The Women's Home reNew and reDux Fashion Show

Pippa and I were so excited to attend The Women's Home's reNew and reDux Fashion Show on August 21st.  I've wanted to attend this event for the last couple of years and for one reason or another have been unable to.  I'm so glad I made it this year!

Envision this, a New York Fashion Week-quality runway show featuring the latest fashion trends.  After the gorgeous models finish walking the catwalk, their couture outfits hit a clothing rack that is then rolled out into the audience.  Next, it's first come, first served to grab the coveted pieces, most ranging from $30 to $150.  Hold the presses...Chanel, Prada, and St. John (many with tags still attached) for less than $150?  You read that right.  This isn't your average fashion show, it's like walking into your favorite thrift shop, fully stocked with gorgeous, high-end items, and having a catwalk right in the middle of the store!  I think that I may have cried a little I was so happy.

I can't express how much it warms my heart to see women in their high-end cocktail dresses and Christian Louboutin's thrifting!

What a fun evening that in the end raised money for a great cause, supporting the operations of The Women's Home.  The bonus, Pippa and I scored some beautiful pieces such as the Tory Burch tunic and brand new Oscar de la Renta dress below!

photo from Houstoniamag.com

I can't wait until next year! 

Goodwill Houston Gift Card Giveaway!!

Exciting news!  TooCheapBlondes.com, a joint blog between Shop Jens Closet and Shop With Pippa, is proud to announce our first giveaway!  We can't think of a better prize than a $50 Goodwill Industries of Houston gift card (good for Houston-area stores only)!

In order to enter, follow these simple steps:

1.  Go to Facebook and "like" Goodwill Industries of Houston's Facebook page.  Click here.

2.  Come back here and enter your name and contact information into the drawing by clicking here.

That's it!  Contest ends August 12th at midnight. 

Skeptical about what you can buy for $50 at Goodwill?  Check out some of our favorite finds!

Brand new Ash boots for $9.99!

Four brand new Billy Reid men's shirts for $5.99 each!

Mary Ching evening gown, $9.99!

  Good luck!

Why I Shop Thrift...and Yes, Occassionally Sell Some Items.

While the majority of the feedback that I've received due to my recent television appearances has been positive, there are a few people who have expressed concern about what I do.  Specifically, people ask why I shop thrift stores if I can afford not to.  They also ask why I take all of the "good stuff" from people that really need it.  Let me address each point.

First of all, I grew up poor.  Destitute.  I spent my entire childhood shopping thrift out of need, so I know how it feels to have thrift shops as your only clothing option.  While I now can afford to shop retail, old habits are hard to break.  I simply don't like overpaying for things.

Second, while I never felt embarrassed to shop thrift even when it was hard to make ends meet, I know that others wouldn't be caught dead in a thrift store.  Maybe I'm crazy, but I'd like to think that my TV appearances are helping remove the stigma.  I'm actually proud of this.

Third, I specialize in vintage clothing.  Last I looked, you can't find a vintage blouse at Macy's.

Fourth and most important, the money I spend at thrift stores is helping people.  If people like me don't shop thrift for "moral reasons", Goodwill's revenues decline.  It's that simple.  In fact, check out their mission statement.  

• MISSION STATEMENT: To help change lives through the power of work. Goodwill provides career training and placement assistance for employment.  We support our programs through profits generated through the sale of donated goods.  Nearly 90 cents of every shopping dollar we receive help fund educational programs and services that assist people in finding better jobs and building careers.

Note that their primary goal is to generate funds to help people train for and obtain employment...not to provide clothes to those that can't afford to pay retail prices.

Finally, let me address whether or not I take all of the "good stuff".  There are thousands of thrift stores in the U.S.  On average, I sell 3 to 5 items per month.  I really don't think I'm emptying the shelves.  Finally, I don't think I'm buying items that are in high demand from the disadvantaged.   I certainly didn't shop for vintage clothing when I was looking for a job and couldn't rub two dimes together.
I do admit that a minute percentage of people will suffer as a result of my actions.  They won't get that Hermes scarf or Chanel skirt because I found it first.  On balance, however, I sleep well at night knowing that my actions are contributing to charitable efforts and convincing the up and coming that there is no shame in shopping thrift. 

