It's Thankful Thursday. Let the gratitude begin!

Is there anything better than the summer skirt?

Cotton, linen, silk

A-line, pencil, fitted, flared

Dressed up or knocked down

My love of the flutter-in-the-breeze summer skirt is only matched by my love of the summer sandal, which is only trumped by my favorite place to find these fashionable goods: the resale shop!

I'm not new to the resale revolution. My thrifting affinity started in high school (trench coats and men's blazers from Value Village, circa 1980s) and later evolved into vintage sweaters and dresses (from Denver's Barbareeba, circa late 1990s). While my fashion tastes have changed, my frugal ways remain. And the summer skirt — a symbol of carefree, sunshiney days — is always my favorite find.

In the last few weeks, I have scored unusually great goods at:

Second Glance, and its little sister store, the Annex, in Corvallis, Oregon
A consignment shop that 'revolves' clothes (rather than resells, a distinction I appreciate for its creative semantics). Hip, funky and fun, Second Glance is geared to the female adult, while the Annex has a steady college-age following.

Goodwill on 10th, in Portland, Oregon
Described by one shopper as a thrift store for "better heeled bargain hunters." Store managers carefully 'edit' donations and sell gently-used clothes with mid to high-end labels.

Thank you, resale shops, for being a low-cost purveyor of (affordable & fashionable) summer joy!