May 14 2013 Update: The Wish Collection has relocated to a different state, so the Sample Sales are no longer available in Birmingham at this time.
I love you guys, because you are the best Life Informants that a girl could wish for.
Anytime I have a question, at least a dozen of you have an answer. Anytime something awesome is happening, at least one of you tells me about it.
So today, I’m returning the favor and passing on my latest find from y’all to y’all.
Taren, one of my long-time blog readers, told me about a sample sale at the company she works for, The Wish Collection. I had never heard of the company before and had also heard no other buzz about the sale except from her, so I wasn’t sure what I would find. The Wish Collection doesn’t have a storefront – they have their warehouse here in Birmingham, but sell their clothes to boutiques all over the country (as well as online.)
It just so happened that the sale fell on a Saturday that Chris and my Dad were taking the kids to a race anyway, and I had shopping money that Chris had given me for our anniversary, so it was the perfect opportunity to find myself blissfully neck-deep amongst beautiful clothing.
It took me a couple of trips around the block to find the correct nearly-unmarked warehouse,
but when I got in, I was stunned.
I felt like I had discovered the Best Secret in Birmingham. The prints were fantastic (and I’m extremely picky about prints,) the fabrics were luxurious, and they had racks and racks of extraordinarily discounted dresses, tops, camisoles, belts, and leggings.
I immediately went into What Not To Wear mode, pairing up “pops of color” with dresses and shirts. By the time I finished, I had bought five dresses, six shirts, four belts, and four camisoles for a grand total of $259.
Beat that, Stacy and Clinton.
So I decided to share the Best Secret in Birmingham with you (of my own volition – I was not asked nor paid to blog about this) so that if you’re local, you can participate (they have regular sample sales every Tuesday from 10-4 and other special sales as well – you can add yourself to their email list here.)
Or if you’re not local, this post will just go to show you one more reason why you should be living in Birmingham.
(Or at least vacation here.)
My standby photographer, Mary Jo, came over to my house to help me document my finds.
But first, a disclaimer: this post is out of my normal comfort zone, as I rarely blog about style (except for dozens of photos of my butt, which totally doesn’t count.) So if you start to think, “Dang she’s narcisstic!!” after viewing the 20th picture of me, just know that I thought the same thing, as I awkwardly tried to pose twenty different ways without looking like a complete cheeseball.
My favorite shirt purchase is an oversized striped sheer shirt. I’ve found that when doing oversized shirts, a dropped hem in the back makes for a much better profile and slims the oversizedness.
I had been looking for a good use for a black and silver chain necklace I’d gotten from Express a while back, and it worked great to offset the extreme color in this shirt.
It was also fun to wear this shirt with a bright pair of turquoise shorts.
Ignore the blinding ivory legs.
After we finished photographing all of the outfits, Mary Jo and I put together “Fashion Boards” to show the elements paired for each outfit. But being the amateur fashion blogger that I am, I totally forgot to put a shoe on this one (no worries – the same shoe will show up later.)
Shirt: Wish Collection, $20 at sample sale; Jeans: Red Engine Burner Jeans, normally $168, currently $19.95 through Vault Denim; Shorts: Emerson Edwards, normally $68, currently $27.50 through Vault Denim (but super hard to find because everyone wanted them including me); Bracelets: Gift from a friend; Earring (I lost one during all my changing): who knows; Necklace: Express, $26.90; Shoes: Sbicca Kelli from Zulily, $39 – see? I do find use for Zulily other than just blog fodder.
My favorite dress was this knee-length teal and navy chevron-inspired print:
I paired it with a lighter belt to give it a subtle pop of color, and still wore my favorite new wedge heels. The jewelry all came from Charming Charlie, my favorite place for necklaces-that-look-good-but-are-cheap-enough-that-I-don’t-freak-out-if-Noah-yanks-it-off-my-neck.
Dress: The Wish Collection, $25 at sample sale; Shoes: Sbicca Kelli from Zulily, $39; Belt: The Wish Collection, $12 at sample sale; Jewelry: Charming Charlie, about $18.
Although the mustard shade in this next dress is not a shade I would normally gravitate toward, the red belt I found in the super-clearance box really made it special.
Then when I got home and paired it with a thick beaded necklace that had never quite looked right with anything else, I adored it, proving that accessories really do make all the difference.
Dress: The Wish Collection, $25 at sample sale; Belt: The Wish Collection, $8 at sample sale; Necklace: Dress Barn, ~ $25; Earrings: Givenchy (my favorite jewelry splurge when they go on sale), ~ $20, Shoes: Rack Room Shoes X Appeal Scout, $39.
I found a shimmering lace dress that I adored, but feared I’d rarely have anywhere formal enough to wear it. In the attempt to make it more casual, I found a skinny leopard print belt – a print I’d usually avoid, but loved it in this tiny amount.
I’m still not sure if it’s casual enough for church or a date (what do you think?), but I plan on finding a use for it soon.
