Be frugal, look fabulous!

Welcome to my blog!
This experiment is to see whether I can find looks directly out of the Peruvian Connection catalog (my absolute favorite) by shopping at thrift stores and garages sales. My goal is to put together an elegant, interesting, and flattering wardrobe--but by only spending about 10% or less of the new clothes' cost.

But why Peruvian Connection?
Because every outfit in the catalog uses my favorite things: belts, boots, bags, jewelry, and pieces that you can mix and match. I'll be able to emulate their style by putting together items that I find along the way. Also, their style is timeless and almost vintage-looking. How could I go wrong with a company with the tagline of 'Artisan clothing for nomads and romantics'? I'm both at heart!

Why buy second-hand?
Buying second-hand clothing is sustainable and economical. My money goes to charity or directly to individuals, my purchases do not require the use of additional resources, and at this stage in my life I cannot afford to buy such quality clothes at retail prices. However, someday when I can afford to buy new clothes, I wish to be mindful of where my money is going. Higher end retailers such as Peruvian Connection may be more expensive, but their artisans earn a living wage and the materials are environmentally friendly. I want to get in the habit of buying responsibly.

The rules for this experiment:
I'm looking for quality garments made of materials that Peruvian Connection commonly uses: cotton (pima if possible), alpaca, merino wool, leather, and other furs such as angora, mohair, and cashmere. I aim to avoid acrylics and other man-made materials because they wear out quickly. The end result of this blog will be a wardrobe that will last for years and never go out of style.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Find #20: Crystal and chain drop earrings

As I'm scouring the charity shops for items for this blog (and thus my wardrobe), I have to keep several things in mind.

1. Does the item resemble a Peruvian Connection piece?
2. Is the item my size?
3. Is the item in good wearable condition?
4. Is the item in my price range?
5. Do I actually like the item and would I wear it?

So while I see loads of great items that would be fantastic for this project, I also need to keep myself in mind. This principle eliminates about 95% of potential finds, which in the end is probably a good thing. I want to be picky, and I don't want to spend all of my money at once. 'All of my money' being a whopping $15 per week!

So, I organized my jewelry and tried to identify items I really want/need/don't already have. I'm still looking for copper hoops (or any hoops, really), items with semi-precious stones, silver bangle bracelets, and fancy earrings suitable for dressing up.

I found these beauties, and I LOVE them:

These are silver with amethysts and crystal beads, and would be perfect for dressing up an outfit. The crystals are at the end of delicate silver chains which hang about 2 inches at their longest. They reminded me very much of these Peruvian Connection earrings:

These earrings are made of an antiqued sterling silver with amethyst, carnelian, and rhodalite beads. Interestingly, these earrings are only listed on Peruvian Connection's UK site. I had thought that the two sites differed only in prices (pounds vs. dollars), but apparently not. So these earrings are 56 pounds (on sale), which equates to $88.33 at current exchange rates. I paid only $2.50 (can you believe that?!), which means I saved about 97%.
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