Adventures in Thrifting Part 26: Pink Tribal Print Kimono & Spread The Kindness Link Up On the Edge #812
Welcome to another edition of Adventures in Thrifting, where I highlight and style a thrifted or preloved item that made its way into my wardrobe.
I have been obsessed with long flowy robe-like garments for as long as I can remember. In the very early 2000s, I purchased two gorgeous robes from a small high end boutique in Montclair, New Jersey. I can’t remember the name of the shop anymore but I do remember very vividly the two robes I bought there.
Both were floor length garments with long sleeves made from sheer fabrics. One was black with a tan tribal pattern and the other was white with a colorful butterfly print. They were definitely investment pieces, costing around $100 each, which was rather pricey back then. Actually, that’s still a bit expensive even by today’s standards. But they were just so pretty that I had to have them. I wore them for years and years until I literally got bored of them and passed them onto my sister. She, in turn, wore them for years until the delicate fabrics fell apart beyond repair. Pricey, yes. Worth the dollars spent, absolutely!
In the decades since the turn of the millennium, I have managed to acquire an enormous collection of flowy robes but I always remember those first two with so much fondness. I found them at a time when kimonos and pajama dressing weren’t trending so they were very unique and interesting pieces to own.
Then began the kimono rage a few years ago and I was here for it, scooping up just about any garment that could be categorized as such. As these topper pieces grew in popularity, I just kept adding new ones but I rarely spotted them in thrift stores which was disappointing to me.
However, after the trend exploded and then started to die down again as trends do, long flowing robe-like garments started appearing with much more frequency in my local thrift stores. The thrift shops used to have these garments in the shirt section, the dress section, or the swim wear section, if they had any at all. So I would have to check all the different areas to find them. Now my local thrift store has a separate section dedicated entirely to long open front flowy toppers which makes my thrifting experience so much easier!
I honestly don’t even know how many preloved toppers like this I have purchased in the past few years, but it definitely numbers in the dozens. I am planning a major closet room clean out in mid-July so I will try to inventory all of my kimonos and robes then.
This newly thrifted kimono is the Lularoe Shirley Kimono in a pink tribal design. Do you remember the Lularoe boom? I liked all of their crazy patterns but found the retail prices a bit too high for the quality of the garments. I only ever purchased 3 dresses from Lularoe at retail prices. Then back in 2017, the company started receiving all sorts of public backlash for their business practices and quality control of their products. This led a lot of Lularoe sellers to abandon their businesses with many of them donating their entire inventories to thrift and resale stores.
While I felt terrible for the Lularoe salespeople who were losing money and their businesses, I was really happy to see all of the fun prints popping up in secondhand shops for super reduced prices that are much more in line with the quality of the products. I have since acquired a fairly large number of Lularoe pieces, mostly in the form of long duster sweaters and kimonos.
I don’t love the fabric of this particular kimono but I was really drawn to the pink tribal print. So for the low price of $4.99, I decided I needed to have it. I have found the same kimono available on eBay for $19.99.
I bought it with absolutely no inclination of how to style it and then it magically found its way to my pink retro floral maxi dress. That’s how my closet room magic works. Two things seem to just appear near one another, my eye catches the combination by accident, and a brilliant print mix is formed!
Because the floral print of my dress features thin black outlines, I decided to use a lot of black in my accessories. I piled on a bunch of thrifted necklaces including the long black tassel and the shorter black beads. I wore gold earrings with black tassels and my new black Salt Water Sandals. I topped it off with my bright pink fedora, added a thin black scarf as my hat band, and let a little bit of my black bralette peek out.
I really loved this combination of the floral print with the tribal pattern and the cheerful color palette made me very happy. Honestly, the only problem with this outfit is the weird synthetic material used for the kimono. It doesn’t feel terrible on my skin but the fabric really holds the stink of my sweat on hot, humid days. I am always baffled by the phenomenon of fabrics like this. By the end of the day, the armpits of the garment smell like the worst body odor in the world but my armpits themselves do not stink, instead smelling like I just applied a fresh coat of deodorant. It’s like the fabric pulls the stink right off my skin and holds it for safe keeping! But I don’t need the stink held safely for any reason. Ugh. So if you see me wearing some cheap synthetic topper, probably don’t hug me unless your nose is clogged.
Do you have any clothing items that have a troublesome stink problem?
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Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
18 Comments
Nancy
Well, if I would see you I would definitely hug you anyway, lol. But yes, I know what you mean. I must say that I like that dress a lot. The colours are so good. I think you have s hole lot of work to do when you clear out your closets! See you next week!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aww, thanks, Nancy! I would hug you too even if you were stinky! LOL Looking forward to chatting next week!
xoxo
Shelbee
Cat
That’s a beautiful flowy look. I know the post is about the kimono, but I really like the pattern of the dress!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Cat! It is a great dress. I love the bright funky retro floral print. I wear this dress frequently. I also have the same dress in multiple different colors and prints because it is so comfortable!
xoxo
Shelbee
Gail Is This Mutton
Ha, I remember a stinky synthetic shirt which I wore to work just once. I was mortified at the stench. It was hastily thrown away!
