HOUSTON – Plus-size clothing is usually limited at thrift stores and many people think is impossible to find professional outfits for curvy gals at affordable prices.
But nothing further from the truth, because Jen Meneely and Pippa Williams from “Too Cheap Blondes,” stopped by our studio with work appropriate dresses for onl. $2 each, and tips on how to find these looks at local thrift shops.
“For these kind of dresses we have to go all racks and look through them, especially for the curvier sizes, I would say they aren’t as easy to find,” said Williams, who believes it is achievable find beautiful dresses without breaking the bank, but patience is key.
“You can’t go with a specific plan. You can’t be ‘I need a black dress,' go in like ‘I need a dress,’ so you’re not overwhelmed because there’s 50,000 pieces that are all different,” said Meneely, who recommends visiting as many stores as possible to find the best deals.
“These dresses are all from various family thrift outlet locations around the city,” she said.
“Every Thursday they have their new merchandise for $2 and then they mark it down a quarter every day, so if you go in on Friday you can get it for $1.75,” said Williams.
The Too Cheap Blondes suggest keeping an eye out for black dresses you can wear with different accessories, and sheath dresses with the right fit for an elegant and professional look.
Look: Office Chic
Dress: Liz Claiborne
Price: $2
“This dress retails for $75. It’s perfect for the office, very summery. We love how it accentuates the waist and gives her a perfect hourglass figure,” said Meneely.
Look: Work to play
Dress: Calvin Klein
Price $2
Accessories: Albert Nippon Jacket, with a Channel purse $100
“Find a classic black dress that works both for the day and evening just change out your accessories,” recommends Williams, who paired this dress with a white jacket for the office look.
“If she wants to wear it for the evening, she would take the jacket off and change the accessories,” said Williams.
Look: Fit and Flare
Dress: Savoir Flaire
Price: $2
“This is a great style, especially if you are a curvy woman, I mean, it looks great on everyone,
And it accentuates her waist. Love the print, plaids are going to be really big this year,” said Meneely.
Look: Classy work wear
Dress: Ann Taylor
Price $ 2
Accessories: Elaine Turner clutch $6.99
“An Ann Taylor dress is going to be well over a hundred dollars, so that’s a huge saving,” said Williams.
“Throw a little letter jacket. I mean, how cute would that be for fall,” said Meneely.
Look: Boardroom to happy hour
Dress: Kasper
Price $2
Accessories: Kasper jacket $2
“She’s wearing a sheath dress and this is a very flattering cut for everyone. This is a little harder to find, a matching two-piece suit at the outlet store, but we did, we found it,” said Meneely.
Look: Ready to present
Dress: Liz Claiborne
Price $ 2
“It’s a faux-wrap dress. It looks great on her, it fits her good, she looks great,” said Williams.
To see the complete interview, watch the video above.