Thriftsyle: Work Wear

I've got a retail job that asks that I look like I shop there, without requiring me to. This is to their advantage, as I don't make enough to buy a work wardrobe from them, and mine, as I've found that my personal thrift style fits in perfectly with the clothing sold there. Perfect! :)

Here's a look at a few of my recent outfits with a breakdown on where I got each item and an approximate cost (can't remember what I paid for some, but I can make a good guess).

// thrifted chambray $5, thrifted pants turned skirt $4, thrifted bangles $3, F21 earrings $5, Franco Sarto riding boots from DSW ~$75: total cost $93 (I've owned the boots for 3 years and they are earning their keep ;) //

// thrifted cardigan and jacket $5/each, thrifted jeans $4, clearance chucks $25, UO striped top $10, thrifted bag $6: total cost $55 //

// thrifted jeans $4, thrifted belt $5, Anthropologie chambray $30, Franco Sarto boots $60, UO earrings $5, cuff ?: total cost ~$104 //

// handmade earrings bought in Puerto Rico ~$5, F21 necklace $3, thrifted belt $6, thrifted dress ~$8, thrifted boots ~$6, UO pants $15: total cost ~$43 //

// thrifted cardi $4, thrifted slip (not pictured) $4, yard sale dress $1, thrifted belt $4, thrifted boots ~$8, thrifted bangles $2, World Market abalone earrings ~$10, bracelet ?: total cost ~$33 //

This gives you a good idea of how I get to dress, and I have to say I'm enjoying styling these outfits! I've missed a few good ones, so I'll have to recreate the looks for some more outfit posts later this week :).

Hope you like what you see, and let me know if you have any questions at all! Thanks for reading, and happy thrifting!

Peace,
Andrea

I Won A Giveaway!

Ok, so I actually won the giveaway on Mother's Day last month, and was so surprised and stoked because it was an added surprise to an already lovely day. Leelue Drew (Leah) hosted this Thrifty Outfit Giveaway and informed me through Instagram that I was going to be the lucky recipient of a 'Leelue Drew Style' outfit! Well, early the next morning, I learned of my grandpa's passing, and I went home to Michigan. I had difficulty getting a message through to Leah as my cell service was terrible and had no internet either. Eventually, I was able to let her know what was going on and send my sizes, measurements, address, etc. The package arrived back in Jersey just a day before I did and this is what I came home to find!

I tried everything on, and it all fit perfectly...except the shorts are a bit short for my personal comfort. Super cute choices, and VERY Leelue Drew (just check out her outfit posts on Instagram and her blog for all the cuteness she's able to pull off). I love the color of the crop top, will have no trouble letting the hem of the shorts down to give them the extra length I want, and the sandals are so comfy. I love what you chose, Leah!!!

I decided to separate the pieces a bit, as this outfit shows a lot of skin, and played around with styling the cropped top first. My (thrifted & refashioned) high-waisted polka dot pants made an appearance...

Then I quickly hit the jackpot...midi skirts! Duh ;). I love this color combination. And the skirt is thrifted, of course. Oh, and POCKETS!!! Can I just say that skirts with pockets are kinda my jam...yep. I'm okay with this look and the sandals, though I think I'd actually wear a different pair (think metallic or camel-colored).

I also love the crop top with my new wrap skirt that I posted over on Instagram yesterday. Again, the midi length and the perfect shape.

I pretty much stopped there, because to be quite honest, I will probably wear this top with a midi skirt every. single. time.

I'll be sure to highlight the shorts, sandals and earrings when I get a chance at lengthening/styling/wearing them :). Thank you again, Leah, for hosting such an awesome giveaway!

Peace,
Andrea

Cropped Kimono

Since Friday's post, I've been determined to refashion this piece that I thrifted before leaving in mid-May for a few weeks in Michigan.  It's a beautiful silk robe of the one-size-fits-all variety. It has pockets, so I had to decide how I'd work around them.

