Blogger Finds Amazing Fall Pieces at Clothes Mentor Springfield

Check out the recent blog post on shadesofsarah.com, which features some great fall fashions from Clothes Mentor Springfield:

clothes mentor springfield clothing haul

September Budget: Clothes Mentor Haul

Text and photo by Sarah from shadesofsarah.com

When it came to update my fall wardrobe this year, I tried something different: shopping at Clothes Mentor. My closet has its fair share thrifted pieces, but I hadn’t found a thrift or consignment store in the Philly area that I truly liked shopping at. Before I get into why Clothes Mentor is awesome, let me breakdown what I picked up courtesy of Clothes Mentor Springfield:

Dana Buchman faux leather jacket, $16 (not pictured)

LOFT lace dress, $14

  1. Crew pants, $20

Kohl’s chunky cardigan, $10

LOFT sleeveless tank, $8

Macy’s Style & Co. dress (with tags), $14

Black top, $14

Chico’s bolero (with tags), $18

Nine West heeled boots, $24

Delia’s ankle boots, $18

Not bad right? That’s 10 quality pieces for less than $160. My mom and I were honestly carried away — I used every penny of the gift card they generously provided (and more out of pocket!), and my mom picked up a bunch of stuff too. If you haven’t visited your local Clothes Mentor (there’s three in the Philly area!), here’s why it’s worth the trip:

♥ Quality pieces at discounted prices. I love bargain hunting, but sometimes you get what you pay for. At Clothes Mentor, it just happens that what I’m paying for is a new-with-tags Macy’s dress well over 50% off.

♥ Everything is vetted and on-trend. Clothes Mentor is a consignment store, not an average thrift store. Instead of being donations-based, the team at CM inspects items and only accepts clothing and accessories they know will sell. You can learn more about consignment stores here, but basically CM does the hard work for you. Speaking of consignment stores…

♥ You can make some shopping money. Cleaning out your closet? If you’re more the instant gratification type, you can try your hand at selling at CM. I haven’t tried this yet, but they do give you cash on the spot for what they’re happy to buy from you.

♥ It’s eco-friendly. Admittedly, I don’t have the most planet-friendly shopping habits but buying secondhand and saving gently-worn items from landfills is a good start.

As for the Springfield, PA location in particular, I cannot say enough good things about the staff. They are so happy to assist you in any way, and they keep the store in tiptop shape. It’s bright, organized and they have something for everyone. The shop girls had no problem finding items in my sizes and to suit my tastes.

Need more convincing? Just wait until you see the outfits I’ve come up with.

~ Sarah

P.S. Thanks again to CM Springfield for the invite!

Click here to see this post with more photos on shadesofsarah.com.

Blogger Tries Personal Shopper at Clothes Mentor West Chester

What did blogger Ainslie Gordon think about her personal shopper experience at Clothes Mentor West Chester? Find out in this article featured on cincinnatiparent.com:

clothes mentor west chester blogger in three outfits

Mom Style Made Simple at Clothes Mentor

Personal shoppers aren’t just for celebrities!

By Ainslie Gordon

Do you think personal shoppers are just for celebrities? Are you trying to dress trendy and stay within a budget? Well, I have the store for you! Drop the kids at school, grab your girlfriends and head to Clothes Mentor to purchase all the latest styles for less. This is resale at its best —  think 70% off retail on gently used designer pieces from trendy to classic. And to make your experience even more fun, register online for your free personal shopper who will make shopping simple and easy.

I have been a lover of clothes since before I could walk. I studied, created and wrote about fashion. My greatest lesson about dressing myself came from my mom: simple but elegant. I have carried this motto throughout my career as a fashion blogger and stylist. And as I begin to style the next generation, my piece of advice will be to leave a little to the imagination.

So, now it’s my turn to be styled by the free personal shopper at Clothes Mentor! First, I filled out the online form to let my stylist know my personal preferences such as size, height, current wardrobe needs, budget, likes, etc. Then my personal shopper, Ashley, called to set up an appointment date and confirmed my fashion needs. I couldn’t wait to see what was in “store” for me!

