Category: Uncategorized

My Winter Wardrobe

First, a note about my posting schedule. Work is ramping up (hello Advent, you’re right around the corner!) which means lately I haven’t had as much time as I would like to write and publish posts.  For the foreseeable future, you can keep expecting at least one post a week, but my usual Tuesday/Thursday schedule will now become the ideal rather than the norm.  Thanks for your flexibility and for continuing to keep this blog a fun and creative place for community and conversation!

 

And now, this year’s late fall/winter wardrobe, for your viewing pleasure. Since I broke up with capsule wardrobes, this is not a comprehensive list of every single piece I will wear this winter, but rather the pieces I imagine will get the most wear; they form the core of my wardrobe.

Tops

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Coin 1804; Gap Body; Eileen Fisher; Ivanka Trump; Workshop by Andrea Jovine; J. Crew; Cyn; Liz Claiborne; Gap; Loft; L.L. Bean; J. Crew; Joan Vass; Gap Designed & Crafted

I’ve really upped the number of tops this year for two reasons: I have about twice as much winter to contend with, plus my M.O. for expanding a section of my wardrobe tends to be “buy several different varieties I think I’ll like and then see what actually gets worn.”  Instead of “less is more” (which is where I hope to end up), this is basically the “more becomes less” approach.

Re: colors – is anyone surprised that my sweater palette is basically blue and cream, with pops of caramel, grey, and red? That’s my whole summer wardrobe right there.

 

And the dresses keep the theme going….

Dresses

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Gap; J. Crew; Merona; Caslon; Merona

I’ll wear these with cream, blue, and grey tights of varying weights.

 

The pants, however, have a liiiittle more variation in hue happening…

Pants

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Loft; Talbots; Paige; Lauren by Ralph Lauren; Banana Republic; Jessica Simpson

I’m enjoying pairing more neutral tops with more colorful bottoms – if you can call purple so dark it photographs as black (those first pants) “color”!  And yes, apart from the jeans, I’m sticking with the all-corduroy streak again this year. They just feel…cozier.  I’m probably deceiving myself that corduroy imparts extra warmth; after all, the fuzziness is on the outside, not on the inside where it would do some good.  I don’t care; just let me hold onto my comforting delusion!

 

Back to the trusty ol’ red/cream/blue color palette for my layering pieces.

Layers:

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Kate Hill; Merona; Tahari by Arthur S. Levine; The Savile Row Co.; Mercer & Madison; Loft

 

Last but not least…

Outerwear:

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United Colours of Benetton; J. Crew; Larry Levine
That’s a lot for now; I’ll share scarves/hats and footwear in another post.

In the meantime, check out my winter wardrobe this time last year; a lot has changed!

Freezer Waffles & Christmas Lights: Happy Halloween!

Can you guess who we are?

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If you need a hint (or a laugh), watch this.

PS the only thing thrifted is my United Colours of Benetton field jacket, but everything else we already had in the house. (Thank you, church members, for stocking our freezer with Eggo waffles!)

Happy Halloween, y’all!

Friday ReBlog: the Launch of ReStitch

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Cathy from ReStitch reached out to me to tell me about the launch of this new website and to give you all a chance to get in on the good stuff first!

I know many of you don’t have access to great thrifting and/or as much time as you’d like to go to a physical store and try things on.  ReStitch helps you solve that problem with online thrifting.  The brainchild of Goodwill of North Central Wisconsin, ReStitch is essentially an online thrift store that gives more people access to some of the great stuff coming through Goodwill NCW’s doors.

Per Cathy: “The purpose of reStitch is to help deal-lovers and thrifters look great and do good.  Every reStitch item has been donated, making it possible to put 100 percent of profits directly back into the community in the form of employment training, job placement services, financial education, youth mentoring programs and more!”

(We’ve discussed previously whether marking up thrift finds for online resale is good or bad – most of you I’ve heard from think it’s fine, and how much moreso if the proceeds benefit the good causes championed by the non-profit receiving the original donation!)

