Amazing Looks from Goodwill

The models you see in this blog are actual Goodwill shoppers who donated their time to participate in our annual Amazing Looks photo shoot. All clothing was selected from our very own Goodwill Store & Donation Centers and styled by Goodwill Fashion Expert, Bjorn Nasett. Hair and makeup was provided by Kitty Tierney of Impressions and all photography was created by Jessica Kaminski of Refinery Milwaukee.

Click here to learn more about our annual Amazing Looks Model Contest!

All images for Goodwill's Amazing Looks prior to 2019 were supplied by John Grant Photography.

Emily - The Holiday-Style Little Black Dress

Posted by Jamie Klinger-Krebs on Dec 1, 2014 2:59:00 PM

Emily does up the holiday party circuit in style! Sometimes all you really need is one FABULOUS dress to make a great impression. The little black dress is a style cliche of the BEST variety! Every gal should have one as her ultimate go-to look for any dress up occasion. We found this NEW (with the original tags) dress from Marc New York, at one of our stores and knew I it would be the perfect foil for glamorous accessories of all kinds! The dress featured ruched details at the hip and draped beautifully because of the luxurious  rayon and spandex fabric.  Always look for fabric that feels rich and has a nice weight to it. This is an indication of high-quality construction. Because it’s the holiday season we glitzed up this look by bringing on the gold. Gold medallion necklaces, or for that matter any metallic necklace, is always in style, and so are these lovely bronze earrings from American Eagle. A simple vintage handbag with gold chain adds another touch of lady-like class! When it comes to shoes you can go with a strappy metallic sandal or you could also swap those out for some high heeled pumps in black. The possibilities are endless when you have a dress as great as this one is! A simple upswept hairstyle and some soft, yet glamorous make up creates party perfection! TIP: Whenever you’re at one of our stores, look at the dress section first so you won’t miss out on the perfect LBD for your wardrobe!

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Topics: Bjorn Nasett, Amazing Looks, Goodwill Amazing Looks, Fashion, bjorn

Anna - Grade School Chic

Posted by Jamie Klinger-Krebs on Nov 1, 2014 12:00:00 AM

Anna is the daughter of a couple of my best friends. Her parents, involved in the fashion industry, have definitely influenced their daughter's choices when it comes to looking good for school, play, or any other event that might come up in a young lady’s life. Here we see her sporting a couple of different trends that are fun and easy to do - black and white, and the layered look. You just can’t go wrong when it comes to black pieces that can mix and match with other things in your child’s wardrobe. In this case her very chic mother, Stefani, who is a loyal Goodwill shopper, chose leggings by Justice, a skirt by Miley Cyrus, and a terrific black cropped blazer from the Children’s Place, all purchased at Goodwill. These three pieces alone can work with any color and any pattern, and they're perfect basic pieces to build from.  Black clothing for children can be tricky, but this is a great illustration of just how to put it all together in a fun way. To ramp up the look and make it seem a little more like her mom’s favorite city of Paris, we added a black-and-white striped cotton top from H&M, a gold metallic belt, funky spike bracelets in gold, and some charming black ballet flats that lace up around the ankle. This proud mom told me at the photo shoot that she takes the kids to Goodwill all the time to find basics that are good quality which they can wear to school and at play. Judging by the looks of this high-fashion outfit, I’d say she knows exactly how to take advantage of the great style at affordable prices available at our stores on any given day!  "I shop my local Goodwill store for outerwear, sports uniforms, and other items that kids grow out of quickly,” Stefani said.

