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A Plentiful Life

Frugal Fashion

Build a Basic Wardrobe with Thrifted Pieces

April 5, 2019
Transitioning to spring with your wardrobe

The basic wardrobe has slowly creeped into my every day style. I thought I was the fun friend, always buying bright colours, fun patterns and textured clothing. More recently I have realized I more of a basic, minimalist, neutral kind of gal. Over the past couple months there has been a lot of talk about my wardrobe, whether it was about the outfit that inspired a wardrobe overhaul or how I feel my style has changed or building a great travel wardrobe.

Pants to pack for a weekend getaway

In that time over half my wardrobe has made it’s way to the Salvation Army Thrift Store for donation. It’s win win! I can clear out my wardrobe for new pieces and am given a great coupon for $10 off a purchase of $25 or more. This month for #EarthLovesThrift the Salvation Army Thrift Store is giving away a great coupon. If you are considering clearing out your closet, now is the time!

Green jacket layered for spring

After donating most of my clothes to the Salvation Army Thrift Store and selling a few piece at Hey Archive, which is coming up again and I am a vendor! If you are looking to shop some of the most stylish closets in Vancouver, mark your calendar for June 1! (Or purchase the VIP ticket on May 31.) I needed to rebuild. Where to start? I’m not an office worker that needs a basic wardrobe for work and weekends. I wanted a wardrobe that was flexible, could work for a day in the office, brunch with girlfriends, weekends away, and so on. My new wardrobe had to be a reflection of my overall style and not broken in separate sections.

HOW TO BUILD A BASIC WARDROBE WITH THRIFTED PIECES

  • Basic t-shirt (grey or white)
  • Button down shirt (white or jean)
  • Sweater or Cardigan (neutral colour)
  • Black dress
  • Blue jeans
  • Black pants
  • Everyday skirt
  • Neutral flats
  • Black boots
  • Casual runners
  • Large leather bag
  • Neutral leather purse
  • Jewelry (costume and delicate)

1. Shop for the basics

This will allow you to create many outfit combinations. Pieces like black pants and a white tee pair on their own are simple but pair really nicely with a coloured lightweight jacket. Keeping the piece neutral also makes it easy to dress up or down.

2. Add versatile footwear

This eliminates the need for multiple pairs. Having a small selection of quality footwear is better than having a closet full of uncomfortable, poorly made shoes. The footwear should go with all outfits, casual or dressy.

3. Include everyday accessories

Pieces that will enhance your wardrobe and can dress up your basics. Dress it up with nice jewelry or a leather purse. Again you could throw on the black pants and white tee with a couple layered necklaces and a big watch, it changes the look again.

Lightweight sweaters and jackets for spring

Do you have a good base of pieces that work together? Or are you constantly frustrated by a wardrobe that doesn’t really work together?

Marc Jacobs sunglasses with a thrifted straw hat

Tired of feeling like the items in your wardrobe don’t really work together? Spring is the perfect time to build a new wardrobe. Evaluate the pieces you have, donate clothing you no longer wear to the Salvation Army Thrift Store. Then use the list above to thrift or purchase a great wardrobe! Once you’ve built your basic wardrobe you can start to add in statement pieces. If thrifting is not your style, then use this as a guy to build a great wardrobe! Make sure to set a budget and know how much you want to spend first.

Basic Wardrobe Buy Thrifted Frugal Fashion How to build a good wardrobe How to Thrift new wardrobe Spring Fashion Thrift Store Finds Thrift Store Wardrobe wardrobe overhaul Wardrobe Revamp

Previous Travel Wardrobe: Using a Colour Palette
Next All Dressed Up: Burgundy Wrap Dress

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Tijana Popovc

A frugalista who hunts for great deals, try's her best to budget and navigates life as honestly as she can. I love thrift shopping, do it yourself projects, exploring the trails by our house, all the flowers, and spending time with the love of my life Mark.
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03.10.18 5 Years. 1. Our wedding dance. A random 03.10.18

5 Years.

1. Our wedding dance. A random, simple picture I saw on my computer. I feel like it could be a regular Tuesday night in the kitchen with Mark saying something funny and me laughing. Add in two toddlers, probably screaming for a group cuddle, just out of frame.

2. Second Date, 9 years ago.

3. DIY photobooth photos. I love these photos. We look at them every year. I always roll my eyes where I can see the night takes a turn and the backdrop is halfway ripped down, but it cost $40, sooooo...worth it. 

