You know, when I was working on the original Santa Fe shopping wardrobe in Polyvore for yesterday’s post (Santa Fe Wardrobe: Shopping!), I must admit that I didn’t even look at the prices of any of the items, with the inevitable result that some things were crazy-pricey, while others were amazing bargains. While it is certainly a whole lot of fun to “shop” with no regard for budget, it occurred to me that it might be interesting to see what I could do if I only used items that cost $50.00 or less, including accessories, which can be difficult to find with that price restriction (at least if you want decent quality). I’m surprised at all the great options I found in a fairly quick search!

(By the way, for any of you who may not be familiar with Polyvore, it’s a super-fun place where you can shop, follow other users whose style you admire, get inspired, and create your own collections! There’s also a widget to put in your browser toolbar that lets you copy anything you run across online to your place on Polyvore, to add to your own sets and collections. Try it!)

For reference, I’m showing my original color palette once again, followed by the new budget-conscious (but still style-savvy) wardrobe. You’ll notice that there are some colors in the clothes that are not in the palette, so this is a good time to point out that a palette is a guideline, not a written-in-stone rule. With all the green, gold, turquoise, and bronze/brown tones in this collection, it still has the spirit of the original palette, don’t you think? (I’m sorry, but I simply couldn’t resist that striped skirt! Yes, yes, horizontal stripes, etc.— come on, doesn’t it just make you happy to look at it?) And once again, I only chose items that I would actually wear myself, so this isn’t merely theoretical. In fact, I’m thinking about buying that striped skirt…

What do you think of my palette and collections, including the one I’m sewing? I’d love to hear!