photos by Laurel Dailey

There are those who shop, and those who shop professionally. Then there’s people who do both, like Beth Jones. Lucky for us, she’s sharing a guide to how she shops Crossroads to get the most style for the least buck: Thanks Beth!

“For my premiere B. Styled Shopping feature, I decided to start with one of my favorites, Crossroads Trading Co. I’ve picked up so many treasures at this buy-sell-trade store, it was only right that I begin here.

1. I hit up Crossroads right at opening hours to beat the crowd and find all the goodies.

2. Since Crossroads is a buy-sell-trade, there’s a lot to choose from, and some may get overwhelmed with all the options. To make things a  easier I refer back to STYLIT’s “Shopping List for Style” and see what I am currently craving. This month it’s anything with a wide leg, solid colors for color-blocking, neon brights, bold, graphic prints, and black jeans. Planning for spring is on my mind, as you can tell.

3. I always glance to the clothes hung on the walls before I dig through the racks. This is where Crossroads displays name brand and designer “hot” items for everyone to see. If I don’t have a ton of time to shop, I may just run in, check out the walls, and pick out a few favorites. Some “wall finds” at Costa Mesa have been a Chloe dress and Prada boots.

4. Then I hit the racks: The first delicious find is solid sea-foam green high-waisted pants – yes please!

5. The shoes are displayed on top of the racks which makes it fun to multi-task your shopping: Sift through a section of the rack, then glance at the shoes – sift, glance, sift, glance.

6. Because color is a big priority on this trip, I only choose to look at sections of the rack that hold the colors I’m looking for.

7. Before I head to the dressing room, I make one final swoop to make sure there isn’t anything left behind.

8. The fun part: Trying everything on!

9. Finally, it comes down to the hard part: Making the decisions. First, I cast-off all my no’s and then lay out everything I love. I look through it all again: What do I want today? What’s important to me today? What’s easy to find other places and what’s special? These questions determine my decisions. Today’s decisions were made based on quality not quantity and preparing for spring.

So…what did I get?

The white Jenni Kayne dress (yum – and so perfect for spring and summer), the neon pink Karta blouse with the flower detail at the neck (so Miu Miu), and the Fremont jumpsuit with wide leg pants (can’t you just see this with a straw hat and sandals?). Outfits start swirling in my head and I can’t wait to get home and make them my own. The best part: I could come back to Crossroads tomorrow and find even more treasures – that’s the beauty of this shop!

Recently, I won the Chictopia/Crossroads “Impress for Less” contest, which awarded me a VIP card, making buying and selling so much more fun!

I hope you enjoyed my adventure to Crossroads!”

Beth Jones is a blogger, stylist, and all-around chic inspiration! To see and read more of her guides, tips, and outfits, check out her blog here.