ReStitch will likely launch in early December, just in time for holiday shopping.  If you go to their website and sign up (righthand sidebar), you’ll get access to their goods before the general public does.  You can learn more about them from their intro blog post & by perusing the rest of their site.

Thanks, ReStitch, for the great opportunity!

 

This post was not sponsored or compensated.  Just spreading the thrift love!

Friday Reblog: So What to Twenty! & The Thrifted Frock

Two new-to-me blogs to feature today!

The first up is not a thrifting blog per se (although she does feature some eBay and flea market finds), but blogger Glenda K. Harrison of So What to Twenty! does fit in the category of women wearing what they want no matter their age covered in my recent “Other Fashion Rules to Break” post.  I’m adding her there but wanted to draw your attention here, too.  She rocks everything from metallic floral Baroque bomber jackets to skinny overalls to off-the-shoulder floor-length dresses, plus she has a degree from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising so reading her writing about clothing is fascinating.

 

 

Next up is Stephanie from The Thrifted Frock, a thriftanista all the way.  She resides in Atlanta so I have extra envy for her excellent thrift finds. (This dress!  Perfect.)  She mentions on her “about” page that she grew up in a working class family who thrifted all their fashions and that she now enjoys spreading her love of thrifting to others; sounds like another person to follow up with to get her thoughts on whether thrifting contributes to gentrification.

(Quick tip to follow Stephanie: she’s more active on her Instagram account.)

 

That’s all for now, Thrifters – have a great weekend!

In Which I Attempt to Clean Clothes in Downton Abbey Fashion

I read somewhere that you’re really not supposed to wash suits – you’re supposed to brush them.

This brings to mind various Downton Abbey scenes in which the servants discuss some gossipy bit of upstairs news whilst cleaning their employers’ clothing in the boot room (or was the boot room only for boots?) – particularly that time that Lady Mary and one of her (unsuccessful) suitors got filthily dirty saving the pigs:

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I was almost as glad for the poor pigs as I was put out that Anna had to clean Mary’s dress. Continue reading “In Which I Attempt to Clean Clothes in Downton Abbey Fashion” →

What I Wore: Coral & Grey

If I had photo editing software or was not lazy, I would edit these to reflect the true color of this shirt: it’s a slightly orange-y coral, not the highlighter hue of papaya it looks like.  I say that because I love this mix of grey and coral and want you all to revel in it with me.

Also let us notice:

  1. The Side Pony.  Super simple and instantaneously puts a little sass in your day.
  2. The crepe myrtles in the background.  They are just ridiculous in our neighborhood – pink, white, red, purple… Mother Nature just showing off like no big deal.

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Closeup on that print – I love that white/yellow/light taupe on the coral: IMG_3783

 

As you probably can tell from Instagram (@thriftshopchic), I’m a little addicted to this DIY necklace. Post on how I made it coming Thursday:IMG_3780

 

The wedges, to dress it up just a bit:IMG_3782

Coral top: Old Navy, thrifted

Grey cigarette pants: Vince Camuto, thrifted

Wedges: Clark’s, thrifted

Cuff, earrings: heirlooms from my grandmothers

Necklace: DIY from thrifted finds

One Year of Thriftshop Chic

Happy Birthday to the blog!

Last month marked a whole year of blogging on Thriftshop Chic, and I was having too much fun writing posts to notice that the actual date had ticked by.  A good sign, methinks.

A word of thanks to my spouse, Chris, who encouraged me to start writing this and provided technical support as I waded into the world of html. Thanks to friends like Sheena and Caitlin who have showed interest in the blog and been willing to be featured in posts.  Thanks to Rachael who introduced me to Canva as a fun, free way to make graphics (btw Rachael is a badass web designer if you’re in need).

