Thrifted Finds: Blue Velvet Crush

Sweater & Skirt (Thrifted) ◇ Heels (Old) ◇ Bag (DVF) 

Believe it or not, there are still people under the misconception that people who go to thrift stores cannot afford to shop at “regular” retail stores. Well, let me resolve that misconception for you. It is an absolute lie. I have been to thrift stores or for a better word “consignment” stores that housed items worth thousands of dollars. I am talking high-end brands like LV, Chanel and even rarely, Hermes. Plus, the clientele of some of the thrift stores I visit are ladies strolling in with Gucci backpacks and Balenciaga sneakers…I am not exaggerating. Let’s just say that I do not “dress down” when I go thrifting.

So ladies, do not fall for that cliche mindset that only broke folks go to thrift stores…I get that it is not for everybody for a variety of reasons. For example, it takes a whole lotta patience and it is a game of hit or miss. But I have been thrifting since I was a broke college student and I will probably thrift while I get around with rolling walkers, living off my retirement and investment checks. 

That being said, there are certain items that I prefer thrifted and one of said items is a good ole dad sweater. I picked this one up from the men’s section and i just love the muted blue. The suede skirt was the only item I picked up during the Memorial day sale event because bruh, the store was packed you hear.

By the way, who else wears their minibags as bumbags?

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NOT YOUR GRANDMA’S RUANA

Ruana (not available online, but check out all their other ruanas here) ◇ Jeans (here) ◇ Booties (sold out but love this here) ◇ Bag (YSL College)

*sigh* Ruanas…what more can I say about them? I have a love-hate relationship with them. You see, I love the concept of them…a fashionable blanket that you can take out of the house. Come on, that’s a genius idea but for the longest time for me they all just looked shapeless and ugly quite honestly. And reminded me of my grandma for some odd reason, until recently that is. I started to see some high-end brands (most commonly Fendi) with these ruanas that really caught my eye. And honestly, I think it might be their beautiful use of their logo that makes it such a stand out piece. 

But since I might choose to spend my hard-earned money on high fashion bags but not clothing, I couldn’t bring myself to cough up $1500 on a ruana, no matter how gorgeous…at least not yet, but never say never you know?

So, I forgot all about my love for that ruana until I came across this one on a casual shopping trip to the mall.

Now, first of all, this particular design came with a belt attached. Since I primarily only wear it wrapped around my body like so, I cut off the belt the minute I bought it. Why do I love this ruana? Number one, it is actually cut to wrap around a plus size figure, not like those one size fits all jokes that look like you’re wearing your little sister’s handouts. Second, it is structured for a ruana, as they’re typically made to drape. And this one does drape, just in a structured manner which I love. Last, the pattern and colors. I love how it is designed with basic colors like black, grey, tan and brown. I wear this ruana everywhere…the movies, to lunch dates, you name it. It is just so perfect for this weather, and it is so very warm and cozy. It is not available online but if you can take a trip to your local store you might get lucky, that’s where I got mine. And I do recommend cutting off the attached belt, that’s my preference.

Striped sweater and denim

Outfit: Sweater (sold out, similar here, here) ◇ Skirt (here) ◇ Shoes (here) ◇ Bag (here)

First of all, can we all just agree that sweaters are in? I mean, they’ve always been in, but these days they are off the charts okay? Remember those oversized, cropped, colorful sweaters that used to be featured in shows like the Cosby show, a Different World, Living Single and them all? Those sweaters are back in honey! So go hunt your mama and grandma’s closet and basement gals, or in my case hunt your local thrift store.

Fall Trends I am Thankful For

Outfit: Skirt (Thrifted, love these here, here, here) ◇ Blazer (Thrifted, love these here, here, here) ◇ Belt (here) ◇ Shoes (similar here) 

This look has a few “trends” that I am thankful for this year, can you guess what they are?

The first being the oversized blazer. I have been spotting oversized blazers everywhere, paired with short shorts, pants, dresses, everything. I talked a little bit about my love for thrifting in my last post and one of my favorite items to thrift are blazers. Oversized, vintage, padded shoulders blazers. I love the heck out of them and if I could wear them everyday, I would. Which is why I am so glad that they are back. I love them so much that I even look through the men’s section for them and that is where I found this particular one.

