BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you already know that change is in the air!  If you know me at all, you already know that I'm not one to meander about when it comes to change.  As soon as I can jump, I jump!  And so, I am exceedingly pleased to announce the NEW NAME and NEW WEBSITE for VV Boutique Style...

The Spirited Thrifter

www.thespiritedthrifter.com 

This change has been brewing for a long time! (pun intended)  I consider myself a self-appointed "thrifting ambassador" and support everyone's thrifty efforts, no matter your shopping or donation destination.  Sustainable style is not about one particular store; simply, shop secondhand when you can and donate somewhere!  Fast fashion is sickening, and we all CAN do something about it by shopping secondhand and donating.  It's that easy, and I wanted my blog name to be inclusive of the many wonderful thrifting and secondhand opportunities in my community and all over!  I am forever grateful that "VV Boutique" opened the doors to my enlightenment and has shown support over the past few years, but this is bigger than VV.  Thrifting is a movement, and it's gaining force.  That brings me JOY!

Just in case you're wondering, The Spirited Thrifter will continue to include great thrifted style, fashion information and inspiration for the everyday woman, Monday Style Prompts, thrift guiding adventures, irreverent humour, wine references and more.  I will continue to share my real-life-style story and hope to entertain you along the way!  You will continue to find me on Instagram...

If you were already following me on Instagram, you don't have to do anything to follow The Spirited Thrifter.

If you weren't following me, what are you waiting for?

You will continue to find me on Twitter...

Twitter knows things first, it's a fact.

Again, if you're already following me, you can sit back, relax and have a glass of wine.

If you're not following me, no wine for you till you click "follow."

Turns out Facebook might take a bit of time to change my name officially but my hope is that if you're already following me there, you won't need to do anything to follow The Spirited Thrifter.  If you haven't liked VV Boutique Style on Facebook, it's time to click that little "like" button to follow The Spirited Thrifter!  

Let's talk about Pinterest.  I LOVE Pinterest and have several boards of interest (pun intended) to The Spirited Thrifter readers:

• Thrifted
• Monday Style Prompt
• Thrift Hunting List
• The Spirited Thrifter Inspiration

If you're already following those boards, no need to do anything.  Carry on!  If you're not, you know what to do.  Google+ is going to be the wildcard in this change!  VV Boutique Style has had nearly 2 million views!  Hallelujah!  There's no way for this to transfer smoothly to The Spirited Thrifter so we're just going to have to rebuild!  Between fashion, wine and whiskey, I think we can hit THREE MILLION in no time!

Cheers to new beginnings!

People like to read blogs via different sources, including Google+ and Bloglovin!  Bloglovin is the last to get updated but if you notice a break in posts, head on over to The Spirited Thrifter and click the little heart to follow along!

Most important for last: if you have subscribed to VV Boutique Style via email, you must re-subscribe to The Spirited Thrifter by entering your email address at the top of either the desktop or mobile site:

This is a great way to ensure you never miss a questionably appropriate joke great outfit.

Though I link up my blog posts across the board, I also post different things on all the social media platforms so it's just best to follow 'em all!  Great content, great entertainment, great style - that is what you will find on The Spirited Thrifter!  See you over there!

Classy Casual Friday

Even though Friday is ancient history by now, my 4-year-old went to the trouble of taking photos before our crazy classy casual Friday got started, so I'm sharing them!  It was a little out of routine to do a Monday Style Prompt on Friday but I hope someone out there rose to the challenge of upping their casual Friday style game!  Of course, it depends on where you work or what you do on Fridays, but I think there are some general do's and don'ts for a classier casual Friday.  But first, my Pinspiration...

You can tell by my background scene that I am WAY more glamorous than that girl.

DO limit your "casual" pieces to one...

My "one" was my denim, so I chose a nice peplum top to wear with them.

Jeans and a casual tee would be too casual.

 

IMHO that goes for shoes too but I'm not much of a sneaker girl.

And I only wear runners when I exercise once every 3 years.

BTW, when a wet Bernese Mountain Dog sits on your blue suede shoes, it leaves a wet mark.

DO wear a blazer with your casual piece, be it a tee or bottom...

and DO accessorize!

Cuff and necklace handmedowns from my sis!

 

Anthropologie brand peplum top in like-new condition $7

Blazer $7 and pumps $5.50 VV Boutique

JBrand denim from my closet and chain-strap bag handmedown from my sis...

at least I think she meant for me to keep it.

There are some absolute "no's" for casual Friday.  NO yoga pants, NO sweatpants, NO workout gear unless you work in a workout place (I hear that's called a "gym").  I get that they're comfortable, but so are dresses, so are jeans, so are nice tunics and leggings!  As I was driving to work on Friday, I was thinking that I would even call distressed denim a NO for classy casual Friday, but then I noticed a few people wearing them at work on Friday.  I wouldn't, yet I would wear a comic-book-print skirt to work any day of the week.  Go figure. 

