365daysofthrift

On Wednesday I had the pleasure of having the marketing team over at Goodwill– visit me in my home for an interview and photoshoot about my passion for thrifting- more about that next week (we had so much fun!) During the interview-  they asked me if I had any style tips.  Funny that even with my lifelong love of fashion and work as a designer and stylist-  I never thought  much about style tips-  I’ve always just gone with my intuition on style and then noticed later that my natural instincts followed certain workable patterns. But as I pondered the question-  I realized that I have plenty of style tips!  Especially when it come to thrifted style-  so I will be sharing them here and I’d love to hear your feedback 🙂

Now personally, my style can get pretty wild-  I like to mix up colors and patterns and see just how far I can take it.  I also get carried away on a cloud of whimsy and tend to throw all normal considerations (such as, “is this too much?”) aside and just let myself get carried away in the artistic excitement of putting together an outfit that has it’s own personality and life.  But even amongst all of the high flying creativity and ecclecticness-  I find that I have 1 rule that manages to pull everything together- themes.  Themes can be colors, patterns, concepts, decades, etc-  but they manage to pull everything together in a way that seems balanced. It also helps when you are out thrifting to know your theme-for instance-  if you keep most of your purchases in the same color family, etc-  and incorporate strong neutrals and basic pieces-  your eclectic thrifted wardrobe will manage to all flow and fit together.  I also find it useful to decide which areas to pull back on (i.e.: keeping the shoes simple with an over-the-top outfit, mixing patterns but staying in a neutral color scheme, etc)

As of late, partially due to  the creation of my SS16 Monarch Line and the fact that I’m creating so many pieces out of upcycled curtains and sheets- I’ve been obsessed with floral patterns, vintage vibes and light colors.  I’ve also learned that pairing sweaters with all of my fun thrifted button ups is a perfect way to showcase the lovely collar detail and fun patterns without being handcuffed to the button up life every day.  All of these elements blended together perfectly with this outfit-  which was just so comfy and darling-  I’d like to just skip all through the town wearing it.  For me-  going all out with florals and patterns and then mellowing it out with the Dusty Apricot Rose tone of the sweater and simple white shoes-  makes it all work so well. 🙂

Other than the necklace- which I got at Forever 21 almost 10 years ago, and the earrings- which were handmade by a lovely 11 year old girl from my Church- The entire outfit (including the mug) is head to toe Goodwill!  I’m sure you all can’t hep but to notice my darling living room and chalk wall- so never fear- I’ll be doing a whole piece on my DIY chalk wall plus my found, thrifted and gifted living room very soon 🙂

Final outfit inventory: Jacket: Mint condition Banana Republic $9.99, Blouse: $4.69, Sweater: $4.69, Jeans: $3 (they were half off that day!) Shoes: $4.99 Belt: (you can’t see it but it’s there) $1.99, Coffee Cup: $0.25 Total Cost: $29.60! #forthewin!

And don’t let me forget to give a shoutout to zenni optical for these amazing pink glasses that were only $15 (that’s including the lenses, shipping, EVERYTHING)  If you haven’t checked out zennioptical.com yet-  it’s a four-eyes fantasy land.  I’m not even getting paid to say this-  I just want to share my love of super affordable, super fashionable glasses with everyone I know :p

Love and Thrift,

Elisabeth