The Long and Short of It

I’m obsessed with today’s spring outfit! I’m a little late posting this month, but yesterday marked another Thrifty Six collaboration with five of my blogging friends to showcase our secondhand style. May’s theme was The Long and Short of It. As my dad will happily tell you, I’m famously bad at knowing euphemisms… so I wasn’t exactly sure what this saying meant at first. According to Merriam-Webster, the phrase is “used when making a statement that is brief and that tells someone only the most important parts of something.” So basically the same thing as “long story short,” I think.

When it came to an outfit, I wasn’t entirely sure how to interpret the theme… but then I saw Jodie styling a longer skirt and knew I had to break out this striped midi skirt of my own! My aunt handed it down to me at some point last year. I tried styling it a handful of times over the winter (I thought it would look cute with tall boots and a sweater) but I didn’t end up loving any of those combos. I was excited to revisit it for a spring outfit instead.

I immediately realized I should pair it with this new bodysuit from Cavender’s, a new-to-me store. My parents and I discovered it in the Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas when I was visiting for Easter. They have tons of affordable, western-inspired clothes, and some of the pieces feel really well-made, like this bodysuit. (Just wait until you see the amazing bellbottoms I also got.) I thought the rose/salmon color paired perfectly with the skirt! I love the color blush, but it always washes me out… This slightly darker sister shade looks much better on my complexion. I didn’t have to wear a bra with this bodysuit because it is double-lined.

The secondhand skirt is a little big in my waist, so I added this vintage navy belt that belonged to my grandma. I finished the outfit with nude heels to really elongate my legs—since I’m wearing a midi skirt and am not particularly tall, I wanted to make sure I wasn’t making myself look any shorter than I really am. I know some cool girls would pair this skirt with sneakers, but I’m not confident I could do that without looking like an Oompa-Loompa.

I also added a rose gold necklace, gold clip-on earrings, and a rusty colored lipstick. I usually take a few close-up shots for every blog post, but my phone has been having so much trouble focusing lately! It’s been driving me nuts—hopefully I can figure it out soon so that you can see more of the details of my outfits.

I wore this outfit to work last week but threw on a denim jacket overtop, since the bodysuit shows a lot of skin. In terms of the prompt, I figured the skirt is long… and my sleeves are short. Am I grasping at straws too much?? The skirt also has a fun handkerchief hem, which I think adds to the theme. Be sure to check out the other five bloggers’ interpretations at the links below!

Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge:

“The long and short of it is that I went into the thrift store last week looking for nothing in particular when I spotted two neon scarves, one yellow and one green, hanging alone on a jewelry rack. I thought to myself, ‘Wouldn’t these make an awesome summer wrap if I sewed them together?’ The green scarf is longer and more narrow than the yellow scarf and the yellow scarf is shorter and wider than the green scarf… (long and short, short and long, you get the idea). I decided not to cut the scarves to make them even and opted instead for an asymmetrical wrap. It suits me better when it is a little crooked, I think! I layered it over a preloved tie dye tee shirt dress for a vibrant summer style.” 

Jodie of Jodie’s Touch of Style:

“Here’s my Long and Short of it. I decided to break out this fantastic long skirt from a vintage online site and to make the proportions seem better, I paired it with a shorter jacket (also thrifted). In fact, every single thing is secondhand except my jewelry, glasses, and hair extensions!! I’ve become such a fan of longer skirts and sneakers and it made me smile when the 30-something waitress complimented my outfit.”

Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style:

“When I started working as a branch manager at a fashion store, I first received a month’s training in another shop then the one who would be mine. During that month you weren’t allowed to make any purchases from the store, at least you didn’t get the 50% discount. And just during that month I saw the most beautiful dress! I was totally in love with it! But it was a pretty expensive one and I would get that discount after a few weeks. But I also knew that dress would no longer be there after a month. I think I drooled over the dress many times, because at one point my trainer said she would buy the dress for me with the discount and then I could pay her back. No sooner said than done. And I completely wore out that dress! A few years ago I came across the dress again on Vinted! And immediately bought it of course! The funny thing is that it has a long and a short hemline! So twice the long and short of it, because this story isn’t at the end yet! Read more on my blog.”

Jane of Preloved-Vintage-Handmade:

“Nothing if not literal… This month’s T6 theme is ‘the long and short of it’. An interesting turn of phrase that inspires numerous fashion ideas… there’s nothing clever here – it’s simple, obvious and completely literal… Long boots, short shorts, job done!”

Emma of Style Splash:

“This month’s theme of ‘The Long and Short of It’ immediately made me think of wearing something long and something short. Seems obvious, right? But then what short and long pieces to pair together? If in doubt start with something vintage. This skirt is part of a set, but I swapped the shirt for a sleeveless top with a gigantic bow. (But that’s not the short of the outfit because it’s not preloved). This cropped jacket however is one of my best preloved bargains; my mum found it in a charity shop for £1! It’s from Marks & Spencer’s Per Una range so it’s excellent quality. I finished off the look with my Vivaia mules and a fun telephone bag.”

. . . . .

I love the unique interpretations of this month’s theme, especially Jane’s tall boots with the shorts—I hadn’t thought of that! Thanks for stopping by the blog today, and have a great rest of your Tuesday.

Miles of smiles,
Grace

Bodysuit: Cavender’s, $36 ($36 per wear), buy here | Striped Skirt: Hand-me-down | Nude Heels: Amazon, $46 ($4.18 per wear), last worn here | Black Sunglasses: Charming Charlie, $7 ($0.24 per wear), last worn here | Navy Belt: Hand-me-down, last worn here | Purse: Francesca’s, gift, last worn here