Five days five ways
So excited to have a wonderful guest blogger here today!
Abbie is going to help us all out with some fun fashion finds!
Gotta love that girl!
*****
Hi there, folks! I’m so excited that Julia is having me by for a visit to chat with you, her fabulous readers, about thrifty fashion.
My name is Abbie from
Five days…5 ways
and
Secondhand or Bare Bottom
. Yes, that’s right. I run not one but two blogs. Because being a mama to three children under 6, teaching fitness classes, trying to keep my house reasonably clean, knocking out a few DIY projects now and then, and spending time with my amazing husband doesn’t keep me busy enough.
Uh huh.
Here’s a quick peak at some of the things that I’ve been up to at Five days…5 ways, my primary blog where I write about a different theme for each day of the week (
Move-it Monday
—fitness,
Try-it Tuesday
—tutorials,
Wardrobe Wednesday
—fashion,
5 Things Thursday
—a list with pics of 5 items on my mind, and
Feature Friday
— what/whomever I want to feature that day):
When I’m not crafting or cooking or DIYing something-or-other, I love putting together fun and funky ensembles for next to no money.
Honestly, if you had told me even six months ago that I would write a style blog, I probably would have a) asked, “What’s a style blog?” and b) said, “Yeah, right!” once you explained it to me.
Don’t get me wrong. I love style. And I think that I’m at least competent at combining various pieces for a cohesive look, but blogging about it had never occurred to me until I started posting some of my low-dollar, high-style looks on my Wardrobe Wednesday segment at
5D5W
.
You see, I buy almost all of my clothes at Goodwill. And by “almost all,” I mean probably 95% of
my closet
(click to view my master closet transformation). I’ve always been thrifty, even before I became obsessed with thrifting, but I never thought much of it until my readers started responding with, “I can’t BELIEVE you found that at Goodwill!” or, “I can’t BELIEVE you only paid $10 for that outfit, shoes and accessories included” (no, I didn’t leave out a zero; ten smackeroos!).
And it was then that I realized that I really could dress myself from the top of my head down to my toes in 100% thrifted fashion and look great doing it.
Top: Forever 21/Goodwill ($3), Skirt: Goodwill ($4), Belt: GW ($1), Shoes: Kenneth Cole for Tribeca ($3), Bag: GW ($3) Jewelry: Goodwill ($3), Rubber band: c/o I-forgot-that-was-on-my-wrist
TOTAL: $17
I call that ruffly purse my “Bugs Bunny” bag, since I could probably load it up with a brick, Bugs-style, and whack you upside the head with it, and you wouldn’t complain. It’s that cute.
Top: At Last/Goodwill ($3), Jeans: Abercrombie/GW ($5), Shoes: Calico/GW ($3), Belt: GW ($1), Purse: Vintage Saddle River/GW ($4), Earrings: GW ($2), Bracelet: Gift from the hubs
TOTAL: $18
Anthro shoes, a vintage quilted leather purse, and more ruffles. *LOVE*
Sparkly tank: Old Navy/Goodwill ($3), Ruffled shirt: Ann Taylor Loft/GW ($3), Jeans: Miss Me/GW ($5), Shoes: Target/clothes-swap ($0), Earrings: GW ($2), Belt: GW ($1), Purse: GW ($3), Bracelet (which reads, “Boo loves Alby”): made by moi
TOTAL: $17
More ruffles (a theme, perhaps?), designer jeans, and killer accessories. Did I mention I got every bit of this at Goodwill?
How about one more?
Dress: Goodwill ($5), Tank: GW ($2), Belt: GW ($1), Necklace: GW ($1), Earrings: Gifted, Shoes: Gifted
TOTAL: $9
Seriously, apparently I’ve never met a ruffle I didn’t like.
So, have I convinced you that you too can look fabulous without ever setting foot in a retail store?
I hope so. But if you’re a thrifting novice and you feel lost about where to even start, let me recommend a
guest-post I did
for The Pleated Poppy’s popular What I Wore Wednesday segment where I shared some of my most helpful thrifting tips.
It will at least point you in the right direction.
And because my motto is, “If you can’t tell the difference, you shouldn’t have to pay for it,” I’ve also started a series at Five day…5 ways called
Thrifted or Grifted
, where you try to guess which between two outfit is 100% thrifted and which is 100% retail, and then you vote. It’s loads of fun!
I hope you’ll stop by and say hi at either/both of my blogs, and I’d love to hear any thrifty shopping tips you have to share.
Thanks so much for reading along with me today and again to Julia for hosting me. What a gal!
Oh, and I’m dying to know…what’s the best fashion deal, thrifting or otherwise, you’ve ever scored?