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about 20, and the ones that weren't too small (Calvin Klein gray suit, new with tags, just a size too small, grrr) or outdated and hideous were either too large - meaning too much tailoring for my time frame - or too frilly or casual for the occasion.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

So, now that I bought my first five basic pieces and started mixing them in with what I had on hand, I was ready to set out thrift shopping again. This time, my focus was less on professional pieces, and more on accessories and a pair of jeans. Thrifting jeans is a tricky, tricky thing, so I figured if I struck out on jeans then I'd substitute a pair of casual khakis, and if I just couldn't find anything to fit my post-4-babies body, then I'd settle on a denim skirt. Although, denim skirts are also notoriously tricky on the thrift level, because every decade's bad denim is on those racks. When it comes to thrifted denim skirts, it's all about wash and length, but we'll get to that another time, because I DID find jeans!

My list this time was pretty simple:

1. Tan or other neutral shoe
2. At least 1 scarf
3. At least 1 belt
4. Jeans.

Anything else was a bonus. I think this trip was a great success!

Camel slingbacks, like new $6

Rust woven thin belt, casual or dressy $1

Mock turtleneck shell, perfect for layering! $2 (50% off)

Dockers jeans, $3.50 (50% off)

Ann Taylor Loft supersoft navy striped top, $2

LOVE this versatile knee-length chambray dress! $3.50 (50% off)

Dior  silk scarf, possibly vintage? No idea. Love. $3
I handwashed and it's all wrinkly now, but it's huge and gorgeous
and goes with everything. 

Total spent - $21
Number of pieces - 7
Favorite item- chambray dress
Remorse? - yes! I regret not having enough in my budget to buy the $5 handbag that would have been perfect for interviewing! 

Total so far =$40 With what I had on hand when I started and the dozen or so items I've purchased, I now have about 30 mix/match outfits. Granted, there's a lot of repetition in that 30, but still, it's a start!

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Oh, I picked up one more goody on this trip! I found this amazing vintage Greenlea faux fur belted coat, and I DESPERATELY want it to fit me, but my stupid big arms (I love you, arms!) won't let it be. So, while I consider taking it apart and stitching it back up to fit my proportions, I have it listed in my brand new shop. You can own it, if you get to it before my scissors do!

You'll find it at The Thrifted Shop. 

The planned pieces - a simple black dress, a black jacket,
 a neutral turtleneck, a black  pencil skirt, and a floral  or patterned knee-length skirt.

In preparation for spending the first $20 toward my new wardrobe, I first went through every clothing and accessory item I owned and ruthlessly purged. It literally took ten minutes. I threw everything into 1 of 4 piles:

1. Stylish and fits.
2. Stylish and doesn't fit.
3. Nasty, torn, doesn't fit.
4. Maybe stylish, sort of fits.

Most of what I had went into the dumpster. It sucked to part with a few "wishful thinking" pieces that would fit if only I lost a few pounds, but I haven't lost those few pounds in a year, and it's time to be brutal, so I donated. A few items were questionable. Missing buttons, or needed hemming. By a few, I mean five, not a dozen. I set those aside because I could, since there's almost nothing else in my closet, and because I have the skills and tools to make those things happen. I basically ended up with about a dozen usable items, not counting athletic clothing/shoes and undergarments. I had no jeans, no pants, nothing to go with the few dressier tops that I did have, and only one pair of unscuffed, unmarked shoes - a pair of basic black pumps. I did keep the red tent dress, a 90s throwback that appeals to something unnamed deep inside me, because I am certain I can infuse it with some sense of style.

I started digging around on Pinterest for some common themes on how to pull together a random mix of clothing items. I had a total of $20 to spend on my first trip, and since I'm actively submitting resumes and hoping to interview soon, I really wanted to focus on some more professional pieces.

I played around on Polyvore, too, and finally put together a snapshot of the items I had decided on:

1. A simple black dress
2. A neutral turtleneck
3. A black jacket
4. A black pencil skirt
5. A floral/patterned knee length skirt

Armed with my snapshot, I put on my red tent dress and my Vibram Five Finger Sprints, and set out to one of my favorite thrift stores.

Three hours later, I came home triumphant! I'll have to find a better way to photograph but for now you'll just have to overlook the funky shadows and overall poor lighting.

$3.50 (50% off) zippered, sued-y jacket

$4 skirt 

$6 Old Navy 3/4 sleeve, faux wrap dress

$3 (50% off) H&M floral knee-length skirt

$2.50 (50% off) gray turtleneck with pleated detail

Total spent - $19
Number of pieces - 5
Favorite item- black skirt
Remorse? - nope!

PS - I tried on a couple suits out of curiosity, which I don't think I've ever done. One of my goals in rebuilding my wardrobe is to try something new, which for me means wearing more fitted clothing. Anyway, I didn't buy a suit for  two reasons. It wasn't on my list, and none of them really spoke to me as far as cloth, cut, or color, but boy howdy do I look good in one! That's a post waiting to happen. :)