Thrifty Threads

Welcome to another installment of Thrifty Threads, AKA Most Stylish Compact-y Outfit, where readers model their favorite secondhand clothes.

A Compact-y outfit is used or recycled, from Goodwill, a thrift store, or a consignment shop. It could also be from craigslist, a clothing swap, or in this case, from ebay.

Today's model is Janet, who blogs at taibhsearachd, which means "second sight" in Gaelic. She describes her blog as "a vehicle for me to take a second look at events and people around me, and give second thoughts to the way I live my life." I like that, living life as a thoughtful, conscious, and reflective journey. Janet blogs about many aspects of her life, including her family, her ebay addiction (with photos of boots!), her wanderlust, her own "No Impact Week" experiment, and she posts some gorgeous photos of the Yukon, Canada, where she lives. That sounds so exotic! You can check out her blog here.

She bought this Betsey Johnson party dress on ebay. It is SO cute, and so perfect for any dressy holiday event. I love how she mixed things up and added color and personality with the shoes, which were also Betsey Johnson and purchased on ebay. The total for the dress and the shoes was under $100. Janet says the outfit was barely used and would have cost over $500 retail. What a steal! She picked up the cute faux fur stole in an area consignment shop for $15.

Thanks Janet for the great photos! Janet says "I've been meaning to send a photo for a long time, but like most of us, I hate to have my photo taken. But I finally bit the bullet." She even let me use the one with a weird light streak across her face because it showed off the dress the best. Now readers, it's your turn. I still need more participants to keep the series going, so put on your favorite thrift store score, snap a photo, and send it to me at barton.angela@gmail.com. Don't be shy. We want to see women of every size, shape, and color, in all different kinds of outfits. Men and children are welcome as well. Janet and the other Thrifty Threads models are proving you can look stylish without spending a lot of money.

I think buying secondhand is very smart. Do you shop at thrift stores, or on ebay or craigslist? Does your Goodwill carry clothes you would wear? Please leave your best tips for secondhand shopping, plus compliments for Janet in the Comments section. We'd love to hear from you. And click here if you want to check out previous installments of Thrifty Threads.