Plus Size Cashmere Sweater

One of the best places to shop for this season's trends is thrift stores.- 11 ...

One of the best places to shop for this season's trends is thrift stores.

Those trends that are this season's runway favorites? The oversize statement necklaces and long, breezy skirts? The '70s silk blouses? Or the maxi dresses that go anywhere, any time? You can find them hanging on the racks of secondhand stores.

From chic party dresses and designer blouses to modern clutches and cashmere cardigans, stylish pieces are not only the bona-fide versions of today's trends, they also are priced at less than you would spend on a skinny mocha latte with an extra shot of vanilla.

But beware. What you save in money, you will spend in time, says Jessica Medici, an avid thrifter and owner of the vintage consignment shop Avienna in Sioux Falls. Thrifting is not one-stop shopping. It's a treasure hunt.

"You have to be patient," Medici says. "You have to be open minded. It's not rack after rack of things where you'll be able to find a shirt that instantly matches that skirt and comes in your size."

The hunt, however, is just part of the fun. And tracking down a $2 vintage maxi dress that you won't see on your friends is worth it.

"You'd be surprised the amount of well-made, expensive clothing that is hiding in thrift shops, just waiting to be found. You have to dig for it, but it's there, says Tish Oxenreider, who runs the website simplemom.net and is the author of "Organized Simplicity."

For the fashionista on a budget, thrifting is a no-brainer, Medici says. The 35-year-old Sioux Falls woman started shopping at thrift stores with her mom when she was a kid. Medici quickly learned that it was silly to pay upwards of $60 for a pair of designer jeans at a department store when you could find them for just a few dollars at a store like Goodwill. "And, my mom always said, they were already broken in."

Plus it's a great way to try new styles, Medici says. When you pay less than $5 for similar trends you would find in regular retail stores allows you to experiment with your look more often. You don't have to feel buyer's remorse from investing in something full price that winds up hanging in your closet unused.

But just because something's cheap doesn't mean you need to buy it, Oxenreider says.

"You need to make sure what you find is actually something you need - otherwise, you're just buying clutter, and you're not saving money."

Go often to find the best deals, Oxenreider says.

"If you don't find anything one week, try again in a few weeks," she says. "A store's inventory changes constantly, so you might strike gold one week, and come up with nothing the next.

Plus Size Cashmere Sweaters | Womens Cashmere Sweaters

Plus Size Cashmere Sweaters

Plus Size cashmere Sweaters

To feel cool, calm and comfortable in warm weather, women all over the world, from United States to Australia, know to seek and wear clothes made from linen and cotton fabrics.

100% natural fibres absorb perspiration without sticking to the body, and allow the flow of air to help keep body temperature down. The finer the weave, the cooler you feel.

Larger plus-sizes benefit in particular from the comfort of cool linen.  Statistics now show that as populations change, 40% of women in westernised cultures are UK Size 16 (US size 12) and over.

There are many online fashion boutique’s that specialise in women’s clothing  such as linen, cotton including Fair-trade, cashmere, and other gentle fabrics for comfort in both home and holiday wardrobes.   Follow the sunshine all-year-round through the global seasons, and allow the world’s finest fabrics to the world’s discriminating females.  An added key feature is easy wash ability.

Cashmere clothing can be made from the finest Mongolian cashmere yarn. It  is a fibre from the wool or fur of the Kashmir goat. It is expensive because only a few ounces are obtained from each goat per year. It is a delicate yarn, more fragile than wool. It is also extraordinarily soft, resilient, and receptive to dyes. Kashmir goats are primarily raised in Mongolia, but many are bred in Iran, Tibet, India and China. Cashmere is collected from the goats during their annual malting season through the shedding of their down.

In the frigid high desert climates where most of the goats are raised, the dense inner coat guards against harsh winter weather, but once the seasons change, the goat begins to lose this protective layer of down.

The finest and longest fibres of this rare and precious cashmere are combed once a year from the bellies and throats of the Kashmir goats during the malting season. These longer fibres are especially soft and cause less “pilling” when knitted into cashmere clothes such as cashmere sweaters, cashmere cardigans, cashmere ponchos, cashmere scarves and cashmere shawls.

When properly cared-for, this top quality knitwear will last a lifetime and become a best friend:  Always there to comfort you when you most need warmth.

A natural progression is to include Fair-trade garments, adding not only variety but also extra value in credit-crunch times.  Fair-trade garments, naturally produced in emerging global economies, adhere to strict ethical standards of production, do not employ child labour, and offer a fair local wage to its makers.  Natural dyes and hand-printing processes help maintain our respect for the natural world and its bio-diversities, and encourage natural skills and crafts whilst also integrating and promoting ethnic communities.

Where am I wearing?, a global tour to the countries, factories, and people that make our clothes

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