I admit, I swapped out the pumps for some metallic pointed flats

because my classy casual Friday duties exceeded my pump-wearing potential. 

DO wear cute flats with your denim!

Easy DRESSing

If you've been following VV Boutique Style for any length of time, you know I love dresses.  Dresses to me are public nightgowns - comfortable, functional and easy to wear!  Since starting this thrifting adventure, my dress collection has grown considerably!  It's not my fault.  When one finds oneself face to face with a great dress for only $4, what else is one to do but snatch it up quickly before anyone else gets it buy it?  Such was the case for this blue-print shift dress from the Hope Missions Bargain Shoppe, styling Pinspired by Audrey of Putting Me Together...

The dress really was $4!  

Chie Mahara booties $7, wide woven belt $3.50 from VV Boutique

Teal tights and cardi are handmedowns!  That counts as secondhand too!

In reality, I probably stand nearly a foot taller than Audrey, which may explain my dress is so much shorter!  In reality, I couldn't NOT wear accessories though my pinspiration wasn't wearing any...

Mix of She Does Create and thrifted!

In reality, when I went to leave the house and couldn't find the scarf I had in mind, I made a last minute swap of tights and boots.  And I ditched the belt to drop the hemline an inch or two...

Here I am at the Fire Hall field trip.

Snuck in a little "fashion blogger pose" while one of the class moms took a shot of all of us with the fire truck.

#winning

I could easily style this dress 20 different ways off the top of my head, no pinspiration necessary!  Great piece at a great price makes for easy (stylish and comfortable) dressing!

HECK YEAH I did "stop drop and roll" with all the other four year olds!

(*my four has a 1 after it)

New Shoes Make Me Happy

If you follow me on Instagram, you know what's coming.  I thrifted some new shoes at the 50% off sale day at Value Village yesterday and could not wait to wear them!  I had just the Pinspired-March outfit in mind but first had to try it with her boring shoes...

Banana Republic pink pants $5, J Crew gingham top $4.20 VV Boutique

White tee and accessories from my closet, Gap denim jacket B.T. (Before Thrifting)

The $5.50 nude-blush d'Orsay peep toes are cute and all...

I can't believe I'm posting a toe close up with no polish.

#bloggerfail #reallifestyle #howevermy4yodtrsnailsarepainted

But they just can't compare to...

TWO DOLLARS FOR THESE SPRING-FLORAL-PERFECTION FLATS!

My "SHAZAAM" shot turned out blurry so now I have to dock my photographer one Pokemon card.

Or just blame time-change-Monday.

I assume no one noticed what else I was wearing because the shoes are just that fab but I did enjoy my warm-weather layers!

Believe it or not, it was warm enough later in the day for just the denim jacket...

But I threw on my Eddie Bauer puffer vest B.T. and a $3.50 scarf from VV for an early morning appointment...

I'm certain the doctor LOVED my shoes and just held back the compliments to be professional.

Even though the Monday Style Prompt for this week is focused on Friday - "Classy Casual Friday" - I think this outfit proves a good point: great shoes and bold pieces like my pink hot pants hot pink pants elevate casual staples like the denim and gingham.  So, if you're still wondering how to add some class to your casual Friday look, give that a try! 

Go thrifting if necessary!  There's still time!

And with treasures like these floral shoes to be found, who can resist?!!

Polka Dot Pin-Up

If you follow me on Pinterest, you probably have an idea what I wore today.  I only say that because one of my friends guessed it.  She's a "pin-teller," along the same lines as "grocery-tellers" and "the mentalist."  Anyhoo, I wore a recent thrift score from VV Boutique, a $4.90 polka-dot cardigan!

Black tee and accessories from my closet

Obviously this cardigan doesn't exactly qualify me as a pin-up girl (unless you're my tired husband), but the Pin that Pinspired my OOTD is reminiscent of a pin-up girl - a stylish one, albeit with questionable posing.

I call this the "I'm a little polka-dot and yellow-pants teapot" pose.

Teapots aside, I do love an interesting finishing piece.  Interesting blazers, interesting cardigans... solids are good too but interesting finishing pieces elevate a simple outfit.

Lo and behold, an easy style formula: 

denim (coloured or other) + tee (plain or other) + interesting finisher = good OOTD

Of course, yellow pants don't hurt matters either as far as interesting goes!

I found a handful of inspiring outfits for this cute cardi - at least five which means I will easily get my "styles per cost" value out of this piece! 

Yellow pants B.T. (Before Thrifting) 

Polka dots are a cheerful pattern, and therefore the perfect piece to usher in some good news today!  VV Boutique Style has been nominated for a Yeggie for the second year running!  I still got it!  Now to start thinking about what to wear!   

