Tag: thrifting fun

Even though I consider Pocketful of Joules more of a lifestyle blog then a fashion blog, I obviously enjoy sharing random fashion posts here and there. You can read more about why I feel that it is important for me to talk about fashion and style here: Size.

I enjoy taking outfit photos and sharing them on my Instagram account (@PocketfulofJoules). For me, it’s a great way to keep track of outfits that I like and also show everyone different ways to style various items. Each month I see a bunch of style challenges, so I try to participate when my outfits line up with that particular day’s prompt.

So, I thought it would be fun to combine my love of thrifting and style with my own style challenge!

For the month of February, my goal is to wear at least one secondhand item every single day. This could be something I’ve purchased at a thrift store, on eBay, Poshmark, etc.

You don’t need to spend a ton of money to look fabulous. In fact, most of my secondhand items are purchased for less than $10!

I’ll keep up with my Instagram posting (you can follow along here) and also do a wrap-up of all my thrifted looks on the blog at the end of the month. I’d love it if you’d like to play along! You don’t have to go all thrifted, all the time. But if you find yourself wearing something thrifted, use the #MySecondhandStyle tag on Instagram so we can all check it out!

I’m also thinking I might add a little purge aspect to my month. I did a closet purge a couple years ago (lame post here) and loved having a closet at the end where every single item fit me and looked good. So, in addition to wearing a thrifted item each day… I’m going to pair them with items that are living unloved in the back of my closet. At the end of the day if it is uncomfortable or looks crappy… it gets PURGED out of my closet!

I had some great thrifting luck in January and snapped up some pretty fabulous deals. In addition to the ‘on the hanger’ photos, I also tried to get some in-person photos so you can see how I plan to style each item.

The Limited Signature Midi Dress, size Large, $10.99

This is totally the casual dress of my dreams. It’s black, has a fitted drawstring waist, flowy skirt AND I can throw it in the washing machine! This thrift score still had the tags on it from The Limited with the original price of $69.

I will absolutely be wearing this on weekends all spring and summer long and probably use it as a cover-up at the beach too. I did a quick search on eBay for “Limited Signature Midi Dress” and there are some available in a variety of colors: black, white, pink, grey, plum, teal and olive (you can find them here). Right now it has a bit of a high-low skirt… but I’m considering chopping it to knee-length.

Pure Jill Stretch Tencel Textured Tunic, size Large, $3.49

Let me start by saying I’m not totally sure about this tunic. I really like that it is a tencel/spandex mix (aka, I shouldn’t be covered in wrinkles by the end of the day) but I’m not really a tunic person. I do have a couple pairs of slim work pants though… so I’m going to try this out and see if I like it. It’s not much of a risk considering that it sold at J. Jill for $115 and I bought it for less than a grande caramel macchiato at Starbucks! Worst case scenario, is that I wear it once and then list it on Poshmark.

Loft metallic dot sweater, size Large, $6.99

I love the medium gray shade of this sweater with the subtle metallic dots. It fits me well and I already wore it to work tucked into a dark grey marled skirt (also thrifted, of course) for a business casual look. I tend not to buy Loft at thrift stores because in my opinion the sweaters show wear pretty quickly, but this one is in great condition so I’ll take the risk for $7. Similar sweaters are sold for $50 – 60 on the Loft website.

Green Boden cardigan, size US10, $7.99
Spotted Boden cardigan, size US10, $7.99

Someone must have been getting rid of their Boden sweater collection in my size, because I came across three different Boden cardigans at the same thrift store. One was way too loved for me to buy (lots of pilling) but I scooped up the other two. This green sweater has a pretty detail on the shoulders and I really like the muted green color. The knit is a mix of: 42% cotton, 31% viscose, 22% nylon and 5% cashmere. This exact sweater isn’t on their website, but it is similar to their “Favourite Crew Cardigan” that sells for $80.

The spotted cardigan is a blend of: 35% cotton, 30% viscose, 22% nylon, 5% cashmere. I think that this will be a pretty topper for the spring. I can see me wearing this with a tee shirt and jeans over the weekend, or paired with a solid blouse and trousers for work.

