Nifty Thrifty: $2 Sweater

So, we’ve all seen them, right? The fashion posts and the clothing reviews? Let’s be real, I am not about to begin being your number one spot for fashion. I like to look nice and have a few cute outfits, but that’s never going to be my main thing and I’m okay with that. I’d rather talk about moving or job hunting or just living life and what I’m learning along the way. At the same time, I still sorta love looking at those types of posts when other people blog about it. It’s fun and cute and interesting.

The latest trend is for all sorts of bloggers to give a Stitch Fix review. If you haven’t somehow come across it, basically you sign up for a month fix of style and receive five items or so in the mail. You pay for the items you keep and return the ones you don’t. The stuff is usually adorable, but also the average cost per item is $55. Therefore, I have never signed up for such a club, nor do I see it happening in the near future. In my time of unemployment, I’ve created a list of things for “when I get a job…” which ranges from new pillows for our bed to a bike tune-up. Wistfully, I added Stitch Fix to the list.

I’ve always been a thrift shopper though and have found some really amazing items over the years. So, while you may not find the same item, I figured we thrift shoppers should band together and start our own style reviews to inspire the nation to sift through racks of recycled clothing for that “new” piece. So here comes the part in the story where I say, let me tell you about my newest sweater which was purchased in the middle of the summer while it was 90+ degrees outside.

2014-07-31 16.47.10At first it might seem drab, but I just love the versatility of this piece. Gray tones can fit into almost any wardrobe. 2014-07-31 16.39.17 I can wear it with a dress to tie an outfit all together and dress it up a bit.

Shoulder of SweaterOr it can be dressed down with some dark colors like a purple.

2014-07-31 16.56.12

I love that it is just thin enough that you can get away with it in any season. My iphone pictures just don’t do this sweater justice!

Ann Taylor SweaterFound at Passage Consignment, this was originally from Ann Taylor. There’s a certain satisfaction that comes from buying name brand items at thrift store prices.

Grey on purple

For a whopping $2 in total the decision was simple – keep! (but pay for it first, obviously)

 

Is this all satire? No. Okay, maybe a little. Perhaps one day I’ll join the rest of the bloggers doing real reviews, but maybe not and that’s okay. Regardless, I encourage those of you thrifters to join me in doing Nifty Thrifty reviews. Some people can afford $100 items, some can only afford $2 items. We’ve all made some great finds though, and it’s fun to share them no matter the price.

Playing Dress Up

Whether we like it or not, what we wear says something. Maybe it’s “I’m comfortable wearing pajama pants outside my home,” or maybe, “I am quite sophisticated and can afford to be.” Working on a college campus, I see all sorts of statements. Sometimes I want my outfit to say the same thing theirs does.

Usually I want to say something along the lines of, “I’ve lived. I have interesting stories and care about learning new cultures. I have a sense of style that blends an eclectic set of clothes into one cohesive outfit. Because I’m cool like that and can handle it. These clothes didn’t all come straight from Target, but an amazing list of thrift stores that somehow all manage to carry my size and look like they have just the right amount of character. I have had adventures and therefore, some good stories to tell. I’ve lived.”

Whether that’s all true or not, that’s the direction I aim for when I try to let my clothes tell the story for me. But then it occurred to me—if I focus so much on what my attire portrays, what part of my life is lacking? If I let my clothes do all of the talking, what’s left to say? I want people to know that I’ve lived? Well how about I live that life as opposed to constantly searching for an item of clothing, household decoration, piece of jewelry or instagram evidence that says so. I want to live my life. Not pretend to.