thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge

The Thrifty Six in Speckles, Spots, and Polka Dots

March 17, 2025 / 14 Comments
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge

Welcome to the March 2025 edition of The Thrifty Six! We are 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.

It was my turn to choose a thrifty theme for this month’s style challenge. With springtime finally making an appearance, I was feeling a little whimsical in my choice of Speckles, Spots, and Polka Dots. I had intended to combine multiple preloved polka dot pieces to create an amusing speckled, spotted, and dotted ensemble but none of my thrifted clothing with dots or spots wanted to work together in harmony.

thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge

I began building my spotted look with this thrifted Zara dress. Not only is the dress covered in tiny white dots, but it also had some holes and stain spots which I didn’t realize until after I brought it home. Rather than chalk it up as a waste of money and ditch the dress in a landfill, I got creative with some denim patches to cover the holes and stains and now I have an adorable one-of-a kind preloved dress.

My initial dotty plan was to layer this thrifted green polka dot dress as a duster on top of my patchy dress. But the two pieces together made for a very voluminous and unflattering look. Next I tried this preloved green polka dot cover up as a topper for this dress and that also created a big billowy silhouette that was not so complimentary on me.

Becoming frustrated with my styling failures, I ditched my dotty plan and added a thrifted denim jacket as my second layer instead. But I did manage to dig up this preloved leopard print scarf for another set of spots in my outfit.

thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge

Not having any other preloved speckled, spotted, or polka dotted pieces to incorporate into my outfit, I accessorized with specific non-thrifty pieces that tied into this theme. My distressed black cowgirl boots are adorned with little round studs that look like dots. The round beads on my horn necklace are also little white dots in 3-D. And my mushroom earrings have black spots atop the white mushroom charms. I finished it with my black straw boater hat because it matched not because it captured the theme.

While I wasn’t completely satisfied with this outfit due to my lack of abundant and obnoxious dottiness, I still really loved the final outcome. I haven’t worn this dress in a few years and I forgot how much I like it!

thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted dress, patched dress, preloved denim jacket, black cowgirl boots, thrifted style, Shelbee on the Edge

Now let’s check out how my thrifty friends have styled this their Speckles, Spots, and Polka Dots.

Emma of Style Splash
Style Splash
“This was quite a difficult theme for me because I don’t own much in the way of dots and spots, so finding something pre-loved was a challenge! After going through some stuff in storage I pulled out this vintage dress which has tiny dots in the pattern. It was a fantastic find on eBay and I really should wear it more!”
-Emma
Jane of Preloved-Vintage-Handmade
Preloved-Vintage-Handmade
“How cool is this hooded dress!!! It’s been handmade in the 1970’s by someone with a really fun sense of style-how often do you see a blue and white spotty dress with a red hood (even in the 70’s)?
I’ve done some work on it myself adding to the crazy vibes…
– I’ve shortened it and used the fabric removed to face the inside so when the zip is open, it has a neat, finished look.
– I’ve taken the sleeves to maximum length adding red bias binding as a cuff to match the hood lining.
– And finally, I’ve replaced the original zip with a chunky oversized one which injects yet more personality into this funky little frock.
So when Shelbee chose ‘Freckles, Spots & Polka Dots’ as the T6 theme for March, I couldn’t wait to show off my handywork and give this dress it’s 15 minutes of fame!”
-Jane
Jodie of Jodie’s Touch of Style
Jodie's Touch of Style
“I had my crew wear polka dot skirts in 3 different ways. I’m showing how to casualize it. The skirt I bought from a clothing rental company because I can also wear it upside down as a top. The sweatshirt isn’t thrifted, but I loved the message: ‘Kindness is Free-sprinkle it everywhere.'”
-Jodie
Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style
Nancy's Fashion Style
“So I had nothing, absolutely nothing, with polka dots in my closet. Strange actually because I do like them. Well, time to shop on Vinted again. And I didn’t even need that much time to spot this beautiful blazer. From a Dutch designer, Frans Molenaar, in collaboration with C&A. I love these kinds of blazers, nice and casual, tight-fitting. Looks nice on everything!”
-Nancy
Sally of Within a World of My Own
Within a World of My Own
“Ask me if I like polka dots and I’ll say YES! But when I look at my wardrobe, the top prints are stripes, florals, and animals/zoological. Some dots, but mostly for summer. But the weather cooperated for me to wear this thrifted CJ Banks spot print quilted vest that has a geometric design with a dot vibe to it. I do have a number of polka dot scarves, like this green and navy one with white dots. I decided to add some crisp green to my look (thrifted Eloquii pants) to celebrate the coming arrival of St Patrick’s Day and spring! My thrifted Target floral print loafers are a fun finishing touch.”
-Sally
And Me!
Shelbee on the edge
“I have quite a few preloved pieces that have speckles, spots, and polka dots so I had planned to combine multiple dotty and spotty things into one outfit. But try as I might, I failed miserably. None of my dotty things worked well with each other. So I styled this speckled dress, which had stains (or spots) and holes in it when I brought it home from the thrift shop. I patched it all up with denim scraps and added a preloved leopard spotted scarf, a thrifted denim jacket, and my distressed cowgirl boots. I was not wholly satisfied because I wanted to incorporate more dotty things, but I ended up really loving this outfit anyway.”
-Shelbee 

I hope we were able to inspire you with our thrifty styles in Speckles, Spots, and Polka Dots! Join us again on April 21, 2025, for our preloved outfits styled around Nancy’s choice of theme.

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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