**Late Post: Army & Pinstripes**

 

 

 

E here, sorry it's been so long since my last post. :-( As I've mentioned before, I am in retail management so my schedule tends to be pretty hectic. Also, I just got back from vacation. [Lots of great outfit photos from that trip coming soon.] If you follow me on Instagram you know that this post is long overdue, so here it is finally! 

 

What I love about this outfit is the versatility of it. The fun thing about fashion is that you can take clothes and create a look that is unique to you alone. Don't get me wrong, I do follow the current trends, but at the same time I like to put my own spin on things. What I tried to do here; is take the army inspired piece and mix it with more casual pieces, so as to try and downplay its more rigid, masculine features, and make it appear more feminine and stylish. The trick to pulling off any army inspired look, is to try and deflect the rigid, uniform appearance of the piece, and make it seem more modern and stylish. While the jacket offers warmth and comfort, it also adds a sort of rugged-chic feel to the outfit. The best part? I only paid $22.50 for it, and its original tags were still attached for $115.00. If you think that's a great deal, read below to see what other amazing finds I scored.

 

 

Thrifted items; jeans; Else $9.99 (Goodwill,) pinstripe button down: Gap $10.50 (Crossroads Trading Co,) army jacket: Ricki's $22.50 (Crossroads Trading Co,) *boots: American Eagle $12.99 - $.129 (Goodwill.)

 

 

These boots are cute aren't they? Can you guess how much I paid for them? [Hint: under $5.] That's right, the boots were under $5! I paid a whole $1.29 for the boots which were practically new. Its funny because whenever I wear the boots and people ask me how much I paid for them, no one believes me! Even some of the employees at the Goodwill that I purchased them from were shocked that I found such a fabulous deal. I'll admit, I tend to have pretty good luck at Goodwill on $1.29 days, but I have to say that this is the best $1.29 find, (perhaps Goodwill find of all time!)

 

 

I'm telling you, thrifting is the way to go! Are you convinced yet? If not, stick with me and I'll give you tips and advice on how you can nab fabulous deals for yourself. It's quite simply really. First; find out what thrift stores are located in your area, second: do some quick research and see what stores are top-rated, or have the most reviews. I tend to be a Goodwill/Value Village girl, but I also love to check out smaller, private thrift stores/boutiques as well. After all, you never know what gems you might come across! A lot of times, the places that appear to be small, sort of stereotypical "hole's in the wall," turn out to be quite interesting. Every time I check out a new neighborhood, or visit another state I always check to see if there are thrift stores nearby. Make sure to come back again soon, I'm going to embark on a thrifting challenge with a friend and show you just how easy it is. Well that's all for today. See you next time!

-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

Layering 101: Corduroy

 

 

 

E here, corduroy was never my thing growing up, but as I got older I started to look at it differently. For a long time I had always thought of corduroy as being really dated, but then I saw other people wearing it and I changed my tune. When paired with the right pieces corduroy can look refined and polished.

 

 

The thing about corduroy is knowing what to pair it with so it doesn't end up looking too frumpy. Since corduroy is so structured, I decided to pair it with plaid and a delicate feminine scarf to create contrast. Most people think that everything needs to be matchy-matchy but I find that to be boring. Outfits are more interesting when you mix them with different prints and textures.

 

 

Thrifted items; corduroy blazer: Banana Republic $9.99 (Goodwill,) plaid button down: Indigo $4.99 (Goodwill.) Non-thrifted items; jeans: Levi's $15 (Macy's,) boots: Pink & Pepper $30 (Fred Meyer,) scarf: H&M $8, aviators: Sperry's $30 (Nordstrom Rack.)

 

 

 

Here I tried to keep it simple and go for a casual, laid back, layered look. It might have been sunnier here than the rest of the country, but it was still cold! When putting together layered looks, I try to go for pieces that will layer easily (in terms of movement.) I always make sure when I buy blazers or jackets that they are a size bigger so that I am still able to layer underneath them. Well that's all for now, hope my tips help. Until next time!

-E

Merry Blogmas!

 

 

Merry Blogmas!

E here, I hope that you have been enjoying the holidays as much as I have. Its been a busy couple of weeks for me, but it has all been worth it. Working in retail, I know better than anyone how easy it is to get caught up in the pre-holiday madness. I know that I haven't been the best blogger lately, but I plan to make up for all the lost time. Now that the craziest time of the year in retail is over you can expect to see more of me!

 

 

I was feeling very spirited today so I decided to pair bold red tights and stripes for the ultimate festive look. I don't typically wear red lipstick unless its a special occasion, so today was just the right day for it. When wearing such bold lipstick you don't want to overdo it, so I went for a more natural look. Per my husband's suggestion, I wore my hair in a side braid with a sparkly headband for extra glitz. This time of year its really fun to dress up and add sparkly accessories for a fun, glam look. If sparkle is just not your thing, you can always add chunky statement jewelry or hair accessories for extra oomph.

