- Mine is dresses....For the most part, that is always where I start when I go into Goodwill. The dress section is usually one of the smaller sections so is easy to make your way through piece by piece. Some of my favorite dresses are the brands 'White House Black Market', Calvin Klein, and Max Studio....
- tank tops/shirts can be a tricky section- they are usually color sectioned instead of size. This section is usually the largest area so trying to go through each shirt to find one you like can get overwhelming. A good way to narrow down your search is to recognize right out of gate you will probably not look at each shirt.....try to avoid looking at the colors you do not usually wear or are not comfortable in (red, yellow, and brown would be mine)- unless I have an unlimited amount of time I do not even go through those color of shirts. Also pay attention to the fabric of the shirt- an Old Navy grade cotton shirt that has a moderate amount of wash to it will either be forming the small balls you will see on cheaper cotton or on it's way to forming them- avoid these (Gap, Banana Republic, and J.Crew have a well made grade of cotton).........Goodwill has too many 'better' options to settle for a tired looking shirt that has it's foot in the retirement door. Polyester in shirts and dresses are easy to wash, hold their color, for the most part do not wrinkle, and can be worn dressed up or dressed down....these will usually be a good buy at a second hand store.
The pants section is a great resource for our stylish wardrobes
- In our area the pants size is marked on the price tag. Most of the price tags are facing the shopper...this makes it so that you do not have to piece by piece search for the pants- I will walk down the pants aisle scanning the sizes...when I see a size 12 I will pull that pant out just enough to see if it is a brand or style I like (I recently purchased 2 pair of BKE Capris that retail on the Buckle Store site for $118.each- My purchase price was $5.99 per pair- while this brand caters to more of a younger cliental their curvy fit has a versatile age look...stylish but not teenager- The name brand 'American Rag' and Bisou Bisou are the same way). A darker washed jean is great for slimming and for dressing up an outfit. Be careful of the 'flare' or bell bottom look (where the bottom of the jean in quite a bit wider than the calf area)- Rarely are these jeans worn in a way that makes others want to run out and copy your style...add a cheap jean fabric that shrinks just a bit and you've got high water bell bottoms..oh no no no no. NO!!
- Capri's are versatile- they are able to be worn in the summer (to hide upper leg cellulite, white legs, and unshaven legs) with flip flops or cute sandals and also in the winter with a pair of boots. The capri will come just low enough to tuck inside your boots and look like pants or if they are a wide leg capri you can wear them on the outside of your boot.
- If the jean or pants say 'mom cut' just walk away....really fast and do not turn back. no exception to this rule
- Yes others have worn the shoes prior to you trying on.....think of it as you are doing your part in the recycle trend- If your worried about foot disease count your blessings that we live in a era where fungal foot spray is sold over the counter at Wal Mart.
- Going through the shoe section is easy- take a quick walk through it, gazing for the cutest pair(s) of shoes you can find- try on for size and that's that.....I've scored Tory Burch, Coach, Ugg, Cole Haan, Kate Spade, etc... in the shoe department- I've also scored some pretty cute Pay Less shoe store shoes from Goodwill......
- A bit of a heel is always good- it tends to be slimming. Heels have come along way in the past 10 years (like pregnancy clothes)...company's like 'sofft', Born, b.o.c., and Naturalizer have come out with a comfortable easy to wear high heel. Jimmy Choo and Stuart Weitzman also have a nice heel- these may be found at Goodwill stores in larger cities where these stores reside but not a high possibility of finding them at our local goodwill (if you do BUY THEM!!)
- These are best bought from upscale second hand stores, discount retailers like TJ Maxx or Marshalls, or flea markets in Maui that have knock off Louis Vuitton and Prada's.......Goodwill does get them in- these are the purses behind the glass counter when you check out- you don't want to be paying $24.99 for a used knock off that screams 'worn out and tired looking'
- If you do shop purses from Goodwill look for: Fossil, Lucky, Diesel, Hobo International, The brand 'Guess' and Steve Madden may be cute but can be purchased at the discount stores like Ross brand new for a Goodwill price.
- Not my area of expertise AT ALL- I've owned the same brown belt for 5 years that was purchased from TJ Maxx- any other belt I own came on a dress I bought....scarves make me look like I have a broken neck and big shoulders so I avoid.....shorts- they hang weird....thinking it's the saddle bags (A standing ovation to Hershey and Ghirardelli for these). Skirts are an every once in awhile buy....not enough to give any solid advise about.
Like water and chocolate, our Goodwill stores are precious resources- a resource that can breath life into anyone's wardrobe no matter what your economic status.
I would encourage you to not let another day pass without checking out your local Goodwill-
Happy Shopping to you,
Steph
p.s. One last thing- Goodwill is a great place to shop no matter what your clothing size....
The below picture was supposed to be of my friend Deb- on Sunday at church she was wearing the most adorable White House Black Market dress purchased at Goodwill for $5.99- The pictures I took turned out blurry :(
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