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Hello, hello! After such a relaxing weekend away with my boyfriend’s family, I’m back to the grind today and hitting the ground running with homework, blog work, midterms, etc. Today’s post is the second installment of the Thrifty Six collaboration of which I’m apart, where six other bloggers and I showcase our pre-loved fashion. Today’s theme? You may have guessed it—check, plaid, houndstooth, and the like!
I have to admit I was a little stumped to pull something together for today’s collaboration. If you’ve been following for a while, you know that I packed a very small (at least, small for me) capsule wardrobe when I moved back to school in September. Had I been home for this blog post, with my full closet to choose from, I would’ve opted either for the thrifted dark grey plaid trousers in this OOTD post or for this gorgeous second-hand tweed blazer. But alas, I realized I had nothing thrifted here at school that fit this month’s theme, so I made a stop by the local thrift store.
It was a very disappointing trip… as I couldn’t find anything cute or in my size. But since I was very tight on time, I just decided to buy this $3 men’s flannel for the sake of today’s post to see if I could turn it into something cute—a fun little style challenge. Well, what do you think? Did I succeed?
To combat the oversized-ness of the shirt, I knew I had to wear tight bottoms and layer on some girly accessories. I opted for my favorite skinny jeans, neutral booties, and a layered necklace. Belting the shirt turned it into more of a tunic and gave my waist some necessary definition, although I fear it might make me look shorter than I really am. I popped on some mascara and lipstick and voila—a fun fall outfit. I’m still not totally sure if I love it (it’s very out of my comfort zone, after all), but I think it could be cute to wear to a pumpkin patch or a similar fall activity.
I took these photos in a nearby neighborhood, and as I was searching for a spot with decent lighting, I noticed a woman with a huge camera also taking pictures. We crossed paths a couple of times before she finally approached me, saying, “I have to know, what are you taking photos for?” She was the cutest lady, and we ended up chatting for a few minutes. I told her about my fashion blog, which she thought was very cool, and she told me that she was taking pics of the gorgeous fall leaves to make brochures to convince the homeowners in the neighborhood not to cut down their trees upon moving in. Hopefully she’s successful because these trees really are beautiful!
I felt so awkward and embarrassed telling her about my fashion blog, and I don’t know why… I always feel that way when I bring up Graceful Rags to someone. So if any of you have ever felt something similar and have any tips, I’d love to hear them. After all, my blog is such a silly thing to feel sheepish about!
Be sure to check out all the awesome ladies below to see how they styled their plaid/checked preloved fashion this month:
Emma of Style Splash
“I found this dress in a charity shop recently for less than £5. Blue and brown is a very on-trend colour combination for this season, although that isn’t why I bought it. I love to wear all types of check patterns in Autumn and Winter, and this dress is great for layering over a thin roll neck sweater and tights. It has pockets too…happy days!”
Jane of Preloved-Vintage-Handmade
“The traditional to the avant-guard…The Thrifty Six are showcasing Heritage prints this month and here I bring you Royal Stuart Tartan – Highland Heritage in its purest form! It can be traditional or somewhat avant-garde. I go both ways, buttoned-up Victoriana to raw Punk Rock; reminiscent of Vivienne Westwood back in the anarchic 1970’s…I bought the skirt and waistcoat separately (on eBay), they’re from two different brands but the fabric is identical in every way so they make a perfect suit. They’re both vintage and the waistcoat has a very interesting brand label. It says… ‘Susan Barry – the clothes that men admire’ I’m really not kidding – HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED!!!!”
Lucy of Confessions of a Montreal Styling Diva
“This vintage plaid dress has been hanging quietly for too long. I mean just look at her personality- I just had to take her out for a spin! She’s also super versatile, in that I love styling her up as a coat too! Everything about this (except the reversible Gucci belt) has either been thrifted or bought ages ago (some even decades)!”
Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style
“When I heard that the theme for this month’s collaboration would be check, I thought: ‘Oh boy, have to search for something checked online!’ But instead I searched my closet and there came out my old checked tweed skirt. The funny story about the skirt is that I had bought this one years and years ago in the shop where I used to work. I gave it away at one point and discovered it two years ago on the preloved online shop. And bought it again! Just love the tweed and Chanel-esque feel. Especially with all the pearls!”
Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge
“When Emma announced the checkered theme for this month, I used it as an excuse to go thrift shopping. I definitely have plaid and checked preloved items in my wardrobe, but I don’t venture out much these days so it was the perfect excuse. I found this adorable black and white gingham dress (NWT) and these camouflage joggers (NWT) during that trip. I had no intention of wearing them together until I saw them lying in my cart next to each other. It was a match made in print mixing heaven! I added this preloved velvet off the shoulder sweatshirt because the dress is sleeveless and it’s getting cold around here. My furry clutch is also preloved (Poshmark). And the tie in my hair is the belt from the dress. We headed off to the park to capture some of the beautiful fall foliage in my photos.”
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What do you think of this month’s checkered collaboration? And what do you think about my outfit—yay or nay? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I hope you had a great weekend!
Miles of smiles,
Grace
Plaid Flannel: Thrift Store, $3 | Skinny Jeans: Francesca’s, $20, last worn here | Beige Fringe Booties: Sam Edelman via DSW, $90, last worn here | Black Elephant Purse: Francesca’s, $20, last worn here | Brown Belt: Cabi, $76, last worn here
Oh you bought it especially for our series!! What a commitment. And I love the blouse, I thought it was flanel at first. What a good job! And that tweed blazer is amazing!
