Shoppers, here are our best tips for restocking your wardrobe with fresh looks, inspired by the ideas from the
Zandl group:
Discount stores. Keep an eye out while you're picking up toilet paper and garden hoses. More and more retailers have partnered with designers to get trends into their stores, such as
Mossimo at Target and
alice + olivia for Payless. Don't forget shops like Marshalls, T.J. Max, Ross or local favorite
C-Mart although you'll have to hunt around for real bargains.
You can also ask when the inventory changes, so you'll know when to target your trips to the sale racks. In trendier stores the items rotate as frequently as every two weeks, so bargains can show up often!
Clothing swaps. Sometimes, new-to-you is just as good as new-with-tags. Invite friends to get together along with clothes and accessories they've grown tired of staring at in their closets. Some of these events dissolve into a free-for-all, with people trying on clothes all over the place. If you're too shy, check out
swapstyle.com, an online option for clothing trading.
(updated: Some people call these
naked lady parties and establish elaborate rules for distributing the clothing. Free-for-all seems more fun.)
Thrift and consignment shops. In my informal polling, I found that every woman has a different favorite Goodwill. The Goodwill stores in Annapolis, Pikesville and on Fort Avenue in Locust Point all got high praise. Check out
TheThriftShopper.com for tips and a directory and ratings of local thrift shops.
Trying to save on gas money? You can sort through donated items from Goodwill shops across the country at
shopgoodwill.com.
During a recent visit I was suitably impressed by the collection of designer jeans at Plato's Closet, a resale store in Towson, although again, the selection varies. A friend picked up a fabulous pair of Joe's Jeans --- which usually retail at nearly $200 --- for about $35. Not bad!
You can also supplement your shopping dollars by culling your wardrobe of gently worn but recent fashions and selling them to Plato's Closet or consignment shops such as Fashion Attic in Fells Point or Newbury and Smith in Mount Washington Village. Call first to make an appointment at those last two options, though!
Shop online: Enhance your hunter-gatherer skills with the help of a search engine. You can shop for current name-brand clothes and accessories on eBay or Craigslist. You'll pick up the vocabulary quickly, such as NWT (new with tags). Pricier designers are also bringing their sample sales online. Finding them can be difficult, but sites like hautelook.com promise to connect fashion mavens with the coveted information.
And check sites like Bargainist for hints and coupons and coupon codes for sales at your favorite shop's online site.
Craft: You can always refresh your clothes by altering them, especially if you know your way around a sewing machine. Change a hem, add some detailing or do a complete overhaul. Check out burdastyle.com or craftycrafty.com for ideas and patterns.
Comments
great item! very informative! especially in these tough economic times, you still wanna look great, but pay less for clothes! there's also a cool store on wisconsin avenue in bethesda called mustard seed where you can buy and sell used clothes...filene's basement and marshall's are also great for bargain shopping! good luck girls (and boys that like to shop)!!!
Posted by: nicole | June 26, 2008 12:02 PM
Wow! What a great post. You really hit on all the options. My only tip to add -- and this is something I learned from my mom -- is to hit up the thrift stores in fancy schmancy neighborhoods. I've got my eye on the Goodwill in Federal Hill, ready to snatch up the cute clothes that the preppy chicks give away.
Posted by: Julie | June 26, 2008 1:14 PM
julie, my favorite is the goodwill in annapolis. and fashion attic in fells point where i found a velvety jacket and burberry style rain coat for a steal.
And let's not forget Goodwill sometimes gets donations of stuff like $40,000 paintings! --- lfk.
Posted by: dan thanh | June 26, 2008 3:50 PM
These are awesome -- makes me want to go hit up Goodwill after work.... I am a rabid online shopper. But I never buy a thing without checking an online coupon website first. There are tons out there but my favorites are http://www.retailmenot.com/ and http://www.slickdeals.net/
Posted by: Anonymous | June 26, 2008 4:55 PM
Clothing swap parties are super fun! Well, I've only been to one, but it worked out really well! It was a mix of friends and friends of friends that I'd never met and everybody was stylish.
I got three pairs of jeans and got rid of all my summer clothes that I've been wearing for too many summers in a row. We tried to be organized, but after lots of wine the party kinda became a free for all, which worked out better. My only tip is to wear modest underwear! Oh yeah, and make sure a full-length mirror is handy.
Posted by: aeb | June 26, 2008 5:25 PM
also, the Goodwill on Fort Ave. is actually not that great for clothes. Besides, you might end up with some of my castoffs! :)
Posted by: aeb | June 26, 2008 5:27 PM
Wow! What a great post.....Its really good....
Posted by: Oakley Sunglasses | July 26, 2008 3:03 AM