How to: Seasonal Transition

            I snagged this Ann Taylor skirt in July at Salvation Army. Later in the month, I wore it to First Friday and posted about it HERE. When I swapped my summer clothes for winter ones, I left this skirt out—it was, no doubt, manufactured and distributed as part of Ann Taylor’s spring or summer line, however, I knew I wanted to find a way to style it for cold weather. But how? The length and color palate both scream warm weather.

           

            To “winterize” this piece, I turned to some classic tricks: tights, layering, and winter hues. Opaque tights add warmth and a level of class to a skirt that is on the short side. Layering also adds warmth and adds to the wintery feel. Finally- color selection. Charcoal gray, mustard yellow and this beautiful teal are all appropriate colors for cold weather.

            I usually keep accessories to a minimum but for today’s outfit, I experimented with what other bloggers call the “arm party.” If you’re not familiar with the concept, it is an elaborate jumble of bracelets, usually including the spiky Renegade bracelet, a pave link bracelet and a large face watch. I did it my own way (with a knock off Renegade, buy it HERE), but I’m pretty pleased for my first attempt.

I’m excited to style this skirt again in spring and create an entirely new look.

Thriftfully Yours,

B

HAPPY NEW YEAR READERS! I haven't been blogging a full year so I didn't get to do the typical "Year in Review." Here's a photo from me last year celebrating NYE in Baltimore!

Blue and Gold

            It’s no secret--I love sparkle. I’ve already done a post about the daytime sequin (see it HERE) and here I am, wearing it again. Everywhere I turn on the blogosphere and Pinterest, I see ladies putting together great looks with sequins. I recently came across this image

and knew I had a similar blue and white striped top I could wear under my sequin one. I (still) don’t own a jean jacket, so I swapped that out for my favorite navy, shawl collared cardigan. As for the rest of my outfit—it’s not exactly what I wanted. We got some snow and I wasn’t in the mood for a skirt and tights, so I wore pants and a sensible shoe. Just focus on the top, dear reader. I even wore my navy cloche to draw the eye upward—did it work?

There you have it, another post on the daytime sequin.

Thriftfully Yours,

B

The Grandpa Sweater

            I love being cozy and warm in the wintertime. To accomplish this, I wear a lot of sweaters. I’ve worn a shawl collared sweater (HERE and HERE) and cable knits (HERE AND HERE) on the blog before. This style of sweater, which I call the grandpa sweater, is yet another stylish and warm option for warm wear.

            The key aspect of the grandpa sweater is that it be oversized—after all, the idea to make it look like it previously belonged to a man. This sweater, which I recently thrifted, is a vintage men’s sweater with an embroidered “Arizona Biltmore” logo.

            The trick to wearing this style and other sweater styles is balance. Because the sweater is oversized, it is important to keep the rest of the silhouette slim. To accomplish this, I paired my sweater with skinny black pants and a turtleneck. For a little color, I accessorized with my purple floppy hat and a red lip.

Get thrifting and look for your own grandpa sweater!

Thriftfully Yours,

B

Thrifty Threads: A Christmas Gift Review

Hello Readers,
I hope your Christmas celebration was lovely! Today, I'm going to recap my fashion related gifts. My thrifty-ness doesn't ever go away, so even when I'm not the purchaser of something, I'm still looking for a good deal! Each item on the list was under $30 and I cannot wait to integrate them into my collection.
Enjoy,
B

Pardon My French Forever21

Red Plaid Sweater Forever21

Grey Sheep Sweater Old Navy 

 Pearl Cluster Necklace Etsy (Eienblue)

Pearl and Rhinestone Necklace Lisner (via Ebay)

 White & Blue Anchor Stud Earrings Etsy (JoannaBizu)

Renegade Spike Bracelet GroopDealz

 Blue Velvet Large Tote Merona (via Target)

Blue & Brown Owl Coin Purse Thirty-One

 Plaid Embroidered Smoking Loafer Rock & Republic (via Kohls)

Yellow Corduroy Smoking Loafers SO (via Kohls) 

Merry Christmas!

Dear Readers,
I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and thank you for all the support you give me by reading my little blog.
As Ever,
B

The Lilac Gingham Blouse

            Sometimes, I have all the components of an outfit swirling around in my head, just waiting to be assembled. Other times, I gravitate to one piece and build from there. For today’s outfit, I started with my new (to me) Lands’ End lilac gingham button up. I was stumped for a long time—just circling around my room, looking for the perfect pairing. Finally, I came across my green polka dot sweater and knew I had my fashion problem solved.

            I stuck to one style—dressy prep but incorporated both pattern mixing and texture mixing to add dimension and interest to the outfit.  The scale of the gingham is so small compared to the dots, its practically a solid from far away. The knit texture of the sweater is contrasted with the silky finish of the skirt as well as the suede shoe.

            I’m excited to style this blouse again in a different season—already I’m imagining it with my J Crew white chinos…Mmm summer!

Thriftfully Yours,

B

A Bit Too Far

            Yesterday, I spoke about the Power of Accessories (see it HERE). However, just as easily as accessories can help make and outfit, they can ruin them, too. Sometimes I get too excited about a number of accessories and end up piling them all on—forgetting to edit.

