In the past couple of years, I have done various posts on thrifty style. (You can find the links to those posts at the bottom of the page.)
However, after posting on the subject a few times, I started intimidating myself because I was thinking, “If I keep on posting on style, people are going to think I know about style and then they will start looking at the things I wear more closely and begin studying me as some sort of style example. And I really don’t know all that much and that is going to make me feel self-conscious so . . . maybe I just won’t write about it anymore.
I am most definitely not a fashionista despite the tongue-in-cheek blog title. I am merely someone who is trying to dress as well as I can on a thrift store budget. Beyond that, I am someone who wants to use whatever I learn to help other women feel good about themselves–regardless of their budget, their size, or their shape. And so , from time to time, I will continue to post on the subject.
Some of my photos are taken right before church when my hair and make up are done. However, most of them are taken during a few spare minutes at home when I will just go in my closet and put together as many outfits as I can come up with. I take quick pictures so that I can remember the outfits later.
This usually happens in the evening when my makeup has pretty much vamoosed. And by the time I try on twenty things, my hair is in a wild state of disarray. So I am doing you all a favor when I crop off my head. Trust me on this!
I decided to do another one this week as a result of a recent conversation I had. A friend of mine said to me, “You must have a whole room set aside in your house just for your clothes because I never see you wear the same outfit twice.”
I am not one to guffaw but I did come perilously close to a mini-guffaw.
A whole room? Nope. My closet just isn’t that big as this photo from last week can attest to. (I do have a few extra things in the guest bedroom closet that are for winter but this is my warm weather wardrobe.)
I told this woman (who happens goes to our church) “You mean you didn’t notice that this past winter, I wore the same brown skirt about a dozen times?”
She said, “Oh no, I’m sure I would have noticed if you’d worn something that many times!”
Which just goes to show how wonderfully “invisible” good basics can be.
So, inspired by that conversation, here are a few of my “same brown skirt” ensembles. You might recognize some of the photos from past style posts; I just tried to gather up every brown skirt photo I could think of to help make the point of the beauty of basics. (All of the clothes in this post–except for four or five things purchased new–averaged $5 per piece.)
here are a few more outfits all featuring just one pair of brown pants. I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that brown is my go to neutral. That is one of the first steps to creating a wonderfully workable wardrobe; find your neutral(s)and build everything around that color. For many years I used black as my neutral which for someone with soft, warm coloring was the absolute worst color possible. It was a happy day when I finally realized that I should jettison black from my closet.
If you have stronger, cooler coloring, then black as a neutral is perfect for you. However, as you get into the more mature decades, it helps a little to soften it near your face with color found in jewelry and scarves.
But anyway, on to the brown pants . . .
I am not saying I absolutely LOVE all these outfits; I just put some of them together as an exercise in shopping my closet to see how many “brown pant looks” I could come up with. But I’ll bet that if you saw me wear these outfits every day for two weeks, it probably wouldn’t occur to you that I had on the same pair of pants. Once again, the beauty of basics.
Here are some examples from a blogger I follow, Susanafter60.com.
If you’re building a good-for-you wardrobe from scratch and you don’t know where to start, begin with a skirt or a pair of pants (whichever you would wear the most) in your best neutral color. That might be gray, navy, black, brown, taupe, white, or khaki.
Then find a well-fitting top in the exact color so that you have an unbroken column of color to start with. As you visit thrift or consignment stores (or wherever you shop), keep your eyes open for completer pieces. Look back through my pictures and you’ll see what I mean by that term–it’s the third piece that makes your basic pieces shine.
And one of the most important “rules” of outfit making that I will mention over and over is this: If your top is looser fitting, go with more form-fitting pants. And if your pants are a little looser or wide legged, go for a more form-fitting top.
There is no better example of this principle than this set of pictures. It looks like I lost 15 pounds but I actually just put on a pair of straight pants with the same shirt. Pretty dramatic, right?
