The Perfect Leather Jacket—Found at Clothes Mentor Springfield

Check out this blog post excerpt from Shades of Sarah to see the perfect leather jacket that she found at Clothes Mentor Springfield:

leather jacket on shades of sarah blog
Photo from Shades of Sarah.

True story: I’ve wanted a leather jacket for years. Leather jackets were made for fall, but so many of the leather jackets out there were too “moto” for my style. Who knew that I would find “the one” at Clothes Mentor? And let me tell you, leather jackets are worth the hype. Dresses, jeans and a tee — this jacket adds a cool vibe to everything.

One of my favorite ways to wear it? This LOFT tank works great with patterned dress pants, but it’s way more fun with jeans, a leather jacket and tough ankle boots. A cool boho pendant necklace and wine-colored lipstick, and this outfit totally feels like a cooler version of me. (Those buckled boots by the way? Yet another awesome Clothes Mentor find.)

Click here to read the full blog post on shadesofsarah.com and to see more photos.

Halloween Outfits You Can Wear to Work

Check out some amazing work-appropriate Halloween outfits from Clothes Mentor created by The Cheerful Closet blog. Such perfect ideas! Click here to see even more photos and tips on The Cheerful Closet.

clothes mentor halloween outfits for work
Photo courtesy The Cheerful Closet.

CM Remix: Work-Appropriate Halloween

As a kid, Halloween was often a compromise. Every once in a while we would get a store-bought costume, but more often, we got creative and assembled our own looks. Additionally, living in Kansas, it was usually pretty cold by October 31, so even if we had a great costume planned out, sometimes we had to make last-minute changes based on the weather. I remember one particularly cold year where our we had to discard our best-laid plans and go as Eskimos instead so we could layer up.

Grown-ups have to compromise on Halloween, too. Sure, you might have fun party plans with your friends for Halloween, and you can obviously wear whatever you want to that! But if your office lets you dress up for Halloween, there are usually some unsaid restrictions on what is or is not appropriate. Let’s just say my Lego costume from freshman year (where I literally wore a cardboard box that I painted to look like a Lego) would probably not fly in a professional setting.

Fortunately, there are lots of ways that you can spin some classic Halloween looks to be office-ready! In this post, you’ll see how I styled four fun costumes using professional pieces from Clothes Mentor. They consist of regular office looks with simple props available at any Halloween/party store (I got mine from Savers!)

Click here to check out more from The Cheerful Closet blog.

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.

Clothes Mentor Beats Fast Fashion, Hands Down

In this article from huffingtonpost.com, see the many reasons why you should choose Clothes Mentor and resale over fast fashion:

clothes mentor huffington post photo
Photo by Kara Hackett, from huffingtonpost.com.

You Quit Buying Fast Fashion, So Now What?

By Kara Hackett

When you decide to quit something, one of the first things you have to do is replace that habit with something else.

It’s basic quitters knowledge, and having attempted to quit many things in my life, I’ve learned my lesson well. Replacing old habits is important, otherwise you revert right back to them.

So when I decided to quit buying fast fashion, I’d like to tell you I replaced my old shopping habit with something inspiring, like helping children in orphanages, or going on spiritual retreats and taking yoga classes.

But let’s be honest. The only real substitute for shopping is shopping.

So as a recovering fast fashion addict, I set out to discover what it takes to be an ethical consumer, and so far, it’s way more complicated than boycotting H&M and Forever 21.

Defining the terms

First, there’s confusion about what the term “fast fashion” actually means.

It originated in the 1970s, and it loosely refers to any brand that takes trends from the runways to our closets as quickly as possible.

Doesn’t sound too bad, right? But the pressure to produce fashion fast has developed into a system of high inventory turnover, and that’s where the trouble comes in.

We used to have two to four fashion seasons every year. Now, stores like H&M, Forever 21 and Zara have made it so we have 50 to 100 micro seasons a year, increasing our need to buy new things constantly, and it’s changing the way the fashion industry works.

