frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, granny square cardigan, afghan cardigan, Shelbee on the Edge

The Thrifty Six in Cheap Frills

February 17, 2025 / 14 Comments
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, granny square cardigan, afghan cardigan, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, granny square cardigan, afghan cardigan, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, granny square cardigan, afghan cardigan, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, granny square cardigan, afghan cardigan, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, granny square cardigan, afghan cardigan, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, granny square cardigan, afghan cardigan, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, granny square cardigan, afghan cardigan, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, granny square cardigan, afghan cardigan, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, granny square cardigan, afghan cardigan, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, granny square cardigan, afghan cardigan, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, granny square cardigan, afghan cardigan, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, granny square cardigan, afghan cardigan, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, granny square cardigan, afghan cardigan, 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 specific 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.

This month, Emma chose our theme, Cheap Frills. I am always a fan of a clever play on words, but I am not a huge fan of frilly things. So I did what I could with what I had that satisfied the challenge. I may have gone a bit overboard with the blast of colors and patterns, but the obnoxious shock of bright colors and crazy combination of prints made me feel a little happier venturing outside into the frozen white landscape of this perpetually wintery place.

frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge

The challenge called for cheap frills…meaning something frilly that was preloved or thrifted. First of all, what the heck is a frill? It’s such a funny word, isn’t it? Frill, frilly, frilliness, frilled, frillsome, frillful, frillicious.

Well, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, a frill is “a strip of gathered or pleated material sewn by one side onto a garment or larger piece of material as a decorative edging or ornament.”

I am a not-so-frilly girl, so it seemed unlikely I would have any frills in my closet. But a frill can be such a simple thing, barely even noticeable, especially when the ornamented garment is covered with a distractingly bold print.

Cue this thrifted floral dress that I picked up last spring at a local charity shop. It has a frilly little ruffle attaching the separate tiers of the dress but they are very difficult to see because the print camouflages them. The dress also has flutter sleeves which seem to suit this frilly theme as well.

The dress is much too big on me. I bought it with every intention of altering it but haven’t gotten round to it yet. Which is a good thing because the oversized fit made this warm weather dress really easy to winterize by throwing it over a black turtleneck and black fleece lined leggings.

I accessorized with one of the frilliest pieces I own, this fabulous orange scarf that is all trimmed in lace and ruffles and other frilly bits. This scarf was not purchased secondhand, however, but it still meets the challenge of cheap frills. I purchased this scarf along with a turquoise one about 25 years ago from a street vendor in New York City. I think I paid $3 for each scarf and I am still wearing both of them a quarter of a century later!

Once I paired these two wildly colorful pieces together, I figured why not take it to the next level of color overload. I struggled finding other preloved pieces in my closet to complete my outfit so I reached for a rainbow knit hat that was handmade by my mother over 20 years ago. It’s not frilly or thrifted, but it’s colorful, handmade, and gifted! Just like my tagua nut earrings.

My green Teddy Blake bag, rainbow striped gloves, my granny square afghan cardigan, and tall white combat boots finished this cheerfully bright and minimally frilly winter outfit.

frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge
frills, thrifted style, bright floral dress, white combat boots, preloved style, rainbow hat, Shelbee on the Edge

Now I’m on the fence about this dress. Should I leave it oversized? Should I alter it so it fits properly? Or should I cut open the front and turn into a kimono robe?

Now let’s check out my thrifty friends in their Cheap Frills.

