Thrift Archives - the style du jour

Three Ways to Style Stripes

April 6, 2017

If you’ve been keeping up with me for a bit, then you’re likely aware of my LOVE for a savvy second from thrifted and vintage to antiques. (If you’re new to the blog, here’s a little more about my vintage and thrifting obsessions).

The treasure hunt is one of my favorite hobbies plus I feel good knowing my new purchase had a life before I found it and brought it home. Naturally, I was beyond thrilled to recently partner with Crossroads Trading on Instagram to show how to style one of spring’s “it girl” trends – the vibrant stripe – three different ways.

Crossroads Trading is all about “recycled fashion” by offering customers a way to sell recently purchased (typically not more than a year old) and well-kept clothing as well as purchase of-the-moment styles and accessories. You know that jumpsuit from last spring that doesn’t quite fit right or the pair of shoes you picked up on clearance that just sit in your closet? Those are the kind of pieces you can sell to Crossroads or “trade” in for in-store cash to pick up something new to refresh your wardrobe for spring.

With this in mind, I sold some goodies from my closet and, in exchange, picked up a gorgeous Objects Without Meaning ribbed striped sweater from the Andersonville, Chicago location (btw, it retails for more than $150, but was priced at $32 in store).

Here are just a few ways I’ll be wearing colorful stripes paired with other on-trend hues (light pink!), details (ruffles, yes please!) and of-the-moment styles like block-heel mules, track pants and a pleated skirt.

Girly Stripes

Crossbody Satchel (similar) Light Pink Mules (similar)

Sporty Stripe

Featuring Addidas joggers and a Rebecca Minkoff crossbody bag purchased at Crossroads Lincoln Park/Chicago

Gold Sneakers White Denim Jacket

Chic Stripes (x2)

Low Block Heel Striped Pleated Skirt Rose Quart Hoops

How will you be wearing the bold stripe this spring? If you haven’t shopped at Crossroads before or it’s been a while, make sure to stop by your nearest store to trade in some of your previously loved pieces for some new spring and summer duds. If you do, please let me know what treasures you find!

XO,

Emily

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Where to Find Holiday Presents People Will Love (Part 1)

November 11, 2016

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In honor of today’s #FollowFriday and in light of this week’s events, I wanted to share a little extra love for some of my favorite female boutique owners, creatives and across-the-board inspiring ladies who are owning their paths, realizing their dreams, and empowering and supporting other women at the same time. #GIRLPOWER.

These ladies have changed how I think and will shop small this holiday season. If you aren’t familiar with them yet, please check out their websites and follow their Instagram feeds so you can say you knew them when. 🙂 Oh, and get some shopping done (all from the comfort of your couch) and you’ll be sure to get presents people will LOVE.

Happy holiday shopping and cheers to supporting small businesses and #girlbosses everywhere this season! (and always) <3

XO,

Emily

P.S. Please check back next week for the second part of this shop small holiday gift guide!

Cut and Chic Vintage

Joanna Go’s Cut and Chic Vintage Etsy Shop is the dream e-boutique for vintage lovers (like me!) but is also the perfect destination for thrift shopping novices. The result of Jo’s knowledge of vintage era clothing and accessories coupled with her style sense is a lust-worthy collection of timeless pieces and statement makers. For you vintage and thrifting newbies, you are spared the task of sifting through racks of previously worn clothes. Jo’s done the dirty work for you to uncover the true treasures. If you’re not sure how to pull them off, follow Jo on Instagram or on her blog, Cut and Chic, for the definition of Mad Men + street style fashion inspo.

What to buy for the holiday party-goer: Vintage Velvet Party Dress with Fur Trim, Navy, Gold and White Vintage Heels, Vintage 1950s/60s Faux Faux Fur Collared Jacket.

Chels Draws You

Chelsea takes finger painting to the next level with her iPhone. From portraits to group images, Chelsea magically creates a special timepiece for you all from a simple photograph (or several). Starting at $60, her digital paintings make a touching holiday gift and can be used to create and personalize note cards, blogs (like yours truly), t-shirts…the possibilities are endless. Oh, and did I mention she’s a delight to work with?! Get inspired for your project from her website gallery, Chels Draws You, and her Instagram feed.

Alice and Wonder

For the fashionistas and hostess-with-the-mostess in your lives, this e-boutique is a must. In another life, the owner, Ali, and I spent our days in the PR world grind, so it’s a delight to watch her new journey take off and even more enjoyable to shop from and admire all of its amazingness. Alice and Wonder is stocked full of classic yet on-trend apparel, shoes and accessories, as well as lovely accents for your home (think cute bar ware, wall art and more). Ali and her fab Chicago blogger pals bring collections to life and, trust me, you’ll want it all. Set your calendar for the new collection launch on November 22. Until then, catch sneak peeks of the new line on their Instagram. And as a new customer, save 15% on your first order! (see details on AliceandWonder.com)

What to buy for your gal pals: Banner Buffalo Check Coat, Live in Me Jumper, Maura Multi-Color Scarf (pictured above!)

Stay tuned for the second installment next Friday featuring three more incredible small shops!

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Blue Crush

October 17, 2016

Who else is crushing on the velvet trend right now? I’ve always loved velvet this time of year, especially around the holidays, and I’ve been finding gorgeous new pieces to add to my collection – everywhere from Anthro and Zara to JCPenny (more about these fab finds in a future post…).

