How I Mix Thrifted Pieces Into My Personal Style

 

If you have read this blog for more than one hot second, then you already know that I am a thrift store Goddess.  And if you are new around here, let me just tell you that there are few people who enjoy thrifting as much as this girl.  I didn’t put that little catch phrase up on my header for nothing people.  I am totally the girl with champagne taste and a tight budget!  Although I have to say that with my husbands new job, the budget isn’t quite as tight as it used to be.  He does make more money now, in case some of you are wondering.  But we are currently spending that extra cash to pay for a daughter who is in college, and to pay off some debts.  What, like you don’t have any debts?  Come on!  My love of thrifting is really less about my budget and more about being in love with the hunt anyway.  And today, I want to show you some ways that I work my thrifted and vintage finds into my own personal style.  Hopefully this post will inspire you to head out on the hunt for a fabulous thrifted piece you can add to your wardrobe!

Just take a look at this first outfit, for example.  Any guesses as to which piece is thrifted?  I don’t want to leave you in suspense, so I’ll just tell you, it’s the skirt.  I bought this at Goodwill last winter.  It is from Talbot’s, and I paid less than $5 for it.  It is a beautiful tweed and I love the colors in it.  I paired it with this chambray button down and red cardigan for this outfit to wear to work.  But it would also look good with browns or tan.  I am not sure how I will style it the next time, but one thing is for sure, I will probably style it completely different than this.  Because that is one thing I rarely do- wear the same things in the same exact way more than once.  I like to mix it up.  I wear pieces over and over again, but very rarely do I wear the same exact “outfit”.  I just style things differently over and over.  That is precisely what I love about fashion.  And I kid you not when I say that I have been this way for as long as I can remember.  When people tell me that I never wear the same thing twice, I take that as a very high compliment, because I most certainly do wear the same thing twice, just never in the same way.  That keeps me feeling fresh and new, and it keeps me from getting too bored with my clothes.

If you read my post last week- 45 Ways to Wear Plaid– then you saw this black gingham shirt.  As a matter of fact you saw if with numerous different outfits.  I also bought this shirt at Goodwill.  And it is a staple in my wardrobe.  If you don’t have a black and white plaid shirt, I highly recommend you start shopping for one.  I promise, it will never let you down.  Neither will a black and white striped shirt.

And then there is this white T-shirt with black stripes.  It also has a cute little leather pocket.  And I paid something like $2 for it at a store in Morgantown, WV called The Ranch.  It has the perfect relaxed fit, and the shirt is on trend right now.  I am not sure why anyone got rid of it at all!  In the first picture, I styled it with black skinny jeans, a camo jacket, and brown loafers.  In the second picture I styled it with grey cropped pants and white sneakers.  And the options for styling this shirt are literally endless.  It’s like infinity, it just keeps on going.  It’s a great layering piece too.  And if you read my style posts on a regular basis, you know that I am all about layering.  It is my jam!

I bought this polka dotted dress for my daughter when she was doing high school theater, for a play she was in.  And she decided not to keep it, so I scooped it up.  I mean hello?  Black and white polka dots people!  The pattern alone screams keep me!  Black and white polka dots are not to be tossed aside, ever.  It is see very sheer, so I fixed that problem by wearing a pair of black biker shorts and black tank under it.  So it may give the illusion of being see through, but all you are seeing is a spinner under there, ha!  I have only worn this dress once so far, and I styled it with a leopard belt and a cream sweater.  But trust me, you will be seeing it again.  Because, as I said earlier, black and white polka dots.

Don’t ever count out the shoes when you are at a thrift store.  I have at least 5 pairs of shoes and boots that I scored at thrift stores.  And these grey sandals are thrifted.  I think I paid $4.99 for them, and they are extremely comfortable.  They are the perfect height of a heel, and because they are kind of a stacked heel, they don’t feel like I am wearing a heel at all.  I am not huge on a stiletto- you will rarely if ever see me wear them.  I have worn these grey sandals with a lot of outfits, they are a great neutral color.  I paired them here with a sundress and a denim jacket for Fall.  But they would also look great with a pair of distressed jeans, or black.  They work with many things.  But for now, they are put away waiting until next Spring to be styled with something different.

Not only do I love thrift stores, I equally love vintage stores.  And sometimes you will find a mix of both thrift and vintage.  Where I live, we don’t specifically have any vintage stores, but I find vintage items at thrift stores a lot.  When we go on vacation, my daughter and I always start hunting for the thrift and vintage stores to shop in.  Yes, she definitely has caught the vintage and thrifting bug that I have, and her grandmother loves it too, so she is always looking out for things for her, and she has found some amazing things too!  My daughter just happens to be a fashion major, and she just happens to love thrift and vintage clothing, and she has dreams of owning a thrift or vintage type of store one day.  She definitely knows how to rock her own personal style, and it is fun for us both!  I just happen to know someone who might be interested in working in her store one of these days, after she retires, wink wink!

