Fun in Thrift Stores

Hello Readers,

As many of you may already know, I have an Etsy shop.  And as some of you may have noticed, that shop is currently empty.  Well, I am trying to re-vamp my shop by adding new and improved stock.  To do this, I am in the process of sorting through various sites across the midwest (mostly estate sales and thrift stores) to create a more successful venture.  Here are a few highlights of my search:


1) Red Dress Suit- late 1980s?

I actually might go back for this dress suit.  The more I look at the pictures, the more I am impressed with this red stunner suit from the 80s.  Lace, shoulder pads, hourglass shape, pearl buttons- who could ask for anything more? The main reason I passed on the suit was because the skirt was too short for me- but not everyone is 5'10''. . . so maybe this could be a contender for my shop. What do you think?

2) Pale Periwinkle Party Dress- 1970s?

This dress was a hot polyester mess- literally! I appreciated the detailing around the waist, but the polyester (I'm guessing it was polyester) was hot and itchy and the sleeves had an odd fit. I decided to pass on this polyester disaster. My best guess is that this was a bridesmaid dress from the 1970s.  If this was the case, I wonder if the bride really didn't like her bridesmaids.

3) Pink Whisper Lace Dress- 1980s?

Even though this dress is quite awful, I think that I secretly loved it because of the lace.  You can't tell from the picture above, but the lace overlay had more than one pattern. I had to pass on this delicate beauty because sections of the zipper were rusty- which is why I am holding the dress closed with one hand instead of wearing it zipped.

4) VaVaVa-Shoulders- 1980s or early 1990s

This was a fun dress to try on, but it took a bit of effort to figure out how to wear the strap and shoulders of the dress. It has a distinct shape, but I felt like there are already a lot of dresses like this one on Etsy. My main reason for passing on this dress, however, is because this is a dress that I would never wear- even to a costume party- and I prefer to sell things that I would wear or recommend to a friend. A fun dress, but not for my shop.

Do any of you frequent thrift shops or antique stores? What do you look for? (I have a weakness for antique costume jewelry)