Before-and-after photos show how a blogger transforms thrift-store clothes into stylish outfits

In 2010, Owens started "ReFashionista," a blog dedicated to showing off all of the thrift-store clothes she has transformed over the years. At the time, she was working at a nonprofit and didn't have enough money to buy clothes as often as she wanted, so she started shopping at thrift stores and "refashioning" items, as she calls it.

"At the time, I was in a really creative funk, so this was a terrific outlet for me to really be able to express myself, create my own look, and cultivate my own style, which I didn't have before," Owens told Insider.

Owens told Insider she is primarily self-taught and discovered a lot of things through trial and error.

"On my blog, I try to promote how accessible sewing is," she said. "I deliberately try to do beginner level refashions to help inspire people to go out and do this themselves."

But Owens will show off her more advanced skills every now and then, she said.

Owens is a big fan of her local Goodwill because of its $1 section. She also told Insider that she will ask employees at thrift stores when they are going to be having sales.

"My Goodwill has a clearance schedule where one day a week a bunch of stuff gets marked down to a $1. I always make sure to go on that day," she said.

When Owens first started thrifting, she would jokingly send her husband text messages telling him how many dresses she bought.

"I used to send him a text like, 'Brian, don't get mad but I bought 15 dresses today,' and he would immediately say, 'Oh my god, how much did that cost?' And I'll respond with $15," she said, laughing.

"I try to find the most challenging pieces I can," she said. "I'm very fast when I shop now. I find something that catches my eye and grab it."

Owens told Insider that she is a big fan of dyeing the clothes she finds in order to give them a whole new look.

"It really is a passion," she said. "It's just a fun hobby and I enjoy it."

"It's like a catch and release program," she said of her transformed clothing. "I catch it, fix it, and release it back to the wild."

Owens will usually donate her transformed outfit back to the same thrift store after putting it up on her blog.

"My goal is not to find my creation in the $1 rack within a couple of weeks because otherwise, I feel like I've failed," she said.

Owens told Insider she realized the piece looked familiar and was proud when she saw that the shop was selling it for $20.

For Owens, it's always great to see her hard work come to life.

"It's neat to see what's in your mind become a reality," she said.

Owens said when she started her blog, she was taking pictures with a cheap point-and-shoot camera and didn't have a tripod, so she would set it up on top of a stack of books.

"It's absolutely humbling to see how that's grown and all the people that are super into what I'm doing," she said.

"They can look fabulous and be sustainable at the same time," she said.

Owens also said that even if someone who comes across her blog or transformations isn't into fashion or style, she hopes it inspires them to think more creatively about other areas in their lives.

"If you really break it down, it's about taking something that isn't working and making it work," she said. "That's something that can be applied to anything."

You can follow Owens on Instagram here.

• Read more:
• A seamstress on TikTok transforms thrift store clothing into outfits that look brand new
• Before-and-after photos show how a seamstress transforms thrift store clothes
• I shopped at only thrift stores for a year — and I got a whole new wardrobe for less than $300
• The personal, political, and environmental case for buying all your clothes secondhand