Style 101: Tips for Every Woman

A thrift-store find can pack as much punch as designer dress: just be sure and calculate in the cost of any necessary alterations. And beware the smell of closets past: If the piece has an odor that bugs you, it's best to pass, since dry cleaning won't necessarily eliminate it.

Angelina Jolie made headlines with a $26 velvet find from L.A.'s Wasteland. "We didn't know she was going to wear it," inventory manager Ernest Carter told People. "We've had a lot of people coming in to see if we have something similar, but it was one of a kind—it has caused quite a hullabaloo."