The Thrifty Six in Fringe

For this month’s Thrifty Six style challenge, Nancy chose one of my favorite fashion details…Fringe! As a boho hippie girl, I am all about the fringe. I love the swishy factor that fringe offers, creating a fun dramatic element for any outfit.

It should come as no surprise that I have a lot of fringey things in my wardrobe including kimonos, ruanas, scarves, a coat, a skirt, sweater vests, sandals, cardigans, shawls, boots, a sleeveless lace top, and a backpack. However, most of my fringed items were retail purchases rather than preloved. I think this is because not all fringes are created equal. Some are more substantial and hold up better through wearing and washing. Cheaper fringes tend to get all tangled up in the wash no matter how careful I am during the laundering process. I use laundry bags, the gentle cycle, and even hand wash some fringed pieces. But if the fringe is really delicate or not securely attached, it can start to look kind of shabby over time. I love fringe so much though that I continue to wear it even after the shabbiness takes over.

Since I am always drawn to fringey things, I tend to spot them pretty quickly in thrift stores. Fringe just doesn’t happen to turn up very often in my local secondhand shops. Maybe everyone else loves fringe so much that they never donate their fringey things to thrift shops!

I hadn’t thought about this thrifty challenge when I put together this look outfit a few weeks ago. I had just purchased these adorable striped pajama pants on clearance from Walmart for around $13 (not thrifted but still thrifty) and I really wanted to style them as daytime wear. We were getting ready to drive to Pennsylvania for the Oogie’s Ice Cream 20th Anniversary celebration and I wanted to wear something comfortable for the long ride. These pajama pants were the perfect solution!

The stripes are burgundy with thin pink borders on each side of the stripes. The lighter stripes are a very pale pink color that appear almost white. I paired them with an old burgundy tunic and my thrifted pink fringed ruana that I styled for our Thrifty Six challenge featuring hats back in January 2025.

For accessories, I added an old silk pink floral scarf that I won from a blog giveaway nearly 10 years ago and a stack of thrifted necklaces that are all in ivory tones. I specifically wore the tasseled butterfly pendant because tassels are really just a form of fringe. My earrings are also ivory, purchased from a craft market a while back. They were originally post earrings but I switched them to hooks because I find posts really uncomfortable.

To highlight the tiny bright pink stripes in my pants, I wore my bright pink fedora and added the giant pink flower accessory that came with my polka dot Tieks. Finally, my new Sun-San Crosswind sandals by Salt Water Sandals were the obvious choice of footwear because the rich claret color coordinated so well with the color palette of this outfit. They are also incredibly comfortable and I have been wearing them every time they happen to match my clothes.

After taking these photos at my local park, I decided to tuck in my shirt. At first, I liked the longer tunic style over the loose pajama pants for a relaxed fuss-free look so I didn’t even consider tucking my shirt until we had gotten home. Once tucked, I think I liked the whole outfit just a little bit more. So we headed to the back yard for a few more photos. Which do you like better…tucked or untucked?

Either way I wear it, I am really happy with this pajama inspired look for our thrifty fringe theme and I will definitely wear it again!

Now let’s check out how my thrifty friends have styled their fringe. Just 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 all of these fringey ‘fits. If you would like to see more preloved outfits created by this budget- and environmentally-friendly group, please stop back on July 20, 2026, to see how we style Emma’s next prompt. Until then, happy thrifting…and styling! 

Keeping it on the edge, 

Shelbee