Style Notes: 3 Outfits Inspired by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ “Thrift Shop” ft. Wanz
So if I’ve learned anything from writing Style Notes, it’s that CF readers have great taste in music. I have the best time reading and, subsequently, Youtubing all of your suggestions, and this week was no exception.
I’d heard the song “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz before, and loved the (slightly confusing) poppy-meets-jazzy-meets-rap sound. However, I had never watched the music video until CF reader Jessica suggested it - and, I have to say, it’s Mother McMuffin hilarious.
Haven’t seen it? Check the video out below! (WARNING: The lyrics are NSFW.)
As you can see, the video looks like a hundred fashion bloggers downed Pixy Stix and created some kind of awesome trippy fashion Disneyland – perfect inspiration for this week’s Style Notes!
In honor of “Thrift Shop”‘s message about being creative with fashion and dressing for only yourself, this week I focused on clothing combos that were slightly “out there” – and if you don’t feel these outfits are wearable, you should, of course, feel free to customize the look to your own style. That said, here at CF, we do believe that you can rock ANYTHING with enough confidence! (Okay, exception: Crocs. Please don’t.)
In any event, I hope this post will at least inspire you not to take style too seriously; so take these combos with a dash of sartorial salt, and remember fashion can be just plain fun!
Draped in Leopard Mink
Shirt, Vest, Ring, Jeans, Loafers
This first, and most wearable outfit amalgamates a couple of outfits Ben Haggerty aka Macklemore wears in the video, and represents a great way to be fashionable, but still comfortable.
To get this look, rock a fringed vest over a semi-sheer leopard blouse to pay homage to the animal prints in the video. Along with cuffed jeans, a vintage-inspired wolf ring (cause we just can’t figure out how to rock a wolf on your noggin!) and red smoking slippers for a pop of color, this look is stylish, but still laid back enough to be casual and comfy.
Dressed All in Pink
Earrings, Heels, Dress, Stole, Brooch, Belt
This next look is inspired by the insanely awesome pink and salmon suit Wanz rocks near the end of the video, in which, he does indeed “look incredible.” This ensemble is a modern take on a retro silhouette, combining color blocking and brights with Old-Hollywood glam.
To get this glam look, start with a pink peplum dress, then cinch your waist just above the ruffles with an orange belt for some subtle color blocking. Pull from the belt’s color with fun earrings and cute heeled Mary Janes. Finally, take a (faux!) fur cue from Macklemore and throw on a white stole that adds a little touch of quirky glamour – especially when teamed with a vintage brooch. You can find all kinds of old brooches and unique jewelry at your local Goodwill or Value Village!
Is that your Grandma’s coat?
Shirt, Sandals, Collar, Necklace, Tights, Belt, Litas, Vest, Skirt
This last outfit is the most daring of the bunch, but also my personal favorite. It plays on an unusual combination of deep red and mint green, but I think the richness of the red pops against the cool fresh feel of the green! To me, this look most closely follows the aesthetic of the music video, with its quirkiness and mix of textures.
To start, a baroque shirt gets tucked into a ruby skirt, which, along with an on-trend white vest and seamed stockings (there’s a great DIY here that shows you how to make them yourself!) makes this look uber-glam. This outfit doesn’t include a “fur fox skin,” (we saw Fox & the Hound – there’s no way.) but you can don an adorable belt with a fox detail. Finish the look by layering a gold collar and mint necklace, and grabbing some matching shoes – either Litas or strappy sandals, your call.
What do you think?
Have you heard of Macklemore? Do you like his music? Are you loving the video as much as I am? As always, dear readers, let me know your thoughts, questions, comments and song suggestions in the comments below!
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Posted on on November 10, 2012 / Filed Under: Inspiration / Tags: music, Music Inspiration, Outfits, song inspiration, style inspiration, style notes
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Taylor
This was the best post! love Macklemore and Thrift Shop is a refreshing change to songs that only talk about expensive clothes :]
aj
I LOVE THIS POST I think this song is so fun and love the lyrics!
Jessica
Thank you so much for doing this song! And for the shoutout! :]
Nay
LOVE THE SONG THRIFT SHOP
Fillenoire
Fun song, video and looks!
Lia
That video is awesome, and the last look is my favourite thing that I’ve ever seen on College Fashion. I will rock that, with my mint Docs instead of Litas.
Pauline
OMG! I love this post!! I am soooo glad Macklemore & Ryan Lewis has been spreading like wildfire. They are amazing artists. Love alll the outfits :)
Bethany
love the outfits especially the first one and great choice for music inspiration. My favorite song by them is “same love.” Everyone should go watch the music video, it has a great message and story to it :)
JJ
Love, love, love these! Being a Seattle girl, I’ve seen Ben and Ryan a grip of times and their shows just keep getting better!
We have some great hip hop here– check out Fresh Espresso, Evergreen One, the BreakLites, and of course Grieves!
