sallyinstpaul
- May 20
- 5 min read

How to Style a Secondhand Silk Skirt and Scarf for Summer With the Thrifty Six

I have recently been welcomed into a wonderful group of fashion and lifestyle bloggers that focuses on styling preloved clothing and accessories in themed monthly posts (third Monday of the month). I hope that this showcase of secondhand items and outfits provides some shopping and style inspiration for anyone who is interested in creating great looks in a way that is sustainable for our planet and our pocketbooks.

Today's topic is Silk...which was a great first theme for me because one of my favorite items to thrift is scarves. They are timeless, one-size-fits-all, and usually in very good condition. Silk scarves are especially great to thrift because the prices are so much better than retail. If the idea of wearing pre-owned clothing puts you off or you are leery of trying to get the sizing right, accessories like scarves, necklaces, belts, and handbags are a great entry point for buying fashion items secondhand. I hand wash all my thrifted scarves in the sink with zero fragrance Soak, a terrific no-agitation, no-rinse detergent you just squeeze out after soaking your items for 15 minutes.

In selecting which scarf to feature for this post, I realized I could do a twofer and pair a silk scarf with my thrifted lined silk skirt from Talbots in a nice summery neutral camel-gold color ($5.59, Goodwill, 2/2020, 13 wears, $0.43 cost per wear [CPW]). The secondhand silk scarf that matches it best is this Art Deco motif scarf from Adrienne Vittadini in a range of autumnal colors that I nevertheless wear frequently in the spring and summer as well the fall ($14.00, Goodwill, 12/2014, 18 wears, $0.78 CPW). The light blue color in the scarf makes it work particularly well with chambray, which is a warm season favorite of mine. So I next added a thrifted Kohls blazer in a medium wash chambray ($15.99, ThredUp, 12/2019, 15 wears, $1.07 CPW).

Plus size outfit idea for women over 40 — OOTD 5/8/24

At this point, I decided to go all-in with a 100% thrifted/gifted/handmade outfit. For my top I chose a thrifted dark teal sleeveless blouse from CJ Banks that coordinates nicely with the teal color in the scarf ($6.74, Goodwill, 3/2019, 10 wears, $0.67 CPW).

Shoes were the hardest part of my outfit because I do not currently own very many preloved shoes, but I thought these Enzo Angiolini ivory captoe flats with the vintage feel were a good fit for the classic sensibility of my outfit ($15.49, ThredUp, 4/2020, 20 wears, $0.77 CPW).

My all-DIY bracelet stack was created around the upcycled paper bead bracelet set that I made using magazine and catalog paper in a black, brown, and gold color palette. I recently shared all the details on the making of these bracelets in a Style Imitating Art post here. {bicone paper bead tutorial} {stretch bracelet tutorial}

I could have made some bead soup earrings to wear with this outfit, but continuing with the classic theme, I instead chose a cherished pair of cream pearl studs that were a hand-me-down from my mom. She prefers wearing smaller earrings that she can easily sleep in, so she gave these lustered beauties to me.

I have expanded my wardrobe tracking to include a snapshot of the current cost per wear of each item on the day that I wore it, so that I can put together an outfit cost per wear that includes clothing, shoes, scarves, and necklaces (but not earrings or bracelets, which I do not track). The outfit CPW for this one was $3.72!

Now let's review the silky items that my thrifty friends have styled...

The Thrifty Six:

Emma of Style Splash

"I bought this Jaeger silk top on eBay years ago and used to wear it a lot for work, but I haven't worn it for ages. When I put it on for this month's theme, I wondered why I stopped wearing it because it feels so nice on - it's airy and as light as a feather...perfect for a perimenopausal woman in summer! I've paired it with some old culottes from Asos and a quilted bag from Zara."

Jane of Preloved-Vintage-Handmade

"In a world of polyester, always look for silk…

Silk is quality, elegance and style, it glides over the body with grace…

…natural, smooth and tactile, it complements colour and elevates cut.

These voluminous pure silk pants have metres of drapage, the construction is exquisite.

The raw silk top compliments the style adding a playful ‘genie of the lamp’ vibe…

Silk is my summer love, so sensual and sublime!"

Jodie of Jodie's Touch of Style

"One of my friends recently gave me a bunch of clothes to give to good homes, and I decided to keep this silk blouse even though it's larger than my normal size. I'm in love with the color of it and tying it at the waist creates a perfect proportion. I held the ends together with a scarf clip and decorated the middle with a clip-on earring. The base layer is this mustard-colored dress from Your Revolving Closet which is a sustainable/thrifty way to have new clothes at your fingertips."

Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style

"I am wearing a lipstick print blouse! Fits with your blazer Emma! This blouse is from the brand I used to work for and bought on Vinted. I love the contrasts of the tie with the silk blouse and the soft fabric with the leather skirt. I don't think I ever wore the blouse with jeans, I think that would look great too. Silk works best, for me, worn with a thicker fabric. I picked the skirt back from the giveaway pile. Could not let it go, I should wear it more often."

Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge

"I didn't have much in preloved sillk except for a scarf or two. So I went on a quick thrifting adventure and found this 100% silk tie for $1.00. I was going to just buy the tie and find something in my closet to wear with it but I spotted this satin slip skirt on my way to the register and it really caught my attention. I saw it was my size, so I grabbed it on a whim, paid $6.00 for it, and have already styled two outfits around it. Although it is not silk (it is a polyester satin), it has a silky feel and I really loved it with the necktie. I added a preloved white cotton blazer because it is still a bit chilly here. Our spring weather tends to arrive with the summer solstice!"

Next month's topic is Summer Layers. I will definitely have ideas and outfits to share...and I'd better because it was my idea!

In the meantime, visit these lovely bloggers for the details of their thrifted silk outfits and more style inspiration:

Do you have any secondhand silk items in your wardrobe? Do you ever thrift scarves or other accessories? Do you have any hand-me-down jewelry that you hold dear?

Blogs I link up with are listed here.

How to Style a Secondhand Silk Skirt and Scarf for Summer With the Thrifty Six

Recent Posts