The Minimal-ish Mama

Got it at Goodwill: Three Thrifty Outfits for $10 Each

in Ethical Fashion, Purposeful Living, Style on

I was window shopping online, and completely captivated by the lovely vintage and oh-so feminine dresses at Modcloth. It’s one of my favorite places to window shop. Now, their dresses are reasonably priced, especially when they’re on sale, and I had $30 of my spending money saved up. I debated between dresses, and suddenly, inspiration struck.

Why not go to Goodwill, pick out a real vintage dress there, and modernize and remodel it to fit me, New Dress A Day style? If you’re not familiar with Marissa’s site, you should go take a look. You’ll get addicted to browsing all the hideous before and adorable after pictures, and her sense of humor! The best part is that she shows you how she makes the transformations. With 365+ tutorials to follow along with, it can’t be too hard for me to do the same, right?

So I took my $30 to Goodwill to see what I could get.

Outfit #1
I found my first outfit almost right away. A coral colored skirt caught my eye. It was the high waisted type that you wear above your belly button with a big belt, so I looked for a suitable top. I found a beautiful pink flowered one and a plain white shirt. I threw both in my cart, but after I tried them on, I decided on the plain white one because it was half off.

As I passed the shoes, these turquoise pumps jumped out at me. Turquoise and coral are one of my favorite combinations. I found a matching belt in new condition, AND a matching silk scarf.

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I’m just not quite sure how to wear the scarf, hence the cheesy model pose. 
The white shirt needs to be sewn up the sides to make it a couple sizes smaller, but otherwise, this outfit is good to go. 
  • Shoes-$3.99
  • Belt-$5.99
  • Scarf- $4.99
  • Shirt-$2
  • Skirt-$2.50

Outfit #2
I remembered the real reason I’d come: finding dresses. So I left the separates and headed to the dress racks in the back of the store.

I tried really hard to stay away from the nice dresses. I loaded my cart with some of the most hideous and frumpy dresses you can image, because I was looking through New Dress A Day rose colored glasses. Unfortunately, dresses here are $10 each, not $1 like Marissa’s. $10 is really overpriced when you look at some of these dresses. Seriously.

I only had $30, and with the cost of my accessories, I couldn’t afford to get the dresses that weren’t half off. By the time I went to the dressing room, my cart was heaped high with options. It was really, really, hard to narrow them down, but finally I decided on two. 

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There were two yellow dresses I liked, but this one doesn’t really require any remodeling, so it’s the one I chose. I’m wearing it with the turquoise accessories, but I think it would look good with white too for a more Easter-y look. 
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Here’s a close up, so you can see the fabric. It’s got a really cute texture. If you have any ideas for dressing it up or adding something to it, let me know! What do you think about adding a few little buttons on the front, right under the high waist? Or maybe a bow, like this dress?
Canary Islands Dress
Modcloth-$95

My price:

  • Yellow Dress-$5.00
I saved $90 by shopping at Goodwill! 

Outfit #3

Project dress. Keep that in mind. 
Drum roll please…
Ta-da! 
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It looks even worse in real life than it does in this picture, trust me. 
The skirt almost touches the ground, but it’s very full and has a nice swing to it. There’s no zipper, which makes it a perfect candidate for me to remodel since I don’t remember how to sew zippers. Get this: It has massive shoulder pads! And large puff sleeves. It’s size huge. 
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But the fabric is really cute, it’s got little white hearts on it! 
Here you can see the buttons on the shoulder, and the weird tie thing on the side. The top of the dress has a layer of fabric that ties at the side. It’s kind of interesting, but it’s something to work with. 
I’m going to chop off the skirt and bring in the sides, and cut out the shoulder pads, but I’m torn about what else I should do. Should I cut off the sleeves? Should I keep the tie thingy? Should I cut more of a neckline?
  • Navy Dress -$5.00
Final price for all three outfits: 
  • $24.44
Less than I would have spent on one Modcloth dress! That works for me! My tip is:

Check your neighborhood thrift store first! It could save you a lot!



What do YOU think I should do to the yellow or navy dress? I’d love to hear your suggestions!

works for me wednesday at we are that family


Comments

  1. Rach says

    Such cute finds! I can't wait to see what you do with your project dress. I hadn't heard of NewDressADay until now, but I am definitely going to check it out!

  3. Becky says

    I can't wait to see the after picture of dress 3! I think maybe it would look better without the sleeves. Beyond that, I have no idea! 😛 By the way, most Goodwill's in this area have 50% off everything on Saturday…some do alternate weeks. I haven't been to Goodwill in a while…I think a trip is in order soon!

  4. withoutadornment says

    I'm really impressed with what you found!

    I'm no fashion expert or even novice, but I would make a more flattering neckline and remove the sleeves on the navy dress. I think a 1950s style dress would be very flattering on you, so something like this: http://www.enfashion.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/rose-garden-dress.jpg, http://www.redressing.co.uk/img/p/258-480-large.jpg or http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-uuFHtKZ9Pg/TB1fVdGyd4I/AAAAAAAAA5w/8Y1m3i4iNuQ/s1600/Blue+Dress.jpg.

    I suck at sewing, but now I kind of feel like going out and finding some dresses to attempt to alter. (Or get my MIL to do it. :P)

  7. va_grown says

    I think the yellow dress is adorable the way it is, so I'm sure whatever you do would just add that much more cuteness to it!

    I agree with withoutadornment above–I would take off the sleeves of the navy one. Adding a sweater will make it fine for any season or occasion.

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