And the biggest thanks, of course, to YOU all, Thriftshop Chic’s readers, who have made this a worthwhile and engaging journey.  Thanks for reading, sharing your thoughts and encouragement, and contributing to the conversation.  My purpose from the inception of this blog has been to create a space for folks to be inspired in their thrifting, and you’ve made that purpose come to life.

For a little birthday throwback, here is one of my very first posts – my thoughts on strategies for a quality thrifting experience.  It’s a pretty broad overview, pieces of which I have covered in more detail in subsequent posts.  But since many of you are more recent readers and may have missed this the first time around, I thought y’all might enjoy the more comprehensive view.  Part 1 (general strategies) is below and there’s a link to Part 2 (more specific tactics) at the bottom.

Continue reading “One Year of Thriftshop Chic” →

Does Thrifting Save You Money? Part 2

Given that you don’t have unlimited time OR an unlimited budget, how do you make thrifting work for you?  Has your thrifting changed as you’ve gotten better at it?  Unlike your younger self, you can’t spend your life in cut-offs that ‘sort of fit’.  So how do you find good stuff without spending a parcel of time and money on near misses?

This is Part 2 of a wide-ranging conversation reader Ginna from Feet Chic and I recently had about how much our beloved thrifting habit costs us.  Find Part 1 here , or scroll down to chime in!

Continue reading “Does Thrifting Save You Money? Part 2” →

Friday ReBlog: Spending More to Look Better

As part of our conversation on whether thrifting saves you money, Ginna sent me this post by Patrice from Fly on a Dime.

Her point is the same that Ginna made earlier in the week: if you are willing to spend more on fewer items, you’ll end up with a tighter, gorgeous wardrobe you love that lasts.  “I used to classify a thrift shopping trip as a success if I walked away with a ton of stuff,” Patrice says. “Now, I’m happy with one or two killer items.”

I totally get this.  As I commented on a post last week, I now feel weird walking out of the thrift store with my arms piled high with “finds” – it most likely means I have veered way outside my standards of really LOVING an item and/or tried to fill a hole in my wardrobe all in one go without taking time to figure out what I will actually wear.

If I come out with “one or two killer items” – or none! – it means I stuck to my guns and let my style speak clearly.

 

Has anyone else experienced the shift that Patrice observes?  And isn’t her style fabulous??  Peruse her archives for some other great posts.

Happy Friday, Thrifters!

 

Beyond “It” Colors: Searching for Cerulean Chinos

I’ve added tapered chinos in this color to my thrifting list:

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Not necessarily looking for Khakis by Gap, but I did love the fabric and fit…just a leetle too small

For blue pants I normally stick to navy, since it’s subtle and neutral, but this brighter, lighter hue will go with everything in my warm weather wardrobe (including navy) and liven things up a bit.   It’s almost summer, after all!

I’d call this color cerulean; it was definitely an “it” color a few (several?) seasons ago, and I’m pretty sure it’s the same as the cerulean featured in this clip from The Devil Wears Prada.  You won’t see it in most stores now.

Here’s what’s great about thrifting, though: you have everyone’s donated items from past seasons to help fill holes in your wardrobe, even if your preferred silhouette/color/fabric isn’t currently “in.”

Of course, that means you have to put in a little hard work to come up with your own style instead of chasing trends and the Pantone colors of the year.  But when you’ve figured out what you love (and it’s not just whatever happens to be hot in the mall nearest you), then you’re in charge instead of leaving your look up to fast fashion gurus.

And if you wear a color or cut that’s no longer “hip”?  Instead of seeming outdated,when you pair it with the rest of your purposely chosen clothes, it will read as “you” – part of your signature style.

 

Thrifting: you get to build a unique style, curating it with clothes from a much wider range than what’s currently in retail stores.

Win all around.

 

Do you have a favorite color or style that’s not “in” but that you snap up if you see it secondhand?

 

PS I’m seeing a lot of burgundy/oxblood pants currently in thrift stores…they were huge last year but if this color is YOU, don’t be afraid to get amongst it now!  Cobalt is also pretty prevalent.