Persnickety Mix & Match of old & new to create affordable outfits

As I was placing my Persnickety pre-order the other day I fell in love with a particular outfit

Realizing that no matter how much I loved this outfit, I couldn't send my almost 4 year old to Pre-School in a cream lace skirt, I agonized for hours about what to do, because I had to have this look.  Then, I had an epiphany - OMG I have the black tutu skirt from the holiday 2011 line stashed away in the closet for this coming fall and could use it in place of the cream lace skirt.

So I visualized the above 4 pieces and came up with this

I started doing some looking around and A LOT of my favorite stores have this skirt left.  Not sure why, it was our favorite skirt last year, it was so easy to wash and wear, plus it matches everything, so I bought it again to have for this year.  Anyway, back to the point, Addy's Closet has this skirt in a size 8 on clearance for $26, One Good Thread has this skirt for $19.20 in sizes 12 mths, 5, 7 10 & 12 and Ready Set Grow has this skirt left in sizes 18 mths-4 for $24. 

Before I go any further please note, the rest of this post is not an attack in any way on Persnickety Clothing Company's prices.  I buy loads of Persnickety at all price points (full, sale & clearance).  They are a great company, their products are 100% made in the USA and they do wonderful things for children in need with their buy one give one program (which you can read more about on their website).  That being said, I started thinking on Monday that every little girl should have a Persnickety outfit but then realized not all can afford one and to be honest, and so my husband doesn't freak out, if I wasn't so active in selling Gabby's used clothes, we wouldn't have so much Persnickety either.  I also realized that a lot of my retailer friends were sitting on several fantastic clearance items that may not sell because they don't have a match, so I matched some of them up :)

So not only did I realize that I created a super cute, pre-school friendly outfit, I also saved about $56.  The cream lace bubble skirt from this season is $76 and I paid $20 for my black tutu (a deal you can still take advantage of).  So, I then thought, how many other budget friendly outfits can I make by taking a piece from the current Fall 2012 collection and pairing it with a clearance piece from a previous collection but still available at my favorite retailers for 50% off or more.  Here are a few of the ideas I came up with.

So you like the above look but the price is still a little steep?  Remove the vest and the legging and buy just the tutu for $20 and the basic black stripe tee for $36, totaling $56, but you need leggings, substitute in these Country Kids ruffle tights (black or white) from The Frilly Frog for around $12 and you have a similar outfit (they have black, they just aren't pictured). 

Another piece I liked from the Fall 2012 collection were the Brown Hazel Pants.

The various tops these are paired with can run you anywhere from $46 to $94, if you layer the slip dress underneath.  So, why not buy one of the boot applique tees from last year, now on clearance for around $26 and save yourself a lot of money and with the top being red, rather than cream, this outfit now becomes day care / pre-school friendly.

 

Addy's Closet has this top left a size 8, One Good Thread has a size 12 mths and 18 mths,Smart & Sassy Looks has a size 4 and Ready Set Grow has sizes 4-8, 10 & 12. If you want the cream top look and the layered look, you could also try this faux layered look by using this cream peasant top from fall 2011, available at Smart and Sassy Looks in sizes 12 mths, 18 mths, and 6-8 for $28.

Another most loved piece from fall 2012 are the knickers. 

Honestly, I did not pre-order them (yet) because we don't live in Arizona, Texas or Florida so I didn't know if we would get enough wear out of them, but then I started thinking about pairing them with a few tops from the spring 2012 line so that we could wear them next spring.  Also being budget minded, I came up with an alternate top to be able to wear with these in the fall.

So, if you want a short sleeve top to wear with these and want to keep the yellow inspired look from this fall, trying pairing with the yellow Hannah Top from Spring 2012 (please excuse the wrinkles in the picture, this picture is of our Hannah and it had just finished drying and I didn't have time to iron).  You can get a Hannah Top for around $20.  Addy's Closet has sizes 12 months, 2 and 5-7, One Good Thread has sizes 18 mths and 10, Ready Set Grow has sizes 5-8, 10 & 12 and Katiebugs Kids has sizes 18 mths, 6, 7 and 10.  For a dressier look, try the short sleeve Lacey Ivory top from Spring.  You can find this shirt for $15-$18 (!!!) at Addy's Closet in sizes 12 mths, 18 mths and 4-8, Smart and Sassy Looks has this in sizes 12 mths, 18 mths, 2, 6 & 10 and Ready Set Grow has sizes 5 & 10.   If you are in a climate where you are able to wear the knickers through the winter but don't want to pay $124 for the top and vest from fall 2012, try the Cream Noelle Top from Holiday 2011.  You can get a Noelle top for around $23.  Addy's Closet has a size 2 and One Good Thread has sizes 5, 6 & 12.

If you want to save shipping costs on your clearance items, pay for them now but ask your retailer to ship them with your pre-order items when they come in.  Smart & Sassy looks has added a free shipping code to this post, use code Kami for free shipping for the entire month of July.