Little known fact about me: I love shopping at thrift stores and garage sales. Some may think this gross, or beneath them, but I see it as a challenge, a game to find the best look for the least amount of money. Say you only had $20 to your name, and a date with a boy that night. Your closet has seen better days. What do you do?
A. Not go out at all, watch What Not to wear or America’s next top model on demand
B. Wear something you already have but doesn’t feel that special
C. Go to a thrift store with a look in mind and pick out three essential pieces to layer, mix and match.
I’m going to choose C because that’s the one I would always go with. Luckily I have more than $20 to my name (at least for the moment) but still love putting outfits together from thrift stores or garage sales. When shopping (whether it be at thrift stores or Saks) it is important to have a mental inventory of what you already own. Do you have great tights, jeans or a skirt? Pick one and decide that you are going to make an outfit out of it. Pictured above, I started with some basic grey tights layered a blue sun dress and then a white eyelet embroidered vintage cover up found at an estate sale for $3. When I got the blue sun dress from the goodwill, I ripped the bottom to make it shorter and give it dimension, it kind of adds to the whole bohemian look that I was going for. I then layered the eyelet cover up or night gown (you never can be too sure what these things are when they are that old) over it, and tied a ribbon around my waist to show people I was a lady. The finishing touches? A headband by local designer and artist Rachel Znerold and a messy half up half dow hair style. Oh and for the final bit of advice, when layering vintage dresses, it’s fantastical if you can find some boots that fit the theme. I found my rabbit fur leather boots at the goodwill for only $9. Tell me you don’t have money for a new outfit, and I’ll tell you you’re just not that creative.
This post originally appeared on Modelina Michelle; Photo By Meagan Ruiz