Emma of Style Splash
Style Splash
“I love anything frilly…and if it’s a bargain I love it even more! I bought this orange frill blouse on Vinted for about £4. The navy Marks & Spencer jacket is also pre-loved, from a charity shop. Oh, and the hat is second hand too! A very thrifty outfit!”
-Emma
Jane of Preloved-Vintage-Handmade
Preloved-Vintage-Handmade
Preloved-Vintage-Hadnmade
Preloved-Vintage-Handmade
“I’m shameless…
The T6 theme for February is ‘Cheap Frills’, so how could I not slip into a cheeky pair of vintage frilly knickers…
These frivolous frills were never designed for show, but I like to shimmy them shamelessly on the outside for all to see!”
-Jane
Jodie of Jodie’s Touch of Style
Jodie's Touch of Style
“There was a time when I would have NEVER worn ruffles of any kind. I didn’t consider them professional so I never bought them. After retiring, it’s been freeing to incorporate all sorts of styles into my wardrobe. For this prompt, I decided to concentrate on women who don’t love frills…I paired them with other styles so they wouldn’t be too girly. This is one example where I included frills in a more masculine look. Everything except the vest is thrifted or preloved.”
-Jodie
Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style
Nancy's Fashion Style
“Cheap frills…..okay, just had one item and no time to search for something on Vinted. So how to make it work! I actually like frills on blouses, picture Prince back in the days. Or even further back: Adam and the Ants!! But no frill blouses in my closet, say what? So I came up with this look and I have to say, I am loving it. Can’t even be bothered with all the lines you see through the silky skirt. But I am wearing a dress! I also wore it for the animal prints theme last year!”
-Nancy
Sally of Within a World of My Own
Within a World of My Own
“I’m not a frilly girl, but I do like a feminine floral print in a skirt with a bit of flounce to it, like this thrifted Talbots skirt that I styled for winter with a black top and textured tuxedo jacket (both also thrifted). My look has its usual maximal vibe with a layered necklace (all made by me) and two scarves – a print infinity scarf with a thrifted pink striped scarf wrapped around it. The structured black pieces help offset the sweetness of the pink florals for a fun juxtaposition of an outfit.”
-Sally
And Me!
“I am not a frilly type so I had to dig deep into my closet to find a preloved something with a hint of frills. This thrifted floral dress has a bit of frill connecting each of the tiers as well as frilly flutter sleeves. I added a super frilly scarf which was not preloved but was definitely cheap! I bought it for a few dollars from a New York City street vendor about 25 years ago, making it just as budget- and environmentally-friendly as buying secondhand!”
-Shelbee

I hope you have enjoyed all of our thrifty interpretations of Cheap Frills. If you want to join us next month on March 17, 2025, I have chosen the thrifty theme of Speckles, Spots, and Polka Dots. Join in our fashion fun, find your favorite preloved dotty things, and go get creative in your closet!

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

Fun Link Parties to Join!

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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14 Comments

  • Marsha Banks

    February 17, 2025 at 10:30 am Reply

    I love, love, love this no frills frilly look, Shelbee!! I love all those colors playing together and creating this delightful chaos! I would cut the dress down if you really like it and want to wear it on the regular. But, if you’re going to just keep it for special challenges and such, I’d leave it because we all know you can work magic with anything!

    https://marshainthemiddle.com/

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      February 18, 2025 at 6:26 am Reply

      Aww, thanks so much, Marsha! “Delightful chaos” is such a great way to describe this wild outfit! I love it. I am going to wear the dress as is when the weather warms up and see if I still like it. Then I will decide if alterations are in its future. You do know how much I love turning dresses into open front robes so that is not totally out of the question right now.

      xoxo
      Shelbee

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      February 18, 2025 at 6:01 am Reply

      Thanks, Nancy! I do love when a wardrobe item has that kind of staying power! Jane’s is my favorite outfit of all of these. I always wanted a pair of ruffly bloomers like Jane is wearing but I never made the purchase. I might have to search for a pair now because she looks so amazingly cool in them!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • jodie filogomo

    February 17, 2025 at 5:44 pm Reply

    I don’t know. I have a couple of dresses like that and I have to admit that in the 100 degree weather, it’s nice to have them oversized. Besides there are things you can do without permanently changing them to make them fit better.
    You really went above and beyond for this one. LOVE LOVE LOVE it.
    XOOX
    Jodie

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      February 18, 2025 at 5:55 am Reply

      Aww, thanks so much, Jodie! I agree with you that oversized dresses are wonderful when it’s really hot. And it’s not too terribly big. I think it is a 2X and I generally wear an L or XL in most dresses anyway. But you know how I do love turning dresses into open front robes! LOL I think I will wear the dress when it gets warmer first and see if I like it oversized that way. Then I will decide what to do with it!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      February 20, 2025 at 6:26 am Reply

      Thanks so much, Sally! Color overload definitely cheers me during these cold, gray days of winter. It just keeps snowing here and it has been so stinking cold that I never want to leave my house! I am ready for spring!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Abdullah Ibna Jafar

    February 19, 2025 at 10:59 pm Reply

    I loved your colorful take on the Cheap Frills theme! Your creativity in styling that floral dress is inspiring, and it’s great to see how you incorporated both vintage and personal pieces. Can’t wait to see everyone’s looks for the next theme—Speckles, Spots, and Polka Dots! Happy thrifting!

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