24 Aug Early Fall Purchases , Steals and On-line Thrifting

Morning!
I have always been a careful shopper. I don’t typically buy things at retail. My brothers have both been buyers in the fashion world and I realize the mark ups are out of this world! However, at the same time, I realize what is a fair price and i also love to find deals. This is where some bargain shopping comes into play as well as thrifting.

As you know, I have EDS. I can’t stand for long periods of time, without shifting my weight from one leg to the next, often still resulting in trigger points. I don’t go to the mall. I actually get quite anxious when I am in a Mall and there are loads of people. I much prefer shopping or thrift shopping in the comfort of my own home. Thrift shopping on-line is quite fun, and I like to think I am helping by buying secondhand.

Traditional thrifting is all about going to shops, consignment stores, Goodwills etc. to find the “deals”. In the age of technology, there are shops now, considered thrifting on-line.   I have been an avid shopper of Poshmark, for years,  a wonderful US based, on-line thrift store with gently used and new items at a fraction of the cost. I have bought many items from Anthropologie there and many other designer and popular labels.  Lots of popular brand names at discount pricing. The downside, I suppose, is the time it takes riffling through items and reading descriptions. If you were at a thrift store, you would be at the racks, pushing one garment aside, reading and inspecting other garments in intention to purchase. If you missed my post, How to Shop at Poshmark, have a read, it would help you get started and know what to do.

I love buying from buyers on Poshmark, as you make an offer, and often find wonderful pieces discounted. I have begun to read about the REal Real. A designer on-line thrift store who has gently worn or new merchandise as discounted prices. I love the deals! The measurements are there as are the discriptions. If you missed my post from last year, What is Poshmark and How to Shop There, have a read . It will benefit you before making your entrance into the world of on-line thrifting. Plus, I find shopping on Poshmark and like sites a lot of fun! A bit of a challenge to see what kind of deal I can score, and happy when I do!

Another site, Thread Up, has become popular over the last several years. Another on-line consignment store, you can find pieces that are gently worn for much less than retail. I am looking at all of these sites, in hopes that I can shop “slow fashion” in addition to one of my favorite stores, ( deemed fast fashion) Zara.

In the meantime, I thought I would share with you items I have purchased for FALL, deeply discounted, just from knowing the sales, and thirfting opportunities.

Bloggers and Non-bloggers alike, have gone “goo-goo-ga-ga” over the annual Nordstrom Sale. I chose to not wirte about it a ton, as many other bloggers were, and there was oversaturation. I thought that there were some “good deals” but that you could also find some fab deals elsewhere.

1 First buy and only buy from the #Nsale- Burgundy Suede Moto Jacket  Last year I did purchase I cognac brown spice leather jacket from the same company on sale. I have worn it often int he Fall. When I went to look at a Moto jacket, this particular one was the sale of the season and the more popular one was the olive green, which looked a littel “dull brown” on my screen. Nevertheless, the rich burgundy, or “Ruby” caught my eye and would go with much in my closet for Fall. I bought this jacket for $125, reg. $188 on sale. My one purchase from Nordies. With a medium to lighter weight it is perfect for the N.C. climate.

1. AG Jeans- Another goo goo Ga Ga item, I really have wanted to try AG jeans for some time now. I don’t want to pay $150 on sale from Nordstrom, even at the sale price. But rather, found “The Prima” style, very soft and stretchy legging straight leg jeans on POSHMARK, one of my favorite aforementioned thrift sites from get this- $33 SHIPPED!  You aren’t able to try them on in advance, so I took a chance and ordered my designer denim size- 27. and they fit great !!! Let me tell you.. they feel like buttah! 

1. Madewell Sweater Dress– about a season old, the Madewell sweater dress in Camel caught my eye. Hard to think of sweater dresses in this heat, but they are among my favorite items to wear in the Fall-winter, and i couldn’t resist the classic camel color.  I am a sweater dress lover all the way. So soft and comfy, I loved the tie details at the wrists. Madewell is one of those brands that is what they say… Made well. and i was dying to try them out. I bought this dress on POSHMARK for $ 31 shipped.

1. Boots– Many bloggers listed lots of cute booties that were on sale for the Nordstrom sale. They were good buys, often $150 dropped to $100 .. Brands like Sam Edelman, Vince Camuto, Vince, Via Spiga, Jeffrey Campbell etc. I didn’t buy boots at Nordies, but instead, went to one of my favorite sites- 6pm.com.    6 pm does not have free return ship, so if you don’t know your size you have to pay return shipping, but otherwise, it is a great resource! I bought a pair of Franco Sarto leather Over the Knee boots listed at $225 for $67!! Many times on 6pm it is inventory that is a year or more old.. what did not sell on Zappos or Nordies. But you get the savings! These are a rich leather boot with a stacked heel- shown on Anthropologie last year for $225!

5. Booties- My one other fall purchase that was a great savings was a pair of brocade booties in jewel tones by Marc Fisher. I had looked at the very SAME booties last Fall on Nordstrom when they were $225 retail. I couldn’t bring myself to pay that much, so they were at 6pm.com, for a whopping $68 dollars shipped!

1. DKNY Velvet mustard blazer. The color, the ruffles, the velvet. Yes, please! I had this jacket in my ‘favorites” on Poshmark for awhile and decided to take the plunge. $50 was worth it, and i can’t wait to style it in the Fall.

So between using sites like POSHMARK, 6pm, and also exploring The Real Real and Thread Up, you may be able to find some great deals! The downside is having to spend a bit more time to search and knowing your size so you don’t have to lose money. Poshmark is individuals so you can’t return, so asking for measurements is very important when dealing with on-line thrifting or consignment. If you are interested in learning more about thrift shopping on-line and would like to see future posts, let me know in the comments section, i’d love to write more about it, as it is quite fun and wonderful for deals and shopping second-hand. 

So go forth! Get the deals, and I hope you do check out on line thrifting and shopping at the sites I mentioned.

I also wrote about Poshmark here- Lilac Spring Outfit and Poshmark Deals

Id love to hear your experience getting deals or thrift shopping. Do you know about POSHMARK?