Two Nautical's Don't Make A Right

E here, if you haven't already guessed by the title of this post, this is a nautical themed outfit. [I'm obsessed with everything nautical.] However as the title suggests, two nautical's don't make a right. As much as I love the nautical look, I tried not to overdo it too much. Since the tank is a solid nautical print, I didn't want to add too many nautical themed accessories. Instead, I opted for simple accessories; gold anchor studs, a beaded rope necklace, and my favorite sunnies. I mean Sperry Top Sider is about as nautical and preppy as you can get!

Whenever you're putting together a themed ensemble you want to try and create a focal point that ties the whole look together. Here the nautical print served as the base for the outfit, so I just added accessories that that would compliment the overall look. 

I picked up these cute anchor earrings at Forever 21 for just $3.50! The best part about it was that they were part of three pack of nautical themed earrings so I really got my value for my money.



The final touch for this look was the rope sandals. Don't they just scream nautical?!


Thrifted items; nautical tank: H.I.P. $7.99 (Crossroads Trading Co,) navy sweater: JCrew $9.99 (Goodwill.) Non-thrifted items; jeans: JCPenny's $25, sandals: Curfew $9.99 (Fred Meyer,) beaded necklace: GNW $5.99 (Fred Meyer,) aviators: Sperry Top Sider $30 (Nordstrom Rack.) 

The great thing about Seattle is that there are so many different marinas and beaches to choose from.

  This particular spot is one of my favorite places to hang out in the summer because of the great view of downtown, Puget Sound, and Mt. Rainier.

On a bright and sunny day like this you can see Mt. Rainier in the distance.

The perfect end to this lovely spring day was the sunset. Talk about picturesque! Until next time. Happy Sunday! 

-E

Stepping Into Spring With A Splash Of Color!

 

 

E here, I hope that you've been soaking up the sun as much as I have lately. Today my sister and I spent the afternoon at the beach. She snapped this great candid shot of me. As I've mentioned in previous posts, now that the weather is getting warmer, so are my clothes! The name of my blog is Elizabeth Reinvented and I talk a lot about reinventing your wardrobe, and more specifically your style. One easy way to reinvent your style is to start fresh, and what better time to do that than now that the weather is transitioning. Time to shed those winter layers ladies!

 

 

 

I'm not the kind of person that needs everything to match exactly by color. I don't necessarily like things to be matchy-matchy, in fact I find that to be overcompensating. Personally, I like to play around with prints and colors and create something that's a little funky and different. For this look I went all out, taking one of my favorite floral prints and pairing it with colorful mint jeans.

 

 

 

Remember a year ago when the color "pistachio" (mint) was all the rage? Well its funny because this year mint was an "it color" again, (except that this time it was revamped as "spearmint.") When wearing colorful jeans such as these it can be hard to pair it with other pieces that don't clash. As I mentioned earlier in this post, I don't like outfits to be too matchy-matchy, but at the same time you want everything to balance out. Here, I made sure that all of the colors were more or less in the same color family so that they wouldn't clash too much, but rather compliment each other. I think that all of the different hues of blue and green balance nicely together.

 

 

The final touch to the overall look? The jean jacket. For this outfit I wanted to create a fun and colorful casual look. What I love about this jean jacket is that it ties the ensemble together by serving as a contrast between the floral print and the colorful jeans and accessories.

 

 

These flats were an awesome find that I picked up at Crossroads Trading Co. Funny thing is that they are Jenifer Lopez. Who knew?! I love the color blocking and gold detailing.

 

 

Thrifted items; floral tank: Forever 21 $3.99 (Goodwill,) flats: Jenifer Lopez $9.99 (Crossroads Trading Co.) Non-thrifted items; mint jeans: JCPenny's $20, jean jacket: Nordstrom BP $25, necklace: GNW $4.99 (Fred Meyer.) *Sunglasses: Ray Bans

 

 

A beautiful view of the beach with the sound in the background.

 

I love this picture because it looks like the turtles are posing for the camera. Work it!



[Ducks doing what else......sitting!]

I think what I enjoy most about this particular beach is the wildlife that you get to see up close and personal. Unfortunately I didn't venture down onto the beach to get shots of the sea life, but I promise that I will snap some shots the next time I head to the beach.
 

 

The telephoto on the camera that I was using was amazing! I think that the seagull kind of adds to the photo don't you?

