Reflections on Thrift Month + 2 bonus outfits

Reflecting back on June’s Thrift Month experiment today and I’m just so glad I decided to challenge myself to do it. If you remember, the reasons I wanted to do a whole month of thrifting was to

Increase creativity with a restricted budget
Raise awareness on textile waste and be a part of alleviating it
Learn to see a designer looks at thrift stores
And incorporate more vintage into my style

During the month span, I definitely felt like I was able to accomplish all of those goals.

The 1st, 2nd, and 4th week I spent less than 30 dollars and came away with an average of 5-6 things that zhuzh’d my wardrobe in the best way
I stayed away from in-store and online shopping for a month and only did one thrift haul a week so I felt like I was less driven by consumption
I challenged myself to see things from more of a designer perspective instead of just generally what I was drawn to (still have room to grow in this area but I got started)
And I was able to incorporate some vintage pieces into my wardrobe that gave my current style more dimension

So it was quite a winning month for me because it really helped me grow in many ways and most importantly – it was a great opportunity to collaborate and learn from so many creative and inspiring women!

What I came away with:

It was cleansing for me to purchase only secondhand for a period of time because it taught me to look for things that inspire me apart from trends
It challenged me to see my style and beautiful pieces in a sea of things I didn’t like
It allowed me to try some things I wouldn’t have otherwise because of budget
It caused my scrolling for new things from brands I like to decrease
It gave me a new creative outlet in the world of fashion/personal style
It allowed me to be a part of the slow fashion movement for a fraction of the cost
It gave me an opportunity to collaborate and build a new community in the world of thrifting
And last but not least it was just so DANG FUN!

So, if you are ever considering cutting out purchasing new for a time and challenging yourself to thrift, I would highly recommend it for all of the reason I shared above!

Now to the bonus looks…

I found two layering pieces in my last haul that both surprisingly drew me in – A pink top which looks like the top half of a two-piece suit that I just couldn’t part with it. And a textured red jacket that was inspired by a Cult Gaia piece but styled completely different.

Normally I would never grab such a bright color and especially not pink, but for some reason, colors have just been grabbing me lately and I’m embracing it.

Outfit #5 Pink Suit Top + Distressed Denim + White Mules + Statement Earrings

This top is way out of my comfort zone in both the shape and the color as I mentioned before, but for some reason, I just had to have it. I used to be so minimal in my color choices wearing predominately black and I felt so cool/myself wearing clothing that was black and modern, but now I just feel kinda bla and unexcited by black and by minimal (at least most of the time).

I want to talk waaayyyy more about this in a different post because it’s been a journey for me, but for the purpose of this one, just know your girl is changing and experimenting, and maybe just maybe I’ll be a pink kind of gal one day?? You never know.

Outfit Details | Pink suit top thrifted (similar here) | Distressed denim old (similar here on sale) | White mules old (similar here on sale) | Statement Earrings old (similar here) or (here)

Outfit # 6 Red Jacket + Distressed Denim + Converse Hightops

The texture of this jacket was actually inspired by a Cult Gaia piece, but I ended up styling it with my classic hightops and distressed denim for a laid back look! I could see it looking really cool with a red denim skirt as well though!

Outfit Details | Red jacket thrifted (similar here) | Distressed denim old (similar here on sale) | White hightops sneakers

—

So there ya have it!

Thrift Month was such a fun experience and the lesson’s I learned I’ll be carrying with me on many more thrifting adventures!

Hope you enjoyed coming along with me and that maybe just maybe you got a little inspired to do some thrifting of your own!!

So much love,

Mary Beth