All kinds of obsessed with this old school Bloomingdale’s Men’s red polo.

Outfit 1: Forever 21 Pencil Skirt; Housing Works Belt; Foot Traffic Plaid Tights; Celine Platform Pumps; Vintage Men’s Polo (Goodwill Outlet Center).
Outfit 2: BCBG Dress (Beacon’s Closet); The Sock Man Tights; Housing Works Belt; Celine Platform Pumps; Vintage Men’s Polo (Goodwill Outlet Center). [...]

I checked out Housing Works’ Fashion for Action Preview Sale last night, courtesy of a press pass (thank you kindly).

Dear Housing Works,
Here’s the deal: You know I’m impressed by your $20 all-you-can-stuff bag sales and by your charitable nature. I’m psyched the recession has designers clamoring to collaborate with you, and am obvs planning on hitting the Fashion for Action Public Sample Sale later this month. On the whole, I’m a fan. That being [...]

Disclaimer: I wrote this piece for Huff Po a few weeks ago, hence the lack of naughty language and the slightly more formal tone. Huff Po responded by not publishing it. Pfft. I’m attributing this to the fact that I waxed poetic on practical impulse buys during Fashion Week which, in hindsight, was probs a [...]

There’s one thing I heart more than perusing new crops of killer designer goodies at Housing Works’ Fall Preview Sales. It’s the day before a given sale takes place, when the store’s summer stock gets reduced to 75% off. I shop cheap first and look loaded second, what can I say.
Per esempio: Tonight, Housing Works [...]

Sunner dresses usually retail for a cool $300.

This sample Sunner number hadn’t yet been marked up 9000%; its wholesale price was $99.
What did I pay?

A whopping thirty buckaroos. Thank you Housing Works Tribeca.
The stunner was a bit long for my shorty frame, but between the color, snap-front details and the silky material, I couldn’t say [...]

I’ve been fortunate enough to experience Housing Works’ sporadic sales by chance; if you don’t frequent this local chain of charity thrifts as frequently as myself (you shouldn’t – it is a sick sick obsession), hit a location a few days before they do their seasonal swappage of merch. You’ll know what I’m talking about.

I [...]

On its own, the term “gently-worn” doesn’t sound all that bad. It takes on a whole new sketchy meaning when applied to the realm of footwear, probs because a literal walk in someone else’s shoes means absorbing the unknown state of their tootsies. Few bargains are worth the risk of unpleasant odors and/or fungus. Then [...]

On June 29 at 5:34 PM, Rebecca emailed a post-game analysis of her experience at the latest Housing Works’ Warehouse Sale. Read on to see me get totally SCHOOLED in the art of thrift.
Hi Cheap JAP,
Just wanted to tell you about my finds at my 2nd trip to the Housing Works Warehouse Sale in L.I.C. [...]

My Greenwich Village hood can be perilous to those shopping on a budget. Particularly when a stroll down your block puts you directly on West 8th Street between 6th Avenue South and Fifth Avenue, smack dab in the middle of fifteen or so shoe stores. Es problemo.
To be fair, I’d been looking for a new [...]

When I found this shirt at Housing Works’ Latest Bag Sale, I seized it for its color and satin-esque material. It wasn’t until I tried it on post-dry cleaning that I realized the fringe presented a big problemo. I hacked away the offending material with scissors and cinched it around the waist for shape – [...]

The Vera Wang Lavender Label three-quarter-length tee snagged at Housing Works’ latest and greatest $20 All-You-Can-Stuff Bag Sale was a size XL, and a stretched out, broken-in one at that. On me, it wasn’t just unflattering; it bore striking resemblance to a cropped muumuu.

This obvs made it the perfect candidate for some serious scissoring [...]

When I hit the Housing Works Warehouse Sale back in January, I experienced an array of firsts. It wasn’t just my first $20 All You Can Stuff Bag Sale; that day marked the first time I foraged for clothes strewn across a dirty cement floor and my first trip to Queens. The experience was both [...]

A Housing Works’ $20 All-You-Can-Stuff-Bag Sale that isn’t in Queens?! Dream! If you’re in town, get your tuchis down to the Housing Works Bookstore Cafe (126 Crosby between Houston and Price), and join the organized outdoor chaos.

I found these periwinkle herringbone trousers eons ago on the floor of Housing Works’ All-You-Can-Stuff-Bag Sale and immediately had them dry-cleaned. I forgot they were there because I’ve been doing my own laundry to save moolah (you know you’re in a Recession when…), and finally retrieved them a few days ago, a.k.a. four or [...]

I NEED to go shopping but I’m SOOOO broke. Help. This, from my girl Krip, via gChat. While I’d had previous success converting my childhood bestie to Forever 21, the look of disgust on her face upon entering Beacon’s Closet that day outed her as Queen O’ the Thrift Skeptics, if there were such [...]

After reading and reviewing carefully the Rules for Newbie Cheap JAPs, you should be relatively well-prepared for your first foray into the world of re-sale shopping. Before you depart, arm yourself with the following:
No-Hands Bag
Something worn across the shoulder in the messenger style, an actual backpack, an ironic fanny pack, whatever. Just make sure you [...]

Ahh, the Housing Works’ Warehouse Sale – the gift that keeps on giving, in clothes and in content. The marriage of hot pink and lace in this muumuu-esque blouse/dress thing made including it in my all-you-can-stuff brown bag a no-brainer…but how to wear it? My cup size transforms any un-cinched garment into maternity garb: [...]

Below, see Exhibit A: Two dresses from Alexander McQueen for Target’s latest fashion initiative, Designer Abominations, err, Collaborations.

Design-wise, the Zigzag Print Dress and the Tattoo Print Strapless Dress ain’t half-bad. They’re cute enough that I’d try them on and consider buying them…if they weren’t priced at $69.99 and $79.99. As previously mentioned, in a [...]