Summer Style on a Budget.
As a follow up to my recent post 5 Tips for Shopping Resale, I am bringing you a post today focused on creating stylish summer outfits on a budget. We'll go over the key components to summer style, what types of pieces to look for and how to maximize your purchases to create multiple outfits.
Summer Shopping with ThredUp
This post is brought to you in collaboration with ThredUP, an awesome online consignment store with thousands of stylish items. I first discovered ThredUp about 4 years ago and have loved them ever since. As you learned in my resale post, I am a huge fan of consignment and online consignment is even better.
Save Time Shopping Online
I find shopping on ThredUp's website is much easier than spending hours hunting in a thrift store, especially when I am looking for a particular style or type of item. It doesn't hurt that I can also do it from the comfort of my couch. On ThredUp you can search for exactly what you want and narrow the results by color, pattern, condition and other filtering criteria. Saving your sizes to your account is also super helpful, meaning new searches will only show items available in your sizes. Be sure to customize your sizing for various categories as well (pants, shirts, dresses, shoes). When searching it's also helpful to understand that the search terms on ThredUp are more generic so instead of "gingham" you can try "checkered" and instead of "jean skirt" you will need to try "denim skirt".
Free Shipping & Returns
Consignment shopping is different than typical retail in that each item is unique. There is only one of each item, so there are no "exchanges" per say. This means act fast when you see something you like. You can add items to your cart and you will have 24 hours to make a final decision. After 24 hours your items will be released and someone else may claim them. Struggling with indecision or worried it won't fit? ThredUp has a fantastic return policy. Return shipping is free (as long as you request store credit) and they are beta testing a new feature where credit is issues to your account as soon as you post your return. I had to return a few items that didn't fit and I was shocked at how quickly they refunded me the credit. This allowed me to go back on the site and find some amazing new items that weren't available the first time around. Sadly this beta feature only applied the first time and the second time I had to make some returns I lost a few items to other people while waiting for my credit to post. I really hope ThredUp decides to make that feature permanent.
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Major Discounts
The number one reason I love shopping resale is the discounts! I can't get over the fact that I got 3 full outfits, and shoes for around $100 and some of the items were brand new with tags. ThredUp carries tons of brands from F21 to Prada and the discounts on the higher end items are even more substantial. When I shop, I try to buy a mix of low and high end items. If it's a trendy piece I usually go low-end and feel better about spending more money on a quality high-end piece I know I can re-wear and style many ways.
So now that I have shared my ThredUp secrets with you all, let's get into my Summer Style Guide.
Key Summer Style Components
Playful Patterns
Gingham, floral, checkered or stripes. Playful patterns are perfect for summer. Pick a pattern that goes well with the feel of where you live or go with a more tropical print for vacations and beaches. This summer I am particularly obsessed with gingham and stripes as you can see from my Memorial Day Shopping Guide and purchases. I am excitedly awaiting this tanks arrivals and I think it will go great with the white shorts shown earlier.
Old Navy Gingham Peplum Tank - Retail: $25 ThredUp: $9.99
I'm also trying to include more florals, because they just feel so feminine and summery. I ordered this amazing floral dress from ThredUp and was so devastated to find it was too small on the chest. Aside from barely breathing, I felt like an ethereal goddess. I loved it so much, I took it to the tailor to see if it could be altered. Sadly the lining could not be altered, so I had to send it back.
H&M dress new with tags - Retail: $54 Thred Up: $13.99
Bright Colors
A bright shirt, a fun colored pair of pants, or a vibrant dress can really livens up a summer outfit. A little color can take a simple work outfit from boring to bold and adds a little zing to your weekend style. I picked out this bright pink top with the embroidery from ThredUp, but unfortunately it was a little big and I had to send it back.
Vanessa Virginia Sleeveless Blouse - Retail: $54 Thred Up: $13.99
I was thrilled to exchange the pink top for this bright green blouse though, which has been fun to style for work and play. The ruffles add dimension and the color is perfect for summer. I loved pairing it with this white skirt and it would also be great with white pants or a patterned skirt.
