thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six

The Thrifty Six are Unbuttoned

August 18, 2025 / 14 Comments
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six

It was my turn to choose our thrifty theme and I settled on Unbuttoned. Because the word has various meanings and is subject to interpretation, I thought it would be an interesting sartorial prompt for this budget friendly group.

According to Merriam-Webster, unbuttoned can mean simply that something with buttons is “not buttoned” but it can also mean that there were no buttons to begin with. A third definition of the word unbuttoned is “not under constraint : free and unrestricted in action and expression” which really relates to my style aesthetic as well as that of most fashion forward people. Unrestricted expression is at the heart of how I dress, how I decorate, and how I live my life. The Cambridge English dictionary keeps it even simpler, defining unbuttoned as “relaxed and informal”, another wonderful descriptor to capture the essence of me.

thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six

For this month’s style challenge, I stayed true to the unbuttonedness of my life and styled an easy summer outfit consisting of two layered preloved dresses.

The white buttonless sundress is an old thrifted find that worked well as the base layer for this newly thrifted blue floral button front shirt dress. As I often do with buttoned shirt dresses, I left it unbuttoned and wore it as a duster atop my white dress.

I used the matching fabric belt from the shirt dress as a hat band on my recently purchased new white felt Panama hat. I also added some found feathers to my hat band for a little extra personality.

My earrings were also a thrift store find, my necklace was handmade by my friend Michelle, and my blue sandals are really old. They aren’t the most comfortable shoes for my old feet, but they still survived my giant shoe clean out in the spring.

There is something really special about the combination of light blue and white. Or maybe it is just this particular shade of blue that draws me in. It was my mother’s favorite color, she always referred to it as Wedgwood blue, and every time I see this color or wear it, I feel my mother’s presence surround me. As much as I love this outfit, I know that she would have loved it even more!

thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six

Now let’s check out how my thrifty friends look in their unbuttoned outfits. Click on the links or images below for details about each outfit. 

The Thrifty Six is a group of international fashion lovers 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 not only to inspire you to shop second hand but to also get creative in your closets.

Emma of Style Splash
Style Splash
“I’m wearing an Essential Antwerp shirt dress as a duster over jeans and a striped tee. I bought the dress on eBay a few years ago but have only worn it once before. For accessories, I’m wearing shoes that were just £1 in a charity shop and a red bag that was my mum’s.”
-Emma
Jane of Preloved-Vintage-Handmade
Preloved-Vintage-Handmade
“‘Unbuttoned’ is the T6 theme for August – this opus in denim and gold hits the brief in three ways…
·The exquisite golden jacquard evening coat is worn literally ‘unbuttoned’
·Washed-out jeans give a relaxed, ‘unbuttoned’ feel to an otherwise glamorous ensemble
·A risqué sheer lace vest, the reverse of ‘buttoned up’, the epitome of freedom and confidence
Undo your buttons and set your spirit free!…”
-Jane
Jodie of Jodie’s Touch of Style
Jodie's Touch of Style
“Here’s my unbuttoned…worn UNDER a crop top. I figured my crew could showcase all the different ways to wear them, and I chose the complicated one.  All the clothing is preloved/thrifted and my mom told me that with my hair like this, I looked like a 1940s housewife.”
-Jodie
Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style
Nancy's Fashion Style
“The unbuttoned item is not pre loved. But I love this outfit so much that I wanted to share. The dress is from the shop I used to work for and bought, for the first time, when I was working. Wore it to pieces with red ballerinas. Years and years later I came across the dress on Vinted and could not resist! Only this time the dress didn’t give me that fabulous feel as it did back then. It is still a lovely dress. Polka dots are so frivolous and feminine. And I adored those sandals. The dress has red little buttons and red 
piping at the ruffles and sleeves, which are puff ones. So, an unbuttoned red cardigan is the perfect layering for this one.”
-Nancy

Sally of Within a World of My Own
Within a World of My Own
“For the ‘unbuttoned’ theme, I could not resist styling one of my long-sleeved check print button-up shirts as a lightweight jacket over a sleeveless top for some easy summer layering. I created a fun print mix by pairing the thrifted Tommy Hilfiger black and white check shirt with a thrifted Talbots skirt in a bold and colorful floral print. I finished this cheerful outfit with whimsical jewelry, all handmade except for the short floral necklace.”
-Sally
And Me!
thrifted style, shirt dress unbuttoned, duster, little white sundress, thrifted fashion, white Panama hat, layered dresses, boho style, summer style, Shelbee on the Edge, The Thrifty Six
“I found this blue floral shirt dress on a recent thrifting adventure when I wasn’t even supposed to be looking at clothing! But I couldn’t resist the color and the floral print so I bought it. I love maxi shirt dresses because they can easily double as dusters for layering. I layered a white preloved sundress beneath my unbuttoned shirt dress then I tied the matching floral fabric belt around my hat for a matching hat band. My necklace was made by my friend Michelle and my earrings were preloved. My blue sandals are very old.”
-Shelbee

I hope you have enjoyed our thrifty interpretations of our Unbuttoned theme. If you would like to see how we style our next thrifty challenge, Inspired by Gucci, chosen by Emma, please be sure to stop by on September 15, 2025. Until then, wear what you love and remember to unbutton sometimes! 

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

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.

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