Spring is here and summer is just around the corner which means it is time to break out that spring/summer wardrobe! If you are looking to spruce up your wardrobe with some new pieces or wanting some outfit inspiration, then I am here to show you my six must have items for spring/summer and how I would style them. The best part about this is that I thrifted all these items at Goodwill saving a ton of money!
Before we get into this blog post, I would like to briefly introduce myself. My name is Caitlin, and I am a Navajo fashion blogger and YouTuber. Back in 2019, I started my social media platform called Nizhoniful Me (“Nizhóní” means beautiful in Navajo) with the goal to embrace my culture through fashion. Growing up there was little to no representation of Indigenous people in the fashion industry, and I wanted to change that. Today, I love thrifting and putting together thrifted outfits because it is sustainable, accessible to everyone, and the challenge of thrifting is so rewarding in the end. Now that you know a little more about me, let’s get into my first must have item for spring/summer!
1. Flowy Dress
A must have item for spring and summer are flowy dresses! I’ve always preferred longer dresses to shorter ones since they are so much more comfortable to wear. Whenever I shop for dresses, I keep an eye out for ones that have a tiered skirt or ruffle detailing. These details remind me of másání (Navajo word for “grandma”) style skirts that I grew up loving, plus they add fun movement to the dress as you are walking about.
How to Style: First off, go with a cut that flatters your body. Personally, I love how wrap dresses look as they accentuate the waist in a nice way. Then, match your accessories with the colors found in the dress. For the purple tropical dress, I felt like a wicker bag matched the tropical theme and the color was also a neutral. There were hints of white in the flowers of the dress that I matched to my kitten heels and beaded earrings. For the tiered mauve dress, I chose a matching mauve handbag and went with nude heels.
2. Wicker Bags
Wicker bags come in many different styles, shapes, sizes and are such a fun accessory to pair with any outfit. The material reminds me of picnic baskets so they instantly scream summer to me. The one I have here had blue and green flowers on it, which I thought was so cute!
How to Style: Because this wicker bag is such a statement piece, I thought it would go perfectly with this basic white dress. Playing off the blue found in the wicker bag, I accessorized with a dark blue scarf in my hair and blue wrap sandals.
3. Floral Prints
You cannot have spring or summer without floral, so I am happy that I found this floral skirt at Goodwill. What caught my eye about this piece was the bright colorful floral print as well as the mini tier at the bottom.
How to Style: With such a bold print for the skirt, I wanted to keep the rest of the outfit simple to really let the skirt shine. Because the floral print has purple in it, I played off that and went with a purple top and matching purple heels.
4. Cute Blouse
If you want something a little more dressed up than a t-shirt and jeans combo, opt for a cute blouse! I actually have two blouses to show you, the first is a colorful pastel one and the other is a nude button up one. These blouses are very lightweight and stylish, perfect for those hot sunny days.
How to Style: Blouses are super easy to style, just wear them with your favorite jeans and accessorize accordingly for a comfy yet stylish look. For the colorful blouse, I wore it with mom jeans, velvet heels and turquoise earrings. For the nude blouse, I decided to keep the color palette light and went for white pants, nude flats, a gold vintage purse, and gold earrings.
5. Trouser Shorts
Trouser shorts are a favorite of mine because they give you a dressed-up look while feeling like pajamas. When I shop for trouser shorts, I make sure they are flowy rather than fitted and come with a belt tie which helps to accentuate the waist.
How to Style: Because these white and black trouser shorts are flowy, it is better to go with a more fitted top to balance the look. With that in mind, I paired it with a basic black tank top, some matching white boots and accessorized with pearl earrings and a white headband.
6. Sandals
I am always on the lookout for some colorful and unique sandals when I am thrifting for spring and summer. These blue fringe sandals caught my eye because they actually wrap around your legs and tie in the back. Because of the style and color, these sandals will dress up any casual outfit.
How to Style: I think these sandals would pair perfectly with any cute summer dress. I wore it with this white dress and also made sure to keep all my accessories blue to match.
I hope this has given you some much needed inspiration for spring and summer fashion! Don’t forget to check out your local Goodwill to shop these must have items as there are so many goodies waiting to be found. Lastly, please watch the official shopping video where I thrift these looks (found on Goodwill’s page) and the thrift haul video I put together over on my YouTube channel.
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