The Most Versatile Shirt I've Ever Owned

Most style bloggers that I know and follow have photographers. Professional photographers. They are able to post weekly, even daily outfit posts that are incredibly fancy and professional. Me. My husband and my 7 year old daughter are my photographers. And you can kind of tell. They are incredibly gracious and work really hard, taking LOTS of pictures as I try to figure out my most natural smile and what the heck I'm supposed to do with my arms.  The exposure is off. The framing isn't perfect. My arms are awkward. And more often than not, a kid or two will show up in a photo because they want some of mama's love. And since I'm equally committed to spending time with my family AND building this business, this is the way it's got to be. I guess you could say that Thrift Me Pretty is a family business; when mama needs pics for the blog, it's all 8 hands on board. Just like yesterday...

Here we are, on a week's vacation in Maine, and we declared yesterday photo shoot day.  I gathered my outfits together, popped them in a suitcase, and off we went to one of my most favorite pristine ponds in all of Maine - Austin Pond. Though I had hoped for sunshine, it was misty and cloudy. And if you know anything about the Maine woods, that's a recipe for BUGS. Not just mosquitos either. Black flies. Deer flies. Horse flies. Moose flies.  And bug dope.

A few bugs never deterred this New England family though... we're tougher than nails. And committed to telling you about my  BEST MOST VERSATILE SHIRT.

A couple of weeks ago I found a super cute H&M shirt at a thrift shop for only $2! It's got these really cool flouncy capped sleeves, which are perfect for my triangle shape (narrow shoulders, wider hips). Having voluminous sleeves balances out my shape by broadening my torso - creating upper-lower body balance. (It's all about illusion.)  And, it's the perfect length - not too long, not too short.  I was able to create three outfits with this little number:

OUTFIT 1

A few weeks ago I picked up these neat J.Crew capri pants at a thrift shop for $6.  No matter what I tried to pair with them, I felt like I was wearing my grandpa's pants. But THIS SHIRT is the perfect dose of feminine for these plaid pants. I styled it with some bright yellow beads (thrifted $1) and a leather wrist cuff (thrifted $2). I felt both feminine and a little edgy, all at the same time.  LOVE.

OUTFIT 2

I thrifted this pink Oxygen skirt last year for $10, and it's been sitting in my closet since then because I couldn't find the right top to go with it. The shirt needed to be short enough so you could see the cool waistband, but not so short that I'd look like a 39 year old mom trying to look 19. And it needed to be loose, so it wouldn't get all bunchy over the skirt's gathered band. AND, because the skirt had such a pronounced A-line silhouette, I wanted a top with voluminous shoulders so I wouldn't look too unbalanced. Voila. The perfect shirt.

OUTFIT 3

I love dressing up boyfriend jeans with something ultra feminine. I picked up these GAP jeans for $2 a few weeks back.  The gold necklace, bracelet and shoes were thrifted ($6, $2 and $20, respectively).

So there you have it. My new best-most-versatile shirt. You'll notice over the weeks and months that I don't own many clothes.  You'll see lots of repeat pieces, styled differently. I try to keep my closet to a minimum, only holding on to things that I really really love. I don't shop in outfits (like one might do at a retail shop), I shop for pieces. So knowing how to make bunches of outfits from a handful of pieces is a skill I'm happy to have!

How about you?  Do you have any pieces that you LOVE because they are both versatile and work with your particular body shape just perfectly?  Do you have any questions about this illusory magic that I speak of?  Go ahead.  ASK ME!

And stay tuned, because next week I'll show you how I wore a pretty little something I SWORE I would never - could never - wear  ;)

To Your VIBRANCY!

xo Stasia