Outfit Six: "...And Something Blue"

I firmly believe that one of the key elements of frugality and practicality is knowing not how much to spend but WHAT to spend. I admit, I'm prone to buying something just because it's cheap, or because it's fits me. NOT because it's something I need, or even like.

Two weeks ago, my best friend and went shopping in the closest big city (a rarity for me!) We went to a huge (and I mean HUGE) consignment shop just for fun. (Fun here means: We tried on $80 dresses and took pictures, then we put them back!)

While I was aimlessly wandering through some $20 dollar items I saw lots of cute dress, some skinny jeans that would never, ever fit me. And... this skirt:

I loved it instantly, and guess what? It fit!

Now I had to decide if it was worth the $20. I knew that I would wear this skirt all the time. Nice enough for church with the right top, and fine for work or just having fun. The type of skirt I could wear once a week no problem, which is much better than buying 8 or so cheap jean skirts for 4 or 5 dollars that you only sort of like.

Considering that I have always wanted a practical trench coat (It's so African safari-ish) and that it was in perfect condition and only $10 made it completely worth it!

And finding a blouse that goes with the outfit just makes my second hand shopping day about perfect :-)

Merona Coat: Consignment Shop
Talbots Jean Skirt: Ditto
Blouse: Ditto
George Yellow Sweater: Thrifted

I had lots of fun putting these outfits together this week! I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did!

(To my regular blog readers : sorry to post these pictures twice!)

Outfit Five: A Spoon Full of Sugar

"Helps the medicine go down,
in the most delightful way."


And having just purchased a brand-new antique umbrella,
($3.50)
certainly helps me weather the first rain storm of the year.


(I love how brand-new antique sounds like an oxymoron, but it's not :-) )



Today I wore:
Piper and Blue Blouse: K-Mart Clearance $5.00

Faded Glory Sweater: Borrowed from Debi

Van Heusen jean skirt: Consignment Shop $4.00

^same red shoes from Outfit Two

Oh, and I got my hair cut today.

Good?

Bad?

Horrible?

Outfit Four: What (not) To Wear

This is what I wore today.






Or not ;-)

(April Fools!)

One of the most wonderful things about second hand shopping is the vintage finds. This particular retro top is a favorite of mine. But after I first got it I couldn't figure out how to (and how NOT to) wear it. After my failed attempts (such as the outfit above) I learned several things about wearing vintage and empire waists:

a) Do not pair long shirts with skirts. You end up looks like a shapeless blob. Pair with pants or capris.
Also, mix modern with retro, you don't want to look extremely too out-of date, but still unique and creative.

Top: Tag-less. Goodwill.

Capris: (Actually they're technically shorts, but on me they're capris :-) ) Walmart clearance


b) Wear cute shoes with vintage, they deserve it.

^cute shoes, what TO wear: Khols

^What NOT to wear: Lands End Bargain Shop
These are great shoes for hiking and such, but just not with this outfit.


c) Don't mix too many waists into a single outfit.
High Waists = Cropped Jackets

The problem the first outfit has is WAY too many waists and layers. It's confusing and does not in any way contribute to slimming the mid section.

Jacket: Lands End Bargain Shop
This is also a favorite jacket, just not with this ensemble!



So instead, put the bow in your hair, and toss the jacket, it's spring people!!! :-)

I love the dramatic flare that a fun vintage top can add to the jeans and sneakers look!

Outfit Three: A Purpleicious Day

Today I took off my Librarian hat (commonly known as a sensible bun) and put on my Nanny hat (commonly referred to as the "pony tail".)

Two days a week I spend 9 hours with one of the world's most adorably sweet one year olds. We play peek-a-boo, sing the ABC's, go on walks and generally have fun. I get paid for to do this, what a life huh? :-)

I admit, most of my "Nanny outfits" this winter comprised of a) old worn out skirts b) a sweatshirt c) tights with holes in them. Things that I could do anything in and not worry about getting them stained or ripped.