Road Trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

My husband tore his calf muscle while playing tennis Fourth of July weekend.  Because of this, our vacation plans that we had scheduled for Mexico got canceled and we decided to take a road trip.  Translation, I got to do all the driving.  

We wanted to escape the Houston heat so we headed up to Santa Fe, New Mexico, about a 900-mile drive.  Did I mention I did all of the driving?  Anyway, of course I can't visit a new city without checking out the thrift scene.

Santa Fe only has one Goodwill so this was an all-or-nothing trip.  I honestly didn't have high hopes based off of the horrible 1-star rating that this location received on Yelp.com.  But, I never accept online reviews of thrift stores as true representations since many of the reviewers are not seasoned thrift store shoppers and can be easily scared away if they don't score on their first trip.

I hit the Santa Fe Goodwill on a Sunday morning.  The store was easy to find and had plenty of parking.  Once I walked inside I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was well organized and clean.  I spent about two hours going through the racks and I think that I hit on some major scores!  According the the Yelp reviews, this store had nothing but cheap, out of style clothing that was overpriced.  After looking at my pictures, I'll let you be the judge and decide if these reviews were on target.

Issa London dress!!  A favorite of Kate Middleton!  Retails for around $500+.  Goodwill price $7.99.

Lamarthe leather purse.  Made in Italy.  Goodwill price $6.99!

Hickey Freeman, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Hermes silk ties!  Goodwill price, $2.99/each!!!!

Strapless silk Ann Taylor dress.  Retails for $150+.  Goodwill price, $7.99!

Ralph Lauren khaki shorts.  Goodwill price, $2.99!

Twinkle by Wenlan skirt.  Retails for $200+.  Goodwill price, $6.99!

New with tags Ann Taylor shirt, John Varvatos men's shirt, and Coldwater Creek jacket.

Great shoes, $6.99-$7.99!  Isaac Mizrahi for $6.99!!!!  These are the real deal, not from Target!

So, what do you think?  Does this store deserve these reviews:

• "This particular Goodwill seemed to pull from perhaps a lower-income donation base. A lot of the clothes were brands that come from Wal-Mart, Target, Penney's & the like. You're probably not going to find a Valentino dress hiding in the racks, but you never know :-)"
  
• "I was sooooo disappointed with this Goodwill.  I guess I'm spoiled by the ones in my home area - possibly because they pull from high-end neighbourhoods and always have great stuff to find.  Sadly, this one in Santa Fe just wasn't that way.
  
  It was medium sized, and had a lot of shoes.  Sadly all those shoes were worn out looking.  The clothes were very much "old lady" clothes for the most part.  Mum and I did find a few cotton gauze skirts (in NM in the summer we found we *really* hadn't packed enough lightweight clothing!), but I couldn't find any tops that I even liked."
  
• "One of the worst Goodwill shops I've seen in terms of stuff for sale. I even saw a rusted grater on the shelves -- seriously people??!!  I did see one Staffordshire china cup for 99 cents (hideous) and an occupied Japan serving bowl for $3.99. Where do all the wealthy people of Santa Fe donate their stuff???"

The lesson for the day:  Don't judge a book by its cover!  I'm so glad that I stopped in to this store.  The employees were absolutely delightful and the store was packed with great finds!

Shop Jen's Closet on Live Well Network's Mirror/Mirror!

I am beyond thrilled with how this segment came out!  I was lucky enough to style Mirror/Mirror host Rebecca Spera at Goodwill last month.  Along with styling Rebecca, I also go over some key thrifting tips.

Be sure and check it out!

Jen and Pippa on Fox 26 Morning News!

Pippa and I were featured on Fox 26 Morning News in Houston this morning.  We shared with viewers some of our favorite thrifting tips, as well as showed some trendy summer looks.

Check it out!

http://www.myfoxhouston.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=8951886

You can find Pippa at Shop with Pippa

Jen & Pippa More Friday Thrift Shop Finds!

It's that time again!  Check out the latest installment of "Jen & Pippa Friday Thrift Shop Finds" on Shop with Pippa's blog!  

In this post Pippa gives a sneak peek at one of the dresses I styled Rebecca Spera in for a segment on the Livewell Network's Mirror/Mirror show.  The show should air sometime in July.  So excited to see the final product!