However, I am also into saving money. While I love JCrew and Banana Republic, the reality is, I just can't afford to collect items from those stores. It is a conundrum. We are supposed to dress like professionals, but we really don't get paid enough to dress as such. I am a firm believe in dressing professionally everyday, except maybe on Fridays.
My solution is...Thredup! Have you heard of it? I am a big thrift store shopper and this is a fabulous modern version of one. It is totally online and carries brand name clothes for a fraction of the price! I have been picking up JCrew and BP like crazy! It has given me the motivation to revamp my wardrobe (along with the new opportunities that may arise...) with more quality pieces - say good buy to *most* of my Forever 21 finds!
Here is what I picked up before Christmas:
The polka dot skirt is JCrew and was less than $10! The first shirt is BR and $17, the cardigan is Zara and was $21, and the olive wool skirt is JCrew and was $12. Gold is my school color, BTW. I got a great discount for being a new member and caught the bug! All of the items were beautiful - even better than they looked on the site. I am so in love with all of them - I have been lusting after the polka dot skirt forever and finally got rid of the Forever 21 version that never really fit.
Well, since then, I have been stalking the site fairly often and found that I can get even better deals. I just placed an order yesterday. I am cringing and feeling lots of shame because I had vowed to not buy any clothes this year. However, the first order included a bag to send items to them that will earn you money and that makes me feel a little better. Here is my second (cringing) purchase:
I will rationalize this purchase by telling you that I spent around $125! That beautiful blazer is JCrew and was $7!!! I am telling you that the clearance section is your friend. Anything in clearance in non-returnable, but anything else can be returned. You can even choose items that are new with tag in your search choices. I am not sure if there is much of style thing evolving here, but I am loving pencil skirts and flowy tops to wear with slim-fitting pants.
The only things I do not like is that, even though the search function is fabulous, if you are searching by color the site is less reliable. I also dislike that the discounts they put out are usually only for new members. Finally, I think the sizing of some of the pictures is bad. It is hard to tell how pants would fit because they all look squatty and wide - more like wide-leg cropped pants.
If you are looking for some new pieces for your professional (or casual) wardrobe, check out ThredUp! I am not sponsored by them, but the referral link below will will give both of us a $10 to spend! There is free shipping when you spend over $50.
Check it out and you will be as addicted as I am. Let me know if I should take some pictures of outfits when the items arrive (or if taking pictures of outfits would be intresting in general). I am off to do something other than shop!