 

 

Thrifted items; striped tank: Cyrus $4.99 (Goodwill,) black heels: Unlisted $5.99 (Goodwill.) Non-thrifted items; jacket: Self Esteem $15 (Fred Meyer,) skirt: Joe B $10 (Fred Meyer,) red tights: Legale $4.00 (Fred Meyer,) bow ring: Curfew $5 (Fred Meyer.) My lipstick, "Jet Set red."

 

 

As I've mentioned before in previous posts, color really adds extra pizazz to an outfit. I don't personally own a lot of red clothes besides my beloved trench coat, but I wanted to be festive today. Colored tights are a fun and great way to add a pop of color to any outfit. Lately I've noticed a lot of women wearing mustard colored tights, but unfortunately that color washes me out. My advice - if your planning on trying colored tights, pick a color that compliments your skin tone/complexion and  hair color. Take me for instance, I have dark hair, so bright hues tend to look the best on me because they contrast with my hair. If you have lighter colored hair, cool colors will look great against your hair.

 

 

That's all for now. I hope you had a great Christmas with your friends and family. Eat, drink, and be merry! See you next time!

-E

 

 

Baby Its Cold Outside.....

 

 

 

E here, I've got a lot of catching up to do before the new year! [Check back soon for a very overdue thrift haul post.] As the weather gets chillier its time to start thinking about accessorizing to stay warm. My favorite winter accessory? Well, its really hard to narrow it down because I enjoy experimenting with different layers of hat, scarves, and glove combinations. But I'd have to say that when it comes down to it I have quite the collection of scarves (my husband can second this!)

 

 

When it comes to layering I always try to pick pieces that will work well together and will also be functional if I decide to remove a layer. The last thing that you want to do is create a layered outfit that looks great, but is not going to be comfortable and functional. Here, I threw on a vest, a hat, and a scarf to ensure that I would be warm, but could just as easily take off the vest if I needed to.

 

 

My personal styling tip for accessorizing - if you're wearing a lot of darker colors try to balance it out with some lighter colors. What I did here, is try to contrast the darker colors with lighter hues. Also, the accessories don't necessarily need to match. I like to mix different pieces together to create a unique look.

 

 

 

Thrifted items; tan sweater: Ann Taylor Loft $7.99 (Goodwill.) Non-thrifted items; vest: North Face (gifted,) jeans: Levi's $20 (JCPenny's,) riding boots: Bandolino $99 (DSW,) hat: Adidas $15 (Fred Meyer,) scarf: H&M $7.99.

 

 

That's all for now. Happy Friday! Let the final countdown to Christmas commence. Until next time.

-E

Experimenting With Prints

 

E here, its been quite a few days since my last post. I don't know about you, but I've been pretty busy getting ready for the holidays. Its been all hustle and bustle at work, so trying to pick the right outfit to wear is difficult when your in a hurry. As I mentioned in a previous post, once you have figured out what styles and textures/prints look good on your body, knowing what to wear is a cinch. Here, I experimented with mixing two different prints. The scarf matches the jacket, and the animal print is black and white so it doesn't clash too much with the plaid.

 

 

 

 

Several of the items that I'm wearing I picked up on my last thrifting trip. Check back soon for the details. As you know, the title of my blog is "Elizabeth Reinvented" (with particular emphasis on the reinvention.) The great thing about thrifting is that you can take an item whether its the jacket that I'm wearing, or the boots, and make them your own, essentially reinventing them so to speak. I like to mix my thrifted items with my other clothes and create new, unique outfits. Most of the time when I tell people that the designer boots or jacket that I'm wearing I thrifted from Goodwill or got from selling clothes at Crossroads they don't believe me. That's the great thing about thrifting, no one can tell your thrifted clothes from your new clothes!

 

 

 

 

Thrifted items; green trench coat: Calvin Klein $24.97 (Goodwill,) animal print blouse: Ann Taylor Loft $7.99 (Goodwill,) boots: Sam Edelman $19.99, (Goodwill.) Non-thrifted items; jeans: Levi's $25 (JCPenny's,) plaid scarf: Softer Than Cashmere $4.99 (Fred Meyer.)

 

 

Out of all my recent thrift finds, I think these boots are my favorite! Talk about a steal! They go with just about anything, and they are incredibly comfy. The great thing about booties is that you can wear them with anything from jeans, to a skirt with tights, or a dress.

 

 

 

That's all for now. I hope you enjoy this festive time of year with your friends and family. Until next time.

-E