Vintage clothing is not for everyone, but it is definitely for me!  I adore it, and I love to mix vintage and present day styles for a quirky, stylish look.  I realize this is not everyone’s cup of tea.  But when it comes to style, I believe we should march to the beat of our own drum.  And I just happen to thoroughly enjoy mixing vintage and modern style.  So if you like that, then we need to talk!  I found this coral dress at a vintage store in Westchester, VA.  It is from the 1950’s, and I paid $25 for it.  I decided that it would be fun to wear with my denim blazer and my caged booties, and I loved the look.  But I also think it would be great styled with a longer duster or a military jacket or vest.

The brown booties below were a recent Goodwill find for $5.  They are Nine West, which is a favorite shoe brand of mine.  Below I styled them with yellow pants and a striped cardigan.  But just this week I wore them with a brown skirt and a tweed jacket.  They are going to be worn a lot by me between now and Spring, I can tell you that!  I am so glad that someone out there decided to part with them!  I am also wearing a necklace that I bought for practically nothing at a consignment shop in this outfit, but you can’t really see it.

I bought this blue linen tunic over a year ago, and you can see two different ways I have styled it below.  I really like the oversized fit of this shirt, it makes it a great layering piece.  It is something different than your typical cardigan.  And I am always on the lookout for a new layering piece.  I also think it would look great with white jeans, don’t you?

You may have seen this red cape that I wore last month before.  But it is worth mentioning again because it is simply amazing!  It is by far my most favorite thing I have ever found at a thrift store.  Also, I think it is vintage, and hand made, so triple bonus!  Red is my favorite color, and capes are totally on trend right now.  And I love the way this cape fits.  There really isn’t anything about this cape that I don’t like.  In my book, it is sheer perfection.  And you will see me wear it again and again, I’m quite sure of it.  I have it styled with basic black in this picture, which I think makes it look so chic.  but it would look equally awesome with jeans and a plaid shirt.  And I can’t wait to wear it again!

I bought this plaid flannel LL Bean shirt at a thrift store as well for less than $5.  I love the classic look and colors of this plaid, and there are simply a thousand ways I can wear it.  Here, I have it styled as a layering piece.  It was cartoon character day at my school, and I borrowed my husband’s Popeye shirt and threw the plaid over it.  I paired it with flared jeans and my Birkenstocks (that aren’t really Birkenstock, but you can’t tell) and socks!  These socks I bought especially for these kind of sandals.  they have the slightest little ruffle at the top.  And you may not think you should wear socks with sandals.  But that’s OK, I think you can and should!  I’ve done it before, and I’ll do it again!

Another thrifted flannel here.  You also may have seen this in a recent post, but if I am going to talk about thrift store finds, I can’t leave this one out.  I love this shirt.  Here I am wearing it as a layering piece with a black tank under it.  But I have also worn it buttoned with both black and brown leggings, and I have worn it layered under a sweater as well.  Look, socks again with my sandals!

And lastly, don’t forget to look at the scarves when you are in a thrift store.  I purchased this one recently at a thrift store in the southern part of WV, when we went down for the state cross country championship.  We always find time for a thrift store when we travel!  This infinity scarf is from American Eagle.  And this store was more consignment shop than thrift store, so I think I paid like $7 for it.  It is fluffy and cozy, and it has the softest pastel colors.  I really like it and will wear it a lot throughout winter.  And if this is the first time you have seen me wearing these leopard booties, you might want to read the post I wrote last month about 7 Ways To Wear Leopard Booties.

I have many more items in my wardrobe that are vintage and thrifted, but I though this was enough for one post.  I am planning to write some more posts that will inspire you to give thrifting and vintage clothing a try though, so you will be seeing more about how I wear thrifted and vintage clothing.  Not only is it good for your wallet, but it is great for the environment.  It means that much less that may be ending up in a landfill.  I have always felt guilty about things like that, so thrifting and vintage finds make me feel kind of warm and fuzzy inside.  And also, if you are finding things at thrift and vintage stores, and working them into your wardrobe, you are being unique and different, and you!  And that, my friends, is always a good thing!

 I had some 8th grade girls ask me one day were I shop because they love my style, and I proudly told them Goodwill!  If an 8th grade student thinks this middle aged woman has it going on in the style department, that is a great compliment to get, am I right?  I hope you will stick around with me because I love to share my personal style journey with you!  I will be enjoying a day off today, and trying to catch up on housework, enjoy your day!This post does contain affiliate links.  If you click on them and purchase an item, I will receive a small percentage of commission.  By clicking the link, you are NOT paying any more than you  ordinarily would.