The Thrifty Six at a Garden Party
It was Emma’s turn to choose this month’s Thrifty Six theme and since July is her birth month (Happy Birthday, Emma!), she decided to have a little garden party with us to celebrate. Whether it’s a birthday, a wedding, an anniversary, or just a beautiful summer’s day, why not get dressed up in a pretty frock and take a stroll, have a picnic, or celebrate something else wonderful in a gorgeous garden somewhere.
We headed down the street to the garden at the Jefferson County Historical Society where we spotted one of the gardeners planting flowers throughout this lovely outdoor space. You can even see some her unplanted flowers scattered on the grass in a few of the photos. She was so kind and friendly and directed us to the best spots in the garden for photos. (Although we kind of already knew of all the best spots since I take photographs here with regular frequency.)
This garden is such a peaceful and calming place yet I never venture there unless it is to take photos. I bet it is a lovely place to sit on a bench with a coffee and a book. It is only about a mile down the road from my house. I really should make more of an effort to visit serene environments like this when I am craving a fresh air retreat. But I find so much serenity in my home that I generally prefer to sit on my front porch or in my backyard when I need time in the fresh air.
If I had any gardening skills at all, I would love a backyard garden at home to enjoy. But alas, I do not and I stopped trying because I have managed to kill any and all plant life that I have ever tried to grow. Decades ago I realized that it was a just a waste of money, time, and energy for me to even try so now I simply admire and appreciate the gardening skills of others. We can’t all be great at everything, after all!
When it came time to style an outfit for Emma’s Garden Party, I landed on this floral dress I scored for just a few dollars on a thrifting adventure over the winter when it was much too cold to wear it. Although I bet this dress would look super cute with tights, boots, and a cardigan. I will have to revisit that idea when it gets cold again.
The goal of this group is to create outfits according to the chosen theme using primarily preloved pieces to show how you can be stylish, modern, and relevant while shopping in a way that helps your budget and the environment. Second hand shopping is also a great way to find unique pieces and give them renewed life. I have been an avid thrift shopper since I was teenager and we didn’t have the money to purchase all the new name brand styles at retail prices. Thrifting was instrumental in helping me discover my own personal style and I have never stopped loving it in the 35 years that I have been thrifting. In fact, my wardrobe consists of about 1/3 preloved items and 2/3 new. Let’s face it, I love to shop for clothing at any point in its life cycle…new, preloved, unwanted, or discarded. If it’s damaged, I sometimes can fix it with my limited skills and if it’s worth it, I will (like this dress).
Most of my outfits will contain at least one element that is preloved, but when I am styling an outfit for these thrifty challenges in particular, I do try to incorporate as many thrifted pieces as I can. In this outfit, the only preloved items are my dress and the green scarf that I tied around my hat. Once I had decided on this preloved floral dress, I couldn’t find much else in my wardrobe that worked with it that was also purchased second hand. Although my cute little owl necklace may count as second hand. It was made and given to me by Michelle of My Bijou Life and since it wasn’t made specifically for me (like this gorgeous necklace was), I suppose it could be classified as a hand-me-down which by definition is preloved!
I layered my dress with this gorgeous green duster from Torrid that I previously wore here and will be sharing yet again on Thursday for Your Own Twist’s Watermelon Days. If you want to join us for that style challenge, you are welcome to write a post and add it to the link party on Thursday.
I almost didn’t buy this duster because I was afraid it would not offer me very many opportunities to wear it. However, it turns out it is a very versatile wardrobe item that I reach for more frequently than I thought I might. I accessorized with my new straw hat that I have been wearing on repeat this summer (I also wore this hat for my Watermelon Days outfit and with the outfit I will be sharing tomorrow) but I added the green scarf to coordinate with my floral dress. My earrings are little green flowers by one of my favorite jewelry artists of all time, Michal Golan. My shoes are old and my new Teddy Blake handbag has proven to be the perfect bag for yet another summer outfit.
I felt so pretty and feminine in this outfit. Now I just need a garden party! Now let’s check out my thrifty friends in their Garden Party outfits.
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 Stylish Thrifters:
- Emma of Style Splash
- Grace of Graceful Rags
- Jane of Preloved-Vintage-Handmade
- Lucy of Lucy Bertoldi
- Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style
- Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge
Emma of Style Splash
-Emma
Grace of Graceful Rags
-Grace
Jane of Preloved-Vintage-Handmade
Sundays in high summer, bubbles from a crystal flute, a fleeting air of sophistication…
…that’s what ‘Garden Party’ means to me.
It’s The Thrifty Six theme for July so I’m glamming it up in candyfloss coloured silk!
This ‘pretty-as-a-picture’ vintage outfit, embellished with a flurry of pink accessories is perfect for any alfresco soirée!”