            For today’s outfit, I should have made a decision between the scarf and the cardigan—Oops. I went overboard. Despite that, I love the holiday nature of his outfit-- the red, the sparkle and the dressiness that the heels add. I’ll definitely have to try styling this dress in a more successful way sometime soon!

Thriftfully Yours,

B

The Power of Accessories

            I love accessories. The profound impact they can have on an outfit is not to be overlooked. Accessories can take a simple ensemble from casual to dressy or day to night (or vice versa). My accessory collection probably rivals my garment collection in terms of item count. Once I tally up all the hats, scarves, pieces of jewelry, belts, glasses, and shoes, the total is quite high.

            Today’s outfit is simple—a turtleneck, a cable knit sweater and dark wash skinny jeans. Once I accessoized, I transformed my ensemble and elevated it to a more fashionable level. I selected my faux-fur collar and last year’s impulse buy hat from Target (with felt flower embellishments by Maggie) to add some sophistication. My last accessory addition are my (worn out) riding boots. Going to a tree farm can get muddy and require some trekking around, so boots were a natural choice.

Check out what this outfit looks like with my red toggle coat on top below! Thanks for reading.

Thriftfully Yours,

B

 

Thrifty Threads: Part II of a GW Shopping Review

1. B. Moss Red and Black Plaid Skirt            $4.00

When I started out on my GW trek last week, I had one piece in mind: A plaid skirt. I try not to go thrifting with a particular piece in mind because the selection is so varied, but I work at an Irish pub and we wear plaid skirts (or kilts) and I’m SO bored of the one I’ve been wearing. I was lucky enough to snag this red plaid skirt by B. Moss.

2. Arizona Biltmore Vintage Cream Sweater             $4.00

            As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been hunting for some winter sweaters. A while back, I snagged a teal colored vintage Outdoor Country Club sweater at the Junior League and I loved the history attached to it. This sweater is equally cozy and historic. I Googled “Arizona Biltmore” and found out that it’s a luxury hotel in Arizona that opened in 1929. (Check out the website HERE and swoon over the beautiful photos!)

3. Sonoma Tan T-Strap Heels            $6.00

            These heels are in excellent condition and I couldn’t pass them up! I rarely wear heels, but I thought they were a great classic shoe that would be appropriate for a number of situations. For six bucks, what lady wouldn’t want a new pair of shoes?

4. Merona Brown Cap Toe Mary Jane Heels            $7.00

            I spotted this pair at Target some time ago, but for $30 new, I couldn’t rationalize buying a shoe I wouldn’t wear a lot. Luckily, a number of other women also passed them by and the ended up, new with tags, at Goodwill. They have a great vintage inspired look and the heel is a reasonable height.

I can’t wait to incorporate all these pieces into my wardrobe! I’m already dreaming up ways to pair them with my existing pieces.

Thriftfully Yours,

B

Thrifty Threads: Part I of a GW Shopping Review

            I recently headed to a Goodwill in a local town and though my haul wasn’t the biggest, I did snag 3 quality pieces to add to my collection.

1. American Living Red Skater Dress            $4.00

I was so pleased to find that this dress was in my size! The color is that perfect fire engine red that I love and rarely wear. This cotton dress is easy to wear, yet looks classic and elegant. I wore it days after buying it—look for it in an upcoming post!

2. Ralph Lauren Sport Berry Cable Knit Sweater            $4.00

At the beginning of this season, I made a decision to add more sweaters to my collection. I was pleased to find this Ralph Lauren classic cable knit in a great, berry color. Perfect as a layering piece!

 3. Talbots Dark Teal Quilted Jacket            $6.50

My search for a quilted jacket is finally OFF! This lightweight jacket is not warm enough for December weather in the Northeast, but the price was too good to pass up! Next fall, I’ll be wearing this jacket to death.

Guess what readers? The same day, I drove to ANOTHER Goodwill and scored again! Stay tuned for part two of my thrifting extravaganza!

Thriftfully Yours,

B

Build-A-Dress

            I have found yet another way to make use of the pieces I’ve already got—the build-a-dress. Despite this looking like a black dress, it is, in fact, a pencil skirt and a sweater vest. The versatility of separates never ceases to amaze me.

            This outfit began with my red striped vintage blouse. I love a bold fashion choice, but between the color and the print, it seemed overwhelming. Someone once said, the clothes shouldn’t wear you, you should wear your clothes. I figured a vest would tone it down nicely. When I went to search my skirt collection for a suitable choice, I realized my black pencil skirt would make it look like I was wearing a dress—how fabulous!

            I can’t wait to find other ways to Build-A-Dress!

Thriftfully Yours,

B

Rain Boots

 

            Rain boots. Do you own a pair? Because you should! I purchased this pair my freshman year of college to combat the awful puddles on campus and they’re still going strong! The weather strongly influences my fashion decisions and rainy day attire is challenging for me. I don’t want to look like I gave up just because of the weather.

            Rain gear doesn’t have to be a sign of fashion defeat. Retailers at all price points have been putting out really great boots in all sorts of colors and patterns. While I’ve taken the more relaxed route here—wearing them with skinny jeans—I’ve seen rain boots dressed up very successfully (Interested? Check out Blair of Atlantic Pacific knocking it out of the park HERE).

            So readers, next time it’s raining—don’t wave the white flag. You will not be stopped by mere rain! You are a fashionable lady, rain or shine.

Thriftfully Yours,

B