A Summer Leftover - Layering for Early Fall

 

I had lined this post up months ago, pictures intact, but never completed it.  This lovely little spaghetti-strap jumper was a thrift store find a while back.  Perfectly translatable into fall with a pair of capris, a t-shirt underneath and a hoodie on top, it would work with any footwear, from Crocs to boots. 

 

It's funny, I found myself today reading back through old posts here from last winter and realizing, shocked, that I'd forgotten about many of the outfit combinations I had put together in those earlier photos, and was excited at the prospect of pulling all of those clothes out again for fall.  Having thought ahead of time when I purchased those items in sizes slightly larger than she really needed then, I am confident that they will still fit now, and that I will have an awful lot of fun in the creation of new looks this season.     



 

This little zipper detail is what really sold me on the dress.  Sweet!

 

What She Wore Yesterday

Another fabulous find from consignment at Little Lords and Ladies.  I used about $50 of my $80-something credit there (consigning is so much fun when you just get store credit to spend later!) and picked up a few things - a short-sleeved sweater (always a very practical item), a denim jacket (Hanna Andersson, $15.00), two pairs of thick, ribbed, sweater-leggings, a cute fleecy jumper and an Oilily dress for a friend's little girls, a ruffle-front long sleeved shirt (to be featured in a future post), and this beautiful and unique Du Pareil...Au Meme dress of exquisitely-lined, purple boiled wool with patchwork applique.  New, with tags, for $9.00.  Similar ones on their website now are going for @28 Euros, and I saw some on eBay for $50.00! 

With so much color, I knew it would be easy to find items to match with it.  I added a pair of pink striped leggings and a multi-color striped Hanna Andersson t-shirt I got at a consignment sale last year for $2.00, and put the most expensive items she owns on her feet - a prized pair of pink Doc Martens, a splurge we made last spring that we hope will fit at least to winter.

Below is the back of the dress.  As lovely as the front, and just as unusual.

The front.

Faux pocket, with a sweet button detail.

Pink DMs - our biggest splurge for Sammi's wardrobe to-date.

Detail, detail, detail!  Love the "buttons" on the front.

Help! Someone Gave This Dress/Sweater/Outfit to My Kid - Do I *Have* to Like It?

I remember, on one of my late-teen birthdays, a friend of the family, who obviously didn't know me at all, gave me a present.  And oh, what a present it was!  Picture this:  a sweater, backhoe goldenrod yellow with large black polkadots and leg-of-mutton sleeves.  I was gracious in my thanks for the clueless thoughtful gift, but I'm sure the look on my face had to have betrayed my true feelings.  I don't actually think I even ever tried it on, concerned about looking like a drunk bumblebee, and I honestly don't remember what ever happened to it.  While I suspect that there was absolutely no hope for that particular sweater, so many of those suspect, seemingly unwanted gifts can actually be re-purposed into something useful. 

Enter the magic of denim.  And boots.  :-)  At first glance, this dress reminded me so much of the sweater of my youth, but it was sent by someone very well-meaning.  Up to the challenge, I was determined to get wear out of it.  And never, in my wildest imagination, did I think I'd come to love it.  Which I did. 

Remember to think outside the box when it comes to gifts.  Your first impression doesn't have to be your last, and you can breathe new life into clothes with a little thought, creativity, and a good dig through drawers and closets for pieces to complement.