My birthday is on Saturday. I turn 23 on the 23rd . In honor of my birthday, the month of amethyst (birthstone) and violet (birth flower), I put together a light purple style collage. African Violet also happens to be one of the colors in the Pantone Fashion Color Report Spring 2013.
Purple/lavender is a color I’ve always been told looks good on me, and I think that’s true of most brunettes. Purple is also one of the school colors of my alma mater, so all the more reason to love it.
I really love the way light purple looks with that neon pink! I also think it’s lovely paired with mustard yellow or camel. The leopard print looks amazing with the purple, but the black and white stripes are much more my style. I really love the idea of lavender shoes, so I’ll have to be on the look-out next time I’m in a consignment store. BUT that first photo of the lavender blazer might just be my favorite!
Which is your favorite look from the collage? Are there any colors or patterns you particularly like paired with purple that aren’t shown above? Tell me about it in the comments!
…aaaand I’ve been sitting here for 5 minutes and still have nothing to say. I guess it happens to all of us sometimes. I promise I’ll try to be more engaging next time.
Check out a couple other ways I’ve styled this skirt here and here. See this same scarf and shoes in another outfit here. sweater: secondhand Gap skirt: secondhand New York and Company scarf: secondhand shoes: secondhand American Eagle Outfitters hat: fair trade belt: secondhand
Sometimes the hardest part of putting together an outfit is deciding what shoes to wear…at least for me. Today I had that problem. I’m still not sure which shoes I like best with this outfit, so I just took pictures in every pair I considered. My verdict was on the cowgirl boots, but after looking at these pictures, I’m not sure! Which do YOU like best?
To see how I styled this skirt last time, click here. To see these red tights styled another way, click here. To make a belt like the one I’m wearing, check out this DIY. And to see some inspiration for wearing sneakers, click here.
1. Red Converse (secondhand)
2. Desert Boots (secondhand Miss Sixty)
3. Ballet Flats (very old, very loved Nine West)
4. Cowgirl Boots (secondhand Steve Madden)polka dot sweater: secondhand J. Crew pleated skirt: secondhand J. Crew tights: secondhand Hue belt:DIY necklace: DIY
Today is the first of my new series, The Secondhand Shopaholic’s Shopping Guide (I’m still deciding on an official name for the series, so we’ll just go with that for now).
The first store to be featured in this series is my personal favorite and the reason this blog exists, Your Stuff and Kids’ Stuff Consignment Boutiques in Danville, Virginia. Kids’ Stuff opened in 1993 and Your Stuff opened in 2002. I interviewed the owner, Sylvia Josey, to learn a bit more about her and the store (well, I know her rather well, so I interviewed her so YOU could learn more )
Tell is a bit about you. Fun Fact?
When we were kids growing up in New York City and Washington DC, my mom shopped for us at consignment shops. In New York City, she found a shop with mostly wealthy clientele, so I got some very nice frocks and toys. As I got older, I worried that my friends might see me in the second hand shops, but my mother snorted and said “well if they do, they will be here too!”
Why did you decide to start a consignment store?
I really just needed a project for a college assignment. I had to go through all the steps to open a business, including finding a physical location and researching required permits and licenses. I chose a consignment shop because the inventory was free, thus simplifying my project and lowering projected expenses. I didn’t really intend to do it. I justed wanted my A grade (which I got). Then ten years later, I said “why not?”
What’s the best part about your job?
It’s like Christmas everyday. We never know what someone will bring in the shop.
What types and/or brands of things could a shopper find in your store?
Twenty years ago, I started out with Kids Stuff, then ten years ago, I rented the space next door and opened Your Stuff. Now I have everything except furniture. I figure one day I should open Home Stuff, but it’s not in the cards right now. As far as brands, we accept anything from Target on up to Louis Vuitton as long as it is cute, current and clean. Our consignors bring stuff from foreign countries even!
To give readers a better idea of what great things they can find, what is one (or some) of your favorite pieces in your store right now?
Right now, I really like the pewter ColeHaan handbag in Your Stuff, and I really like the wooden dollhouse from KidKraft in Kids Stuff. I hardly ever have time to look through the clothes for myself. In addition to our sales staff we have three full time employees pricing incoming goods all day, so it is hard to keep up with!
What is one thing that sets your store apart from the rest/makes it unique?
I’m a neat freak so my shop is usually very organized.
What’s the best part about being in the location (city/state) your store is in?
Since my store is in a small city of less than 50,000, our rent is lower than in larger cities. This allows me to afford more space and offer a wider variety. Many consignment shops in big cities only offer designer brands, but we even have Mossimo from Target.
Quick! You have one minute to convince someone why they should start shopping secondhand…go!
I once heard someone say “There are already enough amazing clothes in the world!”
Do you have a website, Facebook page, Twitter, or blog where readers can learn more or stay informed about events, sales, etc.?
Remember when I said as a kid I was worried someone would see me in a secondhand store? Well in junior high school, one of the very popular girls in my class was bragging about her shirt she got at a yardsale for 25 cents. It was then that the light bulb went off in my head and I thought “That’s what I need to do…I need to BRAG about my finds!”
Thanks, Sylvia!
