How to Wear the Summer Crochet Trend with the Thrifty Six

sallyinstpaul
1 day ago
6 min read

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 Crochet Revival...to celebrate the delightful fact that this boho favorite is in the trend spotlight for Summer 2025. I love that crochet is such an easy trend to buy secondhand, whether you are interested in a vintage piece or a more modern take on it. You can also find some lovely hand-made crochet pieces, from clothing to bags, on the pre-loved market.

Since crochet is a perennial summer staple, I have several open weave crochet-style layering pieces in my wardrobe that come out every year when the weather warms up, and most of them are secondhand purchases. Although I have worn my black crochet cardigan/shrug the most, my favorite crochet piece is probably this short-sleeved cardigan in a gorgeous shade of dark grey-blue that layers well over sleeveless tops in warm weather. I thrifted it at Goodwill way back in 2015!

I like that the crochet trend offers a variety of styling options. You can definitely go all-in with a boho chic or 70s redux look, but crochet elements can be used more sparingly to add a hint of laid-back, breezy boho vibes to other aesthetics too. For today's look, I decided to style my crochet cardigan with pieces I haven't paired it with before to create an outfit on the feminine classic side, featuring an A-line paisley print knit skirt (thrifted Lularoe) and a sandstone coral tank (CJ Banks).

My thrifted old-school-style ivory captoe flats are such a pretty polished classic style that they are a bit challenging for me to wear, but I thought they worked very well with the colors of the skirt and the overall vibe of this outfit.

I repeated the white/ivory colors in my layered necklaces, which stand out nicely against the coral tone of my top. First I picked a thrifted vintage bulky pearl, crystal, and gold chain necklace for my long layer. The pearls played perfectly into the classic aspect of my outfit while the bold, non-traditional necklace speaks to the popularity of large, irregular pearls in unusual settings as a trend in 2025. Then I added a DIY multi-strand seed bead necklace in white and gold for my shorter layer(s), which provides a playful, whimsical, "craftcore/summer camp element that I enjoy wearing.

The fun DIY memory wire bracelet continues the playful theme. I used beads in a variety of sizes, shapes, and materials to create a colorblocked pattern in the dominant colors of my skirt. Because of course I made a bracelet to coordinate with my skirt - that's how we roll here!

I strongly considered making a pair of earrings for this outfit too, but in the end, I exercised restraint...well, restraint Sally-style anyway...by wearing a sweet pair of faux pearl studs with little gold rabbit ears that I bought on Amazon. Janice at The Vivienne Files had found them and included them in one of her posts as a nod to my rabbit obsession, so naturally I bought them immediately. I love that they look like normal pearl stud earrings until you get close and look carefully.

I do have to say, the very best crochet outfits I've ever styled was for my sister's Barbies (during that stage of life when I was "too old" to play with Barbies but because my sister is 3.5 years younger, I got to extend my play for a few good years there, LOL). One of my mom's sisters taught me to crochet when we visited her, and I turned my creative energies to figuring out how to make Barbie clothes, bags, etc. from crocheted yarn.

I still remember the dark green Barbie "tote bag" I crocheted that was about a third her height and could stretch to contain an amazing number of clothes and accessories to switch up her look on the go. She would have had a really interesting answer to the topic of What's in My Bag? Although this was the pre-Internet 1980s, that Barbie with the giant crochet tote bag of clothing was ready to be an online influencer doing outfit changes in the car for a photo shoot! We didn't have a Barbie car, but a shoe box worked just as well and had room for an over-stuffed crochet bag across her lap.

Sewing for Barbie - talk about easy, inexpensive, and quick projects! There was never a To Be Finished project when working on Barbie scale. She looked great in every single piece, every single time, and she never complained about anything I made!

Now let's review the Crochet Revival outfits that my thrifty friends have styled...

The Thrifty Six:

Emma of Style Splash

"I have a few crochet vest tops but I don't think any of them are preloved. So, I set about looking on Vinted for a bag or cardigan that I would wear often, rather than just buying something for the purpose of this theme. At first, I found this green raffia bag that looks crocheted, but I couldn't be sure. In any case, it's a fab little bag for holidays. Then, I spotted this cardigan and I thought it would also be a great piece for holidays. In fact, I like it much more than I thought I would. It's a really useful extra layer for summer that elevates an outfit without making me too hot."

Jane of Preloved-Vintage-Handmade

"Bohemian classics like crochet really light my fire – this 1970’s vintage skirt was destroyed when I found it…

…I’ve reconstructed it from the waistband to the lining and even re-crocheted it in parts.

The top is also a 70’s piece although I feel its spirit is Edwardian. Styled together I’ve created a crochet dress which sings to my boho soul…

My style crosses boundaries, I can’t put a name on it yet boho is the closest to my heart."

Jodie of Jodie's Touch of Style

"This crochet top was a hand-me-down from a friend, and I've worn it a ton. My crew and I are exploring ideas of what to wear UNDER your crochet, so I decided to wear a swimsuit top under it. The skirt was a recent find that I thrifted for only $2. I felt very Mod Men for some reason, LOL"

Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style

"So I knew, somewhere in the back of my mind, that I had a photo with something crochet. I thought it was a top, but I could only find this dress. I received it from someone, can't even remember from who, like ten years ago or so. And although I do love the look, it's not me. Crochet is somewhat too hippy for me. It does not suit me. And of course the colour isn't doing anything for me at all. I also can't remember wearing this dress, so this must have been the only time."

Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge

“I have a few crochet pieces but none were preloved so I went on a little thrifting adventure and found this adorable olive green crochet pullover sweater. I wore it with a hand-me-down skirt from Daenel and my thrifted moccasins. Now I want to get all my crochet things out and wear them!"

Next month's topic is my choice, and I've picked that summer favorite: Nautical Vibes.

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

Are you on board for the summer crochet trend? Do you wear any crochet pieces of clothing or accessories? Do you like crochet elements in home decor? Do you know how to crochet? Did you ever make doll clothes or accessories when you were a kid? Or for a kid when you were an adult? Do any pieces stand out in your memory?

Blogs I link up with are listed here.