Sooo I like to thrift shop. Some people hate it because the thought of peoples' second hand clothing really creeps them out. But you can really find some gems when you thrift. Barbados doesn't have any thrift shops that I know of, but we do have plenty flea markets.

Some sellers at flea markets don't really understand the concept of an actually flea market and that the things are supposed to be a bargain. But if you dig around enough, you do eventually find some gorgeous pieces for extremely cheap that you can incorporate into your wardrobe.

I hit up flea markets just to find vintage goodies, clothing and jewelry alike. Even though the piece may be old, you just have to spice it up and add some of your personal flair, just to make it look brand new again.

I usually go to these things with a partner. This proves very necessary when you need someone to restrict your purchases, or sometimes you can end up leaving with a tonne of someone else's junk. On this trip, I went with one of my best girfriends Keiandra of Kayenar Designs. We found a couple cute pieces with great potential, but there was this particular one, that I immediately fell in love with. Kei saw it first and when she showed me, my eyes lit up with ideas. It was a vintage forest green flared chiffon skirt, that just casually hung by its lonesome on a metal hanger at a random stall. At first glance, it could be easily overlooked. But I convinced Kei she had to purchase it and five dollars later the lonely green skirt had an owner.

For this post, I'm gonna show you guys three different ways to style this plain old vintage skirt!
 

So I curated 3 different outfits, one formal, one super casual and one a lil bit of both. Kei did me the pleasure and was my gorgeous model, hitting the mark with each outfit.

First off, the formal.


The black top is actually a dress that Kei made for a Valentine's shoot she did over on her blog. A statement gold necklace, gold earrings and bracelet where added for a just a bit of glam. I didn't want to distract from the gorgeous flare of the shirt and the detailing of the top(dress).


Now onto the casual. I love a plain white tee and the endless possibilities you have when it comes to accessorizing. That's where you can get more excessive. So a simple side knot was all this top required and then I began loading her up with jewelry. A cropped muscle tee could also be super cute with this look.



I love gold and how it compliments the melanin in our skin tone. I also added in a wooden bracelet, as well as genuine tiger's eye pieces which have a variety of brown shades that all go hand in hand with the green of the skirt. The hand bag is suede and River Island brand, gifted to me by one of my lovebugs Kent. This outfit is definitely more on the simple side.



Finally, we have a double thrifted special, in that both the blouse and the skirt were thrifted. The skirt being five dollars and the blouse seven. This outfit happens to my personal fave. It was totally giving me that senorita vibe.



I wanted to keep the accessories simple yet again and let the individual pieces speak for themselves. I couldn't help though, but to add a little urban flair with the chain link hoops and rings purchased locally.


 So there you have it. Three different ways. Lemme know which one was your fave. Oh and also if you guys wanna show me different ways you would style a piece like this, go right ahead! I'm always excited to see. You can either share with me on Facebook or Instagram(tag me @violetemporium or #violetemporium)


I wanna again thank Keiandra Rawlins of Kayenar Designs  for working the hell out of these outfits and my photographer Brendon Carrington for snapping all the great angles. See more of his work here.

Until next time!
Loads of Love
-V