4. Evie, Poppy, and Mama. The photobooth was supposed to be an early surprise for our anniversary as the 5th year is wood. It's an old-school wooden photobooth that happens to be set up in North Van right now, but Mark got really sick. Instead, we did a girl date, had croissants, bubbly water, photobooth photos, and a craft session. 
 
I'm posting this early because I'm signing off social media for a bit. Life with two 3 year olds is full and takes a lot of energy. Marks business is thriving, and I need to be able to support in any way I can. Plus, if I have an extra 10 minutes, I probably should be doing some self care, not scrolling on my phone. 

✌️
Have you ever been shopping at your local Salvatio Have you ever been shopping at your local Salvation Army thrift store and looked up? There is so much to discover in the aisles above the racks. Everything you need for a fun and connected long weekend with the family. 

Games, puzzles, colouring, and more! I was excited to find a floor puzzle and a few games for our younger kids. All 3 games and the puzzle only cost $12! A great investment and definitely something that will get good use in our house for many years. 

Any plans for the long weekend? Going out of town or staying home, I would definitely suggest a quick stop at your local Salvation Army thrift store to discover all of the wonderful items to keep your family entertained all weekend long.

#aplentifullifethrifted #thriftstorefinds #thrifted #salvationarmythriftstore #thriftedgames #thriftedpuzzles #thriftkids #thriftkiddies
Last one, I swear! 🤭 Swipe to see the inside o Last one, I swear! 🤭

Swipe to see the inside of the rainbow cupcakes. Honestly, so easy, and they look great! Next time, I might reverse it and make rainbow icing and plain cupcakes, a bigger wow factor. BUT three year olds LOVE sprinkles, so this worked.

🌈✨️🧁
THREE! 🦄 🎉 🌈 I had a lot of fun with thi THREE! 🦄 🎉 🌈

I had a lot of fun with this one! Do you think I accomplished this on a budget? You bet I did! The only thing about being on a budget is that it can be a bit more labour intensive. 

I used cookie cutters again, which makes for easy prep. I cut out all of the sandwich pieces in advance and froze the rice krispies oncee they were made. The rainbow cupcakes I baked in advance and froze, so it was easy to take them out and ice the day of the party.

As for the decor, from the dollar store: 3 bags of balloons, 10 streamer rolls, and 2 unicorn felt banners. Plus leftover string, tape and a Happy Birthday kit, which included the foil balloons and rainbow balloons. Total: $32.50

Now that might not be the cheapest decor but when balloon garlands sell for hundreds of dollars, I think that's a pretty good budget
Yup, I'm that mom. 🫣😂 My kids will be embar Yup, I'm that mom. 🫣😂

My kids will be embarrassed by my enthusiasm one day, but until then, I'm bringing it full force. A few friends sent me photos, and I looked like this in most of them.
TWO! I thought we'd have a big party to FINALLY ce TWO! I thought we'd have a big party to FINALLY celebrate our girls last year but then another lockdown. We had a few family members, and it was nice, but I still went all out! 

Super affordable decor: cookie cutters, $1.99 plants, and butterflies (I think this was a set of 50 for not that much). I also bought secondhand butterfly wings for the kids to wear. 

The cookie cutter adds a level of fun to the food and a bit of themed decor to the table. Butterflies were easy to add throughout our house. Plants ended up outside on our front stoop afterward. 

PS I won the balloon garland! That would be a big party splurge.
The kids have taken over the bath! I wanted to fin The kids have taken over the bath! I wanted to find a nice storage solution for my bath essentials that didn't take up a lot of room. To find what I needed, I headed to the kitchen section of my local Salvation Army thrift store. You might not think the kitchen area is where you'd find bath supplies, but I was looking for something different.

I was so happy to find this heavy cheese plate with dome. It would keep all my bath supplies safe from small children. Then I fell in love with this terracotta pot for my Epsom salts, along with a porcelain spoon, simple candle, and small glass vessel for the matches.

The matches I found at the dollar store, they were long bbq matches, so I cut them to size and taped the striker onto the bottom. I love how it turned out, and I was able to use this secondhand glass jar in a new way!

Don't worry, the kids' toys are still there, I thrifted a small little basket to keep everything contained and in ONE corner.

#aplentifullifethrifted #thriftstorefinds #thrifted #thriftedbath #relaxingbath #momtime #selfcare #budgethome #affordabledecor
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