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eco-friendly / Style

Boyfriend Jeans & Sustainable Street Style: $20 Thrift Store Challenge

$20 Thrift Challenge (2)

$20 to create a whole, beautiful outfit?  Challenge accepted!  

I’ve talked about ways to make your $20 go far in a thrift store.  This time I wanted to have fun and get creative with this challenge – taking plain Jane items and jazzing them up for Denise’s (of Beauty and the Pleats) $20 Thrift Store Challenge.  It is important to note that, as I’ve said in my How To Thrift 5 tips, these items were acquired at different times throughout my thrift excursions.  I thrift quite often, and everywhere I travel to.  Let me break it down for you.

DSCN8366

Shirt: a regular t-shirt with one of my favorite artist on it.  $3 at a thrift store in Memphis, TN.  I searched online for cut-up t-shirt inspiration, and changed it to be breezy and comfortable.

Pants: $8 at a DFW thrift store.  I distressed them and made the legs more fitted (because they had a wide flare at the bottom) and rolled them up.

Shoes: I don’t often buy shoes at thrift stores, because I don’t usually find ones up to my cleanliness qualifications.  I do, however, run across new and like new shoes from time to time.  I found these vintage inspired wing tip heels for $8 at a different DFW thrift store.

Purse: I found this Alba purse that looks like it is made to favor a Dooney & Bourke bag for $1 at a garage sale.

Grand total for an entire outfit: $20!

 

$20 Thrift Challenge Addie 5

photos by Gernelle of My Friend Elle

The way that I altered and combined the pieces created a fun street chic style to wear out with friends, for a casual brunch, or just out and about with your boo one day.

$20 Thrift Challenge Addie 2

Sustainability: I call this a sustainable style because every major piece was thrifted.   When we thrift, we are buying items that contain embodied energy.  This means that there was energy used to create them, but no energy (or resources) had to be used to resale them (save for items like tags that thrift stores use to price them).  Instead of buying a new piece of clothing and requiring new energy and resources, and instead of letting these perfectly good items end up in a landfill (cause mass pollution) – existing items are given a new purpose and lease on life!

$20 Thrift Challenge Addie 6 $20 Thrift Challenge Addie 3 $20 Thrift Challenge Addie 11 $20 Thrift Challenge Addie 10 $20 Thrift Challenge Addie 1 $20 Thrift Challenge Addie 9 $20 Thrift Challenge Addie 14

YOU have the ability to be a change agent just by thrifting.  Let’s talk about your thrift style!  If you have any thrifting or thrift style questions, comment below, use the hashtag #ownThrift on social media, or feel free to email me at thrift@oldworldnew.us.

Thank you to Denise for suggesting this thrift style challenge!  Check her post and many other bloggers’ posts out to see how they styled $20 worth of thrifted goodies.

xoxo dolls & dudes,

signature

 

 

 

P.S. – check out my blogging buddies, Brittany & Elle’s, posts, too!  (links coming soon).  $20 Thrift Challenge Addie Group

P.S.S. – See more thrift challengers in this link up:
An InLinkz Link-up


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The Comments

  • Melanie Pickett, Flying Blonde
    July 23, 2015

    This outfit is fabulous! I can’t decide which is my favorite piece. The shoes are great. I don’t know how to hem or taper jeans, but maybe I can learn. That would widen my options at the thrift store. You’ve given some great ideas and now I want to go thrifting! 😉

    Reply
    • Addie
      Melanie Pickett, Flying Blonde
      July 31, 2015

      Melanie, I’m not the best at sewing from scratch, but all I did was cut the jeans on the side at the hem where the front and back of the pant leg are sewn together, overlapped those pieces to make it skinny, and sewed in a dart style (just one place to hold it together – essentially the same thing a safety pin would do if you place it there). After that I just rolled them up to hide it! It was really easy. I hope you do go thrifting soon 🙂 here are some tips if you need them! https://oldworldnew.us/how-to-thrift/

      Reply
  • Asheli
    July 23, 2015

    I so love your pictures! They are so cool.

    Reply
    • Addie
      Asheli
      July 31, 2015

      Thank you, Asheli! 🙂

      Reply
  • Tiffany
    July 23, 2015

    I can’t believe your outfit only cost $20! You really did a fabulous job 🙂 Yet another reason why i LOVE thrifting!

    Reply
    • Addie
      Tiffany
      July 31, 2015

      Isn’t thrifting the best, Tiffany?1 Thank you 🙂

      Reply
  • Samantha
    July 24, 2015

    This is such a cute outfit and idea! I love how it all cost you under $20!!

