Anyone who has known me since childhood (or teenage years) knows that one of my absolute favorite things to do is to buy secondhand. Whether it’s going to garage sales, flea markets, vintage shops, or thrift stores… bringing new life to used items has always brought me much joy. I used to love collecting things – When I was really little, it was my coin collection and stamp collection. In high school and college, I collected toys from the 70s and 80s. I also started doing a lot of thrift shopping for my clothing in college.
Over the last year, I have traveled throughout the state of Florida, discovering and revisiting thrift stores. My daughter Lydia and I (along with my friend Angel) absolutely love thrifting together. We’ve been to stores all around our hometown of Gainesville, as well as Ocala, Tampa, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Orlando, and Palm Beach County. While I tend to just buy what I like when I like it, Lydia is far more strategic, with Pinterest boards filled with new and vintage looks. For me, what I purchase is generally influenced by mood and season – and lately – I’ve been obsessed with golden sweaters. In fact, since September, I’ve purchased five golden sweaters. So, I thought I’d share each of my looks!
Five Golden Sweaters: Sleeveless
I immediately fell in love with this sweater vest. First off, it appears to actually be vintage (based on the look of the tag) from a brand called Cielo. It’s form-fitting, so I’m able to tuck it in. Plus, it looks good with skinny pants and wide leg pants. Here, I paired it with a pair of skinny pants with an olive green and black plaid and a pair of black Vans loafers – all thrifted! *Forgive me for my dirty mirror bathroom selfies. I used to make sure every photo that went on my blog previously was absolutely perfect. I’ve given up on that for 2024.
Five Golden Sweaters: Cardigan
So for this look, only one piece is thrifted, but I just had to include this cardigan because I love it so much! The cardigan is from Francesca’s (on sale, of course) and I paired it with a tank top I’ve owned for years, thrifted Kensie brand jeans that are high-waisted, and Converse that I bought on clearance. Overall, I think it’s just a really fun look.
Five Golden Sweaters: Stripes
This Banana Republic sweater is so cute, I wore it on my birthday. Even though this is form-fitting, I feel like it compliments my curves better when untucked. I paired it with a pair of darker blue jeans, and while you cannot see in the picture, it goes great with my used white Converse. Pro tip: You can bleach/rewash white Converse (and their laces) over and over again, and they turn out great!
Five Golden Sweaters: Traditional
These last two sweaters I bought last week. This first one pictured above was purchased at a Goodwill on our road trip to the mountains of North Georgia. It’s from Aeropostale, and I’m wearing it with my Kensie jeans again, one of my favorite pairs of thrifted jeans. This sweater is just the perfect length to not need a tuck, and the perfect thickness to wear without another layer underneath if the weather is reasonably cool/cold.
Five Golden Sweaters: Wide and Cropped
I purchased this final sweater at a Plato’s Closet in town. That day, I was looking for some wider, cropped sweaters, and I found not just one, but three, for a total of $12.90. That was a real win! I got this West of Melrose sweater (this appears to be a Tilly brand and retails for $40+ new), one in olive green, and one in a pink/red/white speckled pattern. I thought the cropped length, higher neck, and wider torso/sleeves would pair well with this wider pair of jeans (thrifted, of course) and my Doc Maartens (which are NOT thrifted but are Vegan). This is my reading nook in my bedroom – Isn’t it adorable? I may need to post about it one day soon.
Any Comments?