As I arrived to the West Chester location, I was awed by the friendly staff and the store’s meticulous organization by color, size, season, etc. They truly make finding your perfect outfit easy and affordable. I was introduced to Ashley; and she already had several complete outfits (dresses, pants, shirts, accessories and shoes) chosen from my preferences in my dressing room. Then I began trying on the outfits selected and creating new ones with Ashley’s wonderful eye.

The key to a great personal shopper/stylist is listening and collaborating with your client. Ashley and I got along beautifully. I would tell her about more looks I wanted; and she would find me those and bring back some that I did not even think of. Together, we created several on-trend and classic outfits that can take me from weekday casual/business to weekend trendy. The personal shopper experience was so much fun; I could have stayed there all day.

Plus, I had a $100 budget. With Ashley’s amazing help, I left with three dresses, two pairs of jeans, one sweater, one necklace and one scarf for under budget. And when I returned home, I made even more outfits by coordinating my new pieces with clothes already in my closet. Score!

Shopping for clothes should never be stressful or scary. (Plus, as busy moms, who has time to be at the mall all day?) Let the wonderful staff at Clothes Mentor find your perfect outfit(s) and accessories. Or book your appointment today and let the awesome (and free) personal shoppers do the work for you! After this experience, I will forever be a loyal shopper. To find your neighborhood store, or for fashion events, contact Clothes Mentor.

Click here to see the blog post with more outfit photos on cincinnatiparent.com.

Blogger Finds Amazing Pieces at Clothes Mentor Springfield

Check out all of the great outfits a Philly blogger found at Clothes Mentor Springfield! Read about it below, and see more photos on her blog, And Her Little Dog Too.

Clothes mentor springfield photo from And Her Little Dog Too blog
Photo from And Her Little Dog Too blog.

The Clothes Mentor Experience

A little while ago I was invited to the Clothes Mentor store in Springfield, PA to visit and shop! If you aren’t familiar, Clothes Mentor is a women’s clothing store that buys and sells gently used name-brand and designer clothes, shoes, and accessories. What makes them unique is the fact that they offer cash on the spot for items, meaning that you can be paid immediately just for cleaning out your closet!

I was so excited to partner with Clothes Mentor – obviously I love to shop and share my style on the blog, but I also love to get a great deal! And if you shop here, you will get just that! So many items at incredible prices, so many never even worn! I also love to clean out my closet and this was the perfect excuse to do that – I’ve had 2 babies in the past 3 years and have so many different sizes of everything, felt so amazing to have an excuse to pass along things that just don’t work for me anymore. I brought with me a massive bag of clothes to sell and they treated me to a gift card to do some shopping as well!

When I first got there, I met with my amazing contact – Erin, she and her team had pulled an amazing selection of clothes for me to try on. { I had sent my sizes beforehand} and I was treated to a fun little style session! I can’t remember the last time I was in a store without the littles, just taking my time, trying on clothes, having a blast – it was so much fun! I got to have a little style session and a mini photo shoot of some of my favorite looks!

clothes mentor photo from And Her Little Dog Too blog
Photo from And Her Little Dog Too blog.

I love this top – Navy is one of my favorite, go-to colors. The cute little tie in the front is really sweet and it’s an easy piece to wear with a tank layered under or on its own. It’s also super soft – I see myself wearing this all the time now that the weather has cooled down and it finally feels like Fall!

I totally kept this, it was $10 and I know I will wear it all.the.time!

Clothes Mentor is a national franchise with local owners. Chris Barnett is the owner and operator of a few of the stores in the Philadelphia area. She is a full-time entrepreneur, a small business owner, a mom and wife. She has a strong commitment to every woman being able to feel stylish on a budget–as a lift to self-confidence–and she loves resale because of both the frugality and it’s environmental benefits. I’m so lucky I got to meet her in the store during my time there and I look forward to working with her and her team again soon!

If you are in the market to clean out your closet, spruce up your wardrobe and make a few bucks while you are at it, you totally need to check out Clothes Mentor – I had such an amazing experience there, and you can bet I will be back!