I’m interested to see how the Boden sweaters wear over time, so I’m happy to try them out for a thrifted price rather than buying one new

McLaughlin v-neck sweater, size Large, $8.49

I wasn’t familiar with the brand J. McLaughlin, but I liked the oversized look of this classic v-neck sweater. I did a quick google search while I was in the store and the brand seems to be similar to J.Crew with preppy/classic clothing.

This navy sweater was in the ladies sweater section, but I’m pretty sure it’s this exact one from their website: the Men’s Milton sweater for $145. I have a similar v-neck sweater I thrifted a couple months ago and I’ve been wearing it nonstop on weekends. So this one will also get plenty of wear all winter long. In fact, I threw it in the washer and dryer that Sunday and then wore it on Monday.

Roz & Ali embellished sweater, size 1X, $7.99

My inner magpie called to me when I saw this sweater… I just can’t resist a little well-placed sparkle. I did a little googling and it looks like Roz & Ali has a few stores throughout the US and is also carried at Dress Barn. Their embellished sweaters go for about $40, so they are pretty affordable.

I washed this sweater the weekend I bought it (I washed it on cold inside a delicates bag and then let it hang dry) and already wore it to work with a floral skirt. I can see pairing this with a couple other skirts in my closet and maybe also a pair of slim trousers too. One note though if you go hunting for your own Roz & Ali sweater… I’m wearing a 1X and it fit like a typical large. So, be sure to try on a few sizes to find your perfect fit.

Merona wrap dress, size XXL, $10.99

This dress is yet another lesson in totally ignoring size tags. I didn’t see anything in the 10/12 area of dresses, so I wandered over to the larger sizes in search of a large or extra large. This one is an XXL and was marked with a size 17/18 tag… but it’s a wrap dress and fits me totally FINE. I’ve been on a low key hunt for a great red work dress for a while because the university where I work has red as one of their school colors.

My only drawback on this dress was that it was a bit long when I tried it on. So I washed it (to see if it would shrink at all) and then measured and hemmed it to knee-length. I totally RUINED the hemming process on this one because the fabric was much too stretchy for my thread. So, I dropped it off at my local drycleaner so that they could re-hem my mess. I picked it up on a Friday night and then wore it to a work event on Saturday morning. LOVE it!

If you enjoy my thrift haul posts, keep an eye out for Thursday’s post… for a Secondhand Style challenge!

December was a pretty light month for thrifting because I spent all my shopping time buying gifts for the upcoming holiday. I did have two opportunities to go thrifting though and picked up a few items. I actually went thrifting a third time and found a few things, but the line I was standing in gave me road rage so I put my things back without purchasing them and left the store so I didn’t start ramming my cart into people. I’m going to chalk that move up to the good of ALL people. Merry Christmas!

Moving on… let’s see what I thrifted in December…

{Pssst, you can read about my previous thrifting adventures here}

Talbots Blazer, size 10, $4.99 on sale for $2.50

I lightened up this picture a ton so you can see a bit of the textured detail in this blazer. To be honest, I didn’t really need another black blazer… but it was impossible to resist for $2.50. It’s a nice, heavier fabric that will work out well for winter. It is a super classic design from Talbots and similar styles on their website are $179. When I picked it up off the thrift rack, it was covered in dust and looked like someone had thrown it on the floor of the changing room. I actually stopped at the dry cleaner on my way home and dropped it off for a good clean. Ironically, it cost more to dry clean then to purchase!

Lucky Brand blouse, size XL, $5.99

This is my favorite thrift purchase of the month! I LOVE this blouse and I’ve already worn it a few times. Lucky Brand tops are my spirit animal and this one is so soft and pretty and just the right amount of blousy. So far, I’ve worn it with jeans and boots, but I’m also planning to pair it with my burgundy corduroys for a little more of a dressed-up look.

Dolce Vita metallic leather gladiator sandals, $10

When I was in NYC, I did a little thrifting and these sandals are the only things that came home with me. The metallic leather is so pretty and they fit perfect, so I’ll be putting these away until next summer. A similar style by the same brand sells for $90, but I frequently find Dolce Vita sandals at Nordstrom Rack for $30 – $60ish.

That’s it, just three items this month for a total of $18.50.

I’d love to hear your thrifting stories! Did you find a diamond in the rough (literally or figuratively)?