Guess what? I found another ‘willing participant’ for a thrifty makeover…YAY!!! So I headed off to Thrift Town at 3900 Menaul Blvd. in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Look at that beautiful blue sky and the Sandia Mountains in the background…but enough about the scenery, let’s get this thrifty makeover started!

Meet my friend Rebekah. We work together at the local elementary school. She just turned 45…that makes her the youngest in my group of friends at work. For reference, she is a size 10. Before I go shopping I research my client’s body type (Rebekah is curvy/busty) so I know what looks best on them. She was impressed that I did that. Hey…if you don’t look good, then I don’t look good!

As usual, I got to Thrift Town an hour before Rebekah to do the shopping. (By the way, she was looking for something to wear to her daughter’s high school graduation.) I really thought I was going to have more like 90 minutes to shop, but that Rebekah got there earlier than I expected! She brought along her beautiful daughter Mary.

First up, the buggy visual:

 

Actually, it was two buggies! I was in the back of the store when Rebekah showed up, so I had her try on a bunch of jackets in front of the mirror back there and then we took the clothes we didn’t want to the dressing room attendant to hang back up. You should have seen the shocked look on their faces. Sorry guys!

Once again, bottoms were an issue. We ended up with three possibilities…a pair of jeans, a pair of brown dress pants and a black skirt. She mentioned that she and her husband were going to a concert and maybe I could find a look for that. So what started out as a look for her daughter’s graduation evolved into a look for a date night.

This thrifty makeover took longer to do because I was putting together looks for all three bottoms. Speaking of bottoms…while Rebekah was trying on clothes, I sat my bottom down on the couch outside of the dressing room because I was tired!

There she is! Don’t tell her that I’m sitting down on the job…it will be our little secret. Thank you.

After HOURS of shopping (I had to go back a second time because I didn’t get any tops pulled before she got there) and trying on clothes…we finally decided to go with the black skirt.

Are you ready for the big reveal?

Here is her before picture again:

Drumroll please!

Ta-dah! A perfect date night outfit…but with just a few changes…a cute cardigan and a pair of sparkly flats… this skirt and top combo would work for her daughter’s graduation too!

This head -to toe look was only $31.50 because I took her shopping during Thrift Town’s Anniversary Super Sale when women’s clothing was 50% off and jewelry was 30% off. Pretty smart huh!

Here is a close up of all the jewelry:

Here are all the outfit details:

Gap black denim jacket…$4.00, Simply Vera Vera Wang white sleeveless top…$3.00, Worthington black skirt…$4.00, MIA black wedge boots…$7.99 (they were the only thing that was not on sale), shell earrings…$1.39, necklace…$4.19, shell charm bracelet…$3.49 beaded bracelet and wood bracelet…69 cents each.

She also purchased a purple peacoat for $2.00 and an REI black jacket for $4.00.

Even though it was a long process…Rebekah only had good things to say about the whole experience. She is a seasoned thrifter, but had never thought to go to a thrift store and put together a head-to toe look. She had a great time and she loved the look.

Another satisfied customer.

On another note: Don’t forget that Thrift Town offers seniors (age 60+) a 30% discount every Monday.

Are you ready for YOUR thrifty makeover yet?

Darlene Fadem is a wife and mother with two sons in college. She’s OBVIOUSLY over 50, hence the name Thrifty Over 50. She admits to being a label hunter when thrifting, but pleads the fifth to everything else. When she’s not thrifting she is teaching five year olds how to read, write and be fashionable! You can also find her styling looks on her fashion blog for older women http://whosaprettygirl.wordpress.com