The Ways of The Garbage Lady. Wherein I defend the Pajama Section.

Hello and welcome. Today’s lesson will be all about location, location, location!

Are you excited? Nervous? Nauseous?

When perusing the racks of your local thriftery, it is of the utmost importance to check all, and I mean ALL sections of the store. Every nook and cranny. Is that clear?

I’m sorry, that came off as harsh.

What I mean to say is, you never know what treasures you’ll find if you just stray from the beaten path a teensy bit. Men’s section? Shirt-dresses and oversized blazers galore. And the prints are funky and wonderful. At my local coalition, for reasons yet to be determined, there’s a fantastic corner shelf in Man Land filled with an eclectic selection of scarves, bags and other miscellaneous things. Some of my best finds have come from that blessed spot.

I’ll get to my point. The undiscovered tundra, known to some as The Pajama Section, can be an absolute goldmine for great thrifty finds. Nighties can be turned into dresses and vintage PJ sets passed off as normal daytime wear. Many shoppers are deterred by the daunting number of crusty flannels and suspiciously stained robes commonly found in this territory. But have some courage! It’s well worth a good browsing. To prove my point, I’ve put together a few looks with some of the pieces I’ve found through my own jammie endeavors.

Polka-dot masterpiece. Found in none other than the Pajama section. Confession: When I bought this piece, it had sleeves. I hacked them off and attempted to hem the armholes myself. If sewing isn’t your cup of tea, find a tailor. Small alterations like this are typically very reasonably priced. Seeing as this nightie was $1.50, I think it’s safe to say that even including tailoring costs, thrifting is the frugal shopper’s paradise. The scarf tied boy-scout style round my neck was fifty cents and the shoes a cool $2.00. The bangles: accrued for the past few years but are mostly gifts/stolen from friends.

The Garbage Pile mixes sexy and demure. Or something like that. This green slip was most likely someone’s past attempt to spice up their relationship. Now it’s my go-to summer dress. Don’t be alarmed at the last-photo change-up; I just wanted to show some versatility and the groovy color pairing when I added this vintage Oscar de la Renta scarf. Price time. Enticing green slip dress: $1.50. Cream layering top: $1.50. Shoes: $2.00. Scarf: fifty cents.

The Garbage Pile gets literal. Featuring: my best man-catching face. Or so they like to call it. I’m fairly certain this dress was hand-made. I shortened the hem just a smidgen to add some sass to the look. Hemming is another easy and affordable tailoring option, so never pass up an item just because it’s too long. Dress cost: fifty cents. Shoes: $2.00. Cost of standing next to a trash can in 90 degree weather: undetermined.

If you like what you see here at The Garbage Pile, cruise over to my Instagram account and “like” me! @TheGarbagePile