    Reply
    • Addie
      Samantha
      July 31, 2015

      Thank you, Samantha! The price makes it 10x better lol!

      Reply
  • Leslie Wilkie
    July 24, 2015

    I love your thrift style. It definitely inspires me to try to find something amazing @ the local thrift stores. I can’t pick out one fave piece because you made it all work together fabulously! You’re a thrifting rock star!

    Reply
    • Addie
      Leslie Wilkie
      July 31, 2015

      Thank you so much, Leslie! I’m truly passionate about making old things new again, so thrifting is like my boo haha!

      Reply
  • Megan Harney
    July 24, 2015

    Those are amazing! I can’t believe you found them at a thrift store! I always seem to miss out on the great clothes at thrift stores, but I find lots of furniture and other goodies. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Addie
      Megan Harney
      July 31, 2015

      Yes ma’am, I’m serious about my thrifting lol! But like I said, it takes time – I acquired all of these over several months at different stores. I love furniture I find at thrift stores too. And home decor items 🙂

      Reply
  • Brooke
    July 24, 2015

    Such a fun idea for a challenge—even more so that friends were involved in the same challenge. You all did really well! I’m impressed. I love thrifting, but have trouble finding the time lately with two small kids. I think I’m going to need to petition for a day to go spend some time on my own at the thrift stores!

    Reply
    • Addie
      Brooke
      July 24, 2015

      Lol yes! It’s cheap shopping too, so you spouse/partner can’t object! Go get you some alone time and thrifted goodies, Brooke! ☺️

      Reply
  • Christine
    July 25, 2015

    Well done! Our thrift stores in canada are soooo expensive! You would not be able to find all of that for $20! So that’s incredible!

    Reply
    • Addie
      Christine
      July 31, 2015

      Christine, it sucks when the stores start to charge so much because thrift shopping is so popular. Maybe you can go thrifting on sales days and find discounts? Check out this post – https://oldworldnew.us/thrift-shop-20-dollar-pocket/

      Reply
  • Denise Johnson
    July 28, 2015

    Love, love, LOOOVE that outfit! Especially the shoes! <3

    Reply
    • Addie
      Denise Johnson
      July 31, 2015

      Thank you, Denise! I’m so glad you put this challenge together. I’m probably going to challenge myself to do it again haha! 🙂

      Reply
  • Karen Ellis [RUDE]
    July 30, 2015

    I love your thrifted pieces and style +++ Thank you for sharing the joy of frugal.

    I do however disagree that no energy is expended to re-sale secondhand garments. And i think charity store volunteers would agree with me on this. There is a lot of behind the scenes sorting, checking, tagging, pricing and hanger presentation before a garment hits the store for retail. Some stores like TRAID in the UK may even repair/refashion the garment as well.

    Hope you don’t mind constructive feedback 🙂

    Reply
    • Addie
      Karen Ellis [RUDE]
      July 31, 2015

      Thank you, Karen – and I don’t mind at all! This is an older post and I don’t remember if over ever accounted for the work that is done at the thrift stores since then, but you are so correct. I should factor that in instead of just speaking on the energy required to source materials and create the garment originally. And I’ve never seen stores that repair here in America, so I bet those are cool to have in the UK! Thanks again for your feedback 🙂 it’s all about growth and spreading knowledge, so I value it very much!

      Reply
  • NYFW – Vintage Off Shoulder Peplum Top | Old World New
    September 14, 2015

    […] it doesn’t scream 80’s!  I paired it with jeans I distressed (as seen in this $20 thrift challenge), a Rocksbox necklace and a comfy pair of black wing-tip styled shoes.  I made the mistake of […]

    Reply
  • Thrifted Yellow Asian High Collar & Split Dress + Distressed Denim
    April 18, 2016

    […] $6 at Thrift City (Lewisville) /// Pants:  $8 at a DFW Thrift Store (see them styled casually here) /// Shoes: Target (see them styled for a semi-formal look […]

    Reply
  • Thrifted Yellow Asian High Collar & Split Dress + Distressed Denim — Old World New
    November 29, 2018

    […] Thrift City (Lewisville) /// Pants:  $8 at a DFW Thrift Store (see them styled casually here) /// Shoes: Target (see them styled for a semi-formal look […]

    Reply

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Hello from the garden today. Lots of visitors probably due to the heavy rains.
Hello from the garden today. Lots of visitors probably due to the heavy rains.
Hello from the garden today. Lots of visitors probably due to the heavy rains.
Hello from the garden today. Lots of visitors probably due to the heavy rains.
Hello from the garden today. Lots of visitors probably due to the heavy rains.
oldworldnew
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Hello from the garden today. Lots of visitors probably due to the heavy rains.
2 weeks ago
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Happy Earth Day 🌍🫶🏾🌱

I used to think “let me just get 5k followers.. 10k followers… one day I’ll have 20k followers…” to help people live more sustainably with the blog posts and social media posts I created. 10+ years of that led to burnout. And it never felt the same as when my friends and family started to live a little more sustainably because of something they learned from me. 