Lydia
On an unrelated topic, someone should do a fashion post inspired by the show Freaks and Geeks!
Bethany
YES! I loved that show!
catel
so weirdd, I went to high school with ryan, glad he’s getting somewhere. that first outfit is so good.
Kristin
Love this song, and the outfits! The last one is my favorite.
Mia
Love the song, love the video, those outfits are really cute. BUT wasn’t the whole point of the song to celebrate how awesome Thrift shopping is?! As in: buying Mom jeans with a funky flower print at Goodwill for 3 dollars, instead of spending 78 dollars for AF jeans (or 15 for F21 ones that were produced somewhere in Asia by a company that’s violating just about every labor law)?
Paula*
Kinda unrelated, but I totally agree with the Freaks and Geeks comment!
Zephyr - CF Editor
Glad you guys like the post! Thanks to the readers who suggested this song.
Lydia and Paula – Great idea!! I’m a huge fan of that show and it would make such a fab post. Will keep it in mind!!
Mia – Absolutely! We definitely aren’t saying you have to or should buy everything new. But unfortunately it’s impossible to link to thrift store items that everyone can buy online. As with all of the outfits here, we have to use retail items, but we assume our readers are resourceful enough to find similar items at Goodwill, etc. as well!
Re
I love Macklemore! Check out his ‘Same Love’ song/music video if you guys haven’t already :) (Seattle, represent!)
Zephyr-actually you can thrift shop some items online :) Some of the stores Macklemore went to is on a place called The Ave on the University of Washington, and many of their thrift/ vintage stores have online Etsy shops that ship to anywhere. But yeah, it is a bit difficult to do a fashion collage with those items.
Brenna
How to rock a wolf hat on your noggin:
https://www.spirithoods.com/?gclid=CI3ctoPux7MCFQuCQgod2DYAwA
My sister has a white one and I have the black :] Perk, it keeps you warm and has built-in gloves.
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-81269699784480_2237_3601690568
Try to find them on sale in stores if you’re into it!
Ayla
Love this!! I’ve been addicted to this song for weeks. Otherside by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis is also fantastic. These outfits are great, I love having a post with really different outfits – keep it up! Helps me think outside the box!
Grace
I’m from seattle so I’ve been to all the places that music video is filmed in! Glad he’s getting recognition now. Great post!
Also, JJ I love all those musicians! Seen Grieves, the BreakLites and Fresh Espresso all live!
Meghan
I was working in the theatre department’s costume shop at my school a few weeks ago when two of the other students sewing started talking about this video. The show’s costume lead chuckled from the other side of the room when they mentioned it–as it turns out, she styled the entire damn thing! Everyone, that is, except for Macklemore, haha. Crazy stuff! Really neat though!
Hannah
Um I am pretty sure one of the major points of the songs is shopping from thrift shops, not supporting mega stores with their poor quality sweat shop made clothing that you so happen to recommend in every single one of the outfits you show here…
Zephyr - CF Editor
Re – Thanks for the info! I know there is vintage available online, however the problem with most Etsy items (which we try to include when we can) is that they’re usually one-off or two-off. This site gets over a million visitors a month, so if we link to products that only have one of an item available, 99.9% of readers will be disappointed and complain when they can’t buy it. It’s the same thing for eBay, which we also love for vintage. I wish there was a better solution for this, I really do – please let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions!
Brenna – We’ve seen those around. I know they’re popular with lots of college kids, however, we’ve shied away from featuring them due to concerns about appropriation. This link explains:
http://nativeappropriations.blogspot.com/2011/07/oh-spirit-hoods.html
Meghan – Wow! That’s so cool! Your school theater costumes must be pretty amazing, too! (What school do you go to, if you don’t mind sharing?)
Hannah – As I explained above, we are not saying you should buy these entire outfits new. As always, the outfits are meant as inspiration and we hope they will give readers ideas for styling the pieces they already own, or to inspire their next Goodwill trip.
I don’t know if you saw it, but we just did a post on labor exploitation and sweatshops last week: http://www.collegefashion.net/fashion-news/fashionably-informed-exploitation-of-labor-popular-clothing-retailers/ In the comments section, I explained why we often link to “fast fashion” stores like Forever 21, and why it’s definitely not an ideal solution for us. For brevity’s sake, I won’t double post, but suffice to say it’s a problem with working in the online space, and something we struggle with regularly. I’d love to hear any suggestions you have for how we could better handle this.
Jessica
I love Macklemore. Great song, great rapper. And one of the best posts on this site to date ;D
Suzie
Cool article…I’d definitely wear the third outfit! I’d love to see articles about Panic (!) at the Disco, Two Door Cinema Club, and Imogen Heap.
As a side note, I really appreciate Zephyr’s thoughful replies. Keep up the great work on the site! :)
Belly
NORTHWEST MUSIC!