Monday, August 10, 2009

Something old and something new

For those of you unfamiliar with clothing consignment stores, they are places you can take your gently used clothing and they sell it for you. In my experience, the split is 50-50. You will get 50% of the profit and the store gets the other 50%. I have consigned for years and years -- since high school.

Depending on how fast your items sell, it is a nice way to make a little extra money once a month. I take clothing a few times a year, usually as the seasons change and I shuffle clothes around. I consign items that I haven't worn in a year, things that don't fit right or clothing that I have simply grown tired of. Consignment stores, unlike thrift shops, usually only accept (and therefore sell) modern clothing that is still in good shape (without rips, stains, etc.).

For about 5 years I have consigned at B and B Resale in Richardson. The people there are super friendly and knowledgeable about recent trends. I stopped by this weekend to pick up a check and ended up spending 4 times the amount my check was for. But I got so much great stuff! To be honest, I have never had this much luck shopping at consignment stores. I usually find a cute skirt or dress, but this time I found a ton of great deals. It was as if my fashion doppelganger had recently brought all of her gently worn clothing to the store.

This champagne silk blouse from Banana Republic was one of my purchases. I gave it a thorough inspection before purchasing -- which is a must since at most consignment stores "all sales are final". This blouse was in pristine condition. It even had a dry cleaning tag firmly affixed to the label -- a good sign the item you are getting is ready to wear. I know from experience a silk blouse from Banana Republic retails for $60+. At season's end you might be able to get it for half the amount. I don't know if my doppelganger paid full price or what, but this blouse only cost me $13 -- I hope she enjoys her $7.50. If I'm lucky, she'll put it towards another silk blouse that I can get for a steal in a few months.

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After my tear through B and B, I went to the mall and got this belt. (Of course, I got a good deal more than just this belt. I won't say how much I bought, but let's just say I will have plenty of things to tell you about in coming posts.) I debated whether or not to wear the belt with this outfit --I wasn't convinced the delicate silk blouse and ladylike shoes were calling for a zebra print belt, but I think the final look worked. I call this look "champagne wishes meets safari chic."


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blouse: Banana Republic
skirt: Banana Republic
belt: New York & Co.
shoes: Carlos Santana


1 comment:

  1. Thank you for your post on consignment stores. As a mom of 2, when I hear the word consignment all I think about are used toys or kids clothing. I'd completely forgotten about ME and MY needs for a great deal! Thank you so much for the reminder!

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