2.24.2007

My FIDM Shopping Spree

Ah, I finally get a chance to post this. Taking pictures of everything is so time consuming!

It's been almost a week since I last posted, but if you recall, I had just gone on a shopping spree. I bought so much stuff that I had trouble carrying everything home. Was the trouble worth it? How much damage did I do to my wallet this time? Let's see...

I've always wanted a wrap dress, but I haven't found the perfect (cheap) ones. On this trip, I got two. Both of them had small colored markings on the back at the neck, which are covered by my hair anyway. I doubt that anyone is going to look up close. $2.50 each.


I'm always on the lookout for interesting outerwear, since I'm always wearing the same few things. I think that my best find is this F21 number. It's a jacket! It's a dress! It's...something that can pass for either.

When I picked it off the rack, it was missing a button. While I was trying it on, I found the said button in my pocket. Sweet! No one has to know...$2.50 it is.

I've gotten to like shrugs, even though I hated them back when they were really trendy. They're so versatile on warm days that turn cold when the sun goes down, and they're perfect when I go to school (the outdoor temperature tends to be way warmer than indoors). The buttons were originally all black, but one was missing. Since finding a replacement button would be more expensive than the shrug itself (which was $2.50), I decided to replace both buttons.

The replacement buttons came from a $1 bag of mixed buttons that was also sold in the store. It took me a while to sort out all the buttons when I got home, but now I've got lots of cool buttons for future projects! I even sent a set of nautical-themed buttons as a free gift to one of my Etsy customers.

Two pieces of outerwear looked cool, but in retrospect, not very good buys. Take a look at this long hoodie:


It's nice and long, just the way I like it. A hole was cut out of where the label was supposed to be, but it's covered by the hood so I didn't mind. I'll patch it up eventually. What I didn't notice was a big piece of fabric that was cut out of the band at the hem. I didn't catch it until my mom pointed it out. Bummers. At least it's on the inside, so it's not visible. Not the best value for $2.50 considering I've gotten near-perfect clothing at that price.

And then there's this:

I've been looking for a long sweater that serves as a sweater dress. There was a big slash in the back, right over my butt. I figured that I'd sew it close and it should be OK, but my sewing job is very much visible. I wouldn't go so far as to say $2.50 down the drain, but it's definitely not the smartest buy. To fix this, I'll be doing applique designs on the back. I'll show you the results once I have time to get that done.

I love this sweater! The cheery color and the puffed sleeves take the boringness out of the turtleneck. I'm wearing it right now. There was some separation at the seams of the neckpiece, but that was easy to fix and covered up when the turtleneck flap is folded down. Definitely worth $1.

Not pictured: two Forever 21 gray rayon camisoles at $1 each. I usually don't buy two of the same thing, but there were no flaws at all and I can always use camisoles, so why not?

Total: $19 plus change after accounting for sales tax.

I have no regrets.

8 comments:

ThatBeeGirl said...

love love LOVE the green sweater.

Anonymous said...

Forever 21 has seriously replaced every cheap shop I used to love as my go-to place. I wish a real-live retail store was nearer than a 30 minute drive from where I live--such deals will never be found at their online site.

The green sweater is fabulous.

Sales Rack Raider said...

Thanks, ladies! You can tell I love green.

I love things from Forever 21 and often go there for gifts, but I never like shopping there because it's always crowded and clothes are all over the place. The waiting time for the dressing rooms is almost eponymous. I'm just glad that I'm close enough to a nice quiet place that sells their damaged (or sometimes undamaged) goods for a fraction of the price.

Unknown said...

great finds! i rarely go to my F21 anymore. i think the staff there don't know the meaning of organization. everything is a mess in there. you did good.

Eli said...

is this from the store in front of FIDM? Ugh I miss going there so much, they used to actually have some brand name clothes inthere before. We used to buy a lot of cool fabrics and buttons there. THey also used to sell fashion magazines for like ten cents.

Sales Rack Raider said...

Yup, that's the one! Being low on cash, that's the only place I'd go shop nowadays. Even thrift stores are getting pricy, which is just wrong.

S. said...

That F21 jacket is enviable! Even at double the price, heck 10 times the price it would have been great!

Curious, since you're such a serious bargain hunter, do you prefer to shop alone? I do because I also shop super cheap and don't want to be held back or hold anyone else up as I deliberate my purchases.

Sales Rack Raider said...

S., I do prefer shopping alone for the same reason. Every time someone wants to shop wtih me, I made sure they knew how I work and are OK with it. Also, I don't want to hear people whine "I wanna go home," though this never happens since friends I've shopped with are great. They're also serious bargain hunters and understand I take a long time to shop.