Thrifty Threads

Welcome to Thrifty Threads, AKA Most Stylish Compact-y outfit, where readers model their favorite secondhand clothes.

A Compact-y outfit is used or recycled, from Goodwill, a thrift store, a consignment shop, a yard sale, ebay, craigslist, a clothing swap, or anywhere else you find secondhand clothing.

Today’s model is Kayla, who is a student at Iowa State University and a big fan of thrift store shopping. Kayla put together this terrific outfit from secondhand pieces, and wore it to a conference last spring. She looks great, and very professional. I love the classic look with the splash of color. Here’s the breakdown of the outfit: the khaki pencil skirt was $2 at a thrift store, the pink blouse was $6 at a consignment store, she got the sweater free from a church friend back in high school, and the skinny white belt was 25 cents! Kayla says she wore the sweater until it shrunk in the wash and now she wears it as a “cropped” sweater and likes it even better. I agree it looks very fashionable and flattering that way.

Kayla blogs at Kayla K’s Thrifty Ways, where she shares her thrift store finds, along with recipes, sewing patterns, financial advice, and all kinds of frugal tips she’s learning as a student and concerned citizen. She even has a whole section on her blog with tutorials for quilting, sewing, knitting, crocheting, and things like repurposing old sweaters. If you’re a crafter you’ve definitely got to check that out. Kayla also loves to draw, and she’s just started a new blog called Kayla’s Daily Doodle, where she turns her drawings into coloring book pages you can download and print out. I like the pumpkins, they put me in the mood for Halloween and pumpkin pie.

Thanks Kayla, for sharing that stunning photo and reminding us that thrift shopping isn’t only for casual clothes, it can work really well for a professional wardrobe too. Readers, it’s your turn. Put on your favorite secondhand outfit, snap a photo, and send it to me at barton (dot) angela (at) gmail (dot) com. Don’t be shy, keep those photos coming! I love to see the variety in what’s available out there, and your creativity in putting it all together. When you send a photo, please put Thrifty Threads in the subject line and tell me a little bit about your outfit.

Please share your tips for finding used treasures, plus compliments for Kayla in the Comments section. And click here to check out previous installments of Thrifty Threads.