Category Archives: Adventures in Thrifting

Thrift Shopping in San Francisco: Part One

Posted On Friday, May 18th, 2012

Earlier this week I gave you guys a look at what I wore during my San Francisco trip. But you know I couldn’t venture to a new city without checking out the thrift shopping scene. Let me tell you, San Fran thrifting is amazing! I thrifted last year in L.A. but the Bay Area is by far {in my opinion} superior and more convenient. I actually had two days of secondhand shopping, but for today, let’s focus on the shopping I did in the Mission. Chandra from MoMoMod suggested I check this area out and I’m glad she did.

The Mission is a pretty colorful neighborhood in its design {peep the awesome mural above} and the eccentric personalities. My first stop of the day was Thrift Town {2101 Mission St}. As soon as I walked in, I knew I was going to become BFFs with Thrift Town. It was organized and massive: two floors and pretty spread out.

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Looking Fly on a Dime Shop & Tours

Posted On Monday, April 23rd, 2012

Over the past two years, some of you have asked me about opening an online shop. While I’m out thrifting I tend to post photos on Twitter or Facebook of great thrift store finds. But if they don’t fit me or they’re not my style, I end up leaving them at the store. Well, now that’s about to change.

I just opened the Looking Fly on a Dime Shop. You can snag some designer and statement thrifted and vintage pieces at a fraction of what they’d originally cost.

Right now I have a half dozen pieces for sale, including:
Dolce Vita dress

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Housing Works Buy the Bag – What I Bought

Posted On Monday, October 24th, 2011

Housing Works Buy the bag, thrift store haul

This past Saturday was the Housing Works Buy the Bag {$25 for all you can stuff in a bag) sale and as usual, I racked up. I met a few of you there and it seems everyone walked away with a bag {or two} full of goodies. As usual, it was crowded inside, clothes were everywhere and the crowd got a bit rowdy when additional bins were put on the sales floor, but the majority of people were super sweet. I didn’t take pics inside {I was too busy shopping}, but the clothes were eventually pulled out of the bins and everyone was walking over the garments and one woman even lost her shoe in the clothing avalanche.

I managed to stuff a total of 30 items in my bag, so at $25 for a bag, that averages out to 83 cents per piece. Considering I found some vintage items, including Armani, I’d say that’s a thrift store score.

This sale always has a ton of blazers and I snagged with six of them. A bit excessive, I know.

vintage blazers, housing works sale

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Let’s Go Thrift Shopping – Housing Works Buy the Bag

Posted On Friday, October 21st, 2011

Housing-Works-thrift-shopping-tips

I know this is super last minute but I’ll be having an Adventures in Thrifting meetup tomorrow {10/22}. I didn’t think I’d be able to make the final Buy the Bag sale from Housing Works, but it looks like I can. You guys know what Buy the Bag is, right? It’s the warehouse sale by Housing Works where you can get an entire bag of clothing for just $25. Yup, $25 for all the clothes you can stuff in a bag.

I’m on the hunt for cute tops and fall/winter appropriate dresses and skirts. As you know, I just started my Thrifty Threads 365 challenge again, so that means no new clothing {only secondhand stuff} for an entire year.

The scene inside the Buy the Bag sale can get a little hectic, and if you’re not sure what to expect, don’t worry. I did a post on how to shop the Housing Works Buy the Bag sale, which lays out all the details and offers some tips. And this is the last sale until next summer, so anticipate a crowd.

Doors open at 11am and I’ll be there by 9:30 or 9:45. So feel free to come on up and say hi. If you’re looking for a thrift shopping buddy, we can shop together or just let me know what clothes you’re looking for and I’ll be on the lookout for them. Or if you need any last minute pointers, don’t be afraid to ask.

Hope to see you tomorrow!

 

 

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Welcome to Looking Fly on a Dime

Posted On Friday, September 16th, 2011

Hey fellow budget and thrift lovers,
Some of you are regular readers and many of you just discovered me due to my Nate Berkus Show appearance yesterday. I’ll be resuming regular posts on Monday, but I just wanted to give you an official introduction to the blog.

I mostly post about thrift shopping and thrifting tips but I also cover other budget fashion news. Last year I started a Thrifty Threads 365 challenge {a full year where I didn’t purchase any new clothing, I just thrifted} and I completed the mission! Well, I’m starting my Thrifty Threads challenge again on October 1, but this time with a twist. Stay tuned for more info! On Fridays I typically do a Thrifty Threads post where I show you guys how I put together my thrift stores finds.

I also have a YouTube channel where I upload fun videos of my thrift store hauls and I plan to start doing more DIY projects, like the how to cut an oversized t-shirt vid which has been viewed more than 4,000 times!.

And shortly I’ll be offering services for those looking for a style consultation or a one-on-one thrift shopping experience. I’ll also start offering Adventures in Thrifting again, a fun day of getting together with a group of NYC-based readers for thrift shopping endeavors.

Feel free to reach out to me with any questions, requests or suggestions via the Contact page above and you can always hit me up on Twitter, Facebook or subscribe to the monthly newsletter.

If you missed me on the Nate Berkus show, check out a clip here.

xoxo,
Patrice

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