What I Wore: Trying New Poses, Feeling Silly, Being Thrifty

It was a minor revelation to me that I could contribute almost daily to the “Thrifty” series on Spunky Chateau (go have a look every Thursday). I’ve always known I was rather frugal in my wardrobing, but it’s come to light that a major portion of my closet is thrifted/consignment. I don’t mind, as it gives me the opportunity to try a lot of different looks for not-much-money. I don’t want to *look* too thrifty, though. That is, I want to have a fresh, modern, and well-put-together appearance every day. That’s the fun and the challenge of it.

Today I chose a well-loved skirt that I purchased new on eBay. It’s been worn many times and may be ready for retirement at the Humane Society Thrift. The cotton blouse is newly thrifted, and I like the pattern. I think I am going to relegate it to casual rather than work-wear though; the vibe is just not there for the office. The white linen vest was a jacket (thrifted) that I hacked. It’s too big, so I borrowed Sally’s (Already Pretty) tips and belted it into shape. I like the wide studded olive belt.

The wonderful Reva (Rags2Roses) had a post recently about trying out new poses, something she does very well. I stuck my baby toe in the water today. In the first pose, it looks like I love myself a little too much – but I am experimenting with showing off my bracelets — really! In the second, I am but a dim shadow of splendid Sheila (Ephemera), who poses so gracefully on her steps. I look like I’m all feet  : >

I know a lot of my readers are avid thrifters too. Do you ever think about looking “too thrifty”?

Visible Monday Reminder:  Monday August 15th is Visible Monday, a group posting for anyone who’d like to participate. The simple guidelines are here. Basically, just post something that makes you feel wonderful/visible, and link to it via my Monday post. Easy and fun.

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patti

31 Comments

  1. Hello Amy and thanks for coming by. A agree, thrifting is a wonderful way to have an interesting and well-done wardrobe on a tiny budget!

  2. I don't worry about looking too "thrifty"… I'm particular about what I buy, and tend to go for name brands or designer pieces. I grew up in homemade clothing, which made me increasingly self-consious as branding became more important to preteens and teenagers. Thrift-shopping gave me an excellent way to blend into the crowd better without busting my miniscule budget.

  3. Thanks for reading and following, Mongs. You have a wonderful talent for creating outfits!

  4. I like that Terri – to own your poses. Don't you ever feel like cracking up with laughter though?  : >

  5. Thanks Jess – yes the best part is when an outfit looks totally "non-thrifted"  : >

  6. Yes, I do know what you mean Serene, and your looks are always very "purposeful", and they express you so beautifully!

  7. Nice blog!  I've been urging people for months to try new poses.  They add excitment to our posts.  I like both of these.

  8. so lovely …you always have all the best outfits. You're so good at co-ordinating your outfits and layering them. Haha..I realized I've been coming to your blog  but have not followed you. So following you. Have a great weekend!
    love,mongsmythriftycloset.blogspot.com

  9. Rarely, a picture will reveal that I am indeed looking "thrifty".  Those are never posted on my blog.  I like your experiments in posing.  The blogger Dusk inspired me to experiment with posing–she says to OWN your poses.

  10. A long time ago I was told to save on what I need and spend on what I want.  I have lived by that mantra since then. I never want to look costumed or cheap.  I really try for classic with a little pizzazz!   
    Sometimes I'm the bug and sometimes I'm the windshield!

  11. I am avoiding the Grandma look, even though Grandma was a lovely lady  : >

  12. Good point – vintage can be great but "dated" doesn't sound so good  : >

  13. That's a good rule of thumb – to only buy what you would want to buy retail.

  14. I can't argue with that. I never want to have the sterotypical "she shops at a thrift store" look. It makes me think of those people you often see that don't really care about what they're grabbing, they're just filling their cart. I can't help but wonder why they're not looking for quality pieces? Seems like a waste of money and a terrible way to create a wardrobe.
    On to your outfit. I don't think you thrifted at all. That's a very pulled together and nice outfit. The part of thrifting is finding the pieces that most people won't believe you bought at a thirft store. You do a good job of demonstrating that fashionable and chic can be created through thrift store. Very nice job. 🙂

    Jess

  15. Hi Kari – I'm near Melbourne, about 40 minutes north of Vero. I have been to that thrift! But there's also a great thrift in Melbourne, Molly Mutt, that benefits the animals. That's where I shop most of the time. And I don't think you dress "too young" at all  : >

  16. You don't look thrifty at all…I wish that thrift wasn't such a challenge for larger sizes…but with the tiny figure you possess you should easily be able tothrift without anyone knowing it.  You also have a strong sense of style and that will protect you as well.

  17. Yes, I kind of DO think about that….but it's not so much "too thrifty", it's wanting to make sure that I look "on purpose" not like I dug through a bin for my clothes and did what I needed to do to make it work.  Does this make sense?  Nothing that I've ever seen you wear looks thrifty (what we think of as thrifty) and honestly, if you had not mentioned early on that you thrifted, I never would have known it.  You always look so put together and a bit gamine!  Love what you did with your new poses!  Big hug to you!  ~Serene

  18. You've got a good point about looking TOO thrifty.. sometimes yes, I think that!  Whilst the majority of my wardrobe is thrifted, I'll try not to wear too much vintage thrift at one time, otherwise have a tendency to look a bit Grandma!

  19. One of the things I feel like I have to watch out for when thrifting is fabric that is dated. I recently bought a maxi skirt thinking that I was going to feel very fashion forward wearing it. But the fabric I realized later was so dated. It doesn't feel very fashion forward at all. Good thing I didn't spend much on it.

  20. Hey these are fun poses. It's good to try new things. And you look stylish not silly.  

    I would have to say at least 90% of my wardrobe is thrifted. I hope I don't look thrifted. I try to only get things I would want to buy retail.

  21. Patti — where in Florida are you? My parents are in Vero Beach, and I go to their humane society thrift store whenever I am there. It would be funny if it was the same one … Anyway, I never worry about looking thrifted — I am more worried about looking like I am dressing too young … that's what I am constantly asking my daughter. BTW — I love the hugging yourself pose.

  22. Hi! i found your blog through Terri's blog – you are a lovely lady and doing well with your poses keep practising! this is what i do and also look at fashion magazines for ideas of poses it helps – i will follow your blog – Ariane

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