I hope you’ll be the inspiration for someone in your life to be a little bit more sustainable today. It’s such a good feeling to see the people closest to you thrift more, consume less, and think differently — more sustainably — about how we treat our world. 

Don’t push it, just live it. 

Happy Earth Day 🌍🫶🏾🌱
oldworldnew
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Happy Earth Day 🌍🫶🏾🌱 I used to think “let me just get 5k followers.. 10k followers… one day I’ll have 20k followers…” to help people live more sustainably with the blog posts and social media posts I created. 10+ years of that led to burnout. And it never felt the same as when my friends and family started to live a little more sustainably because of something they learned from me. I hope you’ll be the inspiration for someone in your life to be a little bit more sustainable today. It’s such a good feeling to see the people closest to you thrift more, consume less, and think differently — more sustainably — about how we treat our world. Don’t push it, just live it. Happy Earth Day 🌍🫶🏾🌱
4 weeks ago
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2/5
🥶❌🌱 Not my plant babies! 

It’s been cold in Texas the past few days, so I acted accordingly to protect my little backyard garden that’s barely underway. 

Using thrifted sheets (once back drops in my “thrift fashionista style content” days lol) and thrifted clothes pins (I knew they would come in handy! 😆🙌🏾), as well as some old jugs, bottles, containers, and twigs. Hopefully they help keep the plants from getting too cold to survive.
oldworldnew
oldworldnew
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🥶❌🌱 Not my plant babies! It’s been cold in Texas the past few days, so I acted accordingly to protect my little backyard garden that’s barely underway. Using thrifted sheets (once back drops in my “thrift fashionista style content” days lol) and thrifted clothes pins (I knew they would come in handy! 😆🙌🏾), as well as some old jugs, bottles, containers, and twigs. Hopefully they help keep the plants from getting too cold to survive.
1 month ago
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3/5
Finally got a migrating bird LIGHTS OUT sign 🤩

Turn off your lights (outdoor & indoor) to limit light pollution and to protect migrating birds 🫶🏾🕊️

TURN ‘EM OFF! (in my Teddy Pendergrass voice 😂)

#lightsouttexas #lightsout #lightpollution #migratorybirds
oldworldnew
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Finally got a migrating bird LIGHTS OUT sign 🤩 Turn off your lights (outdoor & indoor) to limit light pollution and to protect migrating birds 🫶🏾🕊️ TURN ‘EM OFF! (in my Teddy Pendergrass voice 😂) #lightsouttexas #lightsout #lightpollution #migratorybirds
2 months ago
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Do you reuse gift wrap?

Here are some things that I’ve thrifted to reuse as gift wrap each holiday season:

⭐️ tablecloths
⭐️ napkins & handkerchiefs (matching napkins sewn together can be used for larger gifts)
⭐️ Scarves (like from @wrappr)
⭐️ Cloth bags (like the ones your sheet sets come in)
⭐️ Pillowcases
⭐️ Curtains (can be used as gift wrap or to cover larger gifts like bikes or toy kitchens)

As long as you can fold the fabric into a square before wrapping the gift, it works well when using the furoshiki style wrapping technique. 

Comment WRAP for a few tips and tricks to wrap gifts in cloth fabric.
oldworldnew
oldworldnew
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Do you reuse gift wrap? Here are some things that I’ve thrifted to reuse as gift wrap each holiday season: ⭐️ tablecloths ⭐️ napkins & handkerchiefs (matching napkins sewn together can be used for larger gifts) ⭐️ Scarves (like from @wrappr) ⭐️ Cloth bags (like the ones your sheet sets come in) ⭐️ Pillowcases ⭐️ Curtains (can be used as gift wrap or to cover larger gifts like bikes or toy kitchens) As long as you can fold the fabric into a square before wrapping the gift, it works well when using the furoshiki style wrapping technique. Comment WRAP for a few tips and tricks to wrap gifts in cloth fabric.
5 months ago
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