Donate Back and Restyle Wrap Up

It’s the last day of winter and the last day of Restyle! Did you have a fun month following along with all the prompts? From what I saw on Instagram people were finding some fantastic things, I was a little envious at times! The very last prompt of Restyle is always Donate Back, which is a fantastic habit to get in to. As a keen op shopper, it’s very easy to accumulate a lot of clothes quickly. Fast fashion is completely the norm now, which means people (myself included!) want new clothes all the time. This means we often have wardrobes full of clothes, shoes and accessories which have been worn once or twice and won’t be worn by us again. These are the items which are ripe for donation! Put them in a big bag and take them down to your local op shop. Someone else will be able to breath some new life into them and a charity will gain some much needed funds for their important work in your community. I try to get in to the habit of taking one item out of my wardrobe for every new item I buy. This doesn’t always happen, but most of the time I’m pretty good. I keep an old IKEA bag in the boot of my car and just keep putting clothes in there, when it’s full I know it’s time to lug it down to my local op shop.

 

I had such fun following along with all the prompts this year. Not being an ‘official’ blogger has taken the pressure off and allowed me to just enjoy the month. I loved seeing everyone else’s outfits pop up on Instagram and on blogs. Encouraging and inspiring people to op shop is truly awesome, thank you so much Telstra Perth Fashion Festival for investing in such an amazing initiative. I’ll definitely be following along next year!  

 

 

 

If you missed any of my outfits you can just click on the pictures to take you to the post. My favourite look was the very first one! I just can’t get over my amazing tribal skirt from Good Sammies. I want to keep wearing it over and over again! Which was your favourite prompt this year?

 

 

I only missed two prompts, Blazer and Metallic, and on both days I did actually wear something that fit the prompt I was just too sick (blazer) and busy (metallic) to snap a pic! Thanks for following along with my Restyle attempts this year! I hope some of you were inspired to hit your local op shops in search of treasure (if you weren't already doing so!!).

P.S I’ve donated a few huge bags of clothes to Vinnies in Claremont, this is the op shop I visit most regularly so I figured they deserved my gear the most! If you are interested in having a rummage then definitely pop in, they are at 26 Ashton Ave in Claremont.

 

Black on Black

I very rarely leave the house in head to toe black, so I was actually excited about today’s prompt and the prospect of rocking a bit of black on black. I had another outfit planned for today but I changed my mind at the last moment when I picked up this amazing fringed dress at the Melville Markets on Sunday. I just had to wear it immediately. With its lace up neck and tasselled hem, it’s very ‘on-trend’ but that’s fine by me. I’ll style it in summer with a bikini, straw hat and sandals and in winter I’ll wear it just as I am now with my leather jacket and boots.

The issue I normally have with all black outfits is that they can be a bit boring. Classic and slimming and chic yes, but still boring. I want my outfits to pop out from a crowd and doing that in all black is hard! So making sure the black items you are wearing have a bit of detail is important (at least it is to me!). The fringing on this dress plus the metal details on my jacket add a bit of interest to a fully monochrome look. I also can’t leave the house without a hat and sunnies at the moment (my re-growth is soooo bad!).

I feel very rock’n’roll in this outfit, which is quite a departure to my usual style, but it sure was fun to try on a different persona for a day! How did you style your Black on Black outfit? Is all-black a look you wear regularly, or are you like me and think the brighter the better?

Dress: Melville Markets $10

Jacket: Wittner

Hat: Vintage, eBay

Sunglasses: Miu Miu, eBay

Boots: Tony Bianco 

Mini

The Restyle prompt for today is Mini! I love this prompt and this style, but unfortunately I wasn’t blessed with the type of legs which work well with mini dresses/skirts (oh woe is me!). Long though my legs may be, they are rather thick so super short outfits have never been my jam. That being said, where there’s a will there’s a way, and I just happened to come across this rather adorable mini dress while I was on holidays in Queensland. Its' handkerchief hemline is much more flattering and even though it’s pretty low cut, the long sheer sleeves balance it all out so I don’t look too tragic.

With its paisley print and billowing sleeves this dress is a fantastic example of 2015 does the 70s. I decided to embrace the whole 70s look and added some sky high platforms which is always a good idea when wearing a mini! This outfit was super fun to shoot and I’m planning to wear the whole look when I go wine tasting with my girlfriends in a few weekends time. Bring it on!