As you can see in these bad photos, I decided to go above the pockets, leaving me with a cropped length. I started my cut just below the existing collar/lapel thingies, curved up slightly as I reached the side seam, dipped back down for a rounded back hem, and repeated the same curve on the other side. I finished off the raw edge with a baby/rolled hem.

I started playing around with how I'd style it and was having some difficulty...I wasn't liking it at all! Here's my first go with a me-made knit pencil skirt and a neon crop top I won in a giveaway (more on that tomorrow!!!). It's ok, and if my hair wasn't a greasy mess and my belly a bit puffy after 'cheating' on my diet this past month, maybe I'd like it better.

 So, I decided to try some different things. Here I put on a shorter (thrifted & refashioned) skirt, and made my kimono into a blouse by cinching it closed with a (thrifted) gold belt.

Then I thought, how about tying/wrapping it and tucking it...so I did that with the pencil skirt and my bathing suit top (I could have used a bustier/crop top as well). Then, I figured, hey, I'd totally throw this on at the pool if my back and shoulders were getting too much sun, so why not tuck it the same way into my high-waisted bottoms?

This last look is a bit too much, for me, though I think with a smaller polka dot it could be really cute. I'll simply switch out these high-waisted (thrifted & refashioned) pants for a pair of skinny jeans (highwaisted & etc.).

So, though I was at first skeptical, I'm loving it after all! AND I still have the whole bottom part to use up in other fun projects...I already have a few ideas from some blouses I've seen ;). But, I'd love to hear if you all have any ideas. I could even put together another kimono from what's left over to put up for sale! We shall see.

Stay tuned for an initial look at the awesome giveaway I won, and some styling of one of the pieces! Can't wait to show you :)

Peace,
Andrea

#MMMay14: Day 9

Ready for Day 9 of Me-Made May 2014?!?! I'm excited because today I'm sharing two, YES 2!!!, refashions that I've just completed :). And they make me happy...on another gray, rainy day.

First up, I tackled this lace sleeveless top. I bought it for $2.50 at the thrift store planning to use the lace for scarves or something. But then I got an idea in my head and figured I'd try it out. I started by cutting straight across the top a few inches below the bust. I then cut this portion into two equal size pieces.

I pieced these bottom two loops together by opening up the ends, gathered the top edge and sewed it back to the top using a strip of elastic. Here's how it turned out.

I wasn't completely satisfied as I'd left it loose and the width of the straps wasn't working for me, so I made some pleats along the back portion of the elastic waist to cinch it in, then bunched up the lace at the shoulders and sewed them in place. Much better.

Next I grabbed this floral t-shirt that I bought for $4 at the thrift store. It's a nice thick stretchy knit and this morning it struck me that it would make a perfect little jacket or cardigan. I don't own many cardigans with patterns (only one leopard print) so I figured a floral cardi would make the perfect addition to my growing collection ;). I started by cutting straight up the middle, then chopped off a few inches to make this more of a cropped length.

I grabbed my enamel cub of twill tape, bias binding, etc. and found what I needed to finish off the now open front. I first hemmed the bottom, then used my twill tape and bias tape to finish off the front edges. I then decided to take it in on each side a bit to get a better fit, as well.

And that was that! Here's the before and after...which segues into today's OOTD!

I layered an ivory tank top underneath my new lace peplum top, put the floral cardi over top and finished off with thrifted 'skinnified' jeans and boots for a bit of edge.

I ventured out into the misty gray day and took these shots while trying to avoid getting my phone too wet...

A messy braid and some geometric gold earrings add both to the romantic and edgy look that I was going for today...just a little edge was needed to balance off all of that floral lacy goodness!

So, what do you think? I find this one lifts my mood as the grayness continues outside...I hope you like it, cause I love it! :) And I can see myself wearing both of these new pieces often. In fact, I'm already planning how to wear them next.

