Ok, the title is a misleading sort of pun, because you know that shopping secondhand never leaves me feeling blue. So, while this outfit has me wearing a lot of aqua, that’s the only kind of blue in the picture. Har har.
But, yes, other than the necklace, this is an outfit made entirely of consignment or thrifted pieces. Coincidentally (or not?), it’s also made up of some pretty fancy pieces – things I certainly wouldn’t want to buy at retail prices. Lucky, then, that this outfit cost me only about 24% of its original retail value – on things (like the bag and shoes especially) that looked to be brand new. Have I told you lately how much I love shopping secondhand?
I should also tell you, if I haven’t lately, how much I love this J. Crew blouse. The silk has a nice drape to it, and gives off a lovely romantic vibe when it’s tucked in. It works as beautifully with a pencil skirt as it does with my Zara midi skirt.
This is perfection! And, if you ever fall out of love with the bag- let me know 😉
Thank you! And duly noted 😉
I just spent 20 fruitless minutes on Ebay searching for a similar blouse. It is gorgeous and I know it won’t stop haunting my dreams until I get it.
The print is called “hothouse floral”, I believe. That might help you find it on eBay more easily. There was a Factory version as well, which was 100% poly. I would recommend trying to get the regular Crew, 100% silk version, if you can – it’s much nicer.
I did find it. Actually, did you know the seller has used photos from your blog in their listing? http://www.ebay.com/itm/MINT-J-CREW-CHIFFON-HOTHOUSE-FLORAL-Top-Blouse-Shirt-Striped-Silk-Size-0-138-/262078109631?hash=item3d051297bf
Thanks for letting me know. It’s not the first time my photos have been used without permission on eBay, and it’s very frustrating because eBay is not particularly responsive. My main concern is that I don’t want anyone reading this blog to think that I am that seller. I don’t sell on eBay, so if you ever see my photos on there, please know they are being used without my permission, and I am not endorsing that seller in any way.
I love the floaty sleeves and the colour of the blouse. The whole outfit looks lovely – I like the juxtaposition of the voluminous blouse with the slender skirt.
Thanks 🙂 It’s such an easy combo but it can still look polished and professional.
I love your outfits, thrifted or not. I’ve said it before, but you’ve piqued my interest in seeing what thrifting is all about! Just out of curiosity, how do you clean thrifted and secondhand clothes? How do you ensure you’re not bringing home any buggies, if you know what I mean?
I just wash them according to regular instructions, and that’s about it. To my knowledge, there has never been an outbreak of bedbugs in my city, except for one case at a public library years ago (of all places), so it’s not something I really worry about too much. I just try to avoid horror stories from other places, LOL! I know that this is a concern in many bigger cities, so I hear where you’re coming from. I think there are ways to “disinfect” clothes just in case (extreme hot and/or cold kills them, I think?) but they may not always be suitable on delicate fabrics. Perhaps someone with more experience can pipe in.
As for shoes, I use Lysol and rubbing alcohol on the inside of the shoe – 2-3 passes with each, air dry in between. If the shoe is lined in leather or pleather, the chemicals shouldn’t damage them. I probably wouldn’t buy shoes that were lined in fabric – much harder to clean, I think.
I haven’t thrifted many bags, so my experience with that is very limited, but I would probably gently vacuum the inside, and maybe wipe down the outside (if the leather permitted it).
Thanks for the tips. Speaking of bedbugs at libraries, there was an incident recently at a library about 30 min away from where I live. Gives me the shivers thinking about it!