Dress: The Wish Collection, $25 at sample sale; Belt: The Wish Collection, $7 at sample sale; Necklace: a headband from Altar’d State; $14; Earrings: Givenchy, ~ $30; Shoes: Rack Room Shoes X Appeal Scout, $39.
I love a good flowy shirt, but sometimes feel pregnant when wearing them (especially since that’s pretty much all I wore when carrying Noah.) However, putting a belt with these made me feel less maternal and more put together.
Although these two shirts were similar in style, I bought them both because I couldn’t decide which I liked better.
Here’s Shirt One’s pairings:
Shirt: The Wish Collection, $12 at sample sale, Jeans: Express ReRock, $98 but I’m sure I got them on sale; Belt: The Wish Collection, $12 at sample sale; Shoes: Franco Sarto Ambrosia Wedge Sandal, $37; Bracelets: Gift from a friend; Earrings: Givenchy, ~ $30.
And here’s Shirt Two:
Shirt: The Wish Collection, $12 at sample sale, Jeans: Express ReRock, $98 but I’m sure I got them on sale; Belt: The Wish Collection, $8 at sample sale; Shoes: Franco Sarto Ambrosia Wedge Sandal, $37; Necklace: headband from Altar’d State, $14; Earrings: Charming Charlie, ~ $10
The most dramatic shirt that I bought was this ultra dropped-hem colorblocked shirt. It was a stretch for me (as were the turns that Mary Jo made me make in order to catch the shirt in movement), but it is an extremely fun find.
What??? Turning on uneven grass in high wedge sandals takes talent! That I clearly don’t have.
Shirt: The Wish Collection, $20 at sample sale; Camisole: The Wish Collection, $5 at sample sale; Shoes: Sbicca Kelli from Zulily, $39; Jewelry: Charming Charlie, ~ $18; Jeans: Red Engine Burner Jeans, normally $168, currently $19.95 through Vault Denim.
Over the past three years, I have really been excited about long dresses coming back, and the print on this one was beautiful. I especially liked pairing it with such a bright belt.
And? It matches my porch furniture.
Dress: The Wish Collection, $25 at sample sale; Belt: The Wish Collection, $8 at sample sale; Necklace: Super Old; Earrings: Givenchy, ~ $30; Shoes: Sbicca Kelli from Zulily, $39.
(Ali was highly amused by all of my running in and out and changing, and since she was so entertained, was amicable to getting a fashionable photo of herself.)
The last dress I bought was an autumn dress, so it was marked down even further. But I loved the colors, and I thought it would be fun to have something brand new waiting for me next fall.
…and that’s probably the last time I wear my boots until I pull that dress out again – thankfully, Spring has finally arrived in Alabama.
Dress: The Wish Collection, $16 at sample sale; Belt: The Wish Collection, $12 at sample sale; Boots: Naturalizer Juletta, ~ $80 on sale at Naturalizer Outlet; Necklace: Charming Charlie, ~ $15; Bracelets: Gift from a friend.
After any great shopping trip, my favorite moment is to come home and tally up the retail vs. sale prices on a beautifully geekified Excel spreadsheet.
Here was the net:
What I spent: $ 259
Retail Price: $1,010
Savings: $ 751
Sale Percent: 74%
Best. Sale. Ever.
Convinced you need to come to Birmingham and shop with me yet? I hope so.
The Wish Collection’s warehouse is located at 1215 2nd Avenue North, and is open for shopping on Tuesdays from 10-4, as well as other special sales. You can like them on Facebook here.
Disclosure: I was not compensated in any way, nor was I asked to write this post. I just like to share good things with you because it makes me happy.
Wow, what a haul! Some great pieces there. The reddish dress is my favourite on you, I think. You could make the blue lace one more casual with what you wear over it i.e. a little cotton cardie, demin jacket, white shirt tied at the waist etc.
My mum was really keen on sales like that. We had some good days getting major bargains.
Ooh yes, I like the denim jacket idea!!
I think I might have to venture there sometime with The Mother.
I really liked the LSU inspired outfit although, I would never wear that sort of top.
My favorites overall were the red dress with the yellow belt and the teal chevron patterned one.
Yes, y’all should definitely go – it’s a lot of fun!
you are full of awesomeness….
OK, I know what I’m doing on Tuesday! Love these outfits and the photos of you are beautiful!!
Thank you so much! Let me know how it goes!
This has convinced ME to move to Birmingham, now I need you to write a post to convince my husband!
Love everything, especially the first top and dress.
Hmm.
We just got a new Minor League Baseball Stadium. We could slide him a couple Alabama Football tickets.
That’s all I got.
I thought I would have a definitive favorite outfit but I LOVE THEM ALL. Ya done good, girlfriend! And I love all the different jewelry. I’m having a little trouble lately with jewelry. My jewelry wardrobe is in desperate need of an update. Maybe you could do a jewelry post sometime?