New York and Company Blouse - Retail: $40 ThredUp: $9.99
I also picked up this lavender bodycon dress. While I loved the snaps on the front, it was a little too form-fitting for my liking and the straps were too loose.
Fashion Nova Dress - Retail: $24 Thred Up: $9.99
Dress Up or Down
Always on the hunt for comfortable dresses, I picked this one out. Its lightweight and perfect for the summer humidity. Though it's a more casual look, it can easily be dressed up by pairing it with dressier shoes and a blazer. I styled it with these adorable strappy wedge sandals I also got from ThredUp.
Merona summer sleeveless dress - Retail: $28 ThredUp: $14.99
Back to the power of patterns, a stripe dress is always a staple. It can be dressed down with a jean jacket or dressed up with wedges and a blazer or cardigan. I am loving this striped t-shirt dress from Thred Up. 
Old Navy Dress - Retail: $42 ThredUp: $18.99
Versatile Jacket
A versatile summer jacket is the perfect staple piece. with the A/C blasting inside and cool evenings I always want to have a stylish top of blouse to throw on over sleeveless tops and dresses. My two favorite summer jackets are a striped blazer and a jean jacket. I found this striped blazer on ThredUp and I love pairing it with white dresses and colorful tops.
Cynthia Rowley Blazer - Retail: $60 ThredUp: $19.99
I have been on the hunt for the perfect jean jacket for months. After trying tons of options at retail shops and thrift stores, I have been unable to find one that fits me just right. A certain level of distressing is great, but I didn't want one with huge tears or holes. It's hard to find a jean jacket style that doesn't swallow my petite frame as well. I found this jacket on ThredUp, but woke up this morning and found out someone else bought it!!!!! NO!!!!! On the hunt now for another option, luckily new stock is added daily A jean jacket is the perfect solution to chilly restaurants, movie theaters and other fun outings.
Denim Jacket - Retail:$60 ThredUp:$20.99
Strappy Sandals
Strappy wedge sandals are the perfect summer staple. With a flat sandal and a wedge sandal in nude or black, you can literally create any summer outfit! I have worn these black Charles by Charles David sandals with 5 outfits already this summer. The espadrille wedge style combined with the black straps makes it easy to dress them up or down. Wearing a strappy wedge sandal like these with shorts is also a great way to elongate the legs.
Charles by Charles David - Retail: $119 Thredup: $32.99
Summer Whites
During the summer I rely heavily on white clothing and a whole lot of bleach. White skirts, white pants, white shorts, white dress...I truly can't live without them. I love the freshness or white and pairs so well with florals, patterns, stripes and bright colors. For tricky stains, I always keep a Tide stain pen on hand and just try not to worry so much. There's nothing a good wash can't fix. When looking for a new summer white item, I wanted something that I could dress up or down and re-wear multiple times. These eyelet shorts from JCrew were the perfect piece. I styled them here with a black ruffle bodysuit I have, and I also think they would go great with the green blouse I got and styled for work. if you want to dress the shorts down, throw them on with a soft t-shirt and some sneakers for a casual coffee date or errands.
Jcrew Factory Shorts - Retail: $24 ThredUp: $7.99
I also picked up this white dress to add to my ever growing white dress collection. I love a white dress during summer because its so versatile. You can spice it up with a colorful cardigan, a pair of statement earrings, or keep it more simple with neutral accents. Sadly this dress was a little too tight on the chest, so I had to send it back.
Naked Zebra White Dress - Retail: $48 ThredUp: $15.99
Looking for more summer style inspiration, check out these awesome posts from ThredUp.
So now that I have shared my amazing details from ThredUp, head over set up your own account and see what gems you find today. Tag me in your summer budget style on social media @mycancerchic or use the hashtag #mycancerchic.
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Breast cancer survivor, lover of style, beauty and all things pink! Inspiring you to thrive through adversity.
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