Combining old and new

OUTFIT DETAILS:
Activity: Worn all day for errands, swim lesson dropoff, working at home (in fact, this was taken after all of that, hence the shirt wrinkles... #reallife)

Top: Forever 21 (similar)
Jeans: LOFT, DIY cropped and frayed hem (similar in sizes 1-12, similar in sizes above 12)
Sandals: Dolce Vita, thrifted (similar)
Bag: thrifted (similar)
Earrings: ebay (similar)
Watch: Apple, gift (exact)

This isn't the type of outfit I usually feel is "worthy" of photographing, but then I decided it was a good representation of a real life outfit that was comfortable and versatile, but also one where I tried (at least a little).  You know what I mean, right?  It's so easy to save tops like this for a somewhat special occasion - going to lunch, a summer day in the city, a weekend away - but then cute, on-trend items like this only get worn once or twice before their time in the sun has passed.  

So, I decided to try wearing this top on a "regular" summer weekday, where I had to grocery shop, take my kid to swimming lessons, run errands, do my regular crapload of dishes and cook 3 meals.  My only complaint?  I don't have a strapless bra that I can wear for more than a couple of hours, so having to check and pull my bra straps back under the elastic of the shoulder was annoying, to say the least. But, it wasn't as bad as I expected, and I'm happy to start using the "good china", fashion wise (see this blogger's post on why you should just wear your "nice" clothes daily instead of saving them for a special occasion.  Since most of my clothes, especially tops, cost under $30 (heck, most of them are under $10, since they almost all come from Goodwill), it's silly for me to save them for some opportunity which may never materialize.  Plus, in reality, most of my clothes are purged from my closet, not for wear, but because I've moved on, style-wise.  I hardly ever wear out my clothes- and I'll bet you don't either!  (None of us are 6-year-old boys, who somehow manage to rip every single pair of pants almost instantaneously.)  So why am I guarding these thrifted items as if it'll be the end of the world if they get stained or worn out?  If I don't wear them out, they're just going to get donated in a while anyway.  I still have to remind myself of this regularly, as I get usually get home and instantly change into my "house clothes" so I don't ruin my "good clothes", but I'm trying!

Here are some more options you can try, as you wear the "good stuff":

Top:

Jeans:

Sandals:

Bag:

Earrings: