Little Red Boots

Little Red Boots

Monday, August 13, 2018

Dress: c/o ThredUp | Scarf: Vintage | Boots: Joules | Purse: Vintage Coach

I've always loved the idea of red boots (also worn here, here, and here) and right before I went to New York in January I finally got a pair. Granted, I don't wear them all that often (NY was the one time I wore them a LOT) but I do love how they add such a fun pop of color to a look...plus they always remind me of all of my favorite classy/preppy East Coast & Southern bloggers and I can't help not loving them.
I received this dress from ThredUp recently, as I shared about my collaboration with them in a recent post and I have to say that I am absolutely OBSESSED with this dress! It is a Banana Republic dress and it is the classiest thing I have ever had...from the timeless shirtwaist design, to the light blue cotton fabric, all the way to the dainty scallped sleeves and hem what isn't to love! As soon as I saw the dress I knew that it was one of the items I wanted to get from ThredUp, and I love that I got it for such a great price (because on a regular day I don't shop at Banana Republic). This dress reminds me of so many things...it reminds me of The Astronaut Wives Club, Julia Hengel from Gal Meets Glam (just add pink and your set), and Sarah Vickers from Classy Girls Wear Pearls.

Because this dress reminded me of so many style inspirations I decided to go for classy prep as it was a rainy day and I decided my red boots would pair perfectly. With that I wanted to add another pop of color so I pulled out this vintage paisley scarf and I quite like how the whole look turned out.
I have decided that since this dress is such a classic staple I am going to bring it back a few other times throughout the coming months, styling it different ways:)

- Madison

Why I Love To Thrift

Why I Love To Thrift

Friday, July 27, 2018

Skirt: c/o ThredUp | Top: Thrifted | Shoes: Thrifted | Bag: Thrifted (Vintage) 

Earrings: Five Below | Sunglasses: c/o Sunglasswarehouse  

If I were to do the math I would say that at this point 95% of my closet is thrifted.......and its a good sized closet (like 1/3 of my room). Thrifting has always been something that I loved to do and I think it started when I was in middle school. When I was younger I was really into fashion, I liked following the trends, seeing what was in the stores, sketching outfits on any paper I could find, and trying to copy the trends for myself. However, I never could swing buying the latest trends so I started thrifting. I loved that I could buy a whole outfit for $20 at the thrift store when $20 would barely get me a dress at the store....$20 used to seem like $50 to my younger self and my love for thrifting has carried over into the present and influenced my style today. 

Everyone who knows me knows that I either make my own clothes or thrift them! 75% of the conversations I have with people are about what I am wearing and them asking me where I got it or if I made it. It's always seemed crazy to me that people don't consider thrifting to get good deals and find unique pieces and I think sometimes people don't thrift because they don't think the clothes would look good on them (yes, people have already worn them but that's half the fun of it). Part of the art in thrifting is knowing what you like, understanding your style, and using your imagination. 

When you thrift you don't have models showing you how to style a trend, you have to use your imagination to come up with how to style a piece and that is why I love it! The pieces I find at the thrift store don't become a pieces from a brand but become a piece that is 100% ME, they become part of my brand and style and not the name they carry on their tag....I make them my own. 

When it comes to thrifting there are sooooo many options today! A lot of the time you can easily narrow your thrifting options by your style preferences. For myself personally, I LOVE Goodwill, Family Thrift Center, and other small thrift stores because I know they will always have unique pieces and often times find vintage pieces or brands. However, when I want pieces that are a well known brand or a brand with amazing quality that I could never afford to buy at full price, I always love checking out Thred Up!

I love perusing Thred Up because I don't have to sort through racks of clothes but can easily narrow my search by brand, style, size, color, you name it and it makes thrifting so much easiar on me (plus you can do it in your pajamas...WIN)! Thred Up was lovely enough to reach out and let me choose some pieces from their vast collection and this fun and summery leaf skirt was one of the pieces that I chose. I have been wanting a leaf print skirt and knew this one would be perfect as soon as I saw it and I loved styling it with all of my other latest thrift finds including this lovely eyelet top, strappy eyelet cork kitten heels, and vintage straw bag. 

I've never been one to live by the "status quo" or how the world "says" I should be, dress, act, or shop which is probably why I LOVE thrifting all the more! Plus, it's also fun to tell someone "Oh, I got it at the thrift store!" and them to just look at you shocked:) 

Are you a fan or thrifting?

Have you ever shopped at ThredUp?

-Madison

If Only A Vineyard

If Only A Vineyard

Friday, August 19, 2016

Dress: Thrifted c/o ThredUp

Scarf: Vintage

Sunglasses: Beach

Shoes: Charlotte Russe

Purse: Vintage Coach

Watch: Sam Moon

****Pictures By Me****

Hello again lovelies! I must say that since being up at school for the past almost two weeks I have yet to get more than one photo shoot accomplished for the blog. I truly did have at least 3 shoots planned but the rain has kept me indoors nearly this entire week and alas, those photo shoots have yet to happen. Thankfully however, I had completed 3 shoots before coming back up to school, so as to have back logged photos if I wasn't able to go and take pictures (which ended up being the case), and those have gone to a good use.

The pictures for this post were from one of those shoots and I must say that this might just be one of my favorite self done shoots in awhile! Originally this ensemble first reminding me of something one would wear in France, but after taking these pictures I feel like it belongs in a Vineyard in California! What do you think? Somehow this delicate white dress with a neck scarf, vintage sunglasses, coach bag, tree lined walkway, and updo make me feel like an up class California vineyard owner (if only). Granted, there are vineyards in France too, but somehow this look reminds me of California.....I don't know why? Not that I have ever been to a vineyard, in California or Texas, but I have seen pictures and have access to pinterest so this path of trees seemed like the closest I could get to a vineyard in my hot southern state:)

Like I said, I am back up at college and getting settled in very nicely. This coming weekend is "move in weekend" for students living on campus so I will be busy checking all of my residents into their rooms. Then, next Wednesday the 24th, classes start for the Fall semester. I haven't quite decided if I am excited and ready for classes to start or not? Most of the classes I am taking this semester are very interesting, but sometimes I am just ready to be done with school so I can move on to following my dreams and dedicating more time to the things that inspire me and kickstart my imagination. However, regardless of whether I am ready for the Fall semester or not, I am curious to see what this semester has in store.

Good luck to all of you who are moving back up to college and getting ready to start back to school yourselves!

Are you ready for a new school year?
Have you ever been to a vineyard?

-Madison

Bit of Everything

Bit of Everything

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Dungarees: Forever 21

Shirt: H&M c/o Thred Up

Sneakers: Converse

Headband: old

Sunglasses: Five Below

Watch: Sam Moon

Purse: Sam Moon

Well lovelies, I am back at college and it's time to get into the routine of living away from home again. While I am always sad to leave my family each semester and say goodbye to my brother and sister I have done this five times now so it is not as hard as it was the first time. Therefore, as I am back at college, the next week and a half will be spent in training for my job and as you are reading this I am probably sitting in RA training and soaking up information. Thus, I will share more information on college life as the weeks pass, but for now let's just take a moment to enjoy this fun ensemble!

Have you ever just wanted to be like Kelly from Studion DIY? Well, I will admit that I dream of that on a daily basis, wishing I could live such a fun, creative, and colorful life. Therefore, I created this fun ensemble and set out to take pictures. I have to say that overalls truly make you feel giddy like a kid again and apparently I thought it was Fourth of July as I leaped across the frame...lol.

Remember the red purse I mentioned getting? Well, this is it! To be honest this look was one of those "Oh, I like that shirt, but I want to wear overalls....and Oh...I should wear a red bandanna in my hair, and while I am at it my white sneakers kind of go with the look.....and lets throw in the red purse for good measure  since it matches!" And with all that being said I got, Rosie The Riviter meets, dungaree clad hipster and classic preppy girl :) Nonetheless, nothing is better than stripes, dungarees, sneakers, and bandanna head bands.

Have you ever checked out Studio DIY? 

-Madison

Review: ThredUp

Review: ThredUp

Friday, July 29, 2016

Striped Top: H&M c/o ThredUp

Bicycle Top: Xhiliration c/o Thredup

Peach Blouse: Xhiliration c/o ThredUp

White Dress: Tahari c/o ThredUp

I am a girl who loves shopping, thrifting, designer pieces (at a low price), and sustainable fashion. Thus, when I discovered ThredUp, it was the perfect compilation of all three of those things! I had heard of ThredUp a few months back and kept seeing things on Instagram and Blogs about it, but never got around to actually checking it out for myself. Therefore, when the lovely team over at ThredUp contacted me about doing a review I was happy to accept and excited to see just what ThredUp had to offer. 

For those of you unfamiliar with ThredUp, it is a website that centers around reselling top brands at affordable prices. Their focus is to help the world in one small, yet big way, by providing shoppers with a fabulous second hand experience. They believe in being a conscious consumer and in doing so greatly focus on the sustainability of fashion though second hand pieces. Thus, whether you are looking to save money on top brands or are passionate about ethical and sustainable fashion, ThredUp is the perfect fit for everyone! The other great thing about ThredUp, is you can actually order a "clean out bag" from them and send your like new clothes over for other people to get a second use out of. 

When ThredUp contacted me and offered to send me some pieces for a review, I immediately started browsing their stock to see what I could find. I will admit, just like any experience at a thrift store, browsing a large selection of brands and styles online can become a bit overwhelming and sometimes you might not find what you are looking for right away. However, you can streamline your search on ThredUp and that is so helpful! Therefore, one tip I will give you for shopping ThredUp, is to go in with a plan. If you go in with an idea of the color, type, size, or brand of piece you are looking for, you can customize the search engine to select those pieces that apply (instead of scrolling through countless items). 

It probably took me close to 2 hours to select which pieces I wanted to order, but I also wanted to get a feel for the site and the brands they offered. Depending on what you are looking for or how you shop, your ThredUp shopping experience could be quick or more time consuming (it just depends). However, I finally picked out four darling pieces (3 tops and 1 dress) and excitedly awaited their arrival. 

When I received my package in the mail I was so excited to open it up! Not only are ThredUp's colors and logo the cutest and most classy thing ever, but their packaging makes you feel like you ordered something from a designer boutique. It was like getting a Birthday Present in the mail, and I almost didn't want to unwrap it:) 

I was very impressed by their packaging method, because while all the clothes are second hand, they are shipped and packaged in a way that makes them feel crisp and brand new! Each piece was packaged perfectly and in great condition and I was excited to add such versatile pieces to my wardrobe. 

Throughout the next couple of weeks my outfit posts will probably feature my ThredUp pieces so keep an eye out for that! In the mean time, you can see how I styled the Bicycle blouse I received in this weeks outfit post HERE, and don't forget to check out ThredUp for yourself! 

Have you heard of ThredUp before?

Have you ever ordered anything from ThredUp?

-Madison