anyway, I had $25 maximum and 3 hours to spend. In spite of not scoring a suit, I'm pretty happy with what I bought. Bonus - very little tailoring! All I had to do was hem the pants.

$3

$3

$5 new

$7 new with tags

$5

Total spent - $23
Number of pieces - 5
Favorite item- gray pants
Remorse? - nope!

Of course, everything I bought will mix and match with what is already in my wardrobe. By now, I'm about $75 into my $200 thrifted wardrobe. I have 20ish new items, and the decent start to a semi-professional wardrobe. I'm writing a little mix-n-match post to show you what I've purchased and how many outfits I can make with them. It's fun! But first priority = getting a full-time job.

Wish me luck!