Red October

Ambassador X along with two of her cohorts have been held against their will by Rupert Retail and his henchmen in an abandoned warehouse. Her special thrifting powers have been reduced to fatally low levels because she's been deprived of seeing the color red for months.

 My mission: To infiltrate the building undetected and allow Ambassador X to see my outfit in all it's red glory to restore her mega thrifting powers. The fact that it's mixed prints and mostly thrifted will only maximize the effect.
I must hurry and locate the shut-off valve. The effects of the spiked frozen yogurt I gave the guard will wear off in mere minutes!

I really hope the Ambassador likes my outfit. I kind of put it together at the last minute. This sassy red trench's last appearance was back in February here. The skirt was last seen in action here, and the blouse here.

If I'd been called upon to complete this mission just 5 short years ago, I wouldn't have been able to do it. I just absolutely did not wear red! I felt it wasn't my color, but I decided to give it a go one day and realized it suits me after all. I've been hooked ever since.

Mixing prints has never been a problem though, I was doing that back in high school. My feelings are, as long as the colors coordinate, then it's ok to mix the prints. Easy!

Have you ever become fixated with a color or particular pieces of clothing in your closet and you just wear them to death for about a month? I'm obviously going through a red phase. I believe it all started with the acquisition of this red dress. For some reason I've also been obsessed with this skirt and plaid blouse. I've worked out at least three other ways to wear them together.

There's nothing like a comfy shoes, easy fitting skirt and blouse and a trench in a fun color to get a lady through the day's missions. 

Ambassador X is safe, her thrifting powers have been fully restored. The thrifting community can breath a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, in the fray Rupert Retail escaped. No worries though, he can't run forever. Sooner or later, he'll end up in a thrift store or yard sale and I'll nab him!

 

October isn't over yet and neither is my red phase. What are you fixated with this month, a purse, an accessory, a piece of jewelry? Hope you're indulging some of your own obsessions as well. I'll be linking up at Monday Mingle and  Patti's Visible Monday.

Until we meet again, live long, thrift, wear red and prosper.

The End.

Style Agent 909's wardrobe on this mission:

Gallery red trench: thrifted

Liz Claiborne plaid blouse: thrifted

Jones New York skirt: thrifted

Gianni Bini sling back clogs: via Dillard's

Fossil purse: via Dillard's (on clearance last year)

Farm Fresh

 

The route I take to work is quite scenic. This is a little abandoned barn I pass by every day. There's many charming places like this, but this is one of  my favorites.  Remember a few posts back I wanted to sell seafood by the sea when I saw an old seafood truck for sale? Well, this little barn makes me want to be a farmer.  It should be easy. I spent the first 8 years of my life on a farm. I even know how to milk a cow (bet you didn't know that about me!)
     What do you think of when you hear the word "farm"? I think of cows and chickens. And when I think of those two animals, I think milk and eggs. And what's a farm without a farmer? All those things inspired my outfit. The yellow yolk of an egg, the white creaminess of milk, the redness of the barn, the plaid shirt and denim overalls a farmer would wear (they really do dress like that here).
     Pretty soon the farmers market will be open and there will be produce, home baked goodies, crafts, potted herbs and lovely brown eggs for sale. All of it farm fresh.

Farming digs:
Jones New York  plaid jacket: thrifted
DIY scarf blouse
Hydraulic denim skirt: thrifted
No name white bag: thrifted
1.4.3. Girl rubber boots via Belk clearance



With a little TLC this place will be in tip top shape!

Daffodils are growing everywhere along the roadside.

I think there's just enough room for a cow and a couple of chickens in this little barn. I'll get eggs, milk, butter and cream. What more do I need?

You didn't expect me to wear my cute wedges out here did you? I use these boots for slogging around in the yard.

Farm fresh eggs I get from a coworker. I always recycle the cartons.

Yes, I've got milk!

See you all tonight at Monday Mingle, Visible Monday and Thrifters Anonymous


Until next post, happy dressing,
                Sincerely,
              Styleagent909

Shop Like a (Thrifty) Fashion Editor, Part 1

One of my favorite magazines,  InStyle, has a feature called “Shop Like a Fashion Editor”. Being the fashionista you are, you may already be familiar with it, but for those of you who aren’t, here’s a short explanation. Three editors are given a budget of $400, $2,000 and $4,000 respectively. Each editor in turn shares what has “inspired” them and then goes about finding key clothing pieces within their budget. This is an ongoing thing lasting 4 months or so. The funds are spread accordingly, ie: approximately $100 of the $400 budget gets spent per month. Great! But what if  a lady only has say…$200 budgeted for clothes this season, then what?

     Well, I decided to one-up them (or maybe one- down). I’m going to do the same thing with half of what their lowest budget is. That’s right, $200 over 4 months (approximately $50 a month).

     What inspired me? COLOR! It’s everywhere.  Have a look see at what I got this month!

 Jones New York skirt: $4.49
I can see myself mixing this piece with other patterns and I love the way it swishes and swings when I walk. Flattering A-line cut. A winner!

Susan Graver cover-up: $4.49
More color, more pattern mixing. This piece is made of sheer fabric with a subtle dot pattern. It's rather long and has no buttons, so I'm thinking it was actually made as some sort of swim suit cover. I'm going to wear it tied in the front as pictured here, maybe over a tank.

Soma tiered dress: $6.99
The tag on this dress says it's a Maxi. Well, that's not how it fits me! It hits mid shin. No worries though; I still like it. And I know just what I'm going to pair it with.

Bandolino faded denim coulottes: $4.49
For when I can't decide between pants, shorts, or a skirt.

Cato skirt: $4.49
What can I say? More color, more print. How would this look with the sheer orange blouse shown above?

Ella Moss tank: $4.49
Black and white; Always right. This is one of those items that doesn't seem very impressive on the hanger, but once you put it on looks dyn-o-mite!

Michel Clo purse by Cloetta: $5.99

Born floral sandals: $2.99

Silver Bracelet: $9.95
Superb quality on the purse. It's hand crafted in Italy. It even had a little certificate left inside. A keeper for years to come. You can't beat Born when it comes to comfy shoes. Aren't the flowers just adorable? This bracelet was a bit more than I like to spend for such things at the thrift store, but the original price tag says $54.00. I just couldn't pass it up!

Tahari blazer: $5.99
With so much color going on, I thought a little neutrality was in order. Enter this fabulous blazer. The small beige and white stripes make it ripe for pattern mixing. I'm gonna get some mileage out of this one.


Total Spent: $49.87
$150.13 remaining 

 Until next post, happy dressing,

Sincerely,

Style Agent 909

Love, Love, Love Pink and Red

Happy Valentine’s Day everybody, everywhere! Hope your day is everything you want it to be.

This “red and pink together” challenge, really was a challenge. I have red things in my closet and I have pink things in my closet, but I rarely, if ever wear them at the same time. What helped me bring it all together was this dress (worn as a shirt here, until the weather warms up). It’s got both colors plus some black to ground it all. Add black jeggins, boots, a fitted red trench and a fur scarf. Viola! That’s my V-Day outfit in a bag.

Enjoy your day

Love your lover

Love your family

Love yourself!

Jones New York fur scarf: thrifted

Gallery red trench: thrifted

Chris McLaughlin dress: thrifted

black jeggings via Walmart

Naturalizer black boots via Naturalizer 

Thrift factor = 60%

Until next post,

Sincerely, 

Style Agent 909