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What I’m wearing every day this fall

This post is sponsored by thredUP. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Modern Mrs Darcy.

This time last year I was wearing lots of knits, plus sweaters and blazers. This year when the days turned cooler and I pulled out the fall clothes that didn’t feel right anymore. This year I’ve been feeling comfortable in a somewhat crisper look and I’ve updated my uniform accordingly.

Back up: I love uniform dressing. I’m not a hardcore devotee—I don’t literally have ten of the exact same shirt hanging in my closet—but I’ve found a lot of freedom in consciously choosing a general pattern for getting dressed every day. I can look put together and feel comfortable with minimal effort, instead of spending my limited mental energy debating over each day’s outfit.

These days the uniform I keep gravitating towards looks like: a button-down shirt, dark jeans, and flats (or for kids’ sports days, Converse all-stars), plus a jacket or sweater for colder days.

thredup-box-front-porch

If you’re going to wear the same thing every day, your closet needs to be prepared. I hopped on thredUP recently to fortify my fall wardrobe. thredUP is the best resource for women’s and kids’ high-quality secondhand fashion (like a well curated online consignment store) – with a range of brands including favorites like Ann Taylor Loft, Banana Republic, and J Crew, always up to 90% off the original retail price.

thredup-box-front-porch-child

I know many people love to shop; I’m not one of those people. I know what I like, I wear the same brands repeatedly, and I want buying my clothes to be quick and easy. But somehow it always seems the day I’m actually ready to buy is the one day when there are no sales and no coupons, and I hate to pay full price. With thredUP, I can shop whenever it’s convenient for me, because I can always get better-than-sale prices. That also makes it possible to afford brands and designers I’m not normally able to.

thredUP has a ton of inventory, but it was easy to find what I wanted. I stuck to the brands I loved, and toggled by size and color, which reduced my vast options to a manageable number.

It didn’t take me long to fill my cart with fall items, and just a few days later, my polka dot box arrived on my front porch. Nothing about the packaging says “secondhand.” Everything comes neatly folded, wrapped in tissue paper, and tagged. Here’s what my order looked like when it arrived:

thredup-box-unboxing-clothing-clothes-stack

My first priority was J Crew tops. I ordered two button downs for $20.99 and $21.49 that normally each retail for $68 (about 69% off). I ordered another button down for $21.99 that normally retails for $88 (about 75% off).

More J Crew: I paid $25.99 for a silk blouse (the one in the photo with the cute little anchors) that normally retails for $68 (62% off), and $23.99 for a beautiful blue-green cashmere crewneck sweater that normally retails for $148 (84% off).

I was also really excited to find a navy J Crew schoolboy blazer for $70.99 (64% off the $198 retail price). Of course that’s a great deal, but also, this style has been sold out for forever on the J Crew website. I was excited just to find one, let alone find one at such a great price.

These are my thredUP finds, hanging in my closet:

thredup-clothes-in-closet-wide

I also ordered some jeans for my daughters, because we’ve had a terrible time finding their sizes in stores recently and I didn’t want to pay shipping to order one thing from each of their preferred stores. I found Gap jeggings for $23.99 (not cheap, but 47% off the $44.95 sticker price, new with tags, and hallelujah, they fit) and Gymboree jeggings for $10.99 instead of $34.95 retail (69% off). My older daughter needs tops and hasn’t liked the stuff in the girls’ department lately so we found her an XXS women’s knit Gap tunic for $8.99 (80% off the 44.95 retail price).

I was happy with the prices I paid at thredUP, but hang tight because I have a coupon code for you that will let you get an even better deal.

thredup-clothes-in-closet-close

My new purchases are slotting nicely into my current wardrobe, but no surprise there—I ordered the kinds of items I already know I love to wear. Here’s me, in my office, wearing a typical outfit for a typical day.

anne-in-office

If you have clothes you don’t wear anymore, you can send them to thredUP. Order a thredUP Clean Out Bag, fill it with the items you no longer want (the thredUP website has all the details), and place at your front door for pick-up. It couldn’t be easier to get rid of the things you’re not wearing in a responsible way.

Want to try it yourself? Click here and use code MRSD40 to get 40% off your entire order! First-time shoppers can save up to $50 with that code. Valid through January 24, 2017.

Updated Fall Uniform

39 comments

Leave A Comment
  1. Libby says:

    I recently fell in love with thrift shopping–because I found online stores like ThreadUp! I love that I’m saving money but more than that, I love that I’m reusing already existing pieces. Everyone wins!

  2. Coleen says:

    How do you use ThredUP and StitchFix together? Is one for the “tried and true” and another to try something new? Obviously, the former is going to be cheaper than the latter. But I’m curious, as a fellow non-shopper who hasn’t quite bit the bullet to try either.