Dress: Vinnies Caloundra $5

Belt: Good Sammies Myaree $1

Shoes: Urban Outfitters

Polka Dots

You may have noticed I’ve only been blogging my Restyle outfit’s for every second prompt. Purely because doing every single day is SUPER hard work and with my holiday at the end of July I just didn’t have time. So according to my blog post schedule I wasn’t meant to post an outfit for today’s style prompt, Polka Dots, but I just couldn’t resist. Polka Dots are my absolute favourite print. My wardrobe is full of them in all sizes and colour combos. The traditional black and white polka print is probably my favourite, which brings me to the other reason I decided to post on outfit for today….

SPOTTY CULOTTE JUMP SUIT. I mean… have you ever seen anything more magnificent in your life?! I found this miraculous piece of clothing in the Save the Children op shop in Subiaco while having a sneaky lunch time browse. I almost collapsed in excitement when I pulled it off the rack and saw it was vintage Katies and in my size. It originally had puffy 80s elbow length sleeves, which dated it a bit too much, so I chopped them off, added some darts and TA DA! I have a new favourite thing.

Because it’s now sleeveless it’s going to be my go-to outfit in Summer. I still can’t get over how amazing it is. Even with a wardrobe full of beautiful thrifted clothes, I still get SO excited when I come across amazing stuff while op shopping. Op shops are full of polka dots (which my wardrobe is a testament to) so I bet lots of people found great pieces for today’s prompt. If you did, tag me on insta and show me what you found (@inthedressupbox).

Jumpsuit: Save the Children Subiaco $7

Hat: Vintage, eBay

Sunglasses: Prada

Shoes: Chloe, eBay 

Animal Print

 

I’m sure I’ve said it on the blog before, but leopard print really can be treated as a neutral. I have a few leopard accessories which mix and match very easily with so many other prints and patterns. The prompt today is Animal Print, so I went with my trusty leopard belt which has certainly had a good work out since I picked it up from Good Sammies at the beginning of the year. It was a bit more expensive then I’d normally like, but when I googled the brand (Peter Lang) I saw that their belts sell for over $150, so I think I did pretty well!

My brown spotty dress is also a new addition, I bought it while on holiday in Queensland. I couldn’t resist popping into a few of my favourite op shops in my old stomping ground. When I wore it for the first time the straps were constantly sliding down my shoulders. Instead of taking them up, I decided to embrace the off-the-shoulder look and added a bit of elastic to the straps instead. I’m always drawn to spots in op shops and this dress was no exception, with a tiny alteration the dress is now perfecto!

Spots and leopard and a few red accessories, such a perfect outfit for wondering around on the weekend (and it was so warm on Saturday I didn’t even need a jacket!)

Dress: Salvos Kawana $3.50

Belt: Good Sammies Balcatta $15

Hat: Op Shop

Boots: Tony Bianco

Sunglasses: Pared Eyeware

Pencil Skirt

I have 14 pencil skirts in my wardrobe and every single one of them is from an op shop, so today’s challenge was always going to be easy peasy. It’s just a matter of which pencil skirt to share? I’ve already posted quite a few on the blog (here, here and here), because they are my go-to for work wear. This is a pretty standard work outfit for me, a stretchy pencil skirt, a cool blouse and some fancy jewellery/shoes to jazz it up a bit. 

  

I'd been searching for a red stretchy pencil skirt for a while in op shops, but could never quite find one that fit. I got desperate in the end and purchased this one which was a size 20, luckily all it needed was an extra seam at the back to take it in about 6 sizes and now it fits really well. These stretchy pencil skirts are sooooo good for the office, they are just so comfy! 

Also we can't ignore my epic cape blouse, it makes me feel like an angel or something, ready to float away. It's basically a plain white shirt with some serious sleeves attached, which take this rather standard outfit from average to exciting. Just what I'm after, I love wearing statement pieces to work!

Skirt: Good Sammies Myaree $5

Top: St Lukes Op shop $6

Shoes: Melissa x Vivienne Westwood, eBay

Necklace: Lovisa

P.S This is my 300^th blog post! That’s roughly 60,000 words about op shopping, personal style and any other random fluff that floats across my mind as I sit typing into the wee hours of the night. HUZZAH! Thanks for reading my lovely friends!