Viewing entries tagged
thrift

i'm a fraud

i'm a fraud

So, here I am, my big thing is buying quality things that you wear over and over, right? And, when I got married, instead of buying a dress that only had one use, I bought a white cocktail dress that I could wear again and again. And I love this dress. I want to wear it all the time. But when I put it on, like I did this year for our fifth anniversary dinner, it feels like too much. Too dressy or too conspicuous, or too bridal. Even though it's not. I just don't feel right in it, not like I did the day I wore it to get married in. Is it because I have it tied to a certain type of event in my mind? Is it really just too dressy for the average nice St. Louis restaurant? Not sure, but I do know that I wouldn't advise anyone else to wear something they didn't feel good in. So this year, like several other times, I've changed out of the dress and into something I felt better in. So maybe I didn't achieve the impossible, a wedding dress that can be reworn. Or maybe it just hasn't been the right time. Either way, best to go with your gut.

mindful closet rewearing your wedding dress

This is what I wore instead, almost all second hand, so at least these items are getting second lives! Dress: InWear via Crossroads Trading Company, The Limited belt (similar), Loeffler Randall bag via Scholar Shop, Nine West shoes via Buffalo Exchange (similar). Much happier. ;)

Have you ever tried to rewear something that just wouldn't work?

formal shorts

formal shorts

I almost never wear shorts. I don't think there's anything wrong with them on other people, but I just feel too much like a little kid when I wear them. I own three pairs: a black pair and a khaki pair that I thrifted just to have something for super hot days, and these. I found them at Rack+Clutch a few summers ago and they've survived many closet purges. They're great for throwing on with a tank top to go to the pool, but I also love them dressed up for a night out, for what mr. mindful closet likes to call my "formal shorts" look.

mindful closet: formal shorts

As I'm looking at this photo, it occurs to me that I could have thrown on a necklace to finish the look a bit more. And in case you're wondering, I live in fear of being without a way to pull my hair up, so I always have a ponytail holder on my wrist. Oh well, not every outfit is going to be Pinterest-perfect. That's life. I'm also wearing a Three Dots tee from Ivy Hill and thrifted wedges (these are similar). 

 

P.S. this post contains affiliate links.

nights out

nights out

Hey, long time, no blog. Things got so hectic around here that my mom actually came into town to help with childcare. One added bonus of that is that all of a sudden, we had a babysitter and were able to have some nights out! 

equipment silk dress mindful closet

This dress was a gift from my husband for our anniversary last year (fourth anniversary = silk/linen). And yes, I do pick out my own gifts. ;) I love that it's a simple base for cool jewelry, (like this necklace from Blush Boutique), but I will probably eventually get it hemmed evenly to make it a more classic look. 

mindful closet: african mud cloth dress

The weather this spring has been cooler than usual, which has been nice. I wore this when we met some friends at Old Standard (great vibe, decent food). I'll be honest, this dress/tunic/thingie is always on the chopping block for me. I last wore it here (and loved it), but for non-fashion-crowd events, it always seems like a little much. Maybe I'll chop it down even more and make a top? Thoughts?

Anyway, I have been taking outfit photos and saving ideas for posts, so hopefully I can get back to regularly scheduled programming soon!

 

what i wore: saint louis fashion week emerging designer competition

what i wore: saint louis fashion week emerging designer competition

The past month has been crazy but awesome, covering Saint Louis Fashion week for ALIVE Magazine on top of my usual client schedule and taking care of our now-five-month-old. For most events, I didn't even have a chance to take photos before handing off the baby and running out of the door, but I'm glad I did for this outfit.

This dress cost a whopping 34 cents. Well, I'm guesstimating, since I got it at the St. Louis Goodwill Outlet, where everything is 79 cents per pound. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, check out my guide to St. Louis thrift stores. I love the graphic nature of this traditional African mudcloth fabric. As I seem to do frequently, I cut off most of the length and hemmed it. I added a metallic gold belt from H&M, old Franco Sarto booties from Marshall's, a thrifted clutch, and black tights.  There's always a little extra pressure when going to an event where you know people will be making an extra effort to look chic, and I was really happy with my outfit. You know what that means - I'll be wearing it again soon!

 

diy scarf top

diy scarf top

When I'm thrifting, I often see amazing patterned scarves that either too large or too stiff to wear comfortably around your neck. I also had the realization that some of my favorite tops (here and here) are basically just large silky squares with a neckhole. So, combine the availability of large scarves with my love for a simple shape, and I thought I could probably make a pretty cool top.

It's so easy, I'm not even sure a real tutorial is required. Basically, you find a large square scarf. Fold it in half and mark the center point (you can also do this by folding again, into quarters). Measure five inches or so along the fold to each side from the center point for the neck. Cut a very shallow dip for the neckline, too much and it will become too scooped and not boatneck. Fold and sew down the raw edges around the neckline and then make a seam halfway up each side, like so (my extremely technical drawing):

mindful closet st louis personal stylist: diy scarf top
mindful closet st louis personal stylist: diy scarf top

That's it!

Easy, right?! Let me know if you make one...

(wearing thrifted diy top, Target nursing tank, Gap jeans, Target sandals)

heat advisory+notes

heat advisory+notes

When it's 97 degrees and 80% humidity, wardrobe options are limited. The only thing I felt like wearing on a recent night out was the lightest-weight dress I own.

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This dress was a long caftan-type thing that I thrifted. I liked the pattern, so I bought it and chopped about three feet off of the hem. The sandals and leather backpack are also thrifted - my whole outfit is thrifted, yay! I made my necklace in a metalsmithing class I took at Craft Alliance, which was really fun.

A few other items of note:

I'm now a contributor to the ALIVE Magazine Style Notes blog! Check out my articles here (there's only one at the moment, but there will be more soon).

I'll be attending Saint Louis Fashion Week again this October as one of the STLFW bloggers. Buy tickets here to come with me! Also, you can nominate me for a blogger award here.

Are you following me on Facebook and Instagram? Let me know your handles and I'll follow you too!

 

white+denim, part deux

white+denim, part deux

Since we've established that white+denim is my fave summer uniform, here are a couple of examples from this summer.

mindful closet st louis personal stylist - summer uniform white+denim

If this outfit looks familiar, it's because I wore the exact same thing while pregnant.

mindful closet st louis personal stylist - summer uniform white+denim

For a slightly dressier night out, I wore an H&M top, Gap jeans, vintage necklace and thrifted wedges.

How are you wearing your summer uniform?