Month: February 2019

Athleisure has been infiltrating the fashion market and is expected to do so through the new year. As people make their new year’s resolutions, some of them may be to make 2019 a healthier year, with more time spent focusing on strengthening their muscles and minds. Athleisure – a mix between loungewear and workout clothes – can help people reach their health goals. After all getting dressed for the gym is half the battle. In addition to being cute weekend wear, athleisure attire can also serve as reminders to take an hour or so out of the day to focus on becoming healthy and strong.

I was browsing the racks at a department store the other day and found myself at eye-level with the sweatshirt of my dreams. It was a gorgeous soft shade of Glossier-esq millennial pink that all brands seem to be coveting lately, and had sleeves that puffed out just enough to show that it was a fancy sweatshirt that you could almost get away with wearing to work instead of the gym. The inside was incredibly soft and insulated. I wanted it and knew I’d probably live in it, so I checked the price, to find it was whopping $70 for an elevated version of a sweatshirt that would be worn more as a sweater. I passed on it, lamenting full priced fast fashion retail prices and also realizing that I could purchase an entire wardrobe for that price at my favorite Goodwill® store in the city.

January is a fantastic time to pop into your local Goodwill store and checkout all of the new donations that have come in. People clean out their closets for the new year, making room for new items and donating some brand new or well loved clothes to an organization that is dedicated to helping families thrive, by providing job training and assistance programs. When I went into my favorite Goodwill store right after the holidays, I found an incredible amount of designer items with tags still attached – think full-priced pants, dresses and sweaters that are originally $440 being sold at Goodwill for under $20. My biggest steal? A Missoni sweater tank top that would normally be a couple hundred dollars, that I scored for just $8.

I’ve seen some amazing athleisure deals as well. Pair a fun and warm sweatshirt with a fun pair of patterned leggings for a weekend look that will encourage you to be on-the-go.

Check out some of my favorite looks from the athleisure trend below:

Photo: @just.my.kloset

1. Sporty Stripes

Stripes are all the rage in athleisure wear – weather you have stripes down your pants or down your sleeves, the trend can add an additional pop of color to your outfit or flaunt some awesome brand logos.

Photo: @campbellhuntpuckett

2. Pleather Leggings

Paired with an oversized sweatshirt or chunky sweater, these pleather leggings are perfect to wear to brunch or to work during the week.

Photo: @nephotog

3.Cropped Sweats

These vintage brown wool cropped pants were an awesome thrift store find. Pair cropped sweats with cute booties and a leather jacket to dress it up for any occasion, while still staying comfortable.

Photo: @felicia.czo

4.Strappy Crop Top

Whether you’re heading to the yoga mat or the beach, a combination cropped outfit can be the perfect look. Pair a colorful crop top with a pair of your comfiest leggings so you can be on-the-go running errands and on the treadmill – just don’t forget to pack a sports bra in your bag!

 

By Julia Marchand

A few years ago, my other-half and I celebrated Valentine’s Day with a #GoodwillDateNight! It was so fun for us to pick outfits for one another and find inexpensive, surprising activities for us to do after we shopped. This year, we thought we’d try another Goodwill date, but shake it up by adding a scavenger hunt! So, I whipped up a quick list of things for us to look for (download the checklist here!) and we headed out to our local Goodwill.

When you shop at one of the more than 3,300 Goodwill stores, you help Goodwill create employment placement and job training programs as well as other community-based services, so we’d love for you and your partner to give our scavenger hunt a try this Valentine’s Day, too! But, before you step into the store, make a plan with your honey about the rules, time limit, and prize for the winner. That way, as soon as you get inside, you can jump right into the game! A few things to consider:

 

TIME LIMIT

How long do you two want to hunt around for? The longer you’re there, of course, the more likely it is you’ll both find everything on the list. Plus, you won’t feel rushed to focus on the list and you can do a bit of browsing, too. But at the same time, some people do well under pressure and if you have plans for dinner or a movie after your scavenger hunt, then you’ll need to keep that in mind. Whatever you decide, make sure you’re both on the same page and that you set timers if necessary!

