Happy first day of summer everyone! I sliced open a watermelon the other day and this is what I found - isn't it beautiful?
We had such a brutal winter (and spring) that it's nice to finally be able to go out in a cute dress and sandals. My "uniform" has evolved to a (usually thrifted or Rack) dress and my
Crocs Sexi Flips - yes that's their name LOL. I have them in black and bronze. I know a lot of people can't handle flip flops or anything between their toes but if you can, these are the perfect everyday shoe. They are light as air and easy to tote in your bag (when you've had enough of your heels). And unlike my Reef flip flops, they don't turn my feet black.
On Crocs.com they retail for $29.99 and are buy one get one half off - so they come out to $22.50 with free ship for 2 pairs. Don't forget
Ebates or
Fatwallet for an extra 4% back. I got mine in the winter when they were on sale for $14.99 each :)
Tonight I just ordered a pair in Dahlia (purple) from Kohls for just $13.97 plus 6% cashback from
Ebates. This deal only works if you have a Kohls charge card - which I got for deals just like this :)
This color only is on sale for $19.97 before the additional discounts. They have other colors on sale but not as cheap. During checkout, apply coupon code GREAT30 for the 30% off discount and free shipping with coupon code FREEMVC. Again these codes only work with a Kohls card.
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I started the week with a bang with my City adventure but I had to take it easy for the past few days. Between my new diet and increased exercise I've been pretty wiped. Plus my kids finished school this week and it's harder to do what I do with them. That didn't stop me from finding a few goodies despite my extra "baggage" in tow.
I stopped into H&M to finally return a bunch of the sale pieces that didn't work for me. Naturally I re-checked the sale racks and came home with the following:
Black high-waisted skirt with suspenders, just $5.
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Black knit dress with suspenders - great midi length. |
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Just $5 so I got two LOL |
Not sure what I'm going to do with this piece but for $30 from $349, I figure I can always Ebay it.
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Big Bird's kid sister. |
I spotted this jeweled top and I really wanted to love it but the fit was off for me :(
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On the Rack front I found a few interesting designer pieces this week. I'm been trying to rebuild my wardrobe with edgy designer pieces to mix with my discounted and thrifted goods.
This Marni top caught my eye - and the price was hard to beat. I'm not 100% sure but the good thing about the Rack is that I have 90 days to think about it. It was 92% off, $79.90 from $970.
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Stock photo |
One of my SILs keeps taking about a Dolce & Gabbana dress that one of her friends has. I've repeatedly asked her to send me a pic so I can track one down for her. Fashion detective is one of my favorite pastimes :) This dress must have been returned recently as I remember it from a few months ago so I took a chance and scanned it with my iPad using the Nordstrom Rack Stores app and it came up cheaper than marked so I grabbed it. It retailed for $1875 and I got it for less than $300. Unfortunately I'm not sure this one will fit my SIL - it's a size 38, which is a US 2 and she's thin but I think she takes a 6 for her broad shoulders. So if you're a 2 and you're interested, contact me.
And then there is just something about this 80% off Balmain denim and leather jacket. When I saw it I had a feeling I'd seen it on a celeb before - maybe a Kardashian...
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Pierre Balmain jacket, retail $915. |
When I googled it I saw it on him. Ugh.
So as of now I have the same "cool" jacket as the Biebs. Pretty sure this piece isn't unisex. I wanna know who put a girl's jacket on him.
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Cute, right? |
I've been checking out the sale racks too. The trick to look through everything as they wheel it out - that's how I've been finding some of my best deals of late.
This top is cute, right? Even cuter for $2.49!
Sometimes I need a little more coverage for when I see my super modest mom. For $12.97 this seemed like a fun "tzniut" (means modest in Hebrew) top. Plus she hates when I just throw a cardi over my sleeveless or short sleeve dress - she knows I'm just going to pull it off at some point LOL.
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Front may be all covered but I get to show some personality in the back :) |
The Rack had markdowns on accessories this week. Lot's of pieces for under $3. Found these cute studded purple stretch bracelets for $1.49 each.
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I popped into Century 21 to check on the status of the upcoming sales. I was greeted by a rack of Prada :)
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Hello, lovelies :) |
As I proceeded I began to notice all the pay half signs :) I stopped when I saw the Zac Posen dresses. Most were marked down to $300-500. When things hit 75% off (goes as high as 90% off at C21!) I'm going to revisit that T-stand.
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And last but not least I hit the thrift store with all three kids to treasure hunt. Kids filled up the cart with lots of toys, books and clothing - it took almost an hour of negotiating to edit down to one toy per kid. My 9 year old son found the box set of the Hunger Games for just $6 and started reading on the spot. He literally plopped himself down on the dirty floor and started to read LOL.
Here are the girl pieces we took home. Everything but blue and red tickets were half off. Of course most of what I took was red.
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Clockwise from top left; Un Deux Trois dress $4, Bobs shoes $3, Justice dress $4, Gap skirt $4, Gymboree Equestrian Club cap $2, American Girl McKenna dress $4, Fit flops for DD $10, swim top (brand tag cut off) $1.50 |
If you're an American Girl doll fan you should be able to identify the dress in the middle :) My daughter got McKenna for her 5th birthday from my brothers. It's one of her favorite AG dolls and now she has the dress to match! When we found it I think we both may have screamed a little.
This dress retailed for $60 (not including the leggings) and we got it (in her size!) for just $4. And that's why I thrift :)
For myself I grabbed this cute bracelet for $1, These BCBG Max Azria jeweled flats for $3 (a little big so if I can't pad them I'll pass them on to my bigger footed SIL or sis) and this AX Armani dress for $15 (half price). The size was covered by the sensor so it wasn't until I got it home that I realized it was an XS. That would explain why it was a little snug (but wearable) across the chest and super short. This store has mirrors in the back and no dressing room so I have to try things on over my clothing. If it's a little snug I figure it's okay because if I buy it I probably won't be wearing it on top of another dress.
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$15, half price for Armani! |
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Close up of bracelet |
I saw this large Big Buddha bag for $15 and it reminded me of my SIL. I think this is the 5th bag I've purchased for her this year LOL.
My favorite thrift store my not be as cheap as your thrift stores but it always has nice stuff and I rarely leave empty handed. I'm all about shopping efficiency. I actually made business cards for my personal shopping business years ago and I called it Fashion Efficiency LOL. I want to go to a place where I know I'm going to score. At any given time I have a handful of favorite stores and I shop there frequently. That's how you find the good stuff. I focus my time on these places and more often than not, it pays off. Don't get me wrong, I'm always willing to scout for a new location in case one of my favorites run dry (it has happened...) but my #1 rule of thrifting is go where you know :)
For those of you who work all week be sure to get out and shop some of the killer sales going on (H&M, Zara, most designer & departments stores...) I shop all week so I'll be taking it easy with the fam. Either way, enjoy the rest of your weekend!
-Shoppinggal