Juanita Shops

This has been a whirlwind week.  Sick kids, wrapping up work before the holidays, trying to think, doing laundry, trying to pack.  Luckily I had a thrift-guiding appointment this morning to look forward to - time in VV is always relaxing and rejuvenating for me especially when it's spent shopping with a great woman like Juanita!

Juanita is the mother of another great VV Boutique Style client, Deb the farmerette who got a new thrifted wardrobe back in October.  Juanita helps on the farm, works for a local paper, is a mother and grandmother and in her "spare" time she writes science fiction!  She was looking to update her casual work wardrobe with "new" jeans, sweaters, and blazers, and learn how to add scarves to her outfits for winter warmth and style.  With such broad shopping goals, no wonder we ended up with two heaping carts of options!

Yep, that's all Juanita's!  Luckily, the fitting rooms weren't busy and the staff were patient as usual!

Though I usually recommend the "rule of 3" - including three elements to the upper body portion of your outfit - Juanita gravitated toward a simple fashion formula of neutral bottom + top with interest and found plenty of pieces for plenty of unique pairings!

Juanita scored a chambray on her first trip!!  No fair!  I mean, I am so happy for her.

Though it can take some adjusting, chambray shirts make for a stylish layer under sweaters, and are incredibly versatile!

Click here for one of my favourite blogs on styling a chambray.

This short sleeve chevron shirt works with cardis and blazers.

The blazer/jean look is contemporary style, but the duo on the right would look great with slacks too.

Turns out Deb's affinity for plaid is the apple, and Juanita's love of plaid is the tree.

Like mother like daughter!

All the tops Juanita selected have interesting details, for example, the pattern of these three.

The most important detail is fit!  Juanita looked slim and trim in tops that fit 

compared to reaching for baggy tops that don't flatter her figure.

Juanita loves wool and natural fabrics.

We found several wool or wool-blend and cotton tops in great condition.

Juanita is not one to wear many belts or accessories and does not like turtlenecks or fussy necklines, however, she found 6 scarves that she can loosely loop or tie in different ways, such as this interesting but simple method:

For more scarf tying options, go to the ultimate source here.

Juanita was open to trying new things - like striped tops - and had to try many pieces because she fits different sizes in different brands.  In the end, she found at least one of everything off her list:

• jeans (black in particular)
• green jeans/pants
• pink, black, grey, red
• jackets/blazers
• sweaters in natural fibers
• shirts/blouses
• scarves

She found 36 pieces at an average cost per piece of  $5.44, or $7.94 including my fee.  When was the last time you found a beautiful wool sweater for eight bucks?!!  At that price, there's no reason not to gift yourself during the holiday season!  Her favourite finds include the blue floral scarf, patterned blouses, blazers and a couple of the jeans that FIT!  Juanita looks awesome! 

Thank you for the pleasure of winding up my week shopping with you, Juanita!  I hope you enjoy your pieces!  Merry Christmas!