thrifted suit, graphic tee, combat boots, thrifted style, fashion over 40, The Thrifty Six, Shelbee on the Edge

The Thrifty Six in Whatever “Suits” Us

February 15, 2021 / 38 Comments
thrifted suit, graphic tee, combat boots, thrifted style, fashion over 40, The Thrifty Six, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted suit, graphic tee, combat boots, thrifted style, fashion over 40, The Thrifty Six, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted suit, graphic tee, combat boots, thrifted style, fashion over 40, The Thrifty Six, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted suit, graphic tee, combat boots, thrifted style, fashion over 40, The Thrifty Six, Shelbee on the Edge

The Thrifty Six is back in Whatever “Suits” Us. This month’s theme was chosen by Nancy and I have to be honest, suits are a huge challenge for me. But I will get into that in a moment. But first let me tell you a bit more about this lovely group of thrifty fashionistas.

The Thrifty Six is a group of six international fashion and lifestyle bloggers and influencers coming to you from all around the world. We span at least three different decades of life and we each have our own unique and individual style with a shared passion for preloved clothing and second hand shopping. Our goal is to share a variety of ways to be stylish while doing a little something good for the environment.

With our focus on preloved and second hand items, we want to share ways that you can stay stylish on a budget while also making a small contribution to helping our environment. Every month, one member of the group chooses a theme and we share our outfit creations with you to hopefully inspire you to shop more second hand and less fast fashion.

For purposes of this group’s style challenges, at least one outfit item that satisfies the chosen theme must be preloved or thrifted. So for this month, it is our suits that are preloved. So let’s get to it…

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thrifted suit, graphic tee, combat boots, thrifted style, fashion over 40, The Thrifty Six, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted suit, graphic tee, combat boots, thrifted style, fashion over 40, The Thrifty Six, Shelbee on the Edge
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thrifted suit, graphic tee, combat boots, thrifted style, fashion over 40, The Thrifty Six, Shelbee on the Edge

The challenge of suits for me is a lifelong one. Years and years ago when I worked on Wall Street and wore suits nearly every work day, I had a closet full of beautiful blazers, trousers, skirts, and dresses that could be mixed and matched in a variety of different ways. It allowed me to be creative with my wardrobe while working in an environment that was not too accepting of creative style.

When I first starting working in a corporate environment and needed to curate an appropriate work wardrobe, I quickly realized that suit sets never quite fit me properly as I have always been a size or two larger on the top than on the bottom. Tailoring was always a viable solution but that added extra cost to an already pricey wardrobe. I remember when I first discovered brands that sold their suit pieces as separates so you could get the correct sizes for your frame and I was so excited to finally be able to shop for office wear without having to get alterations.

And then I walked away from Wall Street and corporate America for good nearly 20 years ago. Over time, I rid my closet of all the items that reminded me of the stress that I endured during those long, difficult years of the New York City grind. Plus I really had no use for suits anymore and needed space to transition my wardrobe to a more casual one. Eventually, I had fully transitioned my wardrobe until it contained no suits whatsoever.

I held onto a few office appropriate pieces like blazers and tailored skirts and trousers just in case I needed something professional for some unknown future event where a professional outfit may be required. But no traditional suits were to be found in my closet.

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thrifted suit, graphic tee, combat boots, thrifted style, fashion over 40, The Thrifty Six, Shelbee on the Edge
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thrifted suit, graphic tee, combat boots, thrifted style, fashion over 40, The Thrifty Six, Shelbee on the Edge

And then Nancy presented the theme for this month. At first, I contemplated forging a suit from coordinated thrift shop pieces. I do have an extensive collection of preloved blazers (blazers and coats are my favorite things to shop for second hand) and lots of skirts and pants that I could create a suit-like outfit.

But then I thought why not go scour the thrift shop racks for something that really did fit the definition of a suit. I actually was hoping to find some bold printed vintage suit for this challenge but vintage pieces are difficult to find in my area and they rarely fit me anyway.

I ventured out to my local Salvation Army Thrift Shop and started searching through the suit rack. There was not a lot to choose from as we live in a much more casual environment compared to even 20 years ago. I saw about a half dozen beautiful tweed suits by Pendleton that I was ready to scoop up but none were in my size.

Finally I discovered this olive green/taupe suit by Jones New York. It seems to be circa 1990’s which I believe would classify it as a vintage suit so that made me happy. But it also freaked me out that clothing from the 1990’s is considered vintage! How did that happen?!