Instead of developing relationships with consistent manufacturers and monitoring ethics, brands are outsourcing production to megasuppliers who help them churn out the latest trends as quickly as possible—whatever it takes.

All the work is done by middlemen, dividing production among multiple factories and suppliers. So the problems with fast fashion are woven into the entire fashion value chain. Most brands don’t even know who makes their clothes, and determining the ethics of individual stores feels impractical at best, and impossible at worst.

Is it “safe” to shop at the Loft or J.Crew? What about department stores like Macy’s that carry multiple brands?

If you want to avoid fast fashion, where do you even begin?

Addressing the obvious

Of course, the most obvious way to be an ethical consumer is to start buying fewer, nicer things from companies that specifically support ethical practices.

There are some amazing brands out there that are doing everything they can to change to the way the fashion industry works and produce beautiful clothes with fair practices.

But as the average fast fashion shopper, the world of sustainable clothing is still a foreign place to me.

I want to learn more about it. But it’s going to take time to fully commit to only buying ethical brands.

Clothing made the right way costs a lot more than fast fashion does, and while I can afford to splurge sometimes, telling a fast fashion shopper to buy only one or two expensive items a season is like telling an alcoholic to quit cold turkey and lead the first AA meeting.

Sure, it would be really cool and inspiring if that happened and just worked. But chances are, it’s going to take smaller, more incremental steps to get there.

So in the spirit of sustainable solutions, one of the first, small changes I’m making is buying vintage and resale clothing first. Then slowly integrating ethical brands into my wardrobe when I want to buy investment pieces.

Let me start out by saying this route isn’t for everyone. People like my mom would never want to slum it at places like Goodwill or Salvation Army when they want to buy new things.

But for me, resale shopping is the most natural replacement for fast fashion because I already love doing it, and the process reminds me of shopping at Forever 21.

You still get the hunt, the good deals, the thrill of sorting through racks hanger-by-hanger, and seeing what you’re buying in person instead of ordering online.

If you think about it, the prices at thrift stores are about as cheap as fast fashion, too, and the quality is usually higher, so technically, it’s a better deal.

But the biggest reason I’m interested in buying more second-hand clothes is because it takes the conversation about fast fashion a step further—beyond the realm of where we shop and into the realm of what we’re doing with what has already been purchased.

Rethinking resale

If you’re like me, you’ve probably assumed that most people who buy a lot of clothes also donate their old clothes to charity, and that makes it excusable.

It’s like, the more we buy, the more we can give away, so we’re helping people who can’t afford to buy things full priced.

But that narrative is flawed in a lot of ways—starting with the fact that most of our clothes don’t even make it to charity in the first place.

Actually, only about 15 percent of all used clothes in America end up in resale stores. The other 85 percent are thrown away by consumers and go directly into landfills.

Today, we throw away up to 21 billion pounds of textile waste per year in the US alone.

So most of our used clothes aren’t being worn by the homeless guy down the street or the children in Africa; they’re rotting in dumps. And even the meager 15 percent that do make it into charities are way more than our resale stores can handle.

Remember how I said in my last blog that, as a society, we’re buying 400 percent more clothes than we bought even 20 years ago?

Well, all of our used clothes are cycling back into the resale system faster than other people are buying them.

Shops like Goodwill only sell about 20 percent of their clothing inventory in store. The rest is bought out by textile recycling companies that either ship it to people overseas or shred it into insulation and rags because there’s just too many clothes in the world, period.

So for the time being, I’m replacing my fast fashion shopping habit with buying used clothes, and who knows? Maybe I’ll even start a resale shop of my own to make the process more approachable for people like my mom who don’t want to do the dirty work of thrift shopping themselves.

Whatever happens, one of my first revelations about life after fast fashion is that when you quit buying the cheapest, most convenient stuff, you start to get creative, and that gives me hope that there’s something to this ethical consumer idea, after all.

We might not be able to shop ourselves into a better fashion industry. But we can shop ourselves into less waste and different ways of thinking about what we buy. And that’s a start.

Click here to see more from huffingtonpost.com.

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.