Anna's Favorite Item: The whole outfit

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Topics: Bjorn Nasett, Amazing Looks, Goodwill Amazing Looks, Fashion, Amazing Goodwill

TJ - Middle School Cool

Posted by Jamie Klinger-Krebs on Nov 1, 2014 12:00:00 AM

TJ is Anna’s older brother, and already this guy knows what kind of style he likes, and what he doesn’t like. His dad, Tom, told me once that he sometimes has to have his son scale back his exuberant style so as not to distract others at school! Like that’s a bad thing? Here we see my good-looking godson sporting a cold-weather, school appropriate outfit that is fashion- forward in its use of pattern and color. Starting with the dark-wash slim-cut jeans by 1969, we added in a black-and-blue striped graphic t-shirt by Shaun White. All young dudes like this one enjoy wearing the famous snowboarder’s clothing line. What makes this look into fashion, however, are the gray sneakers from TJ’s own collection and, of course, the awesome abstract-patterned, black-gray-and-white ski jacket by Zero Xposur that I found at one of our Goodwill stores. I absolutely love the pop of the yellow zipper against all the other darker tones in this ensemble. TJ is not only ready for school as the temps drop, but he’s also ready for the runway in this sophisticated take on sportswear for the pre-teen set! TIP: Basic items + trendy items = fashion success!

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Topics: Bjorn Nasett, Amazing Looks, Goodwill Amazing Looks, Fashion, Amazing Goodwill

Georgianne - The Essence of Chic

Posted by Jamie Klinger-Krebs on Sep 1, 2014 12:00:00 AM

Georgianne, or George as her friends call her is the very essence of chic style in this vibrant tomato-red linen dress by Amanda Smith. The shirtwaist style is an easy fit for most women with it’s self belt. This particular style features patch pockets at the bust and slits at the side that make it feel a little flirty. Finding something like this at one of our stores is a dream come true for a gal on the taller side that has a hard time finding dresses. The proportions here work well for this former model and her almost six-foot frame! Note how well the shoulder line accents her silhouette. That is the key to a shirtwaist dress! We dressed it up with just a few simple accessories that add to the look without distracting from the vibrant color. A gold tone necklace and earrings, along with Georgianne’s own leather pumps with gold detail make this daytime appropriate as well as super classy! My favorite pieces are the sunglasses and straw-and-black patent leather clutch by Echo. This outfit is movie star glamour that looks like a million dollars, but in reality was put together on a shoestring budget! Keep your eyes peeled for classic dresses in wonderful fabric like linen, such as this dress, the next time you’re out shopping at one of our stores!

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Topics: Bjorn Nasett, Amazing Looks, Goodwill Amazing Looks, Fashion

Robert - Comfortably Cool

Posted by Jamie Klinger-Krebs on Sep 1, 2014 12:00:00 AM

Robert is a cool teenage guy. He knows what looks good and cares about putting together a look that he’s comfortable with. With so much going for him already, we built his look here starting with an awesome button down cotton shirt with a Phoenix appliqué on the front, done in a khaki color from the Buffalo by David Button brand. Next, we added a pair of classic Levi’s jeans in a lighter wash than what we’ve been seeing in fashion as of late to keep the outfit fresh. The key to the cool factor here are the accessories that Robert himself brought to the table for the photo shoot. The nerd chic glasses, the white belt, and of course the very cool Van’s canvas deck shoes in a complementary shade of tan. This is the epitome of effortless style! Remember, great pieces like the unique shirt and accessories mixed with classic items like the jeans, are what create memorable fashion.

Robert's Favorite Item: Levi's Jeans

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Topics: Goodwill, Amazing Looks, Goodwill Amazing Looks, Fashion, bjorn

Trish - One Great Dress

Posted by Jamie Klinger-Krebs on Aug 1, 2014 12:00:00 AM

Our model search winner Trish illustrates just how one great dress can make all the difference when you want to make a statement with your fashion. Look at how well this simple sheath dress from Ann Taylor fits her. This was a real bargain due to the high quality of the cotton fabric and the machine embroidered pattern on the dress. The wonderful thing about a go-to dress like this is that it doesn’t need much in the way of accessorizing. We made it pop by adding some vintage yellow, floral earrings, and a green, beaded chain necklace that pick up on the tones of the embroidery in the dress. A classic pair of Ann Klein leather pumps and she was good to go wherever the day or evening might take her! Always look for high-quality name brand dresses when you’re out shopping at Goodwill, and you too can look as fabulously fashionable as Trish does!