Whether you’re wearing it head-to-toe or as an accessory, like my new Zara velvet chain crossbody bag (for less than $40!), this plush fabric looks super rich for the season. Add jewel tones and gold details for the complete luxe look, in my humble opinion. 🙂

Outfit Details

Velvet Chain Crossbody (Zara)

Women’s Contrast Tie Button Down, Striped (Target, Who What Wear)

Kate Spade High-Waisted Blue Wool Pant (I found these on ThredUP – read more about it here!)

Black Patent Kitten Heel Pump (Mine are from Aldo, but these Nordstrom heels are the same)

What is your favorite way to add velvet into your fall or holiday style?

XO,

Emily

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Fall Closet Clean Out: How to Make Room + $ At the Same Time

September 23, 2016

Today is the official kick-off to fall which is a little hard to believe because it’s been humid and hot here in Chicago (not complaining AT ALL). But…

I am looking forward to those crisp fall days to layer up in my cozy sweaters, vests and scarfs which have been packed away for six+ months at this point and will feel like new (“Oh yea, I forgot about this one!”). If you’re like me, you’ll be spending some time this weekend on the seasonal closet update which for me, involves packing away summer clothes and dusting off the sweater storage bins in our basement. And while I’m tearing my closets apart, I’ll re-evualate the fate of each item: love and keep, sell or donate. Like a new school year, it’s like a wardrobe fresh start and ThredUp has become my go-to thrifting site to help make the sell and donate options completely seamless.

What’s Up with ThredUp?

I discovered it about a year ago, and since then, I’ve made about $200 on clothes and shoes (which were just taking up space in my closet), as well as purchased new-with-tags and like-new treasures including J.Crew flats, Kate Spade wool pants, a Tory Burch blazer, as well as really sweet new baby clothes for Sloane.

As a seller, here’s how simple it is to clean out your closet and make a little pocket change:

Create an account and order a “clean out” bag. **Sign up here and you’ll automatically get $10.**
Receive the clean out bag in the mail. Fill it up with like-new and on-trend clothing, handbags and shoes. Sorry, no 90’s Felicity-era Abercrombie sweaters allowed. ThredUp is picky, but in a good way, so your stuff has to be within five years old and in flawless condition.
Leave your bag for your mail man or drop it off at the post office or FedEx (it will ship faster).
Receive an offer from ThredUp (the wait time is usually about two months). Accept! Get your money via PayPal. 🙂 If they don’t accept an item, they will automatically donate it on your behalf. Win-Win.

As a buyer, you can honestly pick up some incredible pieces at a fraction of what you’d pay at the store. You just have to know how to filter your search and zero in on the high-end stuff, but there’s plenty of it. These pieces from Kate Spade, Tory Burch, J. Crew and St. John are calling my name…

For first time shoppers with ThredUp, you can save 40% on your entire order (this is huge!). Use Fall40 at check-out and make sure to load up on everything you love because you can only use this code once.

Will you be thrifting with ThredUp this fall? Or adding to your wardrobe? If so, I’d love to know what you think!

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Hi, (blog) World. Introducing…me!

August 30, 2016

Bonjour, bijou! This is it. The little kick-off to my blogging journey. Honestly, I’ve been dreaming up this little blog baby on and off for many years, but those who have followed me on Instagram over the last year are truly responsible for inspiring me to just go for it. I’m not gonna lie. It’s a bit of an intimidating blogging world out there with so many truly creative people expressing unique and beautiful words, ideas and photos every day. Am I right?! So, here’s what I have promised myself and will offer to you as a reader: I promise to be true to my personality and who I am at my core, and in the end, I hope my thoughts pique your interest just enough for you to continue to tune in as I serve up my take on style, from fashion and beauty to home décor and super cute kids’ stuff. Here’s why I can passionately and confidently speak to these topics. Yours truly loves to shop. Window shopping, online shopping, watching someone else shop…I don’t discriminate. That said, I rarely pay full price for anything so I’ll be sharing my go-to sales and shopping tips, as well as thrifting finds (both here and abroad for all you wanderlust’s), subscription box reviews and some glam giveaways sprinkled in.

So in a nutshell, that’s an idea of what you can expect to read on The Style Du Jour. And, for those of you just stumbling across this blog, here’s a little bit more about me and what influences my personal take on style today.

Day Job: I’m a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). Translation = I was a science nerd in college AND (most importantly) I LOVE FOOD. For eight years I worked in PR helping food companies, but for the last year I’ve focused on my two most important clients full-time, Teddy (3) and Sloane (1).

How I Describe My Style: Casual-Chic, Minimal, European-Flare.

Current Fashion Trend Obsession: High-waisted culotte fringe jeans. Wow. That kind of sounds like a lot going on in one pair of pants, but I predict I’ll be living in these pants this fall.

Recent Thrifting Treasure: Pierre Balmain silk scarf. Picked it up at a vintage shop in Florence while on vacation with my hubby. I have a growing collection of neck scarfs (inherited and purchased) which have become my go-to accessory to quickly give some polish to a simple t-shirt with jeans, hide a bad hair day or accessorize a handbag. You can never have enough!

On-Repeat: My navy bandana from the Dollar Store. It’s been my favorite spring and summer accessory. I love how the simple bandana has been elevated to a glam statement piece this season.

Style Inspiration: My mom. 🙂 She’s got the eye and she knows how to pull it all together, popped collar and all.

That’s all for now. Thanks so much for reading! ‘Til next time!

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