    • Anne says:

      ThredUp is great if you know what you want. I couldn’t ask Stitch Fix to send me five similar shirts at once and expect to like them all. And I can NEVER get J Crew or Ann Taylor from Stitch Fix! Or anything that has a more tailored feel.

  3. Breanne says:

    I am just figuring out a fall capsule wardrobe after having a baby and it is fun! I love the freedom of not thinking about what I’m wearing but also knowing that all my outfits are put together, even if I’m just home with my children or going to the library.

    Now if Thred Up shipped to Canada, it would make the process that much sweeter. 😉

  4. Louise says:

    I used ThredUp to put together Supergirl and Wonder Woman costumes for my kids this year–red skirt and blue shirt for Supergirl (and then an iron-on S symbol for the shirt from the craft store), red shirt and blue skirt for Wonder Woman (sewed gold ribbon to the shirt for HER symbol). Cheaper than buying costumes from the store, and each piece can be reworn on its own. I haven’t had as much luck finding good clothing pieces for myself, but this inspires me to take a second look!

  5. Martha says:

    I was disappointed when I sent a giant clean out bag to thredup for consignment …and they have no record of receiving it… afraid to try again….

  6. Brooke says:

    You’ve inspired me to try ThredUp. I am getting tired of Stitch Fix and haven’t found much success with my last few orders. ThredUp might be a better option for me. I also hate to shop! I love that you can send back items as well… I have some pieces I’ve never worn, or only worn a handful of times.

    • Anne says:

      I LOVE that you can send stuff back too. It really takes the pressure off getting it right the first time (which means I can put my maximizer instincts to rest, which is ALWAYS a good thing for me!)

  7. Katy says:

    Lovely choices! Love finding out what others are doing for a “uniform.” Might I ask where the fun necklace is from that is hanging with the blue shirt?

  8. Guest says:

    I know this wasn’t the point of this post (particularly since you just shared a link over the weekend about not comparing – ha!) but I am legitimately jealous of women who are able to wear the classic button up. I *love* the look so so much but it is just not a good look for busty women. So alas, I sit looking longingly when other people are rocking the button up.

  9. Lisa says:

    I love button downs, too – I work from home and wearing them helps me fell put together for my day but not too fussy. That said, ironing them each day would be a barrier to using them as part of a “uniform.” How do you manage that piece?

  10. Jacelyn says:

    I’ve been very interested in ThredUp. I love shopping in physical consignment stores, but I’m hesitant to purchase from second hand online sites. I haven’t purchased anything yet because I’m concerned a little about fit, but mostly worried I’ll receive something with a stain or tear. Are the pieces for sale reviewed for quality before being listed for sale? Also, it sound like, Anne, you purchase items from brands that you definitely know your size. I’d love to get a cashmere turtleneck sweater from Thred Up, but I have those reservations.

    • Carrie says:

      They’re definitely reviewed for quality. There’s a quality description in each item’s listing on the ThredUP website. I’ve shopped there almost exclusively for a year and been extremely pleased with quality. Also they’re pretty tough on what they consider takin, which I know from firsthand experience. They rejected a pair of designer jeans I sent (Hudsons) because of some wear on the inner thigh seams! Also they have a return policy so if by some chance you do get a flawed item, just send it back for a full refund

  11. Jacelyn says:

    One more question for curiosity’s sake: What do you think the main reason is for people selling/consigning clothes that are in good shape?

    • Carrie says:

      I’ll bite on this one. I think a lot of folks like to update their wardrobes when trends/styles/silhouettes change. It’s not a big deal to me to wear older or more timeless styles, but think about how every season jeans styles seem to change a bit (skinny, wide leg, eye.) For me a lot of my consigning has come about due to pregnancy/postpartum weight fluctuation. I’ve also consigned clothes gifted to me that weren’t me style/size, or “regret buys”–shoes I thought I’d wear but really weren’t comfortable enough, etc. Hope you don’t mind my chiming in!

  12. Lauren says:

    THank you for this post!! I do not have time to shop, but would really love some new items, and I had forgotten all about ThredUp! Looking forward to shopping with this code. And, I love all your new pieces!

  13. Renee P. says:

    The code didn’t work for me, either. Maybe it’s only for first-time customers; I’ve used ThredUP before.
    Anyway, I still ordered a big box, can’t wait to see it on the porch! My wardrobe is in a SAD state right now, so I’m glad for the reminder to show it some love.

  14. I am so glad you posted this – I’ve seen ThredUp around but never tried it. I’ve also fallen in love with Madewell clothing, especially their jeans, but at $120/per pair, it’s hard to get a lot at once (which is what I need as my size has changed lately!). I found a couple pairs on ThredUp as well as a couple cardigans from Madewell, which makes it SO much more affordable than buying new from the store! Yay! Thanks 🙂

  15. I can’t seem to get the code to work as well. I’m so thrifty I want it to work. I have used thredUp before but not for awhile. Your post was an incentive to try again. Is there a solution?

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