Gingham Style

I CANNOT stop pinning gingham looks!!  The sad news is that I have exactly ONE gingham piece that I only recently thrifted so though I can't make this "Gingham Week" like some people, I am "pinspired" to style this top in so many ways that it will definitely become one of the most versatile pieces in my wardrobe!  Speaking of pinspiration, March is the time of year that I like to visit my Pinterest boards and replicate outfits!  (AKA I need something to make it through the most disheartening winter month!  The time changes, Spring officially starts, schools have Spring Break, stores are flooded with Spring colours and outdoor decor and all the while it's a BLIZZARD out there to the tune of tie-a-rope-to-the-barn-Pa!  I digress.)  I did this last year for Pinspired March and had so much fun!  I'm happy to have this week's Monday Style Prompt - Grab Your Gingham - as the official kick-off to Pinspired March 2.0!  Before I reveal my pinspired looks, the copy that didn't happen (today anyway): gingham shirt plus statement necklace...

My sis and fave Chantel brought me back this necklace from their recent trip to Mexico on my birthday, without me.

I like the look and all but just wasn't feeling it today.  It felt a little too "Fashion Blogger."  Not that there's anything wrong with that.  Instead I copied a look that caught my eye on the weekend...

Navy wool skirt $4.90, belt and Miz Mooz shoes on my mind from yesterday!

Sunglasses from my closet...

I wouldn't have chosen turquoise accessories, but since I'm trying to stay true to my pinspiration, 

I did it anyway... and liked it!

Two seconds later, I decided I didn't feel like wearing a skirt in the blizzard, so I changed to a different pinspiration from Franish!

Hers is black and mine is blue...

Hers is tucked, mine is untucked (but I still have my $1.20 red belt on!)...

I swap you one visible belt for one visible necklace ($2)!

The outcome of my initial foray into gingham style is my undying admiration for the classic gingham top!  I loved it!  I loved wearing it all day long! I felt stylish and comfortable!!  AND smug.  Because this J Crew top in perfect condition cost me less than a latte!

$4.20 for this beauty!

Is there a "J Crew Thrifted Find of the Year" award? If so, IT'S MINE!

Versatile Pieces

KCan we just pretend it's February 28th?  It's only fair considering how we lose a couple days (or more) every single year!!  I'm indignant.  It's February's fault I didn't get this post up in February, not mine.  Now that that's settled, let me show you the last piece for February's "Day to Play" series, what I like to call my "ECGT"...

You might be a bit nerdy like me if you understand that name right away!

I scored this tee a couple weeks ago and had a hard time deciding between it, a vintage cardigan and a Free People floral top.  It was a handmade vs vintage vs brand name show down!  Ultimately, I decided the Free People top ran the risk of looking maternity - NO NEVER AGAIN SO STOP ASKING AND STOP EVEN THINKING.  I DON'T HAVE THE GREATEST POSTURE OKAY! NOW LEAVE ME ALONE - and the vintage piece would be challenging to style.  This tee however has gorgeous colours and a unique pattern that means it will be a versatile addition to my wardrobe!  Here I am before heading out the door (late) for church...

Top $3.50, Clarks booties $10 VV Boutique

JBrand denim and belt from my closet and She Does Create necklace

When I spotted this top in the racks, I immediately pictured some pattern mixing with my oldest skirt SO before changing into my pajamas at 6:30pm, I styled it up for a work look...

Skirt via clothing swap 8 YEARS AGO

Banana Republic orange wool blazer $13.30, leather Old Navy belt $4.20, Miz Mooz shoes $7.70 VV Boutique

Accessories from my closet

Matt&Nat bag gifted from my favourite Megan

Something about teal brings out the matchy-matchy in me.  I could have styled this with several other perfectly colour-matched pieces from my closet.  

In fact, I'm pretty sure that's going to happen in the near future.

"Just slipping off my blazer as I stride to the couch to the office."

The top is practically stripes (with a heartbeat) and the skirt is practically polka dots (with a pupil), 

so the pattern mixing should surprise no one.

Throughout a month of styling pieces in multiple ways, I gained an appreciation for versatility.  True I have plenty of options for mixing and matching so I can find multiple styles for almost anything, but I still have a sense of the pieces that are going to be easy to work with.  Obviously, basic neutrals are going to be versatile, but "secondary" versatile pieces include:

• interesting neutrals like my Theory top and cardi/vest
• those with good patterns and colours like this tee and my leopard-print cardi
• standout pieces that are memorable no matter what you do with them like my comic-book-print skirt

Let me conclude Day to Play with this message: don't be afraid of pieces with character!  They *will* add style to your basics and mileage to your wardrobe!

To whoever handmade this tee: THANK YOU!  It has found a happy home in my closet!

Any my last message in case you didn't get my tee title:

To whoever created this graphic: THANK YOU!  It has found a happy home in my perspective!