Jane chose this month’s Romantic theme because February is the month of Valentine’s Day which is her very favorite day of the year. It is not my favorite day. It is really just a day. However, I do have fond memories of my father giving me a chocolate rose every Valentine’s Day, but I haven’t really paid much attention to the holiday since he died decades ago. While I do appreciate the occasional bit of romance, I don’t really consider myself a romantic person. My husband often sprinkles small romantic gestures into my life but he doesn’t really consider himself a romantic person either. In fact, early in our relationship, we…

The Thrifty Six are back in 2026 with more budget friendly fashion in preloved styles! Emma chose our January theme of Faux Fur. I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with fur whether it is synthetic or real. I appreciate the necessity of wearing animal furs for survival hundreds of thousands years ago. And considering where I live, I appreciate the desire for the warmth offered by an authentic fur coat. But real fur grosses me out. So the next best thing would be synthetic fur. Just slightly less gross but soft and warm and fun to wear sometimes. Some years ago, I was deep in the love phase…

This is the final Thrifty Six challenge for 2025 and Sally chose our theme…Vested. Because we are an international group, it is important to point out that the term vested doesn’t translate as easily as one might assume. I personally interpreted the theme as “style a vest” but even the word vest, as a garment, doesn’t translate as easily as one would think. In the Untied States, we use the term vest to mean a sleeveless garment, generally worn over a shirt, also called a waistcoat. But in South Africa, India, Canada, the United Kingdom, and much of Europe, a vest is a sleeveless undershirt, or as we Americans call…

Another month has passed and another thrifty challenge has been completed. As the holidays approach, Jane chose chiffon, an elegant sheer fabric that is often used for special occasion dresses and other formal wear, as our theme. As a lifelong lover of fashion, I have learned a lot of the lingo in my half century on earth, but distinguishing the difference between chiffon and other sheer fabrics like georgette or voile has absolutely baffled me. In another attempt to educate myself, I asked AI to explain it to me. I definitely know how to accurately identify tulle, gauze, and lace. And I am pretty certain that organza wouldn’t trick me.…

If you have been following my blog for some time, you know that I regularly participate in different style challenges. As much as I love to get dressed without any stipulations, a style theme or challenge just makes getting dressed a little bit more fun. These challenges force me to pay closer attention to the details and encourage me to create unlikely combinations that I may not have otherwise thought to create. Some challenges are easier than others. Some outfits are better than others. But all of it adds a little extra joy to my life. And I know that we can all use a little extra joy these days…even…

It was Emma’s turn to choose the theme for this month’s thrifty style prompt and she definitely presented me with a challenge. I have never been one for high end designer brands like Gucci so I never really follow the seasonal runway trends put forth by luxury fashion designers. But I do pay enough attention to fashion in general to recognize that many designers and brands eventually emerge with trademark prints and patterns, specific color combinations, and certain style aesthetics. For example, Chanel style has been characterized as elegantly modern, known for classic tweed skirt suits, the little black dress, monochromatic color palettes, and their widely recognized double “C” logo.…

It was my turn to choose our thrifty theme and I settled on Unbuttoned. Because the word has various meanings and is subject to interpretation, I thought it would be an interesting sartorial prompt for this budget friendly group. According to Merriam-Webster, unbuttoned can mean simply that something with buttons is “not buttoned” but it can also mean that there were no buttons to begin with. A third definition of the word unbuttoned is “not under constraint : free and unrestricted in action and expression” which really relates to my style aesthetic as well as that of most fashion forward people. Unrestricted expression is at the heart of how I dress, how…

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…

Sally said, “Nautical Vibes for June!” And Shelbee silently replied inside her mind, “Ummmmm.” Every now and then, I have been known to enjoy a good Breton stripe, a comfy pair of boat shoes, a cute pair of sailor pants, or a red, white, and blue color palette. And once upon a time, I did have a nice collection of preloved blue and white striped shirts and dresses that were perfectly nautical. But with my recent style aesthetic being much more woodsy boho than coastal chic, I have purged most of those things from my closet. I am certain there are some ocean inspired pieces that remain in my wardrobe…

Jane chose this month’s thrifty theme and it was like a sweet song for my bohemian soul. A crochet revival! Yes, please. I love the inherently relaxed vibe created by crocheted items, flashing us back to the antiestablishment countercultures of the 1960s and 1970s. It was a time of modern bohemianism, a rise in hippie mentality and an increase in openly alternative lifestyles. Crochet became an iconic fashion trend that represented the generation which gave birth to Xers like myself. In traditional Gen X style, we do like to revive old things and make them new, creating a sustainable way to remain fashionable on a budget. Because we have lived…