Styling Fall intentionally, with Alexandria Smith

We're excited to welcome a guest blogger, Alexandria Smith (you may know her as @lovedaphnemae!), showcasing our Fall 2019 bonnets and how to style them with a mindful twist.

Consuming with intention… 

making our second hand wardrobe extra special with Briar bonnets

As a mama to three little ones and the creator of the monthly offering, Nurture, I’m always aware of how the items I make part of our lives, and the way in which I acquire them, can impact the overall simple sweetness of our everyday.  Earlier this year, I began to feel overwhelmed by the material things we had filling up our home. Items consumed without intention or awareness, items that didn’t serve us in a special way, and really just felt superfluous. So I swept through each of our closets, keeping our favorite items I knew would be passed down through the kids, and released those that felt unnecessary. 

It was also a cleansing that cultivated a new appreciation for second hand pieces.  I quickly realized that by purchasing items for our wardrobes that had been previously loved, it just felt like I was consuming much more consciously.  As I began to scour the internet and local thrift shops for pieces that would serve us well, it became a treasure hunt of sorts, an exercise in purposeful creativity that I realized I quite enjoyed!  

My favorite part about creating a second hand wardrobe, is adding a few new heirloom pieces into each of the kids’ seasonal collections, to make them feel extra personal and special...plus, I love supporting small shops!  Briar bonnets have been a part of both our daily lives, and our special occasions since day one, so it feels so organic to add these beautiful bonnets into our second hand wardrobes. Their timeless, versatile qualities seamlessly add such a treasured touch to these intentionally curated, pre-loved collections, and the quality of their construction insure that they will stand the test of time. Our Briar bonnets will not only be handed down through our own family, but also perhaps one day added to another sweet one’s wardrobe, to be loved in and played in… memories beautifully made in. 

My favorite places to shop second hand: 

• Second hand shops on Instagram
• eBay
• Thredup
• Poshmark
• Local Goodwill or Salvation Army
• Local antique shops often have a little clothing section where I’ve found some beautiful pieces for under $5!
• Local thrift stores

What I look for when buying second hand:

• Neutral pieces that will mix and match well and can also be handed down (for example, many of my son’s sweaters, thermals, and boots will be handed down to my daughter this fall/winter)
• A few patterned pieces - plaids, florals, stripes
• A mixture of jeans, dresses, sweaters, leggings, one pieces like rompers and coveralls, blouses, and t-shirts for underneath
• Accessories like tights and hats

What I purchase new:

• Socks
• Underwear
• Shoes (sometimes I can find these in amazing condition pre-owned though!)
• 1-2 special small shop items for each child

*All of the items in this post were purchased second hand or are hand me downs from older siblings.

Article and images by Alexandria Smith | @lovedaphnemae | Nurture (www.nurturemotherhood.com)