 

 

 Since it was a clear, sunny day I was able to get a great shot of the Olympic mountains off in the distance. I think that perhaps this is my favorite thing about living in the Pacific Northwest, that I am surrounded by nature. For that reason I don't think that I could live anywhere else! That's all for today, please come by again soon. Happy Friday!
-E



 

 

Viva Las Vegas - Day Four: Casual Chic [Pt. 1]

 

E here, this is the final segment of my Vegas vacation fashion series. For today's look, I aimed for a casual chic feel. All it takes is a few key pieces to give an outfit that extra oomph. Here, I added a colorful statement necklace to bring out the bright colors of the floral top. I love to experiment with different types of prints in my wardrobe, but my favorite type of print to wear is floral. What I love about floral print is that it looks good with just about anything, and is flattering on virtually any body type. Depending on how adventurous you're feeling, you can pick more bold and colorful prints like the one that I'm wearing here.

 

 

To balance out the bold hues of the print, I paired it with a lighter toned pleather skirt. The texture of the pleather skirt goes well with the floral print of the tank. When mixing prints and textures you don't want to overdue it and put pieces together that might clash. I prefer to keep it simple, and stick to a more classic look. 

 

 

Thrifted items; floral tank: Forever 21 $3.99 (Goodwill,) belt: $3.99 (Value Village.)

Non-thrifted items; skirt: Joe B $10 (Fred Meyer,) loafers: Pink & Pepper $15 (Fred Meyer,) necklace: $7.99 (Fred Meyer,) cardigan:$10 (Nordstrom Rack.)

 

 

-Zara Finds-
[Blouse: $35, bracelet: $16]

 

Speaking of classic style, for my final shopping venture at the Fashion Show mall, I went to Zara with a mission in mind to snag some basic staples. What's great about these items is that they are timeless pieces, and will make great additions to my wardrobe. I wear the bracelet with just about everything now! It has quickly become one of my favorite pieces of jewelry. As for the blouse, its chic and cutting edge at the same time. The print has a timeless feel to it, but as the same time, the cut and fabric of the blouse itself is very modern and sleek.



[The runway at the Fashion Show mall in Las Vegas]

My shopping tips:
1.)  Shop with key items in mind; shopping can be overwhelming so I like to go with key items in mind. Rather than mindlessly shopping, I try to stay on mission so that I don't end up overspending and having buyer's remorse later. By sticking to a plan and shopping for specific items you will end up only adding items that you need to your wardrobe.
2.) Shop with the long-term in mind; as I've mentioned previously, when choosing clothing or shoes it's essential to pick items that you will get maximum use value out of. For me, price is not a key factor. [After all, half of my wardrobe was thrifted!] Rather, the important component is whether or not you will get a return on your investment in the long-term.
3.) Make decisions based on your own personal taste, not on trends; it can be easy to get caught up on the latest trends, but the question that should be lingering in the back of your mind is whether or not that trend truly suits you? [Let's be honest, crop tops and patterned leggings are not for everyone.] When the dust settles and a trend goes out of style, are you going to end up a fashion victim?

These are all important factors to keep in mind when going shopping, especially when on vacation. Stay tuned for the final photos of my evening outfits from my Vegas adventure.  
-E

 

Bundled Up In Sunshine

 

 

 

 

 

E here, can you believe its almost February? I don't know about you, but I'm ready for spring. As the weather starts to warm up, so does my wardrobe! Lately the rain has been fairly minimal so I've been able to pull some of the lighter pieces out of my closet. The key to wearing skirts and dresses this time of year is to bundle up in warm layers.

 

 

Thrifted items; wool coat: Banana Republic $29.97 (Goodwill,) sweater: Ann Taylor Loft $7.99 (Goodwill,) print skirt: Forever 21 $5.99 (Value Village.) Non-thrifted items; geometric necklace: Forever 21 $6.99, watch: Fossil $69.97 (Nordstrom Rack,) boots: Pink & Pepper $30 (Fred Meyer,) blue tights: Legale $4.00 (Fred Meyer.)

 

 

As you may have guessed by now, I like colored tights. Since the weather in Seattle is typically too chilly for bare legs, I wear tights to provide a little extra protection from the elements. Besides, colored tights are a fun and easy way to add a little color and personality to an outfit. Right now mustard colored tights are all the rage but unfortunately that color doesn't work for me.

 

 

I have a fair complexion so I try to pick colors that will contrast nicely with my hair, but won't wash me out at the same time.  When picking colored tights/leggings you want to try and pick colors that compliment your complexion and skin tone. If you want to be bold and venture out of your comfort zone, colors such as red, blue, green, yellow, and purple are pretty easy to find at most stores or online. I recommend brands like Hue, Legale, and Chinese Laundry because they hold up really well in the wash, and they tend to come in a wide variety of colors, textures, and sizes.

Well thanks for stopping by! Until next time.

