Serendipity

Happy day, dear reader!

I hope you are well. Spring has officially sprung for us here!

This past week I was at a local consignment shop picking up some unsold items at the end of their run. As I flipped through the hangars on the to-be-picked-up rack, I passed by a purple gingham shirt, and thought “Cute! Too bad it’s not blue…” but I was in a hurry to meet a friend for lunch, and that was that. You see, I have been looking for a blue gingham shirt for two years now. There have been hundreds of cold shoulder and off shoulder gingham blouses out there, but everything else was too oversized, or too masculine, or too whatever to make it right for me.

The gingham shirt haunted me. I thought about it that evening, “What would I do with a purple shirt?” I dreamed about it that night. Bizarre! The next day I was in the neighborhood for another errand (I usually plan better than this!) and decided to pop back in to check on the shirt. Since it was the end of the collect-your-items window, I fully expected it to have been picked up by its consigner. Imagine my surprise when it was still hanging there. And it was a brand I love. And my usual size in that brand. Quick trip to the dressing room, and pow! Perfect fit, details that make my heart sing, and $8.50. No brainer. Purple? It’s a good color for me. In my palette. I’ll figure out something to do with it. (Note: This is NOT my usual shopping MO!)

Home it came with me. Into the washer and dryer. Ironed. Wore it the next day. LOVE IT in spite of it not being “my” kind of shirt. It has a collar. I don’t like collars on my shirts. I prefer an open neckline. It has long sleeves. I prefer 3/4 sleeves. It buttons down the front.  I don’t like button front shirts. So what makes it just right anyway? First off, the gingham isn’t too big or small. Second is the fit. The shirt has princess seams front and back, so it’s not too baggy. It also has bust darts, AND they are in the right place! (Can I get an Amen?) Third, those details I mentioned above… It has a chest pocket, and the pattern is perfectly matched. There is green trim inside the collar and cuffs, so when I roll the cuffs (3/4 sleeves, remember?) you get a touch of green. And there are green buttons on the cuff, and the collar! Finally, the price. For $8.50, even if I only wear it for spring and summer, and pass it back to consign again, it’s still a bargain. (PS: It’s not nearly as dark as it looks in these pictures…)

So how does this purchase fit into my Spring/Summer 5? A purple gingham shirt was certainly not on my plan, but as I have only bought 2 of my 5 so far, I have room for a little serendipity. Making it fit into my 80/20 Capsule for spring is another matter… My chambray dress has not yet seen the light of day, so I may save it for summer as it’s sleeveless and our temps are not quite there yet. How will I style said purple gingham shirt? I’m still working on that. It’s first outing was with blue animal print trousers. It certainly will do jeans, both blue and white, and I think I’ll try it with my grey plaid trousers as well.

Only time will tell if this “capricho” was a good idea, but so far I’m excited to see what I can do with it to make it mine!

How about you? What purchase have you made on a whim lately? Is it turning out to be a good choice or a poor one? Let me know what you’ve been up to… and start a conversation in the comments below!

Stylishly yours,

Many thanks to Catherine at Not Dressed as Lamb for the Link-Up!