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Happy Holidays everyone! I hope you are having a fantastic day spending time with family and friends. I know I am so relieved to have a break from school and have the chance to sleep in for once!
I am so excited to share my outfit with you today. From afar, this outfit might seem like nothing special except for the fact that it’s incredibly cute. But once I begin to tell you about this outfit, you might start to notice a theme. I’ve always hated shopping at one store. I like to explore my options. I like to grab pieces that nobody else will have, hence why I avoid stores like Aritzia. And don’t get me wrong, the clothes at Aritzia are super cute but their styles never change. Season after season, it’s the same pieces and everyone has them. So, I like to branch out and find pieces that maybe won’t be in everyone’s closets.
Let’s talk about my coat first. I love this coat. And that’s incredibly surprising to me. Why’s that? I found this coat at Value Village. Yes, that’s right. This coat cost me a whopping $9.99 at the local Value Village in Edmonton. I have never been the type to shop at thrift stores. The whole idea of it kind of grosses me out. I’ve just never been able to get myself to look past the fact that I don’t know who may have worn these clothes. But when I was there with my boyfriend a few months ago, I stumbled across this coat. It was everything I had been looking for- a long patterned coat that was slim-fitting and sophisticated. I slipped it on and it fit perfectly. It took a little bit of convincing from my boyfriend because I was still bothered by the fact that somebody else had worn in but I finally got over that and bought it. I’m so glad I did because it’s the perfect coat to spice up an otherwise boring outfit.
And the rest of my outfit is boring. And preppy. My sweater is from a cute little store in Banff called Cabin108. It’s a sleeveless sweater with long slits in the side and a floppy mock turtleneck. This style has been so popular this Winter. They have been popping up in stores everywhere! Usually I just wear this sweater alone with nothing underneath but now that it’s getting chilly, I decided to change it up a bit. I went for the preppy look today and paired a cream button-up underneath with the sleeves rolled up and the collar popped to try to tone down a little bit of the preppiness. I think it worked.
So, you know how I mentioned that there was a little bit of a theme in my outfit today? Well, that theme is bargain pieces. My coat isn’t the only thing that was inexpensive and a great deal. The purse that I’m wearing today was also an absolute steal! I completely forgot I owned this purse. I picked it up on my trip to Quebec 8 years ago. I found it at a store called Simons. Yes, that’s right. Before Simons started expanding it’s locations all over Canada, they used to only be in Quebec and that’s where I first found them! That’s why I was so excited when they moved to Edmonton because I became such a huge fan of theirs in Quebec. Anyways, this purse was on a unbelievable sale for $9.99. Getting a purse for 10 bucks is always such an amazing deal! I used to carry this bag all the time through junior high and then promptly forgot about it once I moved into high school. However, when I was cleaning my closet over Christmas break, this purse fell down from the very back of a shelf and hit me on my head. I was so excited to rediscover it!
Another part of my bargain outfit are the earrings I’m wearing today. They’re so funky and unique and I had always glanced at them in Noul, but never wanted to spend the money on such a weird pair of earrings that I might not wear a great deal. Then, one day I think they went on sale for $5 with an additional 50% off so I picked them up for only $2.50. If that’s not a great deal, I don’t know what is.
That last bargain piece in my outfit are my cute booties. I picked these up from Marshalls a couple seasons ago. They are black suede with little silver studs lining the heels. Marshalls and Winners are two of my favorite stores to bargain hunt. I always have good luck finding the best pieces for even better prices!
So I guess what I’m trying to say is that style isn’t about where you shop or how much money you spend or what designers you’re wearing. It’s about how you put together an outfit, how you use your resources and how you create an image of yourself that you want people to see. I’ve never been one to only shop at specific stores. Sure, there are stores that I might like more than others, but I never limit myself to specific brands. If there’s a shirt I like, I will buy it regardless of where it’s from. Some of the cutest pieces in my closet are from stores like Aeropostale, Old Navy, and even the dollar store (I got the cutest pair of ear muffs from there!). And even though I don’t regularly shop at these stores, if I find an item I like from there, I’m not going to avoid it just because the actual store isn’t deemed as being‘fashionable’. I think the most stylish people are the ones who don’t limit themselves to the few stores that are trendy and seen as being fashionable.
Jacket– Value Village // Sweater– Cabin108 // Shirt– ℅Elizabeth and Clarke // Jeans– Zara // Shoes– Marshalls // Purse– Simons // Earrings– Noul // Watch– Marc Jacobs // Bracelet– Pandora
*ftc disclaimer: Items marked with ‘℅’ were sent to me for review purposes but as always, all opinions are my own.Thank you for supporting the brands that make When I’m Older possible!