The Thrifty Six: Bloom Where You are Planted

Jodie presented us with this month’s theme, Bloom Where You are Planted. But that doesn’t really work for me since I was planted in Pennsylvania but I am blooming in New York. I guess I am blooming where I have been transplanted! Lucky for my thrifty soul, Pennsylvania and New York are both homes to a plethora of amazing secondhand shops that tend to always be blooming with all sorts of gorgeous floral prints.

I have always loved floral prints. The bigger, the bolder, the brighter, the more I am drawn to them. And thrift stores are generally abundant with blooming florals. In fact, I have so many different preloved pieces that suited this theme that I couldn’t decide on just one outfit. Instead, I have styled four outfits with my boldest, brightest preloved florals that have come to me from thrift stores in Pennsylvania and New York as well as one outfit that came straight from Daenel’s closet in Louisiana.

Outfit 1: Pink Midi Dress with Blue Floral Robe (New York)

I found this bright pink midi dress when I went thrifting in search of something crocheted for our May Thrifty Six challenge, Crochet Revival. I actually had planned to wear this dress with a thrifted crochet cardigan that appears to be made out of doilies. But I didn’t love that pairing enough so I put the dress and cardigan away for another time.

Well, the time has come for the dress. The vibrant shade of pink sings summer garden to me so I layered it under a light blue thrifted robe with a bright pink floral print. I found this short robe in the sleepwear section of my local thrift store but it makes the perfect lightweight topper for a sleeveless summer dress. Many robes that are marketed as sleep, bath, or swim robes can be worn as daytime clothing if styled creatively. So don’t avoid those sections on your thrifting adventures. You never know what gems you might find hiding between the nightgowns and swimsuits.

I wore my bright pink Panama hat even though it isn’t an exact match to the pink of the dress. But there are multiple shades of pink in the floral robe which allow some forgiveness for the mismatched pinks. I used the matching robe belt as a hat band which I often do because I don’t like my robes belted. Instead of “wasting” the matching fabric belts, I generally use them as hat bands to coordinate with my outfits. Switching out hat bands definitely gives my hat collection so much more versatility. You can use all sorts of things as hat bands, too. In addition to fabric belts, I have used ribbon, scarves, leather belts, and even strands of pearls.

I completed my outfit with my black cowgirl boots, a wide black belt, a black leather necklace with gold feathers, and flea market earrings that coordinated with my robe. I really liked the contrast of the black accessories against the super bright colors of the outfit.

This outfit made me feel ever so joyful!

Outfit 2: Pink Maxi Dress and White Floral Topper (Louisiana)

Do you remember the big box of beautiful that Daenel (Living Outside the Stacks) sent to me last spring? This is the tenth outfit that I have created using pieces that sweet Daenel has passed on to me! Click here to see them all.

Both the dress and the topper came to me from Daenel when she cleaned her closet and generously sent me a box full of her beautiful hand-me-downs. Like my first outfit, the lively pink color of this knit maxi dress radiates like a vibrant summer garden. The pink is almost fluorescent which is toned down a tiny bit by the delicate sheer ivory topper. I love the details of the topper from the dainty pink floral print to the tassel ties to the lacy cut outs. And the silhouette of the dress is super flattering, too. However, it is a bit too long. But I easily solved that problem with a pair of platform sandals. A little extra height meant a lot less tripping!

I kept the rest of my accessories fairly simple with a really old pair of pearly earrings, an even older pearly floral necklace, and a straw hat that I rigged up with a pink ribbon because it kept flopping in my face.

The first outfit made me feel joyful but this outfit made me feel like a garden goddess!

Outfit 3: Bright Floral Tunic over Black Linen Trousers (New York)

I found this colorful floral tunic on a thrifting adventure in the spring. The wild combination of different colors and bold flowers seemed perfect for this blooming challenge as well. At first, I styled it as a short dress, but the length was super unflattering with my bare legs sticking out. So I added a pair of black wide legged linen trousers underneath and wore it as a tunic instead. The proportions are so much better and this outfit quickly became one of my favorites. Here is a helpful styling tip that I have learned through experience. If an outfit looks not quite right but you can’t seem to identify why, it is usually a problem with proportion. Follow the rule of thirds and you can make almost anything work!

I accessorized this outfit with my rainbow Panama hat, a gold necklace with rainbow beads and matching earrings, and gold loafers to coordinate with my jewelry. I also wore this outfit a few times with my black rope sandals.

This outfit made me feel like a quirky, creative, stay-at-home mom, which makes sense since it was my go-to combination for school field trips and year end events. It is lightweight, comfortable, and visible so my kids can spot me in crowded places.

Outfit 4: Yellow Sundress over Black Cropped Trousers (Pennsylvania)

Back in April, my sister and I went on a thrifting adventure in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The area surrounding Lancaster is known for its thrift stores and flea markets so we went on an overnight sister adventure to see what good junk we could find. We found a lot of great junk from housewares to antiques to clothing and accessories, including this brilliant yellow sundress with bright bursts of watercolor flowers on the front and back.

Similar to outfit three, this dress is also an awkward length on me which was easy to fix with a really old pair of cropped black trousers. Yellow has been really appealing to me lately so I accessorized with as much yellow as I could with my yellow Panama hat, yellow platform sandals, and my yellow crocheted sunflower earrings. I wore the same rainbow beaded necklace as outfit three.

I wore this outfit to run errands and I received some delightful compliments. I felt like a walking garden!

I love all of four of these outfits but I think this last one is my favorite. Which do you like best?

Let’s check out how my thrifty friends are blooming in their secondhand styles. Click on the links or images below for details about each outfit. 

• Emma of Style Splash
• Jane of Preloved-Vintage-Handmade
• Jodie of Jodie’s Touch of Style
• Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style
• Sally of Within a World of My Own
• Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge

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

Jane of Preloved-Vintage-Handmade

Jodie of Jodie’s Touch of Style

Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style

Sally of Within a World of My Own

And Me!

I hope you have enjoyed our thrifty interpretations of Jodie’s summer theme, Bloom Where You are Planted. If you would like to see how we style our next thrifty theme, Unbuttoned, chosen by me, please be sure to stop by on August 18, 2025. Until then, wear what you love and bloom wherever you are!

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

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