My favorite places to get jewelry are Charming Charlie (obviously) and the clearance racks at department stores. I’m not sure I’m an expert, but I’ll think about how I could do a post on it.
What is the address where they do the Tuesday afternoon sales?
It’s at 1215 2nd Avenue North, 35203.
This is amazing! I know where my first post-pregnancy shopping spree will be! Thank you for sharing!
I just so happen to have appointments at UAB this Tuesday and next Tuesday. How can I NOT try to check this out???
I didn’t know you were wearing one of your fancy new shirts the other night. All I knew was it was stylish and cute! Those are some great finds!
First question: Do they have non-model sizes? Or do I need to lose 40 lbs before I try shopping there?
Second question: If they do have regular sizes, will you take me shopping with you there sometime, pretty please?
I LOVED the first top, and the teal/navy chevron dress. I almost stopped when I saw you in the nursery today to tell you how much I liked it. I’ve been looking to add more green items to my closet.
Oh, and I loved the blue lacy dress. I would totally wear that to church!
Everything I saw was in Small, Medium, and Large. And due to the shape and form of the dresses and shirts, I think they would fit a wide range of sizes. So yes! You should go. And yes! I’ll go with you.
I might just go tomorrow since I’ll have to pick up my hubby from work & he just happens to be on 3rd Ave N so… I mean, it’s prob meant to be…right? Right?!
Love your finds! You look awesome!!!
Awesome post! I’m so happy that you enjoyed shopping at WISH so much! I can’t wait to meet some of your blog readers tomorrow. It looks like a few people are already interested in coming out! I’ll get you all added to the email list. If any of you have questions about WISH or the sample sale you can email me at work at customerservice at thewishcollection.com I’m going to be adding some new styles to our retail site soon so be on the look out for those! If you need help getting here or have questions you can also reach me at 866-631-5034 ext 107.
I’m also an independent stylist for Stella & Dot so I would love to help any of you pick out some jewelry to complete your new finds at WISH. I’ll have my samples set up in my office tomorrow. If you check out my blog I also have a “Mystery Host” trunk show going on right now. You can find more details about that on this post: http://stylewithtaren.blogspot.com/2013/04/april-mystery-trunk-show.html
Hope to see some of you soon!!
Taren
You have vastly different taste than mine, but I do like that last dress and the shape of the first shirt. I don’t think I could stand the belts. Just looking at you I feel constricted, like when I see people wearing scarves around their necks (as in, the way they are supposed to be worn) I always feel like I’m being choked.
And one all important question: Why the Skinny Jeans?
I’ve gotten used to the belts, but I can’t say that I don’t breathe nice and easy at the end of the day when I take them off.
And the skinny jeans: they’re a journey I’ve been on for the last couple of years. I have to say, I’m getting used to them. But no worries – bootcut are still my go-to. :-)
Great job on finding the deals! I’m all about a good bargain. You look amazing in all these pictures! I don’t have enough of a trendy look to pull off most of these, but I LOVE the dresses! And the belts are so fun! I don’t own any of those type of belts, but I should try because I really like the way they look in these pictures!
I’ve really gotten into belts in the past few years because of the flattering things they can do to my waistline. I’ve amassed quite a collection now!
Whoo hoo…what a score! Love the outfits you pulled together, now I wish I still lived in B’ham.
I woul d totally wear that lace dress to church. :-)
THIS IS INCREDIBLE NEWS. And I love the dropped hem colorblock shirt you showed last.
Gorgeous! Awesome job! I am realizing that now that I have a family in which I am the only female (no daughters to say “Mom, that looks awful!”… like we did for my mom, bless her heart…) that I am probably going to need an accountability partner for shopping trips. You may get a call from me very soon saying I’m headed to B-ham for some retail therapy!
Yippeee!! That sounds like an awesome time.
Wow, what a score!! I’m especially envious of all those cute dresses (the maxis-sigh), since I pretty much refuse to wear pants in warm weather. The lace dress was my favorite!
No *actual* science is implied. But at least you have an explanation for your husband!
I tried to shop today (Tuesday) and the door was locked and the lights off…bummer since i was so excited to check it out after your cute finds! Do you know anything about a change in shopping times?
I did the exact same thing this morning, sadly enough. I had scheduled weeks ago to meet two friends down there for shopping this morning. I banged on the door, called, and got nothing. I’m trying to figure out what happened. It’s strange, since I know they’ve been open every Tuesday since I blogged about it, because someone has gone every week and told me about it. I’m so sorry!! I guess it was too good to be true.
I’ll update the blog post as soon as I have some more concrete details as to whether they’re gone for good or not.
Hey guys… I’m the Taren who commented in this post previously. I am no longer an employee of The Wish Collection. Wish has relocated operations under new leadership to a different state. (They couldn’t make it without me! ;) I kid. ) Sorry for any of you who went or had plans to go. If something changes in the future with the sample sale being available I will be sure to pass along that information to Rachel to share with you.