Although I’ve always liked the idea of scoring quality, unique pieces for less at thrift stores, I didn’t have much luck shopping them until recent years. The stores around Boston are usually sorted only by color, or item type, or not sorted at all…making it quite the hunt for items that fit. After seeing constant pieces on fellow blogger Kerry sourced from a “Savers” thrift store, I popped into one years ago and have been a fan ever since. The locations I’ve visited have been very organized (Nick usually makes a beeline for the homegoods & used books selection), with clothes actually sorted by size. And if you sign up for emails, they offer 30 – 50% off on select holidays. I was excited when the company reached out to me last month, with gift certificates to share (scroll down for giveaway details)!
On one of these 50% off sales last year, I found this dress as part of a 2-piece for $4. At first glance, it was a terrifying explosion of pastel tweed and frill, probably worn once by a little girl for Easter and tossed quickly afterwards (funny enough, half a year later I came across an identical set at a thrift store hours away, which only confirms the fleeting life of this design). After peeling off the cumbersome jacket, however, I saw a cute, petite-friendly dress similar to items I’ve been eying from mainstream retailers.
Compared to my other thrift store finds, this dress required the least amount of re-work. My computer crashed and took with it all “before” photos, but the only alteration I did was taper in the waist darts. That may not have been the best route as the fit is still a little childish, but it did enough to breathe some new life into it.
After shopping second-hand items for a while, I do want to share that one of my biggest lessons learned is to not be influenced by low prices. After finding skirt after skirt in quality materials that fit perfectly at the waist (and require just a simple hem), I realized that it was getting excessive even at ~$5 a pop. I have also bought several pieces with grand transformation plans, but lost motivation due to all the work required. My advice is to shop just like you would at any higher-priced retailer….look for items in durable materials that’d be a valuable addition to your existing wardrobe, and are worth the time and/or tailoring costs of re-work (if any) to become a perfectly-fitting garment. The nature of thrifting is a game of patience -for me, it now results in no purchases 75% of the time, but the occasional finds that do happen tend to become favorites. 
Savers (U.S. store locator), also known as Value Village in Canada (Canadian store locator) has offered three $50 gift certificates for EP readers. To enter, simply provide your email in the form below (emails will be used only to contact winners), and get an extra entry by leaving a comment about your favorite pre-owned find – be it furniture, jewelry, or clothes, etc. Giveaway is open to readers in the U.S. and Canada, and the three winners will be selected at random on June 10th.
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Your dress is fab and I agree with your thrifting advice. Since I've done my shopping almost exclusively at Value Village since August 2012, I'm lucky to have to tailor very little otherwise it ends up not being a good deal. I have found many amazing pieces but my favourite might be my Hispanitas shoes for $3.50 from a Value Village in Edmonton.
Nicole at http://www.vvboutiquestyle.com
It's always good to see people making eco-friendly choices and continually wearing items in their own closet, and when adding to it, choosing thrift stores, consignment shops, and borrowing from friends. I went to the Goodwill last month and scored a camel leather crossbody bag for $7. Now I wear it all the time! I see similar bags for 10 to 50 times that much. Style has no label! 🙂
My family was just at Value Village today to see if I could replace one of my taupe camisoles. My daughter used mine to line her shirt that only a nude-color cami could fix. She has worn it so many times now and kept it so I figured she wants it. No luck today but like you, I keep visiting. Thanks for the giveaway!
I've been shopping at Savers for a few months now, and I find that their clothing is usually a bit better quality than other thrift stores. It's my favorite place to thrift now. As for favorite item…I like several of the things I've gotten, but I guess my favorite at the moment is an olive cargo jacket that I turned into a vest.
I found a vintage leopard print skirt last week that I am really excited about!
My best find was a barely worn red patent leather JCrew heel for only $6.
I've since found lots of JCrew items, but the shoes made me the most excited.
<33 Rena
My favorite thrift store find to date is a silk blouse. Thanks for the chance!
My favourite thrift purchase is probably a pair of Lee jeans. Fits perfectly, and came hemmed (I'm 5'2").
I love getting bags and belts at thrift shops since they're so fuss-free and easy to get. My favorite so far was a bag that was $3.99, which looked much more expensive.
I got my senior prom dress preowned, and the woman split the price even further by selling it to us for $40! Of course, I had to have it hemmed six inches, and the straps shortened, but even with all the work, it still came out pretty inexpensive for such a gorgeous dress.
My sisters and I love thrift shopping! We've gotten everything from a $3 dollar ice cream maker to a Theory suit for $5 that someone had already altered to fit me!
A first edition copy of my favorite book The Little Prince. Phoebe yom_gurl[at]yahoo[dot]com
A Burberry trenchcoat in London (under $50!)- probably from the early 90s so the cut was not exactly in fashion, but it fit me to a tee!
That's looks so cute and I love your yellow heel.
I found a DVF dress! So amazing!
I had no idea Value Village was the same as Savers — I LOVE VV! I scored a brand new children's unicorn costume a few Halloweens ago (full-body purple fur with rainbow mane and gold horn and wings? Aweeeesome) for $10, and a $12 D&G; wool skirt — I loved your wool skirt hemming DIY and plan to do the same with this one since it's very Amish-like right now. The wool is really thick and warm – Great for Canadian weather.
i found a wonderful pearl collar necklace!
i found a wonderful pearl collar necklace!
my favorite thrift find was a burgundy envelope clutch for 50 cents at a local thrift store =)
Stephanie
My favorite thrift find is a coral a-line dress that fits my body shape like a glove. I plan on wearing it for my graduation next weekend.