Hope you're having a beautiful day...
Peace,
Andrea

#MMMay14: Day 3

Shoulda had this posted yesterday...asked my son to take pics of my husband and I and they all came out really bad! (Normally he does a great job). It was evening, and the lighting in the outdoor eating space at the restaurant wasn't great. Soooo, I put my outfit back on this morning to take pics by the light of day ;).

We spent most of the day at my son's preschool helping with the annual garden clean-up and celebrating the 10 year anniversary of said garden. It was tons of work, fun and they had great music besides! The local middle school jazz band played and were very talented, then a local band played that specifically do gigs geared towards kids and were so much fun (and awesome to boot!). Needless to say, we came away well-fed, worn out, and having had a great time :). Oh, and dirty. My son then saw balloon animals floating around and we remembered a street fair that was happening, so we went, ran into some friends, had mango lemonade and our son enjoyed a balloon superhero and the free bouncy house. After a couple of hours back home to rest, relax and freshen up, we decided to head out for dinner. (Busiest day ever as we tend to spend so much time at home and haven't hit the hectic schedules that being involved in extracurricular activities produce!)

Here's what I wore:

The cropped jacket is a consignment store find. My top was thrifted and refashioned, while my jeans were bought new 5 years ago and 'skinnified' two years ago. My gold flats were bought new. My bracelets and earrings were thrifted, as well.

This top is something I have repeated often when refashioning thrifted blouses. I decide whether the sleeves and collar are staying or going (in this case, going and staying, in that order), then I take the blouse in from the armpits down to the hem gradually tapering out to give it an a-line shape. This is a very flattering fit for me and makes it easy to grab any of the blouses I've refashioned without worrying too much about how it'll look on any particular day. The jeans, again, are a repeat of a process I've performed over and over again on jeans and pants. Try them on inside out, pin or mark how much needs to be taken in and after running them through my sewing machine, I cut off the excess and finish off the raw edges. You could call this outfit a uniform, of sorts, as I wear a variation of it at least 3-4 times a week. It's easy and casual for daytime, and its a snap to dress this up for a family dinner or even a date night (with heels and bolder jewelry).

Hoping to jump into some of my dresses and skirts soon, but its been windy around here and I don't like the opportunity for mishaps ;). Stay tuned a little later on today to see what outfit I've put together for a relaxed Sunday...

More me-made pieces are on their way!
Peace,
Andrea

Spring Scarf Tutorial: The Finale

Update: The Giveaway is now closed!

Yeah, you read right, a giveaway! I totally missed February's giveaway, so I'll make this month a good one :). But first, let's get down to business with all of these scarves! What on earth am I going to do with so many? Well, I'd planned on spending the morning going 'style' crazy, but plans came up (yay for time spent with other adults!!!) and my time got cut short. So, here are a few of the looks I came up with for some of these scarves, and a round of mixing and matching.

Let's start with the mix-n-match, shall we? I started out with this gray silk (thrifted) top as a base. Basic, easy, perfect for brightening up. I threw on a mustard 'scarf' that I'd made by cutting off the neck and armholes of an old top, and paired it with the sweater turned scarf. I love this, and will wear this combo in the fall.

Then I got going with my braided/t-shirt yarn scarves. I love the lavender and pale pink together (so pretty) as well as the two floral silk scarves! Another fave combo is the lavender braid over this purple scarf seen on the right...

Or is it a scarf? Nope! I thrifted this nightgown brand new but never wear it...though I'm liking it belted and bloused. I think I love it more as a scarf, though ;).

Then I got to styling. I started with the lavender and polka-dot mix and decided I should throw another print in there with this thrifted floral maxi. An army green jacket tones it down for cool days, or I can go bare arms in the summer and let the scarves stand out!

Next, I put on this thrifted silk dress...in my favorite color!!!! But, I didn't love the scarves as much with this one. I threw on the cobalt blue, which was fine, another bold silk scarf layered with polka-dots, and then the mustard and blue floral braid. Meh. I think I'd love the floral silk scarves with this, but I didn't try that combo.

