Somebody (I can’t say who because I’ve been sworn to secrecy) seriously needed a mountain of winter clothes, so we decided to go a’thrifting one unbelievably hot Wednesday. Now, we haven’t thrifted for at least a year, so we were a tad rusty (read: lazy).

First, we went to the ukay place atop the Mercury Drug in Fuente, my best friend Aileen’s favorite haunt. We probably stayed no more 15 minutes, though, because 1) we were toasting in that huge unair-conditioned room and 2) their stuff was crap. How Aileen manages to find really good stuff from that place is beyond me. But then, I’ve thrifted with the woman, and her zeal is unbelievable.

But I digress. We eventually ended up at this place right across Gaisano Country Mall (right beneath UC Banilad). It was roomy, organized, and best of all, air-conditioned! Now that’s more like it! It was such a comfortable shopping experience that I almost forgot we were thrifting.

Our winter bunny ended up with over a dozen winter coats – all for about P2,500 ($50)! Seriously, her loot is making me want to move out West, too, just so I can bundle up. The Sister got a really, really awesome corset top (among others), and I’m jealous. Worse, she refuses to lend it to me.

I didn’t end up with much because I just bought a load of dresses that week and The Husband was already freaking out at the state of my closet. Instead, I got him a pair of shorts and some really, really cool t-shirts as a bribe.

Still, I just couldn’t go home empty-handed. I got this really cute top with a rather sexy cutout at the back. I couldn’t help it; both my tattoos are on my back, so I can never have enough backless tops. I tried this on with leggings, and my, oh my did it look good! I’m now this close to rethinking my anti-leggings stand!

Now, my other find is definitely my favorite. A few months ago, I was drooling over a nautical Topshop dress that I refused to buy on account that it was too expensive for a dress. Said Topshop frock literally haunted me for months. I saw it everywhere, from magazine spreads to pop displays. I can’t count the number of times I almost caved, but I never did because I’m a model of self-control (at least, I like to think so).

Imagine my joy when I found a close-enough replica:

Oh, and it has a darling lace hem, which I think makes it even cuter.

This P150 frock is definitely going to be a part of my Singapore ensemble. Methinks this will look awesome with my new yellow Keds Rapture Boat Shoe, a gift from The Mother.

So it looks like we’ve found our new favorite thrift store. We already gave the staff our phone numbers, so they can let us know when they’ve got new (old) stuff. One of these days, I’m going to hunker down, clean up my closet, and get rid of some of my clothes. I’m going to need all the room I can get with all the thrifting I will be doing from now on!