Well Hello Marc Jacobs...

In my exploring of what Saint Louis has to offer, I have come across many different consignment shops.  However, when you think consignment, add a few $$ to what you are planning to spend.  In the past few months I have found an upscale consignment shop called The Women's Closet Exchange, and it prides itself in selling upscale clothing (I know, I wouldn't put the apostrophe there either, but that's how the sign is). They also have an online store called HollyWhirl. Not only do they only accept consignment clothes from the past 3 years, but they sell by season (spring clothes in spring, fall and winter starting in August), but they will actually say "no thank you" to your consignment if it is the wrong brand(s). Now, I am happy as a clam to shop at a normal thrift store for things like shirts to wash the car in and fun clothes for Halloween, but this is the place to go for stuff to wear to work or a night out on the town. I have already found a great dress and fun pair of shoes at this store, and a few days ago my good luck streak continued.

Meet Marc Jacobs. I found this great dress NWT - that's New With Tags for those non-eBay shopping readers - retailing for $358, and I found it for $80! Even better, it was a size 10 and it fits! I was super excited when I tried it on. The one issue I might have is that it is 100% silk, and really, where can an over-heated hyperthyroid gal where a 100% silk dress? I don't know, but trust me, I will figure it out. In a previous trip to this store, I found a black velvet suit coat, and I definitely think these two will go well together to wear to work.  The pictures aren't that great as they are from my phone, but I wanted to give you a bit of an idea of what it looked like, and all the fun ruffles and button detail on the front. All the buttons are for show, as it has a side zipper.

I do think I have found a nice niche in this store. All the size 4, 6, and 8 ladies come through and tear the store apart, while the size 10 gals are few and far between. I have yet to go to this store and not find something to take home with me. Even the shoes for the size 10 dainty feet are fun to look at. I'm excited to go back and see what they have now that they are selling more of their "spring" selection. Hopefully the good luck continues! Until we meet again.

Holy Moly!

Someone told Santa we were staying in Camarillo for Christmas!



Why Didn't I Think of This Sooner?

You know how when you are out shopping for something and can never find it, and then when you are the least interested in shopping for something, it practically jumps off the shelf and hits you in the face? Today, I was hit in the face with a whole store!

I'm sure this type of store exists in many large cities in many states, but Saint Louis seems to have cornered the market on "Upscale Resale". There are many people in Saint Louis who have the money and the want to buy the latest trends every season, and have no need for last season's purse or pair of shoes. Lucky enough for these people, there are people like us who are willing to purchase their "slightly worn" items at a very deep discount and help keep these said upscale resale stores in business.

Prime Example: Tonight I ventured over to a store after work called the "Women's Closet Exchange". This is far different than your grandma's thrift store.  The owner of this store not only accepts items (either donated or on consignment) from locals, but she also has distributors that send her items from boutiques when they are no longer in season from all the major shopping cities; such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. This woman has built up quite a system for herself and her shop. Should you want to check out the website, click here. While all roads are paved with good intentions, today's road turned out beneficial for me. I had originally wanted to just check out the store and report back to the girls at work, and then we could all go one day at lunch. Instead, I found myself a lovely pair of never-before-worn shoes, and a classic sheath black and white polka dot dress.

Kay Unger dress. Average price at Nordstrom's: $250. Barely worn and in great shape bought today: $49.

BCBG pumps - zappos price: $150. These are never-been-worn shoes (clean on bottom): $29.

Funny how I magically found shoes that matched a dress. I really didn't do that on purpose. I picked up the shoes (of course I went to the shoe area first), tried them on, and put them on the counter to hold while I looked at the rest of the stuff.

There are three other boutiques on our list to check out:
1. ScholarShop
2. Upscale Resale Boutique
3. Back on the Rack

I'll definitely let you know what kind of treasures we find there as well!

P.S. Let the record show that I found a pair of CHANEL pumps, navy and white, size 10 -  a perfect fit, and left them in the store. While the $199 price tag was an incredible deal in relation to the original purchase price, I just couldn't pull the trigger.  But here's a picture of them, just for fun.

Shoe Oogling

Hello Badgley Mischka shoes! Very nice to meet you.  My name is Mandi and I'll be stalking you for a while.

To see more of what Badgley Mischka has to offer, check out www.endless.com and look under "Brands" for Badgley Mischka, OR just click here.

Thank you, Marc Fisher

Dear Marc Fisher,

Thank you for making a red heel that someone over the age of 18 can wear -a red shoe that is not too orange that only a hooker would wear, and not too Crayola red so it looks like you're going off into the 1st grade. Thank you for making a deep red adult heel that I can wear. It took me a long time, but I found you, and I think I'll keep you.