I was really drawn to the cute pleated skirt and the unique neutral color. The blazer is a style that I have never seen before with big puffy shoulder pads (which I would have removed had they not been inside the lining), no lapel, and a wide vee neckline. This suit is a traditional coordinated suit where both pieces are the same size. Oddly, however, the blazer fit well and the skirt was a tad tight. But for the $9.99 price tag, I figured I could make it work.

During this shopping trip, I also found a vintage Jones New York pants suit for $5. The blazer fits perfectly and the pants are too big! But I employed a little styling hack to fix that problem without alterations. I will share that suit on the blog soon.

Because you still can’t try things on in the thrift shop, I was a little nervous about the fit of these two Jones New York suits. And then I spotted a beautiful black velvet pants and cardigan set by DKNY. The pants had an elastic waistband so I knew they would fit properly. For another $12.99, I bought that set as well and wore it for a Date Night at Home style prompt.

thrifted suit, graphic tee, combat boots, thrifted style, fashion over 40, The Thrifty Six, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted suit, graphic tee, combat boots, thrifted style, fashion over 40, The Thrifty Six, Shelbee on the Edge
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thrifted suit, graphic tee, combat boots, thrifted style, fashion over 40, The Thrifty Six, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted suit, graphic tee, combat boots, thrifted style, fashion over 40, The Thrifty Six, Shelbee on the Edge

But let’s get back to the suit in this post. I had visions of black tights and combat boots with this pleated skirt and a graphic tee shirt seemed to the perfect pairing for a more casual street style way to wear a suit. I went for my Beatles All You Need is Love tee since this post was scheduled for the day after Valentine’s Day. The tiny bit of red on my tee gave me the idea to add some pops of red to this mostly neutral outfit.

As I was trying to decide which scarf to wear, I had layered a black and red plaid blanket scarf with my black and white bowler hat scarf on top of the blazer to see which I liked best. I decided that I really liked them together and so I wore two scarves! I was kind of digging the way the blanket scarf draped over the giant shoulder pads gave it a similar silhouette to epaulettes, keeping in line with the military vibe that was created with my new combat boots.

thrifted suit, graphic tee, combat boots, thrifted style, fashion over 40, The Thrifty Six, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted suit, graphic tee, combat boots, thrifted style, fashion over 40, The Thrifty Six, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted suit, graphic tee, combat boots, thrifted style, fashion over 40, The Thrifty Six, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted suit, graphic tee, combat boots, thrifted style, fashion over 40, The Thrifty Six, Shelbee on the Edge
thrifted suit, graphic tee, combat boots, thrifted style, fashion over 40, The Thrifty Six, Shelbee on the Edge

Now let’s get to my thrifty friends…

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 Thrifters:

Emma of Style Splash

Style Splash
Emma of Style Splash

“I have lots of preloved jackets but I didn’t have any suits, so I instantly started looking on eBay, which is where I found this Marks & Spencer skirt and jacket. It turns out it’s actually quite difficult to find a preloved suit online that’s guaranteed to fit. In the end I managed to buy these separately and matched the pattern by inspecting the photos very closely! It took a bit of research but it paid off in the end!”

Emma

Grace of Graceful Rags

Graceful Rags
Grace of Graceful Rags

“Since I’m away at college right now, my wardrobe options are very limited – I decided to take this month’s suit theme as the perfect opportunity to try online thrifting for the first time! I snagged this Chanel-esque skirt suit from Poshmark, originally from Anne Taylor, for just $40. The skirt doesn’t fit quite right but the blazer is fab!”

Grace

Jane of Preloved-Vintage-Handmade

Preloved-Vintage-Handmade
Jane of Preloved-Vintage-Handmade

“A chance to share my pretty little treasure…Everything about this suit is perfect, the beautiful indigo colour, the styling, the condition, the quality and the buttons are nothing less than exquisite! When an eBay search brings up a vintage treasure like this, you just buy it and you buy it quick! It’s a true vintage, 100% wool, French designer piece and I paid under £5 for it – such a shame it doesn’t fit…It’s just a little too tight to wear to the office but not too tight for a quick photo shoot. So when the Thrifty Six chose suits as the style focus for February, I was absolutely delighted! At last, a chance to share my pretty little treasure!”

Jane

Lucy of Confessions of a Montreal Styling Diva

Confessions of a Montreal Styling Diva
Lucy of Confessions of a Montreal Styling Diva

“I found this gem of a suit in the tiniest of shop holes in Old Montreal, maybe ten years ago? Never went back…life. I just happened to be in that part of town for a show later that evening. I’ve been told that the place doesn’t exist anymore-all I know is that I fell upon it by accident. The period hats in the window caught my attention, and I just had to walk in. Lo and behold, there she was, bold and beautiful. I had to have her. As I checked the seams to see if there was any room for alterations if needed, I saw the label hanging by a thread: Dolce & Gabbana. She was mine forever, all 20$ worth. Looking just a bit lonely and tired, aged like perfect wine-all she really needed was a little pampering: Dry cleaning and minor alterations-Boom!”