-Jane
Lucy of Lucy Bertoldi
-Lucy
Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style
-Nancy
And Me!
-Shelbee
What would you wear to a garden party?
Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
Joining these Fabulous Link Parties.
Outfit Details: Dress and Scarf-Thrifted / Duster-Torrid / Hat-Burlington Coat Factory / Shoes-Crown Vintage (DSW) / Earrings-Michal Golan / Necklace-Michelle of My Bijou Life / Handbag-c/o Teddy Blake
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.
26 Comments
Tamar Strauss-Benjamin
Such a great color on you!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Tamar! I love these colors!
xoxo
Shelbee
Jennifer
Your dress is so pretty!!
Jennifer
Curated by Jennifer
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Jennifer!
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
That’s a very pretty colour combination! The duster with the dress. And if I see it correctly, you are also wearing green eyeliner! Love that! I am so lucky that Gerben likes working in the garden. And I enjoy my garden a lot!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Nancy! I was really happy with how this came together. And yes, I am wearing green glitter eyeliner! I have these glitter eyeliners in every color. They make me so happy! I am also glad that Gerben maintains your garden for you. You deserve it!
xoxo
Shelbee
Patrick Weseman
A very nice garden party indeed. Looking nice.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Patrick!
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
Shelbee…I freaking love this outfit!!! It is fabulous, and you are stunning!!! I swear, you have the perfect smile! Everything about this post makes me smile. I think, the next time you go, you should take along a little picnic! I need to visit Newfields (the Indianapolis Museum of Art) and take some more pictures. It’s just been so dang hot and humid here! That’s what I thought of when I saw you sitting on that metal bench…how is she not getting burned by that!!! But, then I remembered your temperatures are much cooler than mine! This is just such a fabulous outfit, Shelbee!!! Love, love, love it!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, Marsha, thank you so much! I am smiling so big right now! I should take a picnic next time we go to the garden. And yes, the bench was not very hot at all. It was a really cool and breezy day when we took these photos. But now it’s wicked hot and humid here. For at least the next few weeks. And while it is still mild compared to most other places, when we start hitting the 90s and staying there, it feels way hotter than our norms of 70s. We have lots of much needed rain in the forecast which should help a little. Hopefully. Or it might make it worse!
xoxo
Shelbee
Claire Justine
Love everything about your outfit, Shelbee. Beautiful garden party look 🙂
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, thanks so much, Claire!
xoxo
Shelbee
Joanne
Your outift is just perfect for a garden party!! I love all those green tones and the pops of blue in the flowers.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Joanne! It was the colors that caught my eye on this dress. And I really had no need for it, but I couldn’t resist the greens and blues and the big floral print!
xoxo
Shelbee
Pamela
How dresses bring out the ladylike vibes in us all! Very pretty.
Pamela
http://www.style-yourself-confident.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, thanks so much, Pamela! I definitely felt very pretty and ladylike in this outfit!
xoxo
Shelbee
Kathrine Eldridge
Love your garden party look Shelbee! The hat is fabulous and loving the printed dress. So elegant!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Kathrine, thanks so much! I did feel elegant and I have been wearing this hat all the time!
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
I adore this outfit! Everything in it is just fabulous, but I’m really swooning over the dress. And it’s so nice to see the little owl necklace in the mix. 😀 Awesome outfit!
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Michelle! I love this little owl necklace and I wear her frequently!
xoxo
Shelbee
Lydia C. Lee
Fun! AND WHAT A CHARMING GARDEN TOO! #wEDNESADAYaROUNDTHEWORLD
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Lydia!
xoxo
Shelbee
Jan
Very nice summer apparel, cool n breezy-I especially like Jane’s dresss n shoes…
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Jan! Oh my goodness, Jane finds the most amazing preloved pieces!
xoxo
Shelbee
Carol
Your floral frock looks so cute on you! And, I know green is your favorite color — love the green duster. The straw hat with the green band is a nice finishing touch.
Thank you for participating in Talent-Sharing Tuesdays Link-Up 25.
Carol
http://www.scribblingboomer.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Carol! We were just discussing favorite colors at family dinner the other night and we came to realize that myself, my husband, and my children all have had our favorite colors set unchanged since we were very young. I never had a different favorite color. For as long as I can remember, it has been green. My husband has always preferred blue over all other colors. Archie has never answered anything other than orange as his favorite color since he could identify colors and speak. And Ralph has been set on purple since his Hatchimal obsession that started around the age of 3. Now I am wondering if that is true for most people. Do we pick a favorite color and remain loyal to it for life? Or do our color tastes naturally change over time? Maybe that’s a good blog post topic! But it is completely off topic from garden parties!
xoxo
Shelbee