:-(

Now that it's getting warmer (72 Degrees today! YAHOO!!!) we've been going outside more, for long walks and playing in the yard. Which means people, and people are known to stare at things like stains and rips etc. So lately I've been trying to come up with some comfy, can-chase-after-baby-in clothes that I can actually wear in public. :-)

Blue No Boundaries T-shirt

Hand-Me-Down

Purple Kathie Lee Sweater

Borrowed from Debi

Blue Flip-Flops from Last Summer.

(Great for Baby chasing :-) )

Bargain shop $0.50

My "golfer" capris

Local Consignment shop $3.00

Total cost of outfit: $3.50

Checking on my (invisible) ball.

Hitting my (invisible) ball with my (equally invisible) golfing stick thingy.

(Note: BTW I know next to squat about golf)

Watch out golfing world here I come!!!

Oh yes, it is also very important to pair Nanny outfits with the proper Nanny accessories:

Bag to carry necessary baby things around.

My awesome birthday present from my equally awesome family: a brand-new bright pink ipod nano to listen to during naps.

:-)

:-)

I love my job...

Outfit Two: Dress on a Dime (Sorta)

I love dresses.

Seriously, I sometimes wish I could've lived 50 years ago when it was still the norm for a girl to put on a dress or at least a cute skirt every single day. *sigh* It would be lovely to have an entire wardrobe of dresses wouldn't it?


The "one time wear" is the down fall of most adorable dresses. It might work perfectly for the event you're shopping for, but, more often than not, you spend $50 on a dress you might wear twice. Not a very good use of my hard earned money (yes I am guilty of this *hides*).


Last spring I bought a dress to wear to my graduation party. I wanted something that would stand-out and be special for my special day, but I also wanted something I could wear again. This weekend provided me with a perfect opportunity to wear this dress again in a new way.

Sunday was a library day for me. Basically this means I sneak out of church early, rush home, eat as fast as I can, open the library doors for the waiting crowd, work the rest of the day and then come home. There's no time to change so I always try to dress in a professional, yet church appropriate outfit that's comfy enough to work in. It was nice to easily thrown on my versatile comfy dress Sunday morning, pair it with different accessories than at my party and be ready in no time for a long crazy busy day.

For Church: Red Chadwicks dress I bought at the local Consignment shop

$10

For Professionalism: Black mymicelle Suit Jacket,

Borrowed from Debi

For Warmth: Black Leggings from Claires.

Birthday Present

Just For Fun: Red Sash for my hair and my "Dorthy Shoes" from Target
(Note: The whole "There's no place like home" spell doesn't work with these particular red shoes, I tried ;-) )

$20 Bought With Gift Card (Thanks Aunt Elaine!)

Total Cost of Outfit for me: $10

Day One: Lend-me-please?

In my own personnel world of clothing and fashion three words reign supreme.

Hand-me-downs.

or

Lend-me-please?

I don't like to spend huge amounts of money on clothes. I might see an adorable dress in the store window and absolutely LOVE it, but generally one glance at the price tag squelches my love post haste. An experience I don't like to go through.

If department stores were all there was in life I would be a strangely and saddly dressed young lady. Therefore I must thank the good Lord for two thing:

Secondhand Shops

and

Older Sisters

For a girl who is tight-fisted when it comes to clothes I have a rather large wardrobe. In fact, it's been called huge by some people. Even gigantic. This is because, a) I love clothes and b) I love my older sister's old clothes. I love going through my sisters cast-off clothing and pairing Debi's old skirt with Susie's shirt and they both match perfectly with one of Rebecca's many old handbags. It's even better than seeing the adorable dress in the store window, and the best part?

It's free :-)

Even with 5 older sisters, my entire wardrobe is not hand-me-downs. Some of it still belongs to them. Although I know I should weed through my closet more often it's true that my wardrobe must seem so extensive because I am always and forever borrowing clothes from my sisters.

And I love it :-)

A perfect example of my (I hope frugal) wardrobe is this spring outfit.

Jean Jacket from Gap: Hand-me-down from Susie. (Basically I borrowed it enough that it found a permanent home in my closet)




Pink No Boundaries Shirt: Hand-me-down from Stephanie.



Necklace: Birthday Gift



Saddles, Montego Bay Club: Borrowed from Susie

Skirt: Handmade, material off the Wal-Mart $1 a yard sale.

Total Cost of outfit: $3.00