Secondhand Finds & OOTDs: August 2021

With August coming to a close, this is my monthly review of some recent thrift store finds and other secondhand purchases as well as a few OOTDs that were shared on Instagram but not featured in a blog post.

Unlike in the past two months, I did have a bit of success in making some great secondhand finds in August. With Fall on the horizon, it now seems appropriate to be buying jackets and cozy sweaters. The two thrift stores I stopped by on one particular day had quite a selection of them, too. I scored three faux-leather jackets and a real leather one along with the wrap-styled dress I’m modeling in these photos. I bought this dress with the intention of listing it on Poshmark but I couldn’t resist trying it on. If I was still working in an office, it definitely would’ve been a keeper.

I almost passed on this bomber jacket because it’s marked as a size XXL. Even though it’s one of the faux-leather ones, the fabric doesn’t feel plasticky and it’s quite flexible. Then I realized that the brand is F21 and that it’s juniors sizing so I did a quick try-on and into my cart went the jacket. The fit is a little on the roomy side but whether I decided to keep it or sell it, the price couldn’t be beaten. The rack price for jackets is $8 (it wasn’t specially priced) and with my Monday 25% discount, this jacket was only $6. The same is true for the other three jackets as well. I’m really digging the look of it so it’s mine for now. The boots and the necklace were also secondhand finds but bought a while ago.

The other items I’m keeping out of my August secondhand finds are the striped blouse and the “swacket”, which is what I’m calling the jacket shown along with the blouse in the photos below. Much like how a “shacket” which is a cross between a shirt and a jacket, a “swacket” is a cross between a sweater and a jacket. If that’s not a thing yet, it should be and remember that you read about it here first. Back to this swacket, the sleeves and the back are a ribbed-knit; only the front and shoulders are leather. And it’s real leather. Surprisingly, the brand is Jaclyn Smith Classic which I believe is a K-Mart brand so the revelation of real leather was unexpected. I read a kind of a menswear vibe in it so this swacket is ticking off that sartorial note for me. More coming soon in an upcoming post.

As for the striped blouse, what appear as spots are embroidered pale-pink rosebuds that are on the back as well which thrills me. I should have included on my 21 in ’21: Love, Hate, And Desire list that I hate when patterns/motifs are not continued onto the back of a garment. I think that it cheapens the look of the item much like unmatched plaids or stripes do, but I digress. Shown below are the rest of the items from that day; a black moto-style faux-leather jacket, a layered-look tan faux-leather jacket with hood, a Chico’s autumn-hued blouse, and a Madewell chambray top. All are destined to be listed for sale.

The following OOTDs are two non-blogged looks from this past month that were posted on Instagram. Thrifted items in these outfits include the jacket and pants in the look on the right.

That puts a wrap on August. If you’ve been following me on Instagram, then you already know that The Husband and I are in the midst of that five-state road trip I posted about in the last Recycle-Reclaim-Reuse post. I hope you’ve enjoyed the few snippets I’ve been sharing on Instagram. We even made time to visit a few thrift stores along the way. Have you made any exceptional finds while secondhand shopping lately? What thrift store finds or preloved treasures have tickled your fancy? Which trends/aesthetics are you currently keen on as summer winds down?

Be well and let’s stay in touch! Subscribe, tweet, follow, friend, pin … all options are available. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

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Note: This is an unsponsored post; however, some or all of the links to clothing items are associated with an affiliate program where I earned a few cents for each click.

Outfit photos: MMPerez