Another serendipitous pattern mix, I’d love to see your closet!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Oh my gosh, Gail, I just cracked up laughing! That stinky fabric smell can definitely mortify a person! LOL I dealt with the stink because the pattern mix was just too good to ignore. Actually, I got through most of the day, well into the late afternoon, before the stink surfaced. I guess these synthetic fabrics have a shorter deadline for how long you can wear them. Ha. My closet is such a disaster right now, but once I do a proper clean out and neaten it up a bit, I’ll share some photos!
xoxo
Shelbee
Sally in St Paul
The polyester stink problem is real and it’s annoying! “Why look, Joe, we’ve invented a fabric that concentrates, multiplies, and maintains body odor over a long period of time – just what the world has been waiting for!”
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Oh my gosh, Sally, I am dying laughing! Like seriously, what the hell Joe?! It really is a useless annoying poisonous fabric, isn’t it? I should just stop buying it no matter how cute or pretty the thing might be! But, but, but…the struggle, my friend, the struggle…
xoxo
Shelbee
Di
Love your pattern mix and your maximalist accessories! I find the same thing happens in my closet-unexpected pairings just appear with items that were definitely not bought with the expectation that they would be worn together. Kismet! I know what you mean about unpleasant smells coming from man-made fibers. I have a polar fleece Jacket that picks up all kinds of odors from wherever it goes like a magnet! I have to wash it every time I wear it. Thanks for sharing and hosting the link up. Hope you have a great weekend!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Di! I love when that closet serendipity happens! I also love that we have the ability to recognize when a beautiful serendipitous pairing is happening right before our eyes. I wonder why they even make these stink-attractant fabrics for use in clothing. What a weird thing to do! LOL I hope your weekend is fabulous, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Joanne
I don’t think I even realized Lularoe had anything beyond leggings. I had one pair that my sister in law gifted me one Christmas but never really jumped on that trend. The kimono pairs really well with that dress.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Oh my gosh, they have all sorts of clothing. I had heard years ago that they made their reps dress head to toe in LLR every day for everything. I have one pair of leggings that I won in a giveaway. I still have them because I love the print but I definitely don’t find them to be the best quality leggings. The dresses I bought, I liked the silhouette but the fabric got really pilly after one wear and wash. They also had a higher neckline than I like so I passed them onto a friend. They had a whole line of tee shirts and tunics that my sister loved. Lots of different knit skirts and different styles of dresses. And then they came out with many different long toppers like lacy vests, long cardigans, and lightweight kimonos. They were always known for their wild prints but never for their quality! LOL
xoxo
Shelbee
Laura Bambrick
I always enjoy your thrifting posts because you find the most unique pieces! That pink tribal print kimono is such a great find, and it adds so much color and personality to the outfit.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Laura! The thrift shop is the best place to find unique and interesting pieces. I really do enjoy digging through the racks looking for prints, colors, and fabric that grab my attention. I have a small pile of thrift store finds that need some upcycling magic that I need to get working on. It’s super fun!
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
I do remember Lularoe and bought a dress or two. My daughter bought a pair of the black leggings and loved them because they were so soft. But, as was shown later on, they just split in the weirdest place. Have you watched any of the YouTube videos by women who were caught up in the whole thing. So many lost so much. I used to “subscribe” to this couple on Facebook who would sell there. I mean, it was crazy! The husband would wear this crazy bunny (or maybe it was a unicorn) outfit, and hold up the items they were selling. They were live so the items sold like crazy! I’m sure they made lots of money, but I wonder how much they kept. It seemed like you had to keep pouring your profits back into the company.
Anyway, I really love this outfit, but I think I like the dress more than the kimono. I think it’s because of the retro print. I really reminds me of prints I wore in the late 60s and early 70s. I have gobs of kimonos (the shorter kind that are probably more ruanas than kimonos). I’m not getting rid of them because they will come back, I’m sure. Thanks so much for the link up!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Marsha! I definitely like the floral print on my dress better than the tribal print on my kimono. But I will always prefer a floral print over almost any other print (except maybe a paisley). My love for tribal prints waxes and wanes. Right now I’m really liking the tribal prints especially when I wear my cowgirl boots! The colors on this kimono were just too good to not pair with this dress! Did you watch the Amazon documentary LulaRich? It’s a 4 episode series that covers the whole rise and fall of the Lula empire. We had so many Lularoe vendors near me because they targeted military spouses. I actually had considered doing it myself years before it really took off. I changed my mind as soon as I saw the initial investment requirements which were a bit ridiculous! And I’m so glad that I did change my mind. I think in the end, not many of their salespeople made any money. It was really sad.
xoxo
Shelbee
Emma Peach
These prints work beautifully together! I rarely see kimonos/toppers in charity shops, they just don’t seem very popular in the UK. I find it increasingly difficult to wear synthetic fabrics these days, I’m blaming menopause!
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Emma! Menopause is definitely to blame for a lot things! But I still can’t resist a synthetic kimono if the print is unique and fun. LOL
xoxo
Shelbee