Are you new to my Frugal Fashionista series? Find out how I dress for less with designer outfits for mere pennies on the dollar. Yes, all outfits from head to toe are less than $15, and did I mention…second hand?)
In the matter of frugal fashion, color is power! A shirt can go from blah to beautiful, just by changing your choice of color or accessorizing with pizazz. I remember growing up and hearing so much about men wearing red because it meant success, and I always wondered how that big trend began. Now I realize that picking and choosing our best colors are a fashion factor that we really need to dive into, so that we make the best out of our Frugal Fashionista wardrobe.
In the next FF post, I will address the different colors seasons and explain how to determine ones color palette.
For now, many of you are thinking, “But, I don’t have any color sense,” or “I don’t know what colors go well together.” Think back to a time when you wore a shirt and you received comments such as, “That color looks great on you.” Do you remember what it was? You don’t need a degree in design to find the things that look best on you, but asking a friend with some good color sense wouldn’t hurt either.
I confess, if someone asked me to help them with their colors, I’d love it, but I have had many friends show up in colors that were just NOT right on them, and I haven’t mentioned anything.
I’ll try to help you avoid that situation. As a friend, some say that in matters of style, you have to be cruel to have style – meaning that if a friend has committed a major fashion faux pas, you need to let them know. Ugh…I just can’t go there, unless you ask. 🙂
Let’s look at the above shirt. I know that Fuchsia is way too bold for most of you, but it’s fun, feisty, “cool seasoned” friends looks great in it, and it will help you dive into that wild side if you’re teetering on the edge of boring neutrals every day. This shirt is a Karen Kane shirt that I found at Goodwill for $3.75. I came home, googled the original price and it was anywhere from $68-99 retail. Woot! You have to love that. The quality and feel of the fabric is unbelievable, and it will probably still look like new once I pass it on. I went very basic with some black Capri pants, but the point of the picture was just to introduce color.
In many of my posts, I have shared that I always check the “return racks” that are right next to the dressing rooms at Goodwill. Often, I will score treasures that other people have hunted for, but didn’t purchase. This is what happened with this purple shirt. Again, this is a shirt that I could sleep in. The cotton is so incredibly soft, which was a factor in purchasing it, second to the color. Honestly, since I’ve gained some weight (and will be posting about the whole weight gain, weight loss, diet struggle issue sometime…), I knew both these shirts weren’t the most flattering on me. In my “Five Must Do’s when browsing a thrift store for clothes,” I encourage looking for unique details on sleeves and this is a great example to that point. But in this case, it does mean it accents the arms, which may or may not be a good thing in your case.
I paired both tops with a single, long silver necklace that I bought for only $0.50 at a yard sale. This would not have been my first choice, but it goes to the issue of need vs. want. If I had had two similar necklaces, I would have loved to double it up or even accented it with something a bit chunkier like the necklace I pictured above. I am on the hunt for long rope like necklaces, and feel it will be a great investment to buy some new if I don’t score one in the next few weeks. Again, it’s a “want,” not a “need,” but I’ve budgeted, will find a great sale, pay cash, and so it’s thumbs up on all fronts.
Yes, this T-shirt was one I was doing yard work in, but every day summer wear can be more than just a T-shirt, when you pair a $0.50 Ann Taylor cotton yard sale tank with some fun, bright jewelry. This “glass” styled jewelry has been really popular this year, and I knew I had “arrived” when I saw Paris Hilton photographed in them as well. (ha ha) I found this necklace and chunky bracelet at the beach for only $2/piece (new), and the earrings were $0.50 at a yard sale. Again, color makes things pop, and by adding some colorful jewelry, I was able to go from yard work to the store (without looking like I was just digging in the dirt. ;))
My mother of ten, no now, eleven children, sister in law always looks fabulous no matter what she is doing. I am typing this at 1:00am and I can not, for the life of me, remember the brands of these clothes, but I KNOW they were designer or I would not have taken the picture (and certainly wouldn’t have made her point to the belt.) At the time, I was VERY impressed with her yard sale belt and cute yard sale outfit, so it must be one of those $50 leather belts that she got for a buck. When she wakes up, I’ll make sure and ask, but I know it met all of our Frugal Fashionista requirements, and especially hits on the great example of color.
This shirt above is very similar to the two I bought at Goodwill. Look at the fun options you can pair it with. You know I love scarves, and can’t wait for fall to get using more of mine again (and sharing those additional ways to tie a scarf that I never shared.)
Don’t be afraid to accessorize with a great hand bag. Wow – a yellow handbag with blue shirt, now that is color! (Some of you may have to work up to that look, but I love it. I love those shoes more, but I’d have to spend a few hours learning to balance before I could pull those off with out tripping!)
So remember, this week it’s all about color, color, color. Enjoy these last hot days before we pull out all our muted autumn tones.
Take the color challenge. Just have fun with it!