Click here to see more from And Her Little Dog Too.

Blogger Shops Smart at Clothes Mentor West Chester—Check Out Her Haul!

Read an excerpt from LivingLesh.com featuring Clothes Mentor West Chester below, or click here to read the full blog post and more on LivingLesh.com.

clothes mentor blog post LivingLesh.com

clothes mentor livinglesh.com blog
Photos by LivingLesh.com

How to Get $1,000 Worth of Clothes for $150

By Iesha Thompson

I constantly get asked the question, “How do you keep buying all these clothes and still have money to afford anything else?” And every time that someone asks, I simply laugh and continue on, never actually answering the question.

But I’m here today to finally share my shopping secrets. I’m here to let everyone know how to get the closet that they want without breaking the bank.

Let’s start from the beginning:

Before I ever started shopping the way that I do now, I used to rack up a huge bill. I wanted the brand name clothes from my favorite stores such as Nordstrom, J. Crew, Loft, and more, but every time that I went shopping, I left the store with three pieces of clothing and a bill over $100. That just wasn’t something that I could afford.

Then it all changed. I started shopping smarter and wiser.

One of my trade secrets is shopping at stores such as Clothes Mentor.

Clothes Mentor is a women’s clothing store that buys and sells gently used brand-name and designer clothing, shoes, and accessories. When shopping, you can find mostly any brand and designer that you are looking for.

Recently, I shopped the Clothes Mentor in West Chester, PA and was stunned by the service and the amazing selection of clothes that were provided to me. Yep, I said it. Provided to me. Other than selling great clothing, Clothes Mentor also offers the opportunity for you to work with a personal shopper to help you find exactly what you’re looking for.

But let’s not get too much into that. You’re trying to figure out what I bought and how I saved so much money.

Shopping at Clothes Mentor is an experience within itself. On every rack there are pieces that are must-haves and they look practically brand new. Even the shoes looks barely worn. And if I bought shoes from there, then they were pretty much brand new because I hate other people’s feet.

After picking up so many pieces, trying them on, and loving every single one – I had to stop myself because I realized that I had over eight pieces in my collection. My mind immediately went to the thought that I had racked up at least $300. But I didn’t. That’s how great the prices are at Clothes Mentor.

At the end of my shopping experience, I walked out of the store with three bags filled to the brim. And I only spent $150. And you may be thinking that I had gotten a crazy amount of discounts and special treatment, but that’s not it at all.

Here’s my breakdown:

  • J. Crew Grey Sweater – $22 // originally $89
  • Anne Klein Long Sleeved Top – $12 // originally $69
  • Dress Barn LS Animal Top – $6 // originally $36
  • INC Top – $12 // originally $60
  • J. Crew Blue Blouse – $18 // originally $78
  • Anne Taylor Loft Top – $10 // originally $60
  • BCBG Dress – $22 // originally $115
  • Zara Basic Dress – $16 // originally $70
  • Banana Republic Sweater – $18 // originally $69
  • The Limited Sweater – $15 // originally $60
  • New York & Co Petite Pants – $11 // originally $60
  • Aldo Floral Print Heels – $20 // originally $150

It’s quite a bill that I racked up, and considering the original price, I save a whole lot of money.

And if you’re like me and enjoy recycling your closet every once and awhile, you can sell your gently worn clothes to Clothes Mentor and use the cash on the spot that you receive to make your purchases. Nothing better than using the money to make off of your clothes to buy more clothes. That’s recycling at it’s best.

Recycling clothes this way is one of the ways that I save money, because a create budget for myself for buying clothes and use the money that I make when selling clothes to buy new clothes. Therefore, I’m always staying within my budget and my closet only gets bigger.

So there you have it. Those are my tips for saving money and going on a shopping spree for $1,000 worth of clothes but only spending $150.

Clothes Mentor has now become my new go-to place to get the clothes that I want in the brands that I absolutely need. It’s a match made in heaven for a budget shopper like me.