ready, set, thrift

Almost two weeks ago I hosted a fun, energetic event with Goodwill called Ready, Set, Thrift!. I came up with four challenges for thrifters to compete in and the prizes ranged from free clothes to a $50 gift card. It was my first event with the thrift store and we had an awesome turn out. The shoppers were excited and I loved seeing them scurry around the store to complete their missions.
Thanks again to everyone who came out, but if you missed it, check out the recap.
thrift shopping event
We had four challenges throughout the night and when I gave the shoppers the go-ahead, they opened their piece of paper to see what mission they had to accomplish.

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

Fashion trends come and go but one thing is constant: no matter what the trend, you can find it at a thrift store. Some people still think of thrift stores as having crappy leftovers other people no longer see fit to wear. Sometimes that's true but other times, you find awesome, current threads. And because fashion is so cyclical, what was hot years ago is once again in style. While thrifting last week, I came across a few trends that I've seen on the runway. Instead of dropping major cash on an "it" item of the moment, you can save a ton by thrifting the trends.

Florals were seen in collections by Alexander Wang, Prabal Gurung, and countless others and I found a ton of them at the Salvation Army, from blazers to dresses to skirts. It was an absolute explosion of flower power.I scoped out a Diane von Furstenberg blouse for $7...

Goodwill Rewards Card

I love Goodwill. I really do. I love it so much that I racked up more than 300 points on my Goodwill Rewards Card {read up on the card HERE}, which meant I have a total of $30 in coupons.I popped in to the Goodwill in Harlem {2196 Fifth Ave} and was on the hunt for an awesome dress, but I kept striking out. I found a few pieces but I wasn't exactly happy with the prices. A Donna Morgan dress was $10 {original price tag was still on, $178}.

Donna Morgan houndstooth dress

That wasn't a bad deal compared to the original price but I kinda had my heart set on a dress under 10 bucks and the piece didn't fit me perfectly. And then I found a Bebe sweater dress for $15.

Yesterday I made a trip to my fave Salvation Army {46th St. between 10th and 11th st} in search of something fly to wear to a taping of Oprah's post Oscars show in LA. I didn't walk away with one show stopping piece {I may already have something to wear} but I found a few other great items.

If you've never been to the Salvation Army on 46th Street, this location is A-mazing! It's organized for easy shopping  If you're looking for something super specific {a button down white shirt or black skirt}, you can just go to the appropriate rack, as everything's color coordinated. The shoe collection can be pretty hit or miss but there are tons of clothing from labels like Club Monaco, LOFT, Banana Republic and more affordable stores like H&M and Forever 21. The jean selection is also pretty awesome with designer denim from Citizens of Humanity, 7 for All Mankind and Rock and Republic.And on Wednesdays, most clothing, shoes and books are 50 percent off.Check out my most recent thrift store haul. I walked away with seven items for $35.

{love the color, super soft suede and gold piping around the edges. Steven by Steve Madden, $7.50}