There's No Place Like Home Salvo Wednesday

I was a little short on time this Wednesday, so I decided to just go to one of my normal, local Salvos. I headed up to Greece and was not disappointed!

As always, I headed directly to the dresses upon arrival. I was there right as the store opened, so it wasn't too crowded yet and there were plenty of shopping carts to go around (not usually the case when I get there later). The dresses are currently being hung on large circular racks near the front of the store. Imagine my surprise as I found FOUR other women on the same rack as me after I started it alone. They seemed to keep expecting me to move to accommodate them as all four of them went willy-nilly around the rack. I didn't. I don't give way in the dress section. I WIN AT DRESSES.

In fact, that's what my cart looked like by the time I was done with just the dresses. Those are all dresses. I didn't buy all of them, but still. I could have. I WIN AT DRESSES.

Collection by Cherokee, $2.50

For instance, I won with this surprisingly comfortable sheath dress.

Express, $2.50

 I also won with this stretchy knit dress from Express!

Bailey Girl, $3

I won with this magenta, loose-fitting dress!

Sandra Darren, $2.50

 It's always winning when you find stuff in this shade of blue!

Top, Ambiance Apparel, $2.50
Pants, Willi Smith, $2

 I've been looking for black dress pants with a skinny or at least tapered ankle to wear with some of my more loose-fitting tops. Loose fitting tops and wide-legged bottoms seem like a bad idea to me. However, the only thing more difficult than finding loose-fitting tops instead of just-plain-big tops in unsorted racks is finding good quality dress pants in a sea of black pants that happen to have a tapered leg. I finally succeeded! 

I own one other top from Ambiance Apparel that is one of my very favorite shirts. So happy to have another!

Top, Forever 21, $1.50
Skirt, Ann Taylor Loft, $2.50

Cute top, cute skirt! More school year preparation.

As I was leaving, they wheeled out one more rack of clothes. I decided to check it out, and found this gem:

Calvin Klein, $10

Not half price and I don't even care. I WIN AT DRESSES.

Sometimes, there's no place like home for a really great Salvo hit.

Salvo Wednesday Road Trip!

For several years now, I've been meaning to drive out to Syracuse (about an hour-ish drive) to check out their Salvos. I'd heard from a student that they have a huge one, but I've been putting it off mostly because I hate driving. This week I bought a new car, so I thought it was a great time to take it for a spin and check out the stores in our neighboring city.

The first one I visited, on Erie Blvd., was HUGE. And surprisingly, I was able to get a shopping cart right away. I looked around and realized that it wasn't nearly as packed as the Rochester area stores are. Maybe they aren't as excited about half-off Wednesdays as we are here! I don't know why....

$9, Tommy Hilfiger

In case you've forgotten, on Wednesdays at every domestic Salvation Army Thrift store that I've ever visited (and that's a lot), four out of five color tags are half off. The colors are usually hanging from a sign in the store. I glanced up and thought that I saw a yellow tag, but the yellow turned out to be white instead. So I bought this thinking it was half off (and left behind several other items I probably would have taken home if I'd realized my error). I probably wouldn't have bought it if I'd realized it would be the full $9. But, it's work-friendly and has pockets, so it wasn't too big a regret.

Mossimo, $3.50

I decided it was time to make sure you could see the details on a dress rather than just saying "you probably can't see it, but...", so here's an up-close of the neckline of this lovely concert-appropriate dress. I think I'll probably be all set with new concert dresses next year.

Forever 21, $2.50

I've started noticing that most of my delightful drape-y style shirts are all gray or black. So I'm happy to throw some blue into the mix! I have to say that finding shirts in this loose-fitting style is a bit of a challenge. There's a fine line between a classy, drape-y shirt and one that is just plain too big, and it's not easy to pick out on the hanger in a store that refuses to sort by size.

American Eagle Outfitters, $2.50

So I added a little purple in there as well.