-E



I'm Preppy and I Know It

 

 

E here, another lovely day in Seattle. I hope that your new year has gotten off to a good start, mine definitely has. I recently went on quite the massive thrift haul, check back soon for the details on that adventure. Today I went for a preppy chic look. Over the past couple of years I have gone through several style reinventions and phases, but I have always been drawn to the preppy look. The funny thing about this outfit is that the sweater/button down combo that I'm wearing is actually one piece.

 

 

 I typically stay away from built-in one piece combos because I find them to look tacky. However, in this case I don't think that you can even tell that the sweater and undershirt are sewn together. Either way, I think that the sweater really adds to the overall look of the outfit, so much so that it reminds of my private school days! I worked really hard to make sure that this outfit looked polished-preppy, and not school-girl preppy. In order to pull off the polished-preppy look without it looking like a uniform, its important not to get carried away with making the pieces too matchy-matchy that they appear looking uniform.

 

 

 

Here, I took some pieces from my latest haul (my Coach loafers) and paired them with some great pieces that I already had in my closet. The key to perfecting the polished-preppy look is to stick with items that you are comfortable wearing. After all, I don't know about you, but polo shirt dresses are just not my thing. Whenever I put together an outfit that has preppy qualities to it, I try not to overdo it by making the outfit as casual chic as possible. If the preppy look is not your style, than just stick to basic style staples from the preppy look-book to enhance your closet (i.e. - trench coats, loafers, cardigans, etc.)

 

 

Thrifted items; two piece sweater: Forever 21 $3.99 (Value Village,) trench coat: Banana Republic $10 (Value Village,) loafers: Coach $7.99 (Value Village.) Non thrifted items; jeans: JCPenny's $25, scarf (not pictured) Nordstrom - B.P. department $10.

 

 

Don't get me wrong I definitely keep up with what's currently trending, but ultimately, I will always prefer the classic look because its simply timeless. However as I have said before, you don't need to spend a lot of money to look and feel like a million bucks. Each look that I create is practically 85% thrifted, everything else that I am wearing I've spent a bit more of money on to get longer use value out of. Well that's all for now, as I mentioned earlier I will post the details of my latest thrift haul soon. I guarantee that you will want to read all about it once you see what coveted designer brands I snatched up! Also, I will provide some great shopping and styling tips to help you achieve maximum results on your next thrifting adventure. Ta-tah for now!

-E

What I Thrifted: Loading Up On the Basics

 

Whenever I go thrifting I always try to pick pieces that are unique and will build to my existing wardrobe. The whole point of thrifting is to look for great deals on clothes, shoes, and accessories that would otherwise be expensive. When thrifting it's important to keep in mind that you pick items that compliment what you already own. You will notice that I use the term "compliment" quite often on this blog. The reason that I emphasize choosing items that are "complimentary" is because you want to buy things that you will get maximum use value out of. For instance, you will notice that all of the items pictured here are tanks. Tanks serve as a great base for layering in any outfit which is why I was tried to look for a good selection of different styles.

Price Breakdown:  Goodwill

1. *Limited ruffle tank: $7.99 - $4.00

2. Forever 21 floral tank: $3.99

3. *Calvin Klein tank: $4.99 - $2.50

4. Cyrus black and white tank: $4.99

*All of the starred items were colored tags that were on sale for 50% off that day. As I mentioned in a previous post, you should always try to find the color tag item that's on sale that day because you will save a few extra bucks.

 

On this shopping trip I determined that I was only going to look for tanks because I needed them to build up my wardrobe for layering with jeans and skirts. When shopping for tanks to layer under other items, you want to look for styles and fits that will go with a wide array of clothes. Personally, I look for patterns and textures that are interesting and would look good with a cardigan or trench coat. In my previous post you'll notice that I'm wearing the ruffle Limited tank pictured above with a polka dot trench coat. In sum, once you have some good pieces to build a foundation for layering upon, feel free to mix patterns and textures and see what looks good on you. The thing that I love most about my thrifted wardrobe is the freedom to experiment with different styles.

These two basic staples will be a great addition to my wardrobe because floral and stripes go with practically anything. The floral top will look cute with shorts and skirts in the spring and summer, and will serve as a good base for layering the rest of the year. The stripe piece is a gem because it's classy and retro looking. You can't go wrong with black and white, and the shoulder bow really tops off the retro chic look. Well that's all for now. If you want to hear more style tips and see what I thrifted this week check back soon. Happy thrifting!

-E

Letting My Inner Biker Chick Out!

 

 

E here, as the weather gets colder its time to kiss those lighter clothes and flats goodbye, and trade them in for heavier clothes and boots. As much as I love my cute skirts, dresses, and flats, I think I love my fall/winter wardrobe more! As I mentioned before in a previous post, I really like experimenting with layers. Besides, I have a serious boot addiction!