And don’t forget to follow the rule of thirds. I have used these photos before, but they are so instructive, I will use them again. In the photo on the left, my body is cut exactly in half. On the right, it is divided into two-thirds at the top and one-third at the bottom. Much more pleasing to the eye.
Here are some before and after photos which I absolutely love to study and learn from. The make up artist is Konstantin Bogomolov. The photos are from The Daily Mail.
Click on any photo to see them all full-sized.
Other posts in this series:
Small Changes Favorite Style Bloggers Stars and Understudies Proportions and Alterations. Mom Jeans In the Middle Patterned Pieces Two is Best The Rear View and Flowiness Take a Picture Already! Style Words Animal Prints. Scarves. Color.
What about you?
What did you learn from this post that you can apply to your wardrobe?
Do you have anything you’d like to add that would be helpful to the rest of us?
I am way behind in my comments, but this was another great blog about your coordinating clothes. Especially when we know they are not from high priced stores, but from thrift stores where those high priced clothes end up (is that a good sentence)? Thrift stores are great when you have either gained or lost weight, so you don’t have to spend a bunch of money on that newer wardrobe. My granddaughter is getting married in a few weeks and my daughter texted a picture of her dress, which had some bling to it and was long. Since formal wear is almost unseen these days, even in a fancy restaurant, I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a dress. So headed off to a few retail stores to look in their sale or clearance racks. Nada, zilch, no way, was I going to spend over $50.00 on a dress. So as I was headed off to an outlet mall, I almost went past one of my favorite thrift stores. Started looking at some long ones, but didn’t see anything I liked. Almost quit because then there were some short ones, but decided to look further – good thing I did because I found 3 dresses – long and blingy. Out of the 3 I bought 2 – it was 50% off clothing that day. So I paid $20.00 for 2 dresses. Look almost brand new. I couldn’t decided which one I wanted. But have decided and the other will just have to wait until the next grandchild gets married.
Sharyn,
Good for you on finding such a great deal on not one but TWO blingy dresses! 🙂 I am glad you bought them both because sometimes you don’t know until you get home which one you really want to wear. Also, as you said, you have one in reserve for future special occasions.
I always love it when I am at a favorite thrift store and everything is half off that day. Talk about the icing on the cake!
Kudos to a fellow thrift store shopper for a job well done!
I just love your style. Sadly, I’ve let style go these days. At work, I’m usually in the same black pants and I have about 10 shirts I wear regularly that I rotate through. On the weekends, I’m in a t shirt or sweatshirt and yoga pants…except for Sunday mornings and evenings…I pull the black pants back out.
I envy you and your beautiful clothes. I’m a heavier person, so that is a challenge, too. But I know there are sites that can help. But I just can’t spend that money on clothes…I’d rather do something for my son…or go out to eat.
Krista,
One thing I envy about YOU is that getting dressed every day is simple! You’ve done well to organize out a wardrobe that works for you and for what you need. A lot of people never do that get figured out so you’re a step ahead of the game.
And I love your attitude about wanting to send your clothes money on something for your son instead. He’s got a great mama!
When Becky tries on new outfit combinations, she locks the bathroom door. Our walk-in closet is located in our bathroom. She flaty refuses to open the door for anything short of a three alarm fire. During the frenzied fashion sessions our bathroom is literally “no man’s land”. Enter at your own peril! So while you, the reader, are enjoying Beck’s fashion tips (she truly is a well turned out lady!) remember that I am inconvenienced in a significant way, as is our dog, who can’t enter either. But I’m not bitter. ( This is all in jest)
Steve
Steve,
Well, actually I DO let Summer in sometimes since she is a female and understands the whole process better than you do. 🙂
And you do have to admit, I have cracked the door for you a few times when you needed something from the medicine cabinet. But yes, you’re right. It is definitely a “no man’s land” when I get going!
Thanks for the smile. . .
