^ How did I get stuck holding the purse?
Kelly’s Bow-Backed Shirt, Mules, Satchel (Other colors here!) and Trench Coat
Emma’s Dress
Mitch’s Penny Loafers, Oxford and Khakis all c/o
Mitch here!
I’ve been trying hard to up my wardrobe game since taking on a more active role with this blog, but I’m not very good at wearing clothes. Even worse, I didn’t even know that one could “be good” at clothes until recently. I’d grab my outfit from The Clothes Pile on the floor in the morning and throw it right back on top at night.
The Pile has grown a bit of notoriety in the annals of this site, and today is as good as any to clear up a few misconceptions. The Pile is a function of extraordinary laziness, true, but it’s also a matter of necessity since my closet and dresser are filled to the brim with clothing. Clothing I would never, ever wear. Clothing I downright loathe. There’s actually nothing wrong with it; for whatever reason, I just don’t like it. Maybe the jeans are a tad too tight; the shirt features a pattern that isn’t “me.” And thus it sits in my closet, unworn.
It breaks down like this. The clothing I like gets worn, piled, re-worn if not too dirty, washed, and then re-piled. Clothing I dislike gets sifted away in a process of sedimentary reduction that results in an abundance of clothing in my closet.
To be honest, I was a little ashamed when I realized:
Wait a second. I don’t work for this junk. It’s not like it signed a lease. I could just get rid of it! Better yet, I could just throw it all out!
I filled eight (8!) garbage bags and started carting them out to the trash–whistling like I was a dwarf headed off to the mines–when Kelly stopped me and set me straight. Mitch, we never throw out clothing. Especially not during the Bon-Ton Goodwill Sale season!
The Bon-Ton Goodwill Sale is all the excuse I need to keep my closet organized and The Pile at bay while also doing some good. Maybe I should take a step back to say that Bon-Ton is an umbrella brand that includes all Bergner’s, Bon-Ton, Boston Store, Carson’s, Elder-Beerman, Herberger’s and Younkers stores, and Goodwill is an organization that turns donations into job placement and training for unemployed and underemployed people right in your community. The sale is in its 24th year, and this spring, Bon-Ton and Goodwill aim to collect 1.75 million pounds of clothing donations. And while I hauled an impressive load out of my closet, they’re still taking donations–now through March 24th.
Participating in the event is super easy. Simply drop your donation off at any Bon-Ton store, or donate at the register or online in exchange for three Goodwill Sale coupons for each item or each $1 donated. These coupons are no joke. We’re talkin’ about up to 30 percent off!
Now, though, I think I’ll hand it over to Kelly to talk about what we purchased with our coupons. :)
Hi, guys! I’m SO excited about the outfits we’re wearing here. I always find myself gravitating to the classics this time of the year, when we’re in between seasons, weather-wise. (Sick of my winter wardrobe; not quite ready to break out the spring stuff yet! Brrrr.) So I used our coupons to outfit the family in pieces that can be worn now and later.
For Emma, I went with this adorable navy Ralph Lauren dress, which she’s been wearing with sweater tights on chillier days and on its own on warmer ones. I also picked up this gingham trench (not shown) in a 4T so she can get a few years’ wear out of it. :)
For Mitch, we kind of went crazy with shoes since he goes through them so quickly. We bought a couple of pairs of Sperrys, and this pair of Cole Haan loafers. Couldn’t BELIEVE the price on them, and I love how they class up his looks. We picked up a classic button down and a pair of khakis, too, since the savings were too good to pass up.
As for myself, I went with this bow-backed top from Free People, which is the cutest! I’m also wearing my favorite trench coat, Dooney & Bourke’s classic satchel (love it in brown, too!), and mules that go with anything and everything this time of the year!
Back to you, Mitch. ;)
Ridding my closet of eight bags of clothing was fun, and getting an incredible deal at Bon-Ton was great. I also made Kelly pretty happy, as she’s not a fan of The Pile. But helping people in my community was the best part. I wonder how many bags Kelly could fill. We might need to rent a tractor. ;)
Mitch. Out!
^ Emma, calling her peeps to tell them about the sale!
Shop the post:
Kelly’s Bow-Backed Shirt, Mules, Satchel (Other colors here!) and Trench Coat
Emma’s Dress
Mitch’s Penny Loafers, Oxford and Khakis all c/o
This post was sponsored by Goodwill Industries International, but all opinions are my own. As always, thank you so much for supporting the partnerships that keep Kelly in the City up and running!