THE RULES

Are you a viciously competitive team? If so, maybe make sure you’re not being spied on! Should one person start at the back of the store and work their way forward while the other starts on the right and works their way left to minimize the chances of running into each other? Or, do you welcome the idea of bumping into one another? You are doing this to spend time together, after all. And how will you keep track of the items you’ve found—is it just enough to check them off of your lists or do you require photographic evidence?

We know how hard our Goodwill associates work hard to keep stores tidy, so we wanted to make sure we weren’t putting everything on our checklists into a cart for them to have to put back. (Although, if we did find something we loved, then obviously it would be a fun memory of our Goodwill date and have a welcomed place in our home.) So we decided to text each other a photo of each item on the list as we found them. It was kind of exciting to see the progress the other person was making. Sort of like the feeling of watching a sports game and seeing the other team score—makes you want to up your game, right? And we decided that the first person to find an item gets the point for it. I can’t just walk over to something he’s already counted and use that, too. I’ve got to find something different for my list. Tricky!

Another thing to decide ahead of time; if you find an item that actually meets two of the conditions on the list, does that one thing qualify for both or do you have to find a different item for everything on the list? It’s up to you!

Now, what determines the winner? Is it the first person to find everything on the list? The person with the most items checked when your time limit is up? And what happens if there’s a tie? All are important things which you can discuss and decide upon on your way over to your local Goodwill.

THE PRIZE

You could go a few different ways with a prize for the winner. One of the items on the list is to find a clothing piece for your Valentine. If you’re going by the traditional idea of a Goodwill Date Night (where you choose a statement outfit—sometimes they can be pretty wild—for your partner to wear on the rest of the date), the reward for the winner might play into that. But you could also say that the loser buys dinner or the winner picks what movie you see that night. Whatever works for you! Just make sure you decide beforehand so you know what’s at stake.

THE GAME

Okay, ready to check in and see how we did? We printed off our checklists, swung by our favorite coffee shop for game fuel, and headed out to Goodwill. I found almost everything on the list (and even a few things that weren’t!). Here’s how mine came out…

THE CHECKLIST:

Something heart shaped

•   A pink candle or candlestick

Red roses

A Valentine’s Date clothing item for your partner to wear

A movie with “Love” in the title

A romance novel

A product or item designed specifically for a wedding

A vinyl record made with crooner-style songs

A red dress

A red necktie

A flower vase

•    Something with the word “Valentine” on it
•    A picture frame with a photo/painting of a couple in it

A piece of diamond jewelry (faux is okay)

•      A chocolate or candy tin
•      A china set suitable for newlyweds

Cupid’s arrow

A board game that only works with two people (Examples: Battleship, Guess Who?)

•    Something that says “Dear,” “Darling,” or another term of endearment

Two matching champagne flutes or wine glasses

I can’t decide on my favorite find of the date. It was either this heart-shaped baking pan or the adorable cream and sugar containers on the shelf behind it (even though they’re not Valentine’s Day related, they may or may not have ended up in my cart…). I also have to admit that I cheated a little when I texted the dress below to my husband and just mentioned how well it would work as a Valentine’s Date clothing item for me to wear—ha! I mean, it does have little hearts on the label and the faux-leather detailing coupled with the silky bodice is just perfect! It also has a statement zipper in the back which is pretty much my style weakness. I didn’t mind helping his chances of winning if it meant that maybe I’d get to take the dress home!

All in all, it was a really fun and different way to spend time together for Valentine’s Day. As adults, we rush around between work and our other life responsibilities without much time to play games. It was a nice return to our dating years for us to just set some time aside for the scavenger hunt. I’d rate the date: 10/10 would play again! I hope that whatever you do to celebrate the your loved one this Valentine’s Day, you have just as much fun.