Claybrooks began collecting high-end china and crystal

Tag : straw fabric

TrudieClaybrooks scores her suits, and accessories and coats, at thriftshops.
"Each and every day she comes to the office dressed to the nines,and every day I ask her, Where did you get that outfit?' " saysMary Beth Page, her co-worker at the probation services departmentat Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court. "And every day she responds witha sly smile. "You know, one of my stores.' "
Her colleagues call her the "Queen of Thrift Store Shopping."
Claybrooks, 60, says there's one place where she's scored most ofher best buys: Unique Thrift on Vine Street in Eastlake.
She tries to stop at other Unique Thrift locations, too, such asthe store on Lorain Avenue on Cleveland's West Side. She also foundsome great pieces at a Discovery Shop, which used to be at CedarCenter and has moved to 5404 Mayfield Road, Lyndhurst.
Claybrooks started thrift shopping about six years ago, when shebegan collecting high-end china and crystal. She couldn't help but notice high-quality clothes and accessories at the stores she wentto.
Her favorite buy ever? An Oleg Cassini skirt suit, which cost about$18. "I have a tangerine silk suit, too, that's another favorite,"she says. "And then I found a straw bag with tangerine flowers tomatch." Another score of which she's proud: an impeccable BrooksBrothers women's wool pant suit, which was a stunning $15 atUnique.
Another favorite store is Oz Collectibles on East 185th inCleveland. While that store doesn't have a huge number of clothes,it does have coats, jewelry and handbags. That's where she got thefull-length fox fur coat she adores, for a mere $50.
Claybrooks sews, so if a skirt needs hemming or adjusting, she cando it herself. And because she sews, she sees the signs of qualityin construction.
"I always look at the seams, the lining and the weight of thematerial," she says. If a silk fabric is too flimsy, she'll pass."And I don't care so much about the designer labels, since thatdoesn't always mean a lot. The way it's made does."
Because she's 5 foot 3, she prefers to wear skirt suits anddresses, especially sundresses in summer. She wears a size 8 or 10,so she also finds a lot to choose from at thrift and resale shops.
For Claybrooks, whose job environment can be stressful, "thriftshopping is a huge release. I go every week, and I love to look.It's the thrill of the hunt, nothing more. And I can find thingsthat are high-quality, and made very well -- so well that I evenend up passing them on to my kids when I get tired of wearingthem."
She always pays cash. Sometimes, you can get a better price thatway, she says, but also, putting even bargains on your credit carddefeats the purpose of scoring a great buy.
As her friend Page says, "With our economy in such a state ofdisrepair and all of us living on a budget, Trudie is a truetestament to what can be accomplished with just a bit of planningand an eye for style."
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
etheiss@plaind.com, 216-999-4542