 

 

I really do love a good pair of boots, but I also have an affinity for jackets; whether it's a trench, a blazer, or drumroll.....a motorcycle jacket. In addition to shoes, or great accessories, jackets add that finishing touch to an outfit. In this case, the motorcycle jacket was the focal point of the look that I was going for. When I think of a motorcycle jacket, that iconic image of James Dean wearing a black, leather motorcycle jacket comes to mind. He looked so cool and so stylish in the jacket, which was the inspiration for this look. After all, you have to let your inner badass, biker chick out sometimes right?

 

 

The thing about wearing black is you have to know just how to pair it with the right pieces and accessories so it doesn't end up looking too gothic. Personally, I wear a lot of black! I don't know why, but whenever I go shopping I'm always drawn to black. There's something about black that is just so sleek and classic. Not to mention the fact that black always make you appear thinner!

 

 

Thrifted items; motorcycle jacket: Express $27.50 (Crossroads Trading Co,) boots: Steve Madden $22.50 (Crossroads Trading Co.) Non-thrifted items; jeans: JCPenny's $25, skull scarf $20 (Nordstrom,) Sheer blouse: Forever 21.

 

 

That's all for today. Please stop by again soon! Make sure to bundle up those thrifted duds as the weather gets chillier.

-E

What I Bought: Tips for Success

 

 

 

 

E here, as you have probably realized by now I am quite the avid thrifter and I take pride in my thrifting abilities. Like other thriftnistas, I have a knack for scoring great brands for cheap; whether its by means of thrifting, or selling and buying clothes at recycled clothing stores, or simply on a clearance rack at a retail store. Almost 85% of my wardrobe is thrifted, or I bought it at 50% - 75 %  off in a store. While most people are deterred by the thought of rummaging through racks of other people's used clothing, I look at it as the thrill of the hunt!

 

 

Everything you see pictured was: a) bought as a result of selling/trading @ Crossroads Trading Co, b) thrifted from my local Goodwill. Total cost? I only had to pay for about $35 worth of the Crossroads trade(s) (I sold at 2 separate locations.) As for the Goodwill items I got several of the items on the green tag special which was $1.29 (I will discuss how to shop Goodwill tag specials later in this post,) for a grand total of about $40. [The Goodwill total also includes housewares not pictured.]

 

Price breakdown of traded/thrifted items: 

Crossroads Trading Co.

1. Gap trench coat: $20

2. Beige Gap jacket*: originally $18.50, 50% off - $9.25

3. Express motorcycle jacket: $27.50

4.Steve Madden boots: $22.50

5. BCBG Generation dress: $16.50

6. Nautical sweater: $12.50


 

 



I absolutely love the details of this jacket; from the zippered sleeves to the zippered chest, and the detailing of the white collar flaps, the overall look is sleek and polished - giving the classic motorcycle style a modern makeover. Express tends to put out fairly high quality clothing, and this monochromatic motorcycle jacket is a good example. I was ecstatic when I saw it, and couldn't believe that no one had snatched it up yet! Just my luck I guess. I think out of all my loot, this jacket was my by far my favorite find.



Another trench to add to my collection - check! The best part? Its hooded!



A girl can never have enough boots right? I agree!


 

One thing to keep in mind when shopping at recycled clothing stores like Buffalo Exchange or Crossroads Trading Co, is that there is always a markdown rack. Almost any store that you go into, whether its a department store, boutique, or a recycled clothing store will have a sale rack of items that are periodically marked down to make room for new arrivals, or items that are damaged/defective. I have found great deals this way because an item will be marked "as is" due to a snag, or scuff. This dress for example had a small stain on it, but nothing that a tide pen can't take out.
 

Goodwill

1. Betsey Johnson dress: $7.99

2.Forever 21 dress: $5.99

3. Vigoss jeans: $5.99

4. Beige Ann Taylor sweater: $7.99

5. Loft heart cardigan: $4.99

6. Forever 21 tank*: $5.99 - $1.29

7.Old Navy tank: $4.99

As I mentioned earlier in this post, Goodwill has weekly tag specials in which you can get items for half off, (or in this case for $1.29.) Unique to Goodwill stores, every day of the week is a color tag special (except for senior discount day) and "the manager's special" where a particular type of item is on sale (i.e. - 20% off jeans.) You can find out what the daily tag special is on the Goodwill website, or in store where it is posted on every other rack, and is also announced on the intercom.

 

 

 

I don't typically go for zippered dresses, but this Betsey Johnson dress was absolutely adorable and was such a great price that I couldn't pass it up!

 

 

 

 Hopefully, based on what you've seen here I can convince all of you thrifting skeptics out there that you can find quality, designer, brand name clothing for great low prices. Thanks for stopping by! Check back soon for more tips.

Happy thrifting!

-E