Thanks Nancy! And haha yes, I’m very committed!
Grace, I think this is the cutest outfit! And now I have to search the men’s flannels next time I go thrifting! I know it’s a bit out of your comfort zone, but you look darling in it. And it is really great for a cozy fall activity that requires comfort. I always get very sheepish about mentioning my fashion blog, too. Honestly, I feel less weird about it if I say “lifestyle blog” or simply that I am a writer. I think we feel like there is something frivolous about fashion. But there’s not! If it makes us happy and makes other people happy, I have no idea why we get sheepish about what we do. So I am anxious to see if anyone else has thoughts on that topic.
Shelbee
http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com
Thank you Shelbee! Lucy says you can find some cool men’s blazers while thrift shopping, too. And that’s such a good point! I’ve definitely been feeling more and more like that given the times… It is very interesting to hear that every else who has commented so far is rather sheepish, too! I really don’t like my blog name and have regretted picking it for years, so I always thought that’s where my embarrassment stems from. But based on what everyone else is commenting, maybe it’s just the whole dang blog that makes me sheepish!
I totally understand! I love your blog name, by the way!
Aw, thank you Shelbee!
Well what a great find- you never know what you’re gonna find in the men’s section! They do have the best blazers too lol! But you styled this up so beautifully- love the whole look. As for talking about the blog- I feel the same way!! It seems I’m only comfortable with other bloggers…for people in real life, I’m always shy. I wonder why?? xx
Thanks so much, Lucy! And I know, so interesting! I’m kind of surprised to hear I’m not the only one, but everyone else has said the same thing so far.
I would never have guessed it was a men’s shirt. You look adorable in it and it makes for a very cute tunic. I am the same way about the blog but most people just probably think I have a ME complex and think I just like to take pictures of myself lol!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Thanks Mireille! And haha I know! I think about that all the time… people probably think I’m just super self-centered. Yikes!
You did a great job styling this plaid shirt Grace! I love the colors of your shirt and the belt adds a touch of feminine flair. I also don’t talk about my blog. I told my dad about it and a few close friends but I have not mentioned it beyond that.
Maureen | http://www.littlemisscasual.com
Thanks so much, Maureen! And it seems like that is the consensus among us bloggers… that we like to keep our blog lives secret, haha.
This is the cutest outfit! That flannel is such a great find and I absolutely love it belted! I’ve had my blog for six years and still am uncomfortable talking about it to people. Not sure why either because its such a fun hobby for me!
Jill – Doused in Pink
Thanks for sharing Jill! It’s been so interesting to hear everyone’s input… Seems like most of us feel shy for no reason!
This is such a perfect fall outfit and your background only compliments the colour scheme. I always get shy when someone asks about Our Crossings blog, too and I don’t really know why! We all know that blogging takes a lot of time and effort, and we spend hours taking photos, creating posts, editing and answering comments. Maybe we should give ourselves more credit about what we do! Thanks for sharing and have a good day 😀 Aiva
I totally agree Aiva! We should feel proud of all the hard work we pour into our projects. 🙂 I can’t imagine why you get shy too because your blog is absolutely incredible! Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your weekend.
I love this look that you’ve put together and how you styled it with a belt! I’ll have to try that out too!
And so fun to see the collab with all the other plaid looks too!
Eileen | yesmissy.com
Thanks so much, Eileen!
I loved the style, the blouse with a belt over it, here in Brazil it’s not used much, but I liked it a lot, and the photos were very good. xoxo https://beperes.blogspot.com/
Thanks so much, Brena!
This top is SO adorable–love the plaid print! You styled it so well!
Rosy Outlook
Thank you Kelly!
That shirt was a great find – you styled it so well I thought it was a tunic and never would have known it was a men’s shirt! 🙂
It’s sweet you were able to share about your blog too! I’ve never been shy about my blog – although I find explaining a fashion blog to people who don’t know about/read fashion blogs a bit awkward, haha. Everyone at work knows about my online stuff but every now and then I’ll get someone new who hasn’t heard about it come up and ask me – a few of us in the office have YouTube channels and in the days before working from home we used to chat about them in the office, trade tips and stuff. One of the guys has a very technical channel (I work in IT) so whenever the conversation drifts from his latest technology toy to his YouTube video about it, he gets talking about YouTube to them and I’ll sometimes get a new person show up at my desk saying “so I hear you have a YouTube channel”…haha. It’s a fun hobby to have 🙂
Hope that you had a good weekend! 🙂 Thanks so much for joining the #WeekdayWearLinkup!
Oh, I love that Mica! That’s so fun to be able to share tips and tricks with people at work. I don’t really know anybody in “real life” who has anything similar to a blog. That makes me happy that you’re not shy about it at all!! Thanks for stopping by!
Such a fun group of fashionistas! And I love your plaid top. Everything feels so fall and wonderful on your space right now. 🙂 And I like how you belted the top over the skinnys!
Thank you so much, Chrissy! It was fun taking these fall photos.
You’ve done so well with this outfit, Grace, despite everything – it’s really cute!
Thank you Katerina!
Love this! I have a similar shirt and plan on shamelessly copying your look, by adding a skinny belt and rolling up the sleeves
Oooh yes! Sounds so cute!