Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Secondhand Wardrobe Challenge

There are lots of things that turn my crank. Here are a few:
Sleeping in.
Riotous fiction.
Compelling non-fiction.
Every fruit except bananas.
All the Mexican food in the world.
Even Taco Bell.
Because it totally counts.
Magazines. (This is dinner tonight.)
Tunes (right now it's Lecrae.)
Hammocks. (How do you say this word? Because I was laughed straight out of AR when I said it.)

I could go on.

When it comes to the internets and the blogs, there are two kinds of posts that I will always, always stop to read. 1) Those list posts where you say what you're wearing/doing/wishing/etc...right now and 2) Outfit posts.

Come on, show me what you're wearing. I don't know why, but I love it.
I was raised on Teen Magazine and the Supermodels. Somewhere along the way, something stuck and now I remain intrigued by personal style, especially if it's thrifty. And comfy.

Here are some of my recent wears:

Old Navy eyelet (2010), cut-offs, my impulse-buy vest, and Noonday wrap bracelet.

Target boyfriend cut-offs (2013), House of Belonging T, the love-of-my-life J Crew gingham, Farmgirl Paints cuff, flea market cuff, Krafty Kash necklace, road-trip hair (not pictured.)

**Repeat after me: Gingham is a neutral. "Gingham is a neutral!"**
Thank you.

Vintage dress, Target necklace (2005), bracelet from my sister (2007), TJ Maxx wedges (2005)

Patched-up AE jeans (2009), consignment Arizona striped T, J Crew belt, 31 Bits necklace, Noonday bag, FP cuff, Old Navy peep-toe flats (2008).

I bought this dress at the jankiest Salvation Army earlier this summer. I think it's a Target brand. Not something I would usually go for. But, it was made of t-shirt knit...and black...and not a micro-mini (I'm extremely prudish about skirt length.)

Jacket: Marshalls (2014), rummage sale coin necklace, shell necklace from Silas, TJ Maxx sandals (2011)

Believe it or not, there's a moral to this story.
A weird one.

I'm a bit of a clothes horse. I don't necessarily buy often, but I enjoy thinking about what works together (sometimes). It's something I like, and it can be a source of frustration, along the lines of, "It's a new season and I want ALL NEW THINGS."

I jumped ship a couple years ago and began buying the kids' stuff almost exclusively secondhand, and though I've slowly slid into more of that for myself, I was never ready to take the plunge and commit to buying only secondhand for moi.

I have lots of excuses, namely that it's almost impossible to find certain things that fit me in stores, thanks to my gangly proportions.

But the truth is, I have enough jeans. I don't need more, anyway.
I have enough everything.

I consistently wear and re-wear the same things, year after year. They're what I'm most comfortable in and what I'm drawn to, yet like an ill-trained pup, I keep adding new things to my closet, often things I don't really even love.

I'm thinking long and hard about stewarding our resources wisely, and I'm lying to myself if I think this isn't an area that could use some tweaking.

So, for the next six months, I hereby do solemnly vow to only buy secondhand.

I've gotten a taste of how much fun it is to put things together I might not ordinarily grab in a retail store. It forces the ol' noggin a bit, and often, I like the outcome even better. 

Does anyone else want to dive in with me?
It could be fun.