All About Being A Frugal Fatshionista!

It has been a CRAZY week! In the past seven days, I have become the Albany Plus Size Examiner, a contributor to SKORCH Magazine Blog, a contributor to Daily Venus Diva Magazine, and a Shop It To Me Trendsetter! I have definitely hit the ground running – mostly because I LOVE to write. The more I can write the happier I am!

Also, I have some coupons for ya’ll on the right for Torrid, Lane Bryant, and Kiyonna just click the links and you’ll get 10% off your entire purchase! Stay tuned for more coupons and promotions coming up!

This weekend was BEAUTIFUL! So, what’s a girl to do? Shop, obviously. However, my meaning for “shop” isn’t necessarily everyone else's. Typically when I actually go shopping (because my shopping usually consists of sitting with my laptop because I don’t exactly live in a fashion mecca)

I go to…..

Goodwill & Label Shopper.

Whaaaaaaaat? Are you all gasping? In shock? Or horror? Well, there is one thing you might not know about me,

I am a frugal fatshionista.

I love thrift stores. I go to Goodwill at least once a week. First I head to the dress section. Amongst those ugly house dresses I have found pure gold. And sometimes I buy an ugly house dress, too. I like the challenge of Goodwill. Hunting through racks, digging through bins, looking at an ugly vintage dress and thinking,

“I could rock this with some black heels, a wide belt and scarf.”

And let me tell you, the Goodwill in my town, is nothing to get excited about. It filled with short, button down shirts with crazy stripes or flowers. And mom jeans. And a scary plus-size section. But I brave it – because nothing feels better than buying a cut dress on-sale at the Goodwill for $2.50. Yes, the Goodwill has sales. And Label Shopper can be a mecca – I found Nine West plus-size dresses, tons of Lane Bryant, Silhouettes…pretty awesome.

1. Grasshoppers - Okay, so I didn’t buy these shoes because they made me look like I was about to go on my yacht with a white sweater over my shoulders, while wearing khakis and polo. HOWEVER, they were incredibly comfortable. I mean, felt like my feet had melted into them and I could walk for miles. However, all of the styles were pretty heinous. Grandma shoes. And I found one pair I could have tolerated, but they run VERY small and the size 10 was too tight and the size 11s were too loose.

2. So, this wasn’t REALLY a find…but that dress, on the mannequin, with that awful purse and hat, used to be mine. I am a fatshionista even at Goodwill. I always donate tons of clothes to Goodwill (when it finally seems my closet might vomit all over my pretty shabby chic bedroom), and apparently my garments are mannequin worthy. I don’t mean to brag…

3. Sektor Sport Sneakers – You may recall my quest for comfortable flats. Well since the Grasshoppers didn’t fit, and all the Keds I found were…a bit crazy, my friend Monica pointed these out, as she was already walking around the store in them trying to decide. You may ask, “WTF is Sektor?” So did we…especially when we couldn’t figure out what language the tags on them were written in. (We think Arabic). I can’t find anything about the brand or their website, but hey, these are cute sneaks. They are Velcro, they are small and flat, and look cute with a skirt. And they are pretty damn comfortable. Especially for $9.99!

4. I.N.C. Dress – This dress is DELIGHTFUL! It’s a black shift dress with wide sleeves and it has a red paisley print. At first I didn’t like it – I’m not much for prints. But this paisley print is really pretty and interesting, and it’s NOT all over the place. Also, it was originally a $129 dress and I got it at Goodwill for $2.50!
I also got two other vintage dresses – one is a crazy sweater dress that I MUST model for anyone to possibly understand it’s glory. The other is a pleated shirt-dress that has a blurry pastel pattern with a matching belt. Very 1970s chic.

If you are going to thrift shop or bargain shop or if you are on a budget, I recommend the following places:

* TJ Maxx/TK Maxx – only downside to TJ Maxx (Or TK if you are in the UK!) is their lack of nice plus-size clothing. They commit a lot of my fatshion faux pas, but if you are persistent they do carry great plus size brands from time to time.

* Label Shopper/Peter Harris – Label Shopper is a division of Peter Harris, I don’t know how widespread these stores are, but they are big in the Northeast. Our label shopper has a HUGE plus-size section with sizes up to 28+. They also carry great brands like Apple Bottoms, Lane Bryant, Nine West, Silhouettes, Avenue and Torrid! It’s like having all your favorite brands in one store – but you still have to hit them at the right time, because some stuff is really just laughable. BUT, you can now shop online! They won’t necessarily always show you the brand, but hey, if its in my size and I like it, I could CARE LESS about the brand! The online selection is much more limited than the store, but I just found this cute Lane Bryant dress!

* Goodwill/Salvation Army – Just SEARCH! And don’t be afraid to grab something experimental – it’s the easiest way to try new styles you might not be sure of or old styles you think you can rock.

* CLEARANCE RACKS – One of my shopping rules is to head STRAIGHT to the clearance racks in any store. Places like GAP, Old Navy, Lane Bryant and other major stores mark their prices down ridiculously. I ignore full price because I know A) It’s not worth the money, and B) It will probably be marked down in a few weeks. Two weeks ago I hit a sale at Lane Bryant where everything in the back was $7.00! I got over $600 worth of clothes for $60!

*eBay - I go to eBay for everything. If I am at a store and like something, I take out my iPhone and see if I can get it cheaper. It’s also great for VINTAGE! And a lot of eBay stores sell plus-size fashions that are popular right now, but not a brand name. Once again: WHO CARES! I can get an awesome pair of harem pants for $20 instead of $50 and they fit, how can you complain?

Anyone else have any favorite places for the frugal fatshionista?