WOW – what a difference when you follow the rule of thirds and the loose on top/fitted on bottom rules. I need to make sure I’m always following these. And I loved seeing the “make-over” pictures. I record Today with Hoda & Kathie Lee so I can watch their Thursday Ambush Makeover segments. The results are always spectacular – I’d love to go to NY and be selected for one of their makeovers. Have a GREAT week!!
Sue Ellen,
Yeah, that rule of thirds never fails to amaze me. I don’t follow it all the time yet (as you can see from some of the pictures) but I am definitely working in that direction.
I LOVE things like the Ambush Makeovers. So much fun to see how big a change can happen from relatively small adjustments. Inspiring!
I’m like some of the others – I don’t like to shop. Part of it is probably related to my size – overweight and short. The fashion designers seem to think if you are short, you shouldn’t be over a certain size which makes it hard to find clothes, especially anything long sleeved. It’s one thing to have to have a pair of slacks or jeans hemmed but you can’t really do that with the sleeves of a sweater. And at just 5 foot, I’m 3-4 inches shorter than the typical petite sizes. My go to clothes since retiring are jeans in the winter with some type of t-shirt or tunic and capris in the summer with the same. My “brown slacks” are a couple pair of navy slacks and a black pair although I probably wear the navy ones 3 times to the black ones.
Even though I don’t like to shop, I don’t order a lot online unless I know it’s a brand I’ve ordered before so know how it fits.
Keep up the fashion posts!
Phyllis,
Sometimes I think the designers just need to sit down with “real women” and listen to what we have to say. I was talking to someone else today who has a very large stomach and in order to fit their stomach (when buying a dress) they have to buy a size so large that it’s huge in the shoulders.
God made ALL our bodies unique and beautiful. It would just be nice if the designers would understand the concept of uniqueness instead of trying to fit us into cookie cutters.
Sounds like you have found your neutral if you wear the navy three times more than the black. Good for you–that’s a great foundation to build on!
I was so glad to see another style post! I really appreciate the tips. The loose fitting/form fitting tip is my favorite (what a big difference in those outfits!!) and will be oh, so helpful! You really have a knack for putting outfits together and I would love to see more thrifty style posts!
LeeAnne,
Thanks so much for letting me know you enjoy the posts; that encourages me to do some more!
And yes, the loose fitting/form fitting combo is amazing. Simple but makes a huge difference!
I’d rather have a root canal than to go shopping. If I shop it’s usualy online. My current warwdrobe all year round are leggings and an oversized top (short sleeved in the summer and long sleeved when it’s cooler)!
You have a good eye and like doing it, I love seeing your pictures with or without makeup!
How are the Mom’s doing postoperatively?
Jodi ?
Jodi,
OK. There’s where we would have to disagree! 🙂 You can take your root canals; I’ll take my thrift stores.
But for people like you who don’t really love to shop, online is sure the way to go. I don’t know what non-shoppers did back in the day!
Thanks for asking about The Moms. My mom isn’t scheduled until the end of April and Steve’s mom is just waiting on an opening. So nothing to report there yet.
I always enjoy and appreciate your fashion posts. Very practical and easy to glean helpful information. You have a great eye for putting outfits together–thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Love, Deb
Deb,
Glad to have someone to share my thimble full of knowledge with. 🙂 Thanks for your encouragement.
I did enjoy your “fashion show.” I usually do black, brown or navy pants. Do have a tan pair and white ones. The longer tops are the best. Brown is my favorite now as I have “aged.” Thanks for the helpful information. Have a great week. We are getting our new back entry door installed now. So excited. Hopefully the other two can be done this week after tomorrow’s rain as the rest of the week looks nice and warmer. The doors have been up since 1975 when the house was built. New storm doors, too.
Ann,
New doors really help to dress up a place. So nice you are getting several done at a time for further brightening. 44 years is a long time for the same doors; they have held up well.
Sounds like you have definitely found your neutrals; glad you are enjoying brown. It truly is a very versatile color.
I hope you are feeling much, MUCH better!