The Thrifty Six are Hot to Trot

You know that I live in a place where rock salt freezes in the winter, right? In my part of the country, we get some seriously extreme cold and very long winters with feet upon feet of snow. It is sort of like living inside a snow globe sometimes. And summers are mild and short with very few days that we even need to turn on the air conditioning.

You might not know that Jodie lives in a climate that is the polar opposite. She gets extremely hot and terribly long summers with short and mild winters that produce little, if any, snow. I am in the northeastern part of New York State and she approximately 2,500 miles diagonally across the United States in the southwestern part of Arizona. Today’s forecast shows a disparity of 18˚F (10˚C) with high of 73˚F (22.8˚C) for me and 91˚F (32.8˚C) for her. Next Monday, however, the temperature variation is 40˚F (22.2˚C) with a high of 73˚F (22.8˚C) for me again while Jodie is expecting a high of 113˚F (45˚C).

So this time of year, I really like where I live! But when January and February come blowing their arctic winds through here, we sometimes experience -40˚ while Jodie is probably sunning herself in 80˚F (26.7˚C) weather! That’s when the North Carolina mountains really start calling out to me to flee in a southbound direction.

So what the heck does all this have to do with thrifty outfits? Well, Jodie chose the theme because she lives where it is hot, hot, hot and I love the theme because it is wide open for all sorts of unique interpretations.

I struggled momentarily with what to wear for this Hot to Trot style prompt. Sometimes a theme might be really easy to style from my wardrobe, but I must always remember that the true focus of this group is thrifted fashion. So whatever I choose to wear has to incorporate some elements that were preloved, thrifted, or acquired secondhand in some other way.

So I did some meditation during one of my early morning yoga sessions and the entire outfit came to life in my head. All red for the hot part and some cowgirl inspired accessories for the trot part.

My red satin slip skirt and red tank top were both purchased from the local consignment shop where I worked a few years back and my brown Laredo cowgirl boots were found at another local thrift store. I always look for cowgirl and cowboy boots when I go thrifting. Laredo boots similar to mine retail for around $150 and I paid $7.99 for these. My other thrifted cowboy boots are by Tony Lama with similar styles retailing for around $500. I paid $9.99 for those. So if you want to build an amazing collection of cowgirl boots on a budget, secondhand is the way to go! Whenever I buy secondhand footwear, I always spray them with disinfectant then hang them on backyard fence posts for a few days to air them out.

I topped off my red skirt and tank top with a new hat in red and burgundy felt with a turquoise beaded band. And then I added my newest creation, a brown corduroy ruana with a Native American motif embroidered on the fabric. When I was shopping for fabrics to make my bedroom rag curtains, I spotted this adorable mini corduroy fabric in the clearance section.

Honestly, the print is probably a bit politically incorrect which is likely the reason it was on clearance, but I loved the fabric anyway. So I bought it and I made this ruana with it as well as a really cute little asymmetrical poncho which I will share with you soon. I think I paid $4 a yard for the fabric and I bought 3 yards. So I now have a one of a kind ruana and a one of a kind poncho for the grand total of $12 and few hours of my time.

I finished my outfit with piles of accessories in golds, browns, reds, and turquoise. The end result…an environmentally conscious and budget friendly outfit that definitely made me feel pretty hot and ready to trot!

Here is a short breakdown of the approximate cost of this outfit not including my belt and jewelry because they are too old to remember how much I paid for them.

Handmade ruana-$8
Satin slip skirt-$6
Tank top-$2
Boots-$8
Hat-$10
Total-$34

Now let’s see check out how hot my thrifty friends are trotting!  

The Thrifty Six is a group of international fashion influencers who meet once a month in our little space on the internet to share our thrifty outfits. On the third Monday of every month, we will all share an outfit based on a theme that features preloved wardrobe pieces. Shopping and reselling preloved clothing is so much better for the environment and you can find some of the best fashions in thrift or charity shops. The Thrifty Six are here to inspire you to shop second hand! 

The Thrifters:

• Emma of Style Splash
• Grace of Graceful Rags
• Jane of Preloved-Vintage-Handmade
• Jodie of Jodie’s Touch of Style
• Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style
• Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge

Emma of Style Splash

“I really wasn’t sure what to make of the theme ‘”‘Hot to Trot’ – my first thought was to pick hot colours or maybe dressing for hot weather. This outfit combines both of those elements. And everyone turns lobster red when they get too hot don’t they? I’m obsessed with this print from Fabienne Chapot. I bought this dress, plus a top and trousers in the same print – all preloved. I already owned another dress in this print too! I’ve added a chunky necklace I bought on eBay, sunglasses from a vintage shop and clutch bag from Zara”. 

Emma

Grace of Graceful Rags

“I chose this navy dress (that I thrifted for $1!) for the Hot to Trot theme because I always reach for dresses or skirts when I want to stay cool. Plus, this one has a plunging neckline that’s a little sexy, perfect for the other meaning of the theme… Wink wink.”

Grace

Jane of Preloved-Vintage-Handmade

“Hot to trot – that’s the T6 theme this month – it means different things to different people. For me it’s sexy equestrian; there’s something sooooo alluring about jodhpurs and a riding crop…and especially this dressage inspired look. I feel like a character from a Jilly Cooper novel…I’ve never read ‘Riders’ but I think they were all pretty ‘hot to trot’!!!”

Jane

Jodie of Jodie’s Touch of Style

“Summers here in Arizona are the time when you wear things that are loose and feel good. I’m actually wearing a thrifted yellow dress for my top, (don’t believe me? I included the photo) and then this colorful, thrifted maxi skirt. Absolutely everything is thrifted and works for our 100-degree weather.”

Jodie

Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style

“When Jodie announced the theme, I had to Google it first because I had no idea what she meant. I got from Google: eager to have sex. Well, I was sure Jodie didn’t mean that. Then I understood that it meant that you didn’t feel like doing anything. And then I understood that you actually felt like doing something! So I still don’t get it but I do have an outfit for you. This dress is years old and I actually only wear it at home. On such a nice long warm summer evening where I still want to look nice instead of sitting all evening in shorts that I have already worn the whole day. This dress fits so wonderfully, is sleeveless, stretchy and short enough for a summer evening at home. The dress is from Vinted and also has pockets! So, hot to trot to do nothing but sit and enjoy a summer evening, or hot to trot because I can’t wait to enjoy a summer evening! Hope you still understand what I mean, lol!”

Nancy

And Me!

“I struggled with this hot to trot theme and then after a meditative yoga session, it all came to me! I focused on red for the hot part and horses and cowgirl boots for the trot part. My red satin slip skirt, red tank top, and brown cowgirl boots were all purchased secondhand and my brown corduroy ruana (which has horses and other Native American motifs embroidered on it) was handmade by me a few weeks ago. The rest of my accessories (belt, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces) are old from my personal collection. The only recently purchased brand new item is my red/burgundy Panama hat which I think emphasized the theme perfectly! Red hot from my head down with trotting boots on my feet!” 

Shelbee

We will posting our thrifty styles again on September 18, 2023, with a really unique style prompt chosen by Nancy, Show Your Zodiac. You are welcome to join us in creating your own thrifty outfit inspired by your zodiac sign!

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

Joining these Fabulous Link Parties.

Outfit Details: Skirt, Tank Top, and Boots-Thrifted / Ruana-Handmade by Me / Hat-Wona Trading / Belt and All Jewelry-Old