Lucy

Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style

Nancy's Fashion Style
Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style

“This suit attracted me because I love houndstooth, or Pied de Poule as we say here. And I loved the jacket with the short sleeves and the huge buttons. But I now tried this suit twice, with different colors and heels and flats, and it is just not me. I think it is because the skirt is to short, it’s not my style. So I am going to sell it. Shall I keep the jacket though??”

Nancy

And me.

“When Nancy announced the theme, I realized that I did not own any suits at all, thrifted or not. We live in an era where casual is what we do best and I have long since rid my closet of suits. But I will use any excuse to go on a thrifting adventure, so off I went to look for suits and I came home with 3 different ones. This vintage Jones New York suit was just $10. I loved the pleated skirt so much which I imagine I will wear more often than the blazer. But the color was a selling point for me as well. It is an interesting shade of olivey taupe and I just love it paired with black and red.”

Shelbee
thrifted suit, graphic tee, combat boots, thrifted style, fashion over 40, The Thrifty Six, Shelbee on the Edge

Overall, I was pleased with this outfit and had fun with this suit challenge. And I am loving all of the gorgeous suit styles the Thrifty Six has shared this month. Do you wear suits ever? Or have they really become an obsolete style of the past?

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

Linking up with these Fabulous Link Parties.

Shop my look…

Outfit Details: Jones New York Suit-Thrifted / Tee Shirt-Torrid / Tights-Old Navy / Boots-JustFab / Necklace-c/o Happiness Boutique / Plaid Scarf-Charlotte Russe / Bowler Hat Scarf, Hat, and Earrings-Old

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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38 Comments

  • Suzy

    February 15, 2021 at 6:00 pm Reply

    OMG Shelbee! Did you rock this theme or what?! That suit is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G on you! And the way you styled it is utter perfection, and utterly YOU. I love it! Not to mention that fabulous colour. Can you guess that I really love this? lol Seriously, girl, I think this is one of my favourite style challenges so far! Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous!
    Huge hugs
    Suzy xx

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      February 15, 2021 at 7:51 pm Reply

      Suzy, my friend, thank you so much! I can feel your enthusiasm and love for this outfit coming straight through! Hehe. I was really happy with the funk factor of this outfit once I had it all together. It is amazing how different an outfit becomes when you start loading on the accessories. Now I have to think of some more ways for styling this suit, but first I need to lose just a few pounds so the skirt doesn’t squeeze me so tightly! Oh and I haven’t forgotten about the questions you sent to me to answer, the weekend just got away from me! But it is on my list of things to do this week.

      xoxo
      Shelbee

      • Suzy Turner

        February 16, 2021 at 10:57 am Reply

        I think we all probably need to lose a few pounds after all these Covid lockdowns! I know I’ve been eating far too much chocolate lately lol!
        I’ve got your interview scheduled for a week on Friday (26th) so there’s no hurry!
        Big hugs
        Suzy xx

        • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

          February 16, 2021 at 11:46 am Reply

          I actually had gained some weight early on in the lockdown but I managed to get it all back off again. But I still need to lose a bit more for this skirt to stop squeezing me so tightly! Haha. I will have my interview answers to you by the end of this week!

          xoxo
          Shelbee

  • Barbara

    February 15, 2021 at 7:00 pm Reply

    This could’ve very easily gone ‘Miss Trunchbull’ but you’ve managed to avoid that brilliantly! As olive is very versatile, you’ll probably get a lot of use out of the suit, even worn casually. Always interested in easy fixes for everyday wear, so curious to read about your fix for an ill-fitting pantsuit! Take care,

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      February 15, 2021 at 7:48 pm Reply

      Barbara, thanks so much! This suit could definitely be styled for Miss Trunchbull but I did my best to avoid that look! I think I might like the pleated skirt a little better if it were a few inches shorter which would also help with the frump factor. All in all, I was really happy with how funky this outfit turned out. I just finished my post for tomorrow featuring the final thrifted suit and my silly little hack to make the pants stay on!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Nancy

    February 15, 2021 at 7:07 pm Reply

    Vosje what a gorgeous finds you all have in thrift shops! We really don’t have that here. I can’t imagine you on Wall Street! So not you. But back to the suit. It’s fabulous, the pleats, the color, I love it. Looking forward to see your other finds

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      February 15, 2021 at 7:44 pm Reply