I LOVE this post! My favorite color, and the color I wear best is black. I have dark brown hair and dark brown eyes and black makes my features POP. However, I LOVE COLOR! I also want to share with you that I, too, am always on a weight loss/weight gain roller coaster. As a teenager, I was tiny, weighing in at 95 pounds and 5’7″. (LOL) Although I NEVER want to go back to being that tiny, it would be nice to lose some of this jiggle. Last year I weighed 118 and this year I weigh 132… and I guarantee that by winter I will be back down to the 120s. I love that you are so open and candid about this. I have a variety of sizes and “fits” in my closet for when this happens. Although 132 is a low weight, it’s all fat gain… LOL So, although I am thin, I am “jiggly” and am currently sporting a muffin top! LOL Some of my pieces that accentuate my waistline or my arms aren’t the best choice right now. I think women need to hear these things from other women. It’s nice to know I’m not the only person in the world who can be confident in a swimsuit one month and then 3 month later wear “babydoll” dresses to hide the pooch! This was a WONDERFUL post! Thanks for sharing!
Jen, I bought 3 scarves at Old Navy this week that I got for 75% off!!! They were only $2 each! I got a white one with cute little pom-poms running all around it and two brightly colored ones to jazz up my wardrobe for the fall! As I was buying them I was thinking “Jen would be so proud!” 😉
Can’t wait for the color palette post! I thoroughly enjoy reading and learning from you! I also need help on wearing scarves, so I’ll be looking forward to that post too 🙂
ALWAYS love your fashion finds! I tend to stay ‘safe’ with my colors because I am always wearing tons of neutrals. Thanks to you I have tons of GW clothes to ‘show off’ and have revamped my work wardrobe via the GW.
This year, I’ve been all about color – in our home and my wardrobe! I’ve been wearing lots of blues and greens this summer. I bought this beautiful turquoise bracelet from Kohls (I haven’t been lucky enough to find great jewelry items at yard sales and Goodwill like you have!) that serves as a beautiful pop of color even when I’m wearing muted colors. I have to start thinking about my fall colors!
Mary Ellen
You look great- and I would love to see a post about weight fluctuations! Mine doesn’t fluctuate… just stays the same!!! and not in a good way! 🙂
You SIL needs a blog of her own! Seriously!
Love that fuschia color. My mother is also a blonde, and that and a sort of vivid aqua are her go-to colors. Green and salmon are good for me, though pinks and purples can be tricky (or fabulous) for a redhead. I find that colors I could never wear close to my hair, I can put on my lower half without ending up looking like a Harry Potter character. Still, I’m sure I’m not alone in relying on black, flax, and white as staples in my wardrobe.
Jen, you look fabulous. I know everyone has their “comfort zone” weight-wise, though. I’ve had to manage my weight ever since my chubby childhood, and it can be discouraging and emotionally exhausting to see the pounds come back. But I am a stubborn woman, and I suspect you are too, and eventually I just pull up my (too) big girl panties and take care of it. Of course, this sometimes results in a wedgie…
You are so right..if you are a true redhead, fuschia would NOT work on you. You are a warm color (spring/ fall colors, most likely. And yes, I am stubborn and just need to pull those big girl panties back up and get to work. UGH. I’ve worked so hard for so long and literally in a few months…it all went to pot. 🙂 Way too many french fries without the exercise. 🙂 And I SO laughing at the wedgie comment.
Which is your season pallet because the three shirts posted above are exactly my favorite colors to wear. Pale pink–no thank you. Give me hot pink. Deep purple, and cornflower blue, cranberry red. mmmm. Can’t wait for you next post on colors.
@Sunny, I’d guess you have dark hair, pale skin? I do, and those are my colors (bergundy, plum, purple= happy me and often compliments)… and that makes you a winter. Enjoy!
Always love to read your frugal fashionista posts! Really looking forward to your scarves tutorial!
I too love your honesty about the weight fluctuation! I’m in the same boat! About five years ago I worked SO hard to get my weight to 112-114 lbs (I’m petite). I was pretty good at keeping near that weight for a couple of years – but now 10 lbs. later – although I tend to hide it well, I feel the difference (and I can see it my photographs) and I don’t like it! The past several months I have really let it go! Would love for you to share more & challenge us just as you challenge yourself!
Prettyyourworld.com is an amazingly helpful website for determining your colors, especially if you (like me) don’t fit terribly neatly into one of the classic seasonal “boxes.” (I’m a winter, but I’m not a classic winter, so those quizzes always befuddled me. “Are you warm or cool?” “Cool. I think. Maybe. But not clearly, definitively, obviously cool.” “Are you light or dark?” “Um…neither.”) The paid assessment may be a good investment for those who really struggle to figure out their colors themselves (helps avoid purchases that just languish in the closet!), but there’s a ton of information on the site to help you figure out your own. And, no, I’m not affiliated with the site at all; I just really like it. 😉
Love the Frugal Fashionista Series! Great tips and suggestions. A little color goes a long way and applying the KISS method is the way to go in my book! That light blue looks stunning on you.
Please write your post about the weight loss struggle! It would be refreshing for many of us to share in your journey. Also, I’m sure you’ve done this in the past but I’m a new reader. Could you do a post about how to tie a scarf in different ways?
I LOVE color. I have especially been embracing it lately. I love jeweled tones in the fall so I have been going through what I have as soon enough the cooler days will be upon us. I love using different pops on color in an outfit, although it seems that everyone around here is all matchity-matchity and so I hear from people that either they LOVE my outfits or that they are wondering why I am just randomly putting pieces together.
Also, this is me asking you in advance. If you see me in something that doesn’t flatter PLEASE tell me!
xo