J Crew, $2.50

The color really didn't come out as well as I'd have liked... this is a 100% silk, deep purple top. Lovely!

Express, $3

It really pains me to buy fall clothes, but it has to happen sometime.

Express, $3

This isn't another fall item. This is an indoors-surviving-air-conditioning item.

Old Navy, $4

Decided to add a picture of the (very wrinkled) detailing at the neckline again. Beaded starbursts! But really... I'm really all set with concert dresses now, even casual ones.

There were four thrift stores listed in the Syracuse area, but even I can't shop that long, so I just chose a second. One of the stores, in North Syracuse, was listed as new, so I gave it a shot. And it was new - even the building, not just the store! It was hands-down the nicest Salvo I've ever been in. And it had a couple of nice finds inside.

Lauren Conrad, $3.50

Soft gray lace...this will look great with tights and boots when that thing happens that I don't want to talk about just right now.

Ann Taylor Loft, $2.50

You can always use new black dressy shirts!

Old Navy, $2

Loose and comfy for the rare days that I choose to wear a skirt/tank top situation instead of a straight up sundress. Rare. Of course, there's a teeny tiny hole on the back from the stapling. This store found it necessary to double-staple everything right on the fabric. Because clearly once doesn't do enough damage.

Ann Taylor Loft, $2.50

Another nice dressy shirt for work. A lot of great stuff this time around, but way too much of it is for fall or at least for the school year. I'm really yearning for some new summer finds while there's still some summer left to go!

Final verdict: Syracuse was worth the drive! I'll have to try it again next year!

It's finally HERE!!! Salvo Wednesday 2014 #1

I don't think I even need to tell you how excited I am that summer is here. Let's put aside the fact that I'm on summer vacation, which means a lot of relaxation and some lazy mornings (not counting the ones where I'm getting up at the crack of dawn to run with a friend before she has to go to work). Let's instead focus on the fact that this was a brutal, cold winter, and it's finally hot again. Not just warm: HOT. Hot enough for this:

 and this...

....and this...

...and thank goodness, this:

And blessedly, the return of summer means the return of Salvo Wednesdays. For my first time out, I went to Dansville Salvo.

Maurice, $5

I am always hesitant about stripes, but this is so comfy and cute. I've been told to pair it with a red cardigan, but it turns out I don't own one. Which means I'm going to start looking, and also means I'll find everything BUT a red cardigan.

Anne Klein, $3.50

 New concert dress! I decided last year that I was sick of all of my concert dresses, which left me scrambling at concert time. Not this year!

Banana Republic, $4

Comfy, stretchy, Banana.

Top - Talbots, $0.50
Skirt - Ann Taylor, $2

The top is wrinkled but will be very cute when pressed. It pains me to buy fall clothes already, but it has to happen sometime!

Kirra, $1.50

 The best part about this top (aside from the fact that it's my favorite soft, stretchy knit) is the detailing on the sleeves. It's ribbon-like and beaded!

Decree, $1.50

 Drapey and not black or gray or white! Which seems to be the only colors I can find these things in.

Awesome back!

Vicky Vaughn Junior, $3

 This dress is a vintage circa-70s dress. I'm probably going to try to sell it on Ebay as it's a bit too big for me. There's a brown trim on the side that you can't really see, and it's all held together with thick ropes. Go 70s!

Randon flapper dress, $8

More than I usually pay, but this is a really well constructed costume piece. It's got silver as the base layer, and as you can see, that fringe can really fly. And who doesn't need a flapper dress once in a while?

 The last thing that I bought was intended to be sold online, as this dress is A) a tinch too tight on me and B) selling on Neiman Marcus for $165. However, I looked on Ebay and no one is buying these dresses. I guess it's to the consignment shop for this...

Laundry by Shelli Segal, $3

Anyway, a very good beginning! I have a few weeks of Salvoing here at home, and then I'll be off to Spain for a wedding for two weeks. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some thrift store finds there!