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Topics: Goodwill, Amazing Looks, Goodwill Amazing Looks, Fashion, bjorn

Cory - Sporty and Fashion Forward

Posted by Jamie Klinger-Krebs on Aug 1, 2014 12:00:00 AM

Cory proves that sporty looks can be fashion forward too! Here we’ve combined classic elements such as the American Eagle plaid shorts, blue and white striped sweater, and a Ben Sherman graphic print t-shirt. When looking at all the items separately you might think they’d be too much together, but that is the beauty of layering when all the pieces share a common thread. In this case the common thread is red, white, and blue. These patriotic colors always work together in harmony even if the tones don’t exactly "match." Cory had some cool sunglasses and light blue Sperry Topsider deck shoes that really played along well with our sporty summer theme. He definitely has a fun, casual and comfortable look going here, and you can too by looking for similar items to add to your warm weather wardrobe.

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Topics: Goodwill, Amazing Looks, Goodwill Amazing Looks, Fashion, bjorn

Annisa - Looking Cool In All the Right Ways

Posted by Jamie Klinger-Krebs on Jul 1, 2014 11:24:00 AM

Annisa is also wearing a fabulous print dress, this time in an Aztec-type pattern. The turquoise blue tone is a summer-style staple and is quite flattering to almost any skin tone. A dress or two like this should be in every smart gals summer wardrobe! With the empire-waist style that flows very flatteringly from under the bust, this is a sure bet to keep you feeling cool and breezy on those scorching days ahead. The classic empire-waist style is also a great fit for lots of figures, as it brings the focus to the bustline and away from potential problem areas. We went ahead and added some fun summer accessories like the silver dangle earrings, hand beaded necklace in two tones of blue, and of course, the piece de resistance, the totally cool vintage straw handbag. When it came to footwear, we chose to go with Annisa’s own grey suede wedge heeled gladiator-style shoes to add a little height and protect her feet from the hot pavement on a day filled with summer shopping! Remember, a colorful sundress can, and will, help to keep you looking and feeling cool this summer in all the right ways, just like Annisa!

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Topics: Bjorn Nasett, Amazing Looks, Goodwill Amazing Looks, Fashion, bjorn

Damara - Casually Cool

Posted by Jamie Klinger-Krebs on Jul 1, 2014 11:04:00 AM

Damara looks ready for the bright days and cooler nights of summer in this colorful ensemble. Just like last month, where our focus was on dresses, we started with a teal-green and navy- paisley print dress from Merona. This is a great little summer sundress for sure, but we weren’t finished adding some more fashion flourishes quite yet. During the day Damara could casually tie the chartreuse lightweight acrylic sweater from Forever 21 over her shoulders. But, when the evening chill descends  why not layer it over the dress and add a breezy bohemian scarf in black, purple and grey? The darker color of the scarf is a nice contrast with the brighter tones, and is a sophisticated choice. Since this look is casually cool, we used Damara’s own gold metallic flats to keep it relaxed and not too dressy.  The gold metallic earrings,color blocked bangle bracelet and gold chain necklace add a little sparkle and shine, that bring out the beauty of our model, who looks like she’s ready to take on whatever adventures this summer may bring!

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Topics: Bjorn Nasett, Amazing Looks, Goodwill Amazing Looks, Fashion, bjorn

Sabrina - Rocking the Floral

Posted by Jamie Klinger-Krebs on Jun 1, 2014 12:00:00 AM

This month our model Sabrina reveals how to rock the floral look just right! Once again, a terrific dress is all you need when the summer months finally arrive. This feminine looking bias cut slip dress by American Angel just screams summer, with its flirty flounces and romantic rose pattern. Sabrina’s own black suede booties, with a wedge heel help to toughen up this girly frock, and adds some edge to the vintage styling. Simple bangles and sunglasses in basic black are all you really need with a dress as pretty as this one. Just for fun we used a turquoise bag by Style & Co.,that can hold all the necessities you may need on a gorgeous summer day without overwhelming the rest of the look. Whether she’s attending a summer festival, or heading out for dinner, this look comes across as sassy, chic and effortless.

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Topics: Bjorn Nasett, Amazing Looks, Goodwill Amazing Looks, Fashion

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