thrift shopping blog, looking fly on a dime
If you're not new to Looking Fly on a Dime, then you may remember my Thrifty Threads 365 challenge. And if you're not familiar, let me give you a quick refresher...
Thrifty Threads 365 was a year long thrift shopping challenge I originally started in September 2010. I only purchased secondhand clothing for 365 days {the only new clothing I could buy was undergarments}. Well, I successfully completed two separate cycles of Thrifty Threads 365 {first in September 2010-September 2011 and then October 2011-October 2012}. Both times I shopped thrift and vintage shops and the last time, I even stuck to a $50/month budget. I ended up spending just $460 on clothing for 2012.
Well, I'm thinking of starting Thrifty Threads 365 up again...

thrifty threads, thrift shopping tip This weekend I was having one of those days where I didn't want to get too dressed up, but didn't want to be super casual either. So I whipped out my new favorite pants scored from the Salvation Army. Though I'm typically a skinny jeans or dress type of girl, these drawstring pants with tapered leg are my new BFF. Besides being supremely comfortable, they pair well with almost anything in my closet.
After getting dressed, I realized my entire outfit {head to toe!} was less than 20 bucks.

Looking Fly on a Dime thrift shoppingA few months ago I was shopping at Housing Works Buy the Bag {$25/bag of clothes} and the trip seemed like a bit of a bust. I went with my girl because they were offering a 2 for 1 deal during the summer. It went like this: bring a friend and one of you gets a free bag. We split the cost so our individual bags were just $12.50 each!
After shopping for 30 minutes, I found a few items, but nothing really wowed me. That was until I dug through a bin and found a pair of oxblood booties. I thought they were cute and the heel was a manageable height versus my normal 5 inchers. Oh, and then I looked inside the shoes and realized they were Balenciaga!!!
I stuffed about 25 or 26 items in my bag, so 25 items for $12.50 equaled 50 cents per piece. So I paid less than $1 for vintage Balenciaga.

how to wear accessories, how to wear florals

I have a confession: I love cheap jewelry. Well, I don't specifically seek out cheap-y pieces, but when I stumble upon a hole in the wall store or random shop in SoHo, I love walking away with a ton of accessories for next to nothing. And more importantly, I love finding ways to incorporate them in my wardrobe in a fun way. Whether it's a funky hat or bold necklace, accessories can transform any and every look.
A few weeks ago I found a cute floral romper from the Salvation Army. I went there on Wednesday when most items are half off. Though this piece wasn't half off, at $6, I still felt it was necessary in my closet. Florals can come off a bit juvenile and even matronly {you don't want to look like your grandma's couch!}, but when paired with the right accessories, they're grown up and chic.

  looking fly on a dime vintage dressLast week was my Best Dressed Madame event that I hosted during Essence Music Festival and we had an amazing time. Along with my co-hosts Carmen from Lipstick Fashion Mascara and Tiffini of Atlanta Tastemaker Magazine, the night was full of drinks, light bites and fashionable fun. I'll have a full recap for you next week, but for now, let's just focus on what I wore.

Our event was held at May Baily's Place at the Dauphine Orleans Hotel. The bar used to be a brothel {cheeky!}, so our theme was all about dressing up in an over the top, sassy, fun way. I kept my look fairly subdued since I'd be hosting, but I didn't hold out on the glamour.