Welcome to another installment of 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, ebay, craigslist, freecycle, a yard sale, a clothing swap, or anywhere else you find used clothing.
Today’s model is Shelayna, wearing two different black dresses she found secondhand, the first to a funeral and the second to a wedding. In the photo on the left, she’s dressed in a thrift store find she purchased for just $2. Shelayna removed a ruffle across the top and also evened out the hemline. It helps to have sewing skills when you’re looking for discarded treasures! I think this dress is so pretty, I love the details. Later that evening, Shelayna wore a different black dress to a wedding, where she was performing as a singer, another of her talents! The absolutely elegant Ralph Lauren gown below was also found in a thrift store, this time in Massachusetts. Price tag: $19. What an incredible dress. So flattering, and so timeless. You can read more details about Shelayna’s two black dresses in one day on her blog One Closet One Year.
Shelayna’s blog documents her project to wear a different outfit every day of 2010 without buying anything new. The inspiration came one day when she was getting dressed, and said to herself, “I’ve got nothing to wear!” But then she started going through her closet, and realized it was full of treasures, and she pledged to be more creative and start coming up with new combinations. She decided to take a year to explore her closet and buy nothing new, in an effort to shake up her style and snap out of her fashion rut. I’ve been inspired by her blog to mix and match separates I’ve never worn together, and have created some great new outfits. It’s a really fun challenge. Shelayna has just finished her one year commitment and I’m looking forward to reading where she’ll go from here. Will she rush out to the mall? Or will she treasure what she already owns more than ever? Stay tuned…
Thanks Shelayna, for those fantastic photos and for your wonderful blog. Readers, it’s your turn. Put on your favorite secondhand outfit, snap a photo, and send it to me at barton.angela@gmail.com. Don’t be shy, you know how much fun it is to see the stylish clothes people are wearing without paying retail. Please put Thrifty Threads in the subject line, and if you don’t hear from me within a few days, I didn’t get your submission. Thanks for keeping the photos coming!
Please share your best thrifting tips and advice, plus compliments for Shelayna in the Comments section. And click here to check out previous installments of Thrifty Threads.
Leave a Reply