I think it’s no secret that I love butterfly prints. This blog has seen its fair share of butterfly-embellished pieces, some more successful than others. Butterfly prints are tough; they can too easily veer into whimsy, which is not the look I’m currently pursuing. Worse, they can sometimes be rather, well, garish. From the first glimpse, I could tell that this Equipment blouse avoided both pitfalls. The only fly in the ointment (pun intended) was the price. I was determined to stalk this blouse on eBay until I could find a good deal. My opportunity came with an auction that was set to end of Christmas Day. I was the only bidder, and I figured that I had a decent chance at not being sniped at the last minute. And so it was. I think I ended up paying about $40 with shipping, which is a steal on a silk shirt this pretty. Thanks, Santa!
The cargo jeggings are also new, courtesy of the Calgary Goodwill. I didn’t know (a) that cargo jeggings were a thing, or (b) that Joie makes denim. These are very soft and stretchy, which are my main criteria for casual pants. The colour is an interesting mix of blush and light brown — a sort of faded, muddy rose. You know my newfound love of muted colours; I simply had to add this pair to my growing rainbow of skinny jeans. It complemented the muted blue of the shirt perfectly — a match made in low contrast heaven.
My thrifting luck improved as the month went on, even as the frequency of my thrifting decreased. Work — it gets in the way of all the fun! (Said with tongue firmly in cheek, as this was actually a very rewarding, if busy, work month.) However, that’s probably for the best; I’m in the process of revisiting my wardrobe management philosophy, and consequently my approach to thrifting, so I am practicing restraint. I know, hard to believe.
First up, a couple of things I didn’t buy:
cute, but not my stylevintage Bally’s
There were plenty more things in that category, but my thrifting trips lately have been of the whirlwind variety, so I rarely have time to gather photographic proof of the finds I leave behind. I also tend to use my phone as a bribe to the youth contingent joining me on some of these adventures, which gets in the way of my efforts as a thrifting documentarian.
Sparrow coatigan
This was the only Anthro piece I bought this month, and the only purchase I’m kinda-maybe regretting (or preparing myself to regret in the future). I will always love Anthro’s aesthetic, but I’m not loving it on me at the moment. Still, this knit coatigan was too cute to pass up, at least for a short trial run. It has tulle, people. I can kinda see Helena Bonham Carter wearing something like this. I could not resist.
Ted Baker blazer
No second thoughts about this Ted Baker blazer. I love the check and the contrast (floral!) lining; the cropped fit makes it easy to pair with dresses and skirts. Also, I’m fresh out of blazers, I tell you.
Banana Republic Factory blazer
Did I mention that I was fresh out of blazers? Yes? Well, then you will understand why I had to buy this BR (Factory) brick-coloured number. In all seriousness, I liked the fit and decided to take a gamble on a mall brand after my experience with the plum H&M blazer I bought last year. The lining on this one, though still 100% poly, is not bad at all. I thought the colour would be intriguing, even though it’s a bit too close to my own hair colour; I like that it’s bright, without being in-your-face bright. Muted colours are my jam right now.
Lord & Taylor sweatshirt
I rarely thrift for comfort/lounge wear, but this was 100% the deal here. I was also impressed that this Lord & Taylor sweatshirt still had all of its beading intact.
Joe Fresh dress
Long time readers will be familiar with this dress. I used to have wear it all the time, back in 2014-2015. It was, indeed, one of my fave dresses. I ended up purging it when the size I originally bought became too big. Well, sure enough, the same dress is now turning up in thrift stores. I decided that this was a sign; the next time my (current) size popped up, I grabbed it.
Dex dress
Nothing special about this dress, except that it seemed like a good option for my up-coming vacation (and hella cheap). May or may not keep it afterwards.
Philosophy blazer
This was one of my favourite thrift finds … of all time. It’s such a beautifully cut blazer. I gushed about it already this week, so I’ll just leave off there.
Your turn: tell me all about your recent thrift finds, and if you have thrifting questions, hit me up in the comments.
This outfit is definitely leaning all the way into the boho side of my style persona, but I enjoyed it a great deal nonetheless. It probably helps that all the colours here are quite muted, which is where my current sartorial mood is at. And while there is quite a bit of pattern mixing going on, it’s all rather subtle. Muted and subtle? Who am I, even? I don’t know what to tell you. I’m just going with the flow and seeing where this takes me. Or, rather, what sort of closet is left standing at the end.
tweedy!all the prints
Let’s talk pieces. The skirt is new-ish, but you’ve seen it before. The midi length definitely calls for the highest of high heels; however, much as I am tempted to bust out my Louboutin platforms, they’re sadly not office-appropriate in my case. Sigh. I went with my next highest pair of (non-platform) pumps, which luckily worked with the whole colour scheme. Metallic pumps are surprisingly neutral particularly in a (more subtle, hah!) gold-foil finish rather than a mirrored finish. My pair is old, but I recently saw a very similar one at Nine West. The blazer is a new thrift find. Ted Baker blazers always have the prettiest linings, and this one is no exception. The cropped style works well with skirts, and in fact helps to balance out the longer length of this particular skirt and keeping that frump factor low.
