In May we posted an article featuring cute summer dresses I found at Discover Goodwill with a contest for someone to win a summer style or two for herself. And our winner was Teresa…

I’ve actually known Teresa for several years now and we’ve bonded over our love for shopping at Goodwill. She has also helped us in the past with some makeup makeovers so I was actually thrilled when she won our contest, knowing we’d not only find something fabulous for her to wear, but have a good time while doing so.

Teresa works full-time in a “corporate” office, is an independent beauty consultant, and volunteers as an advocate in court for children in dependency and neglect cases. So when Teresa shops, she looks for things that are professional, versatile, adaptable and fun. She’s a pro in finding dress styles she can toss a cardigan or jacket over for her day job and then taking it off for a more fun evening look. She also loves a lot of color and variety and is constantly trying new things.

For this shopping expedition Teresa and I shopped at the Discover Goodwill Circle location, which I swear feels like a “second home” to me! We’re both kind of a pro when it comes to Goodwill shopping so it didn’t take long to load up a couple of shopping carts and then head to the dressing rooms.

OH THE DEALS WE FOUND…

We both liked this “maurices” dress ($7.99) and it went in our maybe pile. This was one of the few things that in the end, wasn’t bought though, simply because Teresa already owns similar styles/colors. But like a lot of the dresses Teresa tried on, this is a classic example of a dress that you can wear year-round, is comfortable, and can be worn for many different occasions. (Maurices has a store here in Colorado Springs with most of their dresses starting at about $39.)

Teresa knows what styles work best with her shape and height (I feel very tall at 5″ 1/2′ feet when standing next to her!) So while she tends to wear similar cuts, she opts for lots of different colors, accessories, and add-ons like this Agenda cardigan ($5.99 but on sale for $2.99) She also owns several other cardigans in teals and purples so she can mix and match for different looks. The dress was $9.99 for a total $12.98 for both pieces.

We both loved this dress and it was in perfect shape, the material felt fabulous and it looked perfect on Teresa. This is a Free People dress with similar styles starting at $78 but only cost $7.99.

Teresa loves shopping at Discover Goodwill because she says it’s good for the community, the environment, is wallet-friendly, and allows her to try a lot of different brands, styles, and ideas from a whole range of stores and product lines she might not have time to shop for, all under one roof. And she gets tons of compliments on the great things she finds at Goodwill.

This “axcess” dress ($9.99) is a perfect example of knowing what looks good on you, which makes it easier when shopping. While there’s nothing wrong with it and the color looks fabulous on her, it’s just a bit too much material, which can be overwhelming for a petite woman.

Had it been shorter, it would have gone in the “to buy” pile. But you can see what a big difference just the length can make.

I’ve had people tell me before that they find it too confusing shopping thrift stores or that they couldn’t find anything they liked. I like to say that I can go to the mall, shop at lots of stores, and leave empty-handed, not finding anything I liked (or that was in my budget.) In less than a couple of hours Teresa found lots of dresses that were not only affordable, but looked great on her. But you know, it always depends on what’s available and at least with thrift shopping, there’s no “buyer’s remorse” because everything is bargain priced.

This London Times dress was another one that went in the “definite” pile and at $9.99 a steal. London Times is sold at Macy’s and Dillard’s and for dress styles like this, usually start at about $99.

Such a pretty spring/summer dress with colors that look amazing on Teresa. This is a Maggy London label, which is sold at Nordstrom, with similar styles selling for $128 and up. Only $7.99 at Goodwill and it was in perfect condition. And oh my gosh, the shoe possibilities with this dress are limitless…a good thing since I know Teresa has MANY shoes!

Besides getting great deals at Discover Goodwill, Teresa appreciates the ability to easily drop off and donate the things she no longer wears, keeping nice clothes out of the landfills and giving others the opportunity to try something new and different, without spending a lot of money. It’s so easy to donate, just drive up to the drop-off area, the employees do all the heavy lifting, you can get a tax write-off…not to mention the offer of a free cold drink.

While shopping, Teresa saw this beautiful Calvin Klein dress that she thought would look great on me. Now while I tend to wear mostly black, the bright colors were bold enough that I liked it. (I tend to steer clear of pastels since I think they wash me out a bit.) Now here’s the thing about this particular dress…the hem was out and since I don’t sew, I would have normally passed on this. But it was on sale for only $3.99 and I’ve been wanting to do a post on affordable alterations in our area so I thought this would be perfect. If you don’t sew, have a friend who sews, or are willing to get alterations done, this wouldn’t be something you’d want to pick up, regardless of the great price.

Teresa looks fabulous in empire waist styles and when you know what makes you look and feel good, well it makes shopping that much easier. Merona brand on sale for $5.59.

In her spare time (we laughed because really, it never seems like we have enough spare time,) Teresa likes to read, spend time with friends and family, worship her cat (another reason we have bonded,) and travel whenever she can.

When Teresa tried this Eden Court dress on, the first thing I said was “You look like you could walk right in to a courtroom and be in charge.” Well, I forgot that she does appear in court occasionally as a children’s advocate so naturally, when she reminded me that she does, this went in the “YES” pile. I think everything from the fit to the details, to the belt, color and style looks perfect. And it still had the tags on it so it had never been worn. Even better? It was on sale for $6.49!

Teresa mentioned she loves to travel and she’s been to some awesome destinations. She said, “Traveling means needing clothing that is packable, versatile, durable, fashionable, and easy to wear…which means more shopping at Goodwill!”

I personally love summer dresses that do make it easy to travel with less clothes since you can easily find styles you can take from day to evening with minimal effort. Cute sandals for daytime exploring and with a change of shoes and added accessories, you’re ready for an evening out on the town.

This Nicole by Nicole Miller sheath dress was one of our favorite finds. I just wish I had taken a picture of Teresa in this without the Loft cardigan just to show how well it fit her body. Absolutely gorgeous! The dress was $9.99 and the cardigan was only $4.99.

With the exception of the long purple axcess dress and the first black and white maurices dress she tried on, Teresa went home with everything pictured here. We picked up $25 worth (from the contest she won) and Teresa bought the rest. She ended up with a total of 6 dresses and 2 cardigans totaling $66.01 (without tax.) Not a bad evening at all!

And as usual…thanks to Discover Goodwill for letting me take pictures and kind of hog up a dressing room for long periods of time! Like I said, we shopped at the Circle location and everyone was, as they always are, very accommodating, helpful, and friendly.