Dollar store treasure: This thrifty shopper looks like a million bucks

First seen on chicagoreader.com
Published by: Isa Giallorenzo

The dollar store always has surprising finds, including really stylish shoppers. It’s a fertile place for the thrifty and creative, a combination that often produces intriguing sartorial choices.

Shelly Parks, 65, perfectly embodies this mix; sporting a colorful patchwork outfit that matched her cheerful personality, Parks was rocking the accessory aisle.

“I’m pretty much a retro type of person. I’m a big thrift -store shopper, and I love colors, stripes, geometric shapes, and contrast. I like to put them together and match them up,” she says. “I think right now my outfit is probably about $20,” Parks reveals, while sharing her favorite thrifting spots: Brown Elephant in Andersonville and Village Discount Outlet in Uptown.

Besides having a good eye for thrifting, Parks also uses basic sewing skills to help compose her looks. Easy projects like covering her hoops with a different piece of fabric or removing the sleeves of her overcoat added an extra flair to her outfit. “I love layers and freedom of movement. Whatever you are wearing, just be comfortable,” she says.

“I’m free as a bird,” said Shelly Parks.
After she became an empty nester, Parks explains she got a “second wind” and stopped “dressing like a mommy.”

“I’m free as a bird,” she says. “Fashion means confidence to me. Just feel good about what you’re wearing. Some people might make little comments and whatnot, but it doesn’t matter what they say. Fashion is about oddity. I like odd.”

Find your nearest Village Discount Outlet, and start turning fashion on a budget into your everyday look.