I was chatting with one of my school friends about where I buy my clothes, (mostly thrift stores, guys. they're my fave) and she asked for a few tips, asking which of the thrift stores near us were "good ones."
Not wanting to lead her astray, I launched into a monologue that could probably have been titled "An Exhaustive Guide to Thrifting, Volume 1." I was on like, my third tip when she started laughing.
I AM AN OVERACHIEVER, OKAY. But I also realized that I have something to say on the subject of thrifting! So here are a few of my tips for thrift-store shopping, whether you're a veteran thrifter or just getting started. :)
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Know your thrift stores! (some are good, some are bad, know the difference.)
a good thrift store will...be organized well, look clean, have both really old and really new clothes to choose from, have at least six changeroom stalls, and have a high turnover rate (ex. if you go in a week later, there will be tons of new stuff.)
a bad thrift store will...look dirty. have dirty, stained, old-old-not-vintage-old clothes, make you feel gross every time you touch something. Do not shop at those stores.
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Check for stains and rips, even if the piece looks new. There's a reason it's at the thrift store, after all! It could be because it didn't fit or simply wasn't liked by its previous owner, but it could be because of a hidden flaw.
Don't be lured into buying bad clothing just because it's cheap.
If you wouldn't love it at the $30 sale price, you don't need it now that it's been marked down to $3. So many times I've bought clothing because it was "almost perfect" had a "little" stain or hole or fit great "except on my shoulders." I always regret it. Love it before you bring it home.
Don't count on finding shoes. They've all been worn before. I have found a couple pairs I liked (see above!) but it's really hit and miss.
Always try everything on. Size means nothing here.
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Some days will be bad days!
You may spend hours in a thrift store to walk away with absolutely nothing. This does not make the thrift store bad. Try the store several times on different days to get a good feel for whether or not it will carry the kinds of clothing you're looking for.
Always check the book section before leaving!
Do you shop at thrift stores? Agree or disagree with my list of tips?
xx
Olivia
**all photos taken by my lovely sister, Hannah**
Not wanting to lead her astray, I launched into a monologue that could probably have been titled "An Exhaustive Guide to Thrifting, Volume 1." I was on like, my third tip when she started laughing.
I AM AN OVERACHIEVER, OKAY. But I also realized that I have something to say on the subject of thrifting! So here are a few of my tips for thrift-store shopping, whether you're a veteran thrifter or just getting started. :)
.jpg) |
| thrifted from this outfit: black shirt, originally Suzy Shier |
Know your thrift stores! (some are good, some are bad, know the difference.)
a good thrift store will...be organized well, look clean, have both really old and really new clothes to choose from, have at least six changeroom stalls, and have a high turnover rate (ex. if you go in a week later, there will be tons of new stuff.)
a bad thrift store will...look dirty. have dirty, stained, old-old-not-vintage-old clothes, make you feel gross every time you touch something. Do not shop at those stores.
.jpg) |
| thrifted from this outfit: coat, originally steilmann |
Check for stains and rips, even if the piece looks new. There's a reason it's at the thrift store, after all! It could be because it didn't fit or simply wasn't liked by its previous owner, but it could be because of a hidden flaw.
Don't be lured into buying bad clothing just because it's cheap.
If you wouldn't love it at the $30 sale price, you don't need it now that it's been marked down to $3. So many times I've bought clothing because it was "almost perfect" had a "little" stain or hole or fit great "except on my shoulders." I always regret it. Love it before you bring it home.
.jpg) |
| thrifted from this outfit: shoes, originally A.co |
.jpg) |
| thrifted from this outfit: shirt, originally Lorde and Taylor |
Don't count on finding shoes. They've all been worn before. I have found a couple pairs I liked (see above!) but it's really hit and miss.
Always try everything on. Size means nothing here.
.jpg) |
| thrifted from this outfit: dress, originally Suzy Shier |
Some days will be bad days!
You may spend hours in a thrift store to walk away with absolutely nothing. This does not make the thrift store bad. Try the store several times on different days to get a good feel for whether or not it will carry the kinds of clothing you're looking for.
.jpg) | |
| thrifted from this outfit: blazer, (see above), originally from gordon smith. |
Always check the book section before leaving!
Do you shop at thrift stores? Agree or disagree with my list of tips?
xx
Olivia
**all photos taken by my lovely sister, Hannah**
Ummmm can I please go thrift shopping with you please? Look at all that cute stuff you've found. Wow.
ReplyDeleteThese are great tips. Here in Ireland I've never found a nice thrift store - they all seem to fit in the "bad" category. #THEYSMELLFUNNY :( So I really need you to adopt me so I can shop at your thrift stores.
Of course I will adopt you! you can bake me yummy fictional food and I'll teach you to talk in a Canadian accent and we can go thrift store shopping every day, it'll be great!! :p
DeleteGreat tips! I've only gone thrift store shopping once or twice (once was costume shopping for a book character and that was fun!) but I enjoyed it. It's not something I naturally turn to when I want clothes, but maybe I ought to try it more often.
ReplyDeleteYesss definitely try it more often!!! I will adopt you too and the three of us can just go shopping all the time!! :p seriously though, I love thrifting. I walk away sometimes (on the really good days!) with bags full and it's so cheap! and you're never wearing the same shirt as anybody else... a lot of the stuff I find is from stores I've never heard of.
Delete*end ranting* I'll try not to write another post right here in the comments. basically I love it, go thrifting forever. :P
sweet pics cous!
ReplyDeleteawesome tips for the next time im in the city... :)
yes for sure we will have to go to a thrift store the next time you come down!! :)
Delete