Hello everyone, I am back, and wouldn't you know it, another post about clothes. :] This time, I won't be talking about how to get those free threads, but how I personally like to go thrifting. See, I really love to take my fashion inspiration from those that aim to "awe" every time they get dressed in the morning. I love to see how women style up their "outfits of the day" with statement pieces, and which accessories they choose to complete their outfit with. However, as inspiring as those ladies may be when it comes to choosing their outfits for the day, I usually find myself dressing more minimalistic; with more comfort touches to my outfit rather than statement.
This more minimalistic approach to my wardrobe has made it a little more difficult, personally, to find those pieces that I truly will wear from the thrift store. Since "basics", in tees and blouses, are usually not in the greatest condition at the local thrift, I find myself searching through the outerwear, dresses, shoes and pant sections the most.
So the thrift store that I usually like to go to is Salvation Army, I've found that Goodwill is starting to be too "expensive" as far as thrifting goes, and here in San Diego, Savers does not exist unfortunately. Side note, if you are reading this and live somewhere where there is a Savers, congrats, because that is where I would be going if we had one here! Anyways, once I finally make it to the thrift, I usually go through the outerwear section first. A lot of velvet, corduroy and suede jackets are in full effect this year/ season (if you have seasons where you live), so naturally, that is what I have been on the hunt for. As you can see in the pictures above, I was successfully able to find a great oversized corduroy jacket. However, even though I have a suede jacket, I have never been able to find a great one from the actual thrift. As far as owning a velvet jacket, preferably in blazer form, the hunt is still on!
Once I have gone through the outerwear, I like to head to the dress section. In this section you can usually find cool retro dresses, or oversized overalls, which is what I usually like to look for. I have actually had a lot of luck in this section here at my local Salvation Army. From finding Free People dresses, to Eileen Fisher, this is always a section I like to look through thoroughly.
Next, I like to browse through the shoes. This section at my local thrift is always super small, so my browsing is always short and sweet. This is the section where I like to look for cool mules, or heeled loafers; might as well take my chances at the thrift before spending $100 + at TopShop or another fast fashion site, right? (even though their shoes are SUPER cute). The pictures above show these cool brown mules I bought the other week for about $1-$2.
Pants are always super hit or miss at the thrift, but I still go through this section just incase I find some gems. So far, I've found a couple jeans/pants that I really like, and that fit me super well. In the photos above, I am wearing Lee light black denim jeans that I paid about $2 for. Naturally, since I am vertically challenged, I had to chop the ends off. I went for the high-low raw edge look for these jeans, instead of just chopping them off to make an even hem like I usually have to do, and I love them!
I know that a lot of people find it strange to shop for old, used clothes instead of going to "cheap" fast fashion stores such as Forever 21 or H&M, but the hunt for unique clothing is always the most fun part of thrifting. Honestly, you never know what you are going to find when you head into your favorite thrift, and that is what makes it exciting. Although I have worked in retail for years now, and received a bachelors degree in clothes (Apparel Merchandising), I still find it amazing that fashion ALWAYS comes full circle, but now, we as a society in 2016, get to take into account all of the fashion from YEARS before us, and make it our own, playing around with popular styles from 1900 all the way to 2000. As far as wearing old clothes, well, that is why washing machines were invented. So get your clorox and strongest detergent ready, and go find yourself some treasures.
xoxo
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