Thrifted Thursday - Casual Summer Style

As you all know I am a regular thrifter. Thrifting is a great way to get quality clothing pieces at very low prices. You can find name brands like Coach, Ralph Lauren, Vera Wang, and many more at drastically reduced prices. I personally don’t look for name brands, because brands are not as important to me as fit, ease of wear and care, and low price points. I have found things like my navy Ralph Lauren blazer and black heeled leather boots. I know there are many bloggers who score big finding very expensive brands for just a few dollars. Whatever you are looking for, thrift stores can be a great place to dig for treasure. During this time of Covid, you can also shop second hand on line, with retailers like Poshmark, thredUP and even Goodwill.

Thrifted Thursday is all about outfits pulled from my closet made entirely of pieces I have found thrifting. It challenges me to take a purposeful look at my thrift finds and come up with new ways to style them. There are many times I put an outfit together and it is entirely thrifted, but more often, my outfits are a blend of thrifted and regular retail priced pieces from stores like Christopher and Banks, Kohl’s, JCPenney and Maurices.

Both this graphic tee and my distressed cropped jeans have been on the blog before. You can see the tee styled with a denim skirt and the jeans styled with a green and white popover top, holiday sweater and a red plaid jacket. My Happy tee is No Boundaries brand. The distressed jeans are Simply Vera brand.

Since my tee is fairly loose and long, I thought to tie it at the front to give me a more defined waist. The tee is very thin, and almost distressed like my jeans. That is part of why I thought they went well together.

For my accessories, I chose my blush and pearl choker, which is not thrifted, but I thought it went well with the outfit. I also chose my thrifted, blush, NY & Co. bag.

This sweater vest was another fun thrift find. I was shopping with my best friend back in NY and she pointed this out to me. I tried it on and loved it. It is Relativity brand. What sold me on this piece was the fringe.

Since I was grooving on a blue theme, I chose my thrifted blue and silver, YNot brand cage sandals.

It is fun to put together an outfit made entirely, or mostly out of pieces I have found at a thrift store. Do you like this outfit? Do you like to go thrift shopping? What thrift stores do you like to shop at? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

I’ve included a few shopping links. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. I’ll see you next week.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Holiday Outfit - Dressy - Pants

There may be an occasion during the holidays where you want to get dressed up. Maybe you are going to see a stage play such as, A Christmas Carol, or you may be going to a holiday party at the office that is a little more upscale. A great way to get dressed up using pieces you already have in your closet, is to go for a monochrome look. 

Monochrome is choosing one color scheme for your whole outfit. Black or navy is a a great choice since this darker color always looks classy and can easily be taken up a notch with the right accessories. The inspiration for this outfit came from a Chico's catalog that I got last year before the holidays. 

For my outfit I chose a pair of Daisy Fuentes black pants from Kohl's. Here is a pair from H&M. My sleeveless top is from Christopher and Banks. I think the drape neckline on this top is part of what makes it look more dressy. Here is a long sleeve tee version from JC Penney. 

The jacket was a thrift store find. It is very similar to the Chico's inspired outfit, which featured a sheer, mid-thigh over jacket. This one I found, has no label in it, so I don't know what brand it is. 

To keep the look more formal I chose my accessories for their classic dressy vibe. The faux pearls and the real freshwater pearls mingle in varying lengths against the black backdrop of my blouse. I also had the pearl bracelet with the gold and faux rhinestone cross, which seemed the perfect accompanying piece. 

The strands of pearls and beads are not exactly the same color, but it adds interest to the outfit. I grabbed my pewter clutch to complete the look. 

Instead of regular heels I went for the heeled ankle boots. When you are wearing longer slacks, a heeled boot looks perfectly dressy. 

The beauty of a monochrome look is that is elongates you. It makes you look taller, classy and put together. 

If you have a more dressy party or event to go to and don't want to spend a fortune on a dress you'll only wear once in a while, try the following suggestions.

1. Start with a dark skirt or pair of pants. Navy or black work best for a dressy occasion, but look for something that you have other pieces in of the same color.

2. Find a blouse, light weight sweater or other top that says dressed up. Fabrics do a lot to make an outfit look dressier. Look for fabrics that are silky, flowy or drape well. 

3. You don't have to wear a jacket like I did, but having some sort of over piece adds warmth and interest. A waterfall cardi, a button up tunic worn as a jacket or even a moto jacket can all dress an outfit up.

4. Wear heels if you are able. Heels make us walk with more confidence and stand up taller. If you can't wear heels, then choose a pair of flats with a pointier toe or made of a material like velvet. Velvet dresses anything up.

5. Add the perfect accessories. Silver and gold are alway a good choice to wear with a monochrome outfit, but pearls or iridescent beads in solid colors can add a touch of class. Do this for you bag choice as well. A clutch with bling always says upscale. 

I hope you enjoyed this outfit. Do you like to dress in monochrome? Do you have a go to outfit or clothing piece that just makes you feel like a million bucks when you wear it? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. 

This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own.