98% of my wardrobe is thrifted/ secondhand, so it is impossible to choose one item! I recently bought a coral mini pencil skirt for $1 at a sidewalk sale, and came home to find it fit perfectly.
Thanks for such a fun giveaway!
My favorite pre-owned find is a black BCBG cocktail dress for about $6. It fits as though it were custom made for me and has been worn to countless weddings and events!
Believe it or not, my favourite pre-owned find was a long-sleeved cotton tee (very thin) that I wore for long-distance running. It eventually saw me to the finish of a half-marathon so it holds great memories. I also like to imagine where it was before it came to me.
Thanks for this great post, as consistently awesome as all of your posts!
Essie Fiji – it's a pale milky pink : )
i love your style as they're always so practical but fashionable!
What is the nail polish on your toes? It's exactly what I've been looking for
That dress is adorable! I'd love to try out the Savers that opened this year in my area, but it always seems so daunting! I've "thrifted" on eBay and that's where I scored the closest thing to a second hand find while studying at Oxford. It was a really, really inexpensive, close-fitting vintage pencil skirt in dark purples and a sort of tweed. It's much cuter than it probably sounds! And now it's an absolute favorite. Thank you for the giveaway opportunity!
never found any 🙁
My favorite thrift find was a tweed turtle neck. I was thrifting with my aunt at the time and it was a fantastic day.
I love the dress by the way! Gorgeous find, I must say.
My Ralph Lauren coat!!!
Leather jacket!
My most recent and favorite purchase would have to be my lavender pink pleated skirt that I shortened. It was only 2$ and I have been on the look for it for a while or at least just a pleated one. It was from St. Vincent DePaul.
I love the color of your jecket
Cutest striped kelly green and navy Ralph Lauren sweater for my son for $2.99!!!! Among many, many other steals as I visit Value Village ALL the time. Yup, kind of addicted…
Ann Taylor dress for $3
I found a beautiful skirt – silky grey metallic with a floral print – that was from Ann Taylor at a thrift store. I think I only paid $5 for it!
My favorite pre-owned find comes from my grandma's closet – a silver bangle watch that I now wear everyday! Thrifting-wise, my favorite find was a pair of nude Ferragamo sandals for $25 🙂
I love thrift store shopping! I scored a leather jacket one time!
The dress fits you so well! I'm definitely checking out the childrens' section the next time I'm thrifting.
I love the pop of color with the sandals.
Back when I lived in California, I would go to resale shops for clothes, and sold a lot of my own from my "so-vast-I-had-to-convert-a-room-to-a-closet" wardrobe there. At the Salvation Army I picked up a lot of nice kitchen ceramics. I never had the patience to go though the clothing (I prefer Ebay, though it is more expensive).
But my mom is an avid clothing thrifter and was picking up things to resell on Ebay. One day I was in her bedroom and saw hanging on the back of the door a perfect-condition, pleated wool plaid skirt in grey tones with red/orange fabric set into each pleat that would be seen only when the pleats opened as the wearer moved. The design was truly different, and the skirt looked to be my size (0 or 2). I looked at the tag and it was by Fendi! My mom said she had picked it up for a steal. Of course, it now lives in my closet and looks fab with a red/orange wool/silk Banana Republic petites coat I bought on BR.com!
Now that I live in Quebec, Canada, I have Value Village. I went there when I needed buttons to sew on randomly to cover dandelion stains on one of my daughter's French designer appliqué t-shirts (she stained it the first time she wore it). I bought a huge bag of assorted buttons for $4 (this after spending a fortune on buttons for other clothing at a fabric store). Of course, washing and sorting all the buttons by color took some time (but my kids loved helping do this). Now I have a great button supply for mending. I even have used them to decorate inexpensive clothing by Joe Fresh. I bought a cute solid pastel pink baby tee and matching bubble shorts on clearance as a baby gift and personalized them by sewing cream, mother of pearl buttons in different shapes and sizes on the tee and on the pockets of the shorts. It made an inexpensive outfit really look special. And I have to add that I am not handy with the needle at all! I don't even own a sewing machine.
Now that I see your post, I might have to stop back in. I have been told it is the place to get used sports equipment for kids!
Thanks for the great posts and contests, as always, Jean!
I have several items I love (really enjoy thrifting) but two of my favorite finds are a JCrew Neapolitan Pencil Skirt and a Marc by Marc Jacobs polka dot button-up.
Is that the section inside Garment District? If so, I'm completely impressed that you were able to dig up some keepers!
Hi kmad – thank you for your kind comment…I am still learning myself every day how to dress better for my figure. That's inspiring that you and your husband have replaced your wardrobe for the better via thrifted finds. My boyfriend has not had luck any clothing each time he goes with me!
Thanks for your kind words & for reading along!
Hi there – Thanks for your suggestion! I'll keep it in mind after I finish my cold to warm weather switchout (between under bed storage to closet)
Marc by Marc Jacobs silk skirt! Score for $2.50.
I got a pair of authentic Burberry rain boots from the kids section – I have really small feet 🙂