This next scarf will be less conducive for the mix-n-match aspect as it already has so much going on. And I like it just as it is with this silk coral top (thrifted and refashioned).

As I ran out of time, I threw on a pair of jeans I'd bleach tie-dyed, a blush sweater that I thrifted this week, and the sweater/braid/lace scarf, then the tribal/lace infinity scarf. I'm kind of in love with this sweater...the loose knit makes it perfect for the days that are cool but warming up, the color is just so pretty and scarves bring it all to life :).

And now, for the giveaway!!! Ok, so all you need to do is leave a comment letting me know what you liked, didn't like, whatever (though, make it constructive, please) ;) and you will be entered to win your very own scarf! You can pick a certain style, or mix-n-match a couple of pieces that you like and give me specifics on colors/patterns/prints that you like. And I'll custom make a scarf for ya! This is only open to readers in the U.S. (for now, I'll go international eventually, promise!) and you have until Tuesday, March 18th at 9 a.m. EST to enter. Good luck!

Peace,
Andrea

Blue Velvet

Blue velvet...not to be confused with a blue velvet cake or cupcake...mmmmmm, what was I saying? ;) Oh right. Blue velvet. As in dress. I found this blue velvet dress in our building's basement in the "to get rid of" section, not to be confused with garbage! (Lots of goodies to be found there).

I'm pretty sure this is supposed to be a girl's dress...probably for 10 to 12 year olds. Wanna know how I know? Check out the seam right across the chest! Yep, and it would probably have been around ankle length whereas on me, it's just below the knee. I liked the fabric, however, and the fact that it's this amazing midnight blue. All I need to do is raise that seam to just above the bust to make it work!

Now, I started out thinking I'd need to remove the sleeves and take the shoulders in, lowering the armholes.....yeeeeah. Good thing my son kept interrupting me, because it gave me the time to realize I was making this way too difficult! All I needed to do, was unpick it at the seam, cut off 2-3 inches from the top, and then reattach the shortened top to the bottom. I used a zigzag stitch to allow for the stretch across the bust.

My next choice involved the neckline and the sleeves. I started off by removing the mock turtleneck. Then, to go sleeveless or not?

Sleeveless it is! I also took the sides in at the waist because I had raised up the bottom half of the dress which threw off the shape just a smidge. All raw edges were finished off with zigzag stitching, and the arm and neck holes I simply folded over once and topstitched. I love how 'basic' this dress now is. Opens up tons of styling opportunities :).

Wanna see of a few of the looks I played around with?

Left: Thrifted gray leather belt, multi-strand necklace (F21), and gold glitter flats (Shopco). Center: Forest green jacket (Marshalls), thrifted belt, "camera" necklace (Urban Outfitters) and thrifted flats. Right: Gold dangly earrings (Payless), thrifted silk sash, and mary-jane heels (Payless).

Left & Center: Thrifted belt, necklace (Urban Outfitters), and thrifted flats. Right: Consignment olive jacket, thrifted belt and booties, and gold dangly earrings (Payless).

Left: Black faux leather jacket (Uniqlo), super-long necklace (Target) and black sparkly heels (Payless). Right: Thrifted silk scarf and sandals (Target).

Now, if you are paying attention, I'm mentioning a lot of fast fashion stores in the breakdown of each outfit. If you've read my My Story page then you know that I started out thrifting and refashioning as a way to get lots of options on the cheap, not because of some altruistic stance on the state of fashion (fashion production). I've since become much more serious about the impact of fast fashion and trying not to be a part of the problem, but I'm still learning and from time to time, find myself drawn in by sparkly, pretty, cheap things. Most of these items are from over a year ago, at least (and some even older), but the black heels and gold dangly earrings are a pretty recent purchase. I've still got a long way to go in my fashion sustainability journey, and I'm only just beginning. :)

Here's a last shot of the before and after:

As well as a collage of all of the looks:

And what's so amazingly cool is that this is just a small portion of the possibilities!!! Yay! This free dress will perhaps become the most versatile item of clothing I own ;).