Beauty, Uncensored: Thrift Store Chic

Not long ago, one of my readers raved about the deals she finds at Goodwill. Oh, the designer handbags, the name brand dresses and jackets and tops and skirts! How fabulous it all was, and how CHEAP! And it occurred to me then that I hadn’t really gone thrifting since college.

Back then, thrifting was a real experience. Athens, Georgia had a Salvation Army store, but the real deals were to be found next door, at a place called The Rag Pile. That’s where all the clothing donations went first before they were sorted, sized, and hung up. The Rag Pile was an actual mountain of clothes, about 15 feet tall, and it filled a warehouse room. You could climb to the top, get on your knees with the dozen or so other rag pickers sure to be sifting through the loot, and start digging searching for finds. The charge was $5 per bag, and my friends and I always found something good — tweed blazers with elbow pads! A pair of silver satin Gloria Vanderbilt disco pants! Mod shifts from the '60s!

Of course, I’d spend the next three days wheezing from all the dust stirred up by my rag picking, but finding that 1970s prom dress made my resulting health problems totally worthwhile.

Once I graduated from college and got a job, though, I had little time for thrifting. Having kids made the idea even more unfeasible. But my reader’s claims made me curious. Could I really still find fashionable clothing at a thrift store, for pennies on the dollar? I set out for the Goodwill Superstore on Charlotte Avenue to find out.

The superstore is located in what my 5-year-old has referred to as “a fighty kind of neighborhood,” so I dressed down for my thrift store foray. I shouldn’t have worried, though. The place was filled with working-to-middle class women; In fact, some of them looked downright wealthy. I instantly felt at ease as I browsed through the endless racks of clothes.

As expected, there are plenty of pieces you’d have no interest in whatsoever, from faded and pilly sweatshirts to stretched out sweaters and polyester pants. I was surprised, though, by the amount of designer clothing on hand. There’s very little high-end clothing, but I saw plenty of Ann Taylor, LOFT, Limited, and Express clothing, as well as Banana Republic, Harold's, L.L. Bean, Lands' End, Talbots, J. Jill, Chico's, and basically any other big name brand you can think of. The shoe selection also was good, with lots of designer shoes that included a pair of barely-worn Joan and David heels that I seriously thought about buying. And the handbag section included a super-cute black leather Kate Spade bag for just $15.99.

Another interesting aspect of the store was that the sizing represented real women. While there was a decent selection of small and medium clothing to choose from, it came nowhere near the amount of large, extra large, and plus-size clothing for sale.

Within five minutes of arriving at the store, I found a lovely Ann Taylor chiffon sundress that was black with white polka dots — one of Spring’s big trends! It was only $7.99, so I snatched it up. See it for yourself! (And pardon the smug expression. My husband was shooting, and I was trying not to giggle the whole time.)

I especially love the back of this dress, which ties in a bow beneath the straps.

Soon after finding the Ann Taylor dress, I scored a brown and ivory polka dot shift by Isaac Mizrahi, also for $7.99. Both dresses, incidentally, appeared to be either new or nearly new.

Moving onto the sweaters and tops, I found plenty of trendy horizontal stripes to choose from, and couldn’t believe it when I came across the exact shirt I was planning on looking for at the mall — a black-with-white stripes version, which I thought would be more slimming than the traditional white-with-black stripes I’m seeing everywhere. This Liz Claiborne shirt ended up being a perfect fit, and I have no doubt I’ll be wearing it a lot this upcoming season.

Next I found this black and white striped cardigan, also $4.29. Totally cute and very versatile!

The skirt, incidentally, came from Forever 21 and was $6.80, and I got the shoes from TJ Maxx about three years ago, so the whole outfit was BARGAIN CITY.

Finally, I scored this new-looking and gorgeous Dana Buchman sweater with gold detail around the neck, another steal at $4.29.

My total (used clothing isn’t taxed! More savings!) came to just under $30. Pretty awesome, right?!

Will I be back? Hell, yes. It was actually a lot of fun searching for bargains, and it was also empowering to know there’s a place where women with any budget can find hot trends and afford them. And there’s more good news: Goodwill will be opening another superstore soon in Franklin. W00T!

I might just have to rename this column Goodwill, Uncensored. Stay tuned.

Pssst. Lindsay has a new style blog! Check it out at www.shesstillgotit.blogspot.com.