      Thanks so much, Nancy! Everyone really did find some gorgeous suits for this challenge! I love all 6 outfits! And yeah, me on Wall Street, they didn’t even know what to do with me there! LOL Actually, I just finished writing my post for tomorrow which features the final thrifted suit and a silly little story from my Wall Street days! I think it will definitely give you a good laugh. I think I am up next for choosing the March theme…eeek…I have to think on that one!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Ashley

    February 15, 2021 at 8:40 pm Reply

    You look beautiful in this suit, Shelbee! I love that the skirt is pleated and it just adds a little extra fun flare to it. I also love your boots! I can relate on how some clothing reminds me of stressful times. I haven’t gotten rid of all of them, but most of them are at least hidden, haha.

    Wishing you the brightest week, my friend!

    Make Life Marvelous

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      February 16, 2021 at 12:04 pm Reply

      Thanks so much, Ashley! The pleated skirt really is what sold me on this suit. I kind of wish it were a few inches shorter, but it still works at this length. Isn’t it strange how even certain types of clothing can trigger memories of anxiety? I hope you are having the best week, my friend!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • jodie filogomo

    February 15, 2021 at 10:00 pm Reply

    I do love this Shelbee…I’m like you in not having a ton of suit, but I just recently thrifted one because they can be so versatile!!
    OXOX
    Jodie
    http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
    PS…BTW, if anyone ever needs to drop out and you need another participant in this group, I’d love to be considered!!

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      February 16, 2021 at 12:02 pm Reply

      Thanks so much, Jodie! This thrifty group is so much fun and I am totally game for growing it a little bigger. I have had a few other bloggers express interest in joining us as well. Let me pitch out an email to the group and see what they all think. We went with six because it sounded good with the word thrift, but I am thinking The Thrifty Dozen might be cool if we want to make it a huge group. Another option would be to have guest bloggers join us each month. I will keep you posted!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

      • jodie filogomo

        February 16, 2021 at 6:31 pm Reply

        No stress Shelbee. I understand the idea of keeping it small too. You could always include it as an IG group too??
        XOOX
        Jodie

        • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

          February 17, 2021 at 11:59 am Reply

          Yes, that is a great idea! I was also thinking maybe adding a link party for thrifted style only. But nobody ever really follows the link rules so I am not sure how that would work out! We will definitely get something more going with this thrifting idea though. I am finding more and more people who are into it which makes me really happy!

          xoxo
          Shelbee

  • Grace

    February 16, 2021 at 5:02 pm Reply

    I never knew you used to work on Wall Street Shelbee! Sounds like an interesting experience, but I can understand why you wanted to get rid of your suits to rid yourself of the memory of that stress… I love this suit you found here. The olive color is beautiful and I think the pleated skirt is so unique for a suit! The red really pops with it, too. Great outfit and post!!

    Miles of smiles,
    Grace

    gracefulrags.com

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      February 17, 2021 at 12:08 pm Reply

      Thanks so much, Grace! I was really drawn to the unique style of both the skirt and the blazer as well as the color. This was a super fun challenge and I think we all did such a fabulous job with it. Yes, my Wall Street days were something else! We worked hard and partied harder and this girl just couldn’t handle it anymore! It damaged my soul and exhausted my mind, but it has also given me so many ridiculous and funny stories to share!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Sheila (of Ephemera)

    February 16, 2021 at 9:18 pm Reply

    I love Lucy’s D&G suit – what a gorgeous suit!

    I adore your styling of this challenging suit, Shelbee! I agree with the 90s (probably around 1994-5, if I remember correctly). Please do not remove the ginormous shoulder-pads, as it will ruin the fit of the jacket – it’ll cause bagging in the boob-to-shoulder area and make the shoulders not sit right. It’s okay to remove them in blouses, if the overall look intended is oversize, but in structured garments, it will often just cause it to be unwearable. Besides, shoulders are back, baby! I know, how on earth is the 90s vintage?? What??

    I am inspired – I’ll be wearing my 2007 tweed suit tomorrow!

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      February 17, 2021 at 11:26 am Reply

      Sheila, thanks so much! I really, really cannot get over how you are pinpointing these styles to almost the exact year! You are my favorite fashion and style guru ever! I will not remove said shoulder pads upon your instruction! Plus if the suit is already over 25 years old, it will be “true vintage” in our eyes soon! And I certainly do not want to tamper with or ruin the original style of the garment. It wouldn’t be true vintage anymore then. I wish I had more luck with finding vintage garments in my size. They are few and far between around here. I guess online is the way to go but I do like to touch and feel garments before purchasing them. I am looking forward to seeing your tweed suit!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

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