Thrifty is My Middle Name

It's true - I'm addicted to thrift store shopping.  I can't get enough of digging through racks upon racks of old, used clothing...It's a rush for me to dig through an entire rack of stuff right out of the 80's to find that one gem that suits my style.  How can you go wrong with the price, anyway?  Ninety-nine percent of the time when someone asks me where I bought a piece of my outfit, I reply with "Goodwill, of course!"  I live for thrift store finds.

So without further ado, here are a few items I've found over the last several months that I feel are expressive pieces worth mentioning.  I will try to find these items online, if possible, so you can know where to purchase. :-)

The first I want to share with you is this pair of boots I found at The Salvation Army.  I went to both SA stores on President's Day weekend because everything was half off, no matter what color price tag was on it!  (For those of you who may not know, they pick a "color of the day," and any clothing item with that color tag will be half of the price marked.)

These beauties were marked $4.99, so I paid $2.50 for them.  A steal to say the least!  These boots are by Truffle in a size 9.  I found a couple different similar styles here and here.  Both are inexpensive and definitely worth checking in to.  These are comfortable to walk in, and I can wear them all day without any problems.  I like how the tops can be rolled down for a more relaxed look, but I prefer to lace them up all the way instead.  I also like that they were already broke in to a bit of a worn, creased look.  I think it helps with the rustic effect.  You'll notice there is a bit of a scuff on the left toe, but for $2.50 I wasn't going to complain!  I will just take a similar colored marker and color that bit in to make it much less noticeable.

My next thrift store steal are these gorgeous teal pumps by Spicy.  

I can't seem to find them online, or anything close to them in style for that matter, so I'm assuming they are probably discontinued.  They are a pair of faux snakeskin, stiletto pumps in a beautiful teal shade.  I would say they are probably between two and three inches in height.  I am a sucker for the pointed-toe style heels, so I was super excited to see these at a local thrift store for $9.99.  The snakeskin adds a nice textured feel, and the buckle gives them a little bit of a pop.  I like to wear these to work underneath a pair of floor length trousers so that the pointed toe peeps out underneath to show the color and silver buckle.  Wearing them like that with the pointed toes gives me a nice streamlined look, which I love.  I have to admit that they are uncomfortable if I'm on my feet for a long period of time, but they are tolerable for my daily desk job.  Quite a bit of weight will rest on the ball of your foot when standing in these, so I recommend purchasing a gel sole to slip inside styles like this for more practical wear.

The third "steal" I found was at The Goodwill.  I found a pair of bootcut Lane Bryant dark wash jeans for $4.99.  I am always ecstatic when I find Lane Bryant brand clothes at thrift stores because buying Lane Bryant in their own store is always way too expensive.  A regular price pair of jeans at LB runs around $60-$70. 

    

I really like this style of jean for three reasons: 1) the dark wash, 2) the whiskering at the hips and 3) the extra panel above the back pockets.  Dark wash is universally flattering on all body types, but especially among us thicker gals.  I also like that a dark wash can be dressed up with a nice blouse and blazer or dressed down with a fitted tee for a more casual look.  I have always loved the whiskered pattern on jeans; I think it gives them a fashionable look without being overbearing and full of holes.  The big reason I love this pair of jeans is the way they sit on the hips.  Because of the extra panel of fabric above the back pockets, they cover the entire rear without fear of showing more than I bargained for when I sit or bend down.  They have a fair amount of stretch in them as well, which helps with the comfort factor.  Shown here, they do look a little big in the back, but this was after I had worn them all day long so they relaxed quite a bit.  When I first put these on after a washing, they feel and fit amazing.  The fabric lays flat in the front, which is something I always look for in a good pair of jeans as well.  I don't like feeling like I'm carrying around a pouch...not very flattering!

The last item I want to talk about is this necklace I found at The Goodwill.

I have no clue who this piece is by, but I love the costume style chunkiness to it.  It's fun without being too gaudy.  I have been gravitating toward extra long necklaces lately because I like the idea of drawing the eye down to lengthen the neck area.  I think in this case the knotted beads intertwined with the chains gives it a unique interest.  I use this piece to give an otherwise stale outfit a personal flare.  This necklace is two of my favorite things in fashion - Black and Chains.  It's edgy and fun, and for a price of $3.99, I wasn't about to pass it up!

Well, that wraps up my first thrift store haul!  I have tons of other great items from thrift stores, so I'll make sure to include them in Outfit-of-the-Day posts in the future.

Much Love,

~Heather

Welcome to Fashion Hijinks!

Hello and welcome to my brand-spankin' new fashion blog!  I have decided to finally take the plunge into the great big world of fashion blogging.  

My name is Heather, and this is me:

 

As a young woman, I often found myself gravitating toward the internet for fashion advice to avoid the anxiety I felt in the big retail environments.  As a plus-sized woman, I oftentimes found myself off in the corner of a department store where they had shoved the small, plus size section of women's clothing.  I would sift through the racks of drab colors and boxy styles, unhappy with the limited choices I had to express myself and afraid to ask questions.  I would look around anxiously, shamed at the thought of someone finding me there.  How could I ever be happy in the skin of a body that's not even worth the time to create sensible fashion for?

So I avoided brick-and-mortar clothing stores for awhile and turned to the blogging world for help and inspiration.  It was here that I discovered so many of the wonderful, curvy women of fashion.  I discovered ladies that inspired me to forget society's judgment of my size and wear what makes me smile.  Ladies like the lovely Teer Wayde, who helped me embrace my inner rockstar and love for platform heels.  Ladies like Ms. Georgina, who taught me to never settle for lesser quality, boring unmentionables because I deserve to be a sexy woman, too.  And finally, women like funky Cora that inspired me to reach for my first set of makeup brushes and bold lipsticks.

Basically, it was by reading their experiences and realizing that I wasn't alone in a world full of slim-obsessed media, that I was able to find the courage to start my own beauty and fashion discovery.  So thank you, ladies, for all that you offer to women around the world.  Your stories are truly an inspiration to us all.

Now, back to my story.  I grew up in a small town.  When I say small, I mean 500 people small...We were a farming, family oriented community.  My daily life consisted of school, chores, sports, bikes and dirt.  I wore the "play clothes" my mom differentiated from my "school clothes" to play around town in.  So I grew up in a jeans and t-shirt kind of world, and needless to say I was a tomboy.  I used to get in trouble for popping black tar bubbles with my fingers in the road by our house!  Don't get me wrong, I had barbies that I loved dressing up as a kid.  But I never translated that love to my own style once I became old enough to express my individuality.

I refused to wear dresses for the longest time.  By the time I was able to pick my own clothes out up until graduation from high school, I can only recall five dresses - eighth grade prom, one wedding, two homecomings and one high school prom.  I wore my brother's clothes about as much as my own.  I didn't experiment with makeup until I was 19 years old, and to this day six years later, I am still an amateur that's constantly learning from YouTube and blog posts.

So this blog, Fashion Hijinks, is dedicated to my journey through womanhood that will involve plus size clothing, shoes and accessories and thrift store finds that feed my inner fashionista.  And of course, the fashion faux pas I am destined to commit.  I will include pictures, life experiences and epiphanies along the way.

I hope you choose to join me on my adventures!

Much Love,

~Heather

P.S. Stay tuned for my first thrift store haul of a few items I've found over the last several months!