 

 Another trend in this look are definitely the animal prints. I have always loved animal prints and it puts a smile on my face when I see all sorts of prints styled on mannequins at department stores or fashion spreads these days.

I think the color brown is one of the colors for Fall 2019, at least according to looks that I spotted on runway pictures. Although it has never been one of my go to colors, I definitely like the maturity of this color. I also love the versatility as it comes in so many different shades and for that reason can fit so many different complexions. I especially how it looks paired with black.

Finally, the last trend is the column skirt, but think the Claire Huxtable kind of column skirt. Bias cut skirts are very popular right now especially a particular leopard print, silk one that every influencer and their mama have right now (you know the one I am referring to :). But this denim skirt is another one of my thrifted finds, picked it up at my local Goodwill for about $5 and I also love pairing it for my library study sessions with flat mules, a tank and of course, an oversized blazer.

The Most Basic Fall Layer Ever

Outfit: Plaid Duster (available in red here) ◇ Jeans (here) ◇ Tank top (here) ◇ Shoes (here) ◇ Bag (Mak Nisy) 

I always love it when I see fashion brands play with silhouettes that flatter the plus size figure and as much as I love kimonos and dusters, I told myself that I was done buying anymore of them…until this plaid one caught my eye. 

There are a few things going on in this duster that make it a great piece to own. First, it is a plaid print. Second it is cut in the style of a fit flare shirt dress. I personally love shirt dresses so this is a win win for me. I also like the fact that the colors are pretty basic black and white with the stripes of mustard. 

The one thing that would have made this duster absolutely perfect would have been the addition of buttons along the front to give you the option of wearing it as a shirt dress or a duster. I was tempted to insert buttons on mine but I am absolutely lazy and horrendous with button holes…although I might brave it one day soon.

Dusters are perfect for that transition into Fall when the mornings are cool and the days are warm. They are an additional layer that will keep you cool without adding any bulk. The easiest way to style a duster for an effortlessly chic look is to style it with a monochromatic base. I picked out the deepest color in my duster which happened to be black and went with a simple black tank and jeans. This way the duster stands out as my statement piece.

My Stance on Fashion Right Now: Red My Mind

Outfit: Tie front sweater (here, available in multiple colors here) ◇ Sequin skirt (Color sold out, but available in a gorgeous green here) ◇ Shoes ( Up to size 12 here) ◇ Bag (Jakar Lagos) 

SHOP THIS LOOK

My Summer hiatus is finally over!!! I know, I know, I never said a word about a hiatus. But that’s what this has felt like honestly. My last set of photos were from back in May/June and let’s just say that’s how life is right now and I think I am finally riding that bull by the horns, so let’s just say my hiatus is over shall we?

During this hiatus, I did some self reflection and decided that I was beginning to fall into the trap of what I call the “influencer ditch”. This ditch involves a lot of different things but one of the signs for me was that I had a closet full of things that I didn’t love but bought or received because I “expected” myself to have these things because they were in “vogue” or on “trend”. 

So after purging my closet of these items, I decided to start afresh and continue with the original concept of my blog. I rediscovered my love of thrifting and mixing on trend items with old, vintage pieces that I pick up at local thrift and consignment shops.

So you might not see every, single, fashion trend there is out there but you’ll see what I am wearing and how I am mixing and matching things that I enjoy. So yeah, the hiatus is over! Let’s get to fall fashion shall we?

One thing that hasn’t changed about my style is that I love sequins, probably will for a verrry long time. And when I saw this sequin skirt pop up on my email, it was an instant purchase. I originally got it with the mind of styling it for parties over the holidays but as you can see, I couldn’t wait. I’m sure I will definitely pair it with a lace trim cami and structured blazer for a party this holiday season. But in the mean time, I went for a monochromatic look with one of my favorite shades of red actually, just with an undertone of orange. The only con about this skirt is that the lining peeks out from underneath when I’m walking as you can see in some of these photos. It may be because it fits snug on my hips, but any looser and I will lose any sort of shape or fitting in this skirt, as you can see, it is not a very fitted pencil hem. So I do find myself pulling it down a few times during a wear.

In case you’re wondering about this stunning bag, it was actually hand made in Nigeria by a brand called Jakar. Check them out on IG, I am not sure if they do international shipping though, but I picked this one up on a recent trip to Nigeria.