Danville isn’t a big city, so just to give you some perspective on its location, here are some nearby, more well-known cities:
Greensboro, NC: 1 hour
Winston-Salem, NC: 1 hour 20 min
Roanoke, VA: 1 hour 30 min
Raleigh, NC: 1 hour 45 min
Charlottesville, VA: 2 hours 30 min
Charlotte, NC: 2 hours 30 min
Richmond, VA: 3 hours
Norfolk (VA Beach): 3 hours 30 min
I personally think it’s worth the drive if you live within a few hours or if you are visiting or passing through the area. It’s an amazing store. Danville itself has enough to do to make a fun day trip. It has an 8 mile river walk trail, the Tank Museum, an art/history museum, a science center, and a fun to explore antique mall. There are also many delicious local eateries - The Brown Bean (a great lunch spot attached to a cute home/garden/gift store), O’Kelly’s Deli and Pastries (so good they expanded their first location AND opened a second…one of them is right down the street from Your Stuff & Kids’ Stuff), Jake’s on Main (a downtown bar/restaurant that supports local food), and Main Street Coffee Emporium (coffee, sandwiches, and sweets).
If you’d like to offer some input on locations (cities/states) I should cover in the future, you can (and please do!) let me know in the comments or go enter your location in this poll.
My plan was to wear this wool skirt with this blazer and top, but when I put it on…it just didn’t work. I can’t really put my finger on exactly what it was that I didn’t like – I liked the colors together, I liked the texture/pattern combo – I just didn’t like it. Maybe I just needed something a bit more fitted on bottom to balance out the bulkiness of the blazer. I like how the outfit looks with the pants. Do you ever envision an outfit in your head, then put it on and it just doesn’t look as good as it did in your head?
Last time I wore this blazer I was still in college. I wore it to give a presentation on a MMOG (massively multiplayer online game) I devised (research, storyboard, mockup, proposal etc.) for a class. The game revolved around a crazy villain who was attempting to use tea concoctions to control people’s minds and take over the world. I chose to wear this blazer because Augustus (crazy tea man) wore a purple trench in my concept art. I included some of my concept art below for your entertainment!
Check out this post for some more blazer inspiration!
Today I moved all my furniture, ripped up the carpet, pulled a zillion staples out of the floor, pried up all the tack strip, cleaned (scrubbed!) the floor, and moved all my furniture back into place. 3 more rooms + a hallway to go! I volunteered to do this for my parents while I’m still at home. I really like to stay busy, and sometimes I like to get away from the computer and do things that require a little more physical activity than sitting and typing (web designer!). Our carpet is ancient and icky, so its removal is long overdue.
So…I never did a blog post today (well, I did this one, but I didn’t do my typical style, tips, or DIY post). I should have an outfit for you tomorrow, though. I’m spacing out this carpet removal so I don’t wear myself out too much/strain any muscles/break my back. I hope your week is off to a great start!
I’m not tall. 5’3″, that’s me. I love this skirt, but I was concerned that the midi length would’t be flattering on me. After wearing it, I’m happy to say that I like the length. It’s just short enough, hitting right below the knee rather than mid-calf. A few other things that I think make this skirt okay on my kinda short figure are the vertical pattern on the skirt (vertical lengthens, horizontal widens), wearing the skirt high on the waist with a belt (a midi skirt is not one to be worn on the hips), and the little bit of a heel on my boots.
Real Simple Magazine offers 10 ideas to make-over some of your old clothing.
How has your week been so far? Fantastic I hope! As for mine, it’s been pretty good. I got a couple of inquiries about about some new freelance design projects, which is great timing because I ‘m finishing up a few and in need of some more. I also recently applied for a job in the Pacific NW (I really only want to be a freelancer on the side, at least at this point in my life). I really (really really) want the job and I think it’s a great fit for me, so I’ve been on the edge of my seat all week hoping for a phone call or email. I love my mom and dad and am thankful that they’re letting me live at home with dinner prepared for me every night and a low monthly rent as I work on figuring out my future, but I’m really ready to…go.
ANYWAY, have a fantastic Thursday evening/Friday, and I’ll see you tomorrow evening with an outfit (unless it rains all day again, in which case I’ll aim for Saturday).
Hello again! I just randomly had a thought and figured I’d mention it. I’m sure you’ve all noticed the “Follow Along” options on the side of the screen and at the bottom of every post. There are probably a few of you that don’t use any of those readers (I used to just bookmark blogs and check them daily). If you are one of those people, you can easily follow along by following Your Stuff & Kids’ Stuff on Facebook or Twitter, as I always tweet and post about new blog posts in those two places. Twitter is @yourstuffkids and this is the Facebook page.
. In honor of my birthday, the month of amethyst (birthstone) and violet (birth flower), I put together a light purple style collage. African Violet also happens to be one of the colors in the Pantone Fashion Color Report Spring 2013.
lavender blazer; white lace shorts; purple hair and yellow cardigan; sweater with navy skirt and red tights; purple oxfords; purple skirt with chambray top; skinny jeans and black coat; leopard peplum; neon pink skirt with purple shoes; striped skirt and floral scarf;lying in the grass; purple Minnetonkas;purple, khaki, and camel.
