make it work
Buying new, used to be the only way to keep up appearances but as fast fashion becomes more and more wasteful (and somehow more expensive?) the only way to stay stylish and stay in budget, is to thrift your dream wardrobe. Here’s how I’ve made thrifting work for my wardrobe:
When I go out to my absolute favorite thrift stores, my happy places if you will, I truly don’t go in hunting for anything in particular. I let the good stuff find me. I occasionally walk in there, manifesting Mara Hoffman pieces or cute shoes in my size, but I just do what I’ve always done and peruse the racks from front to back. And I always look up! Most thrift stores will put fun pieces on the mannequins or hang the more expensive pieces on the tops of the walls. Always remember to look up. You don’t wanna miss these.
I always go in with a mindset to buy pieces that are higher quality and will last long in my closet, are unbelievably discounted from the original and most of all, will look good on my body. The worst thing is when I find a cute dress or jacket or shoe thats on trend and has all the right details but looks unbelievable on me and not in a good way. Buying trendy items just because they’re on trend IS NOT WORTH THE CLOSET SPACE! Whenever I find things that are perfect for Summer like linen pieces, a maxi sundress, or a cool bodysuit that still has tags, I grab them. Another goal I set for each buy is to find pieces I can wear throughout a couple seasons that are also timeless. I know being an outfit repeater on IG isn’t cool but I hope one day (soon) that people will change that mindset. Everyone loves playing a song 225 times on repeat but why don’t we do that with clothes yet?
When I come across a trendy piece of clothing, normally seen all over my gram, and its actually affordable and not incredibly cheap looking, I always debate purchasing it for a while. Recently I came across a dupe for the Bottega Venetta square toe heels and I just couldn’t do it. My size 10 feet looked like duck feet. I dont need those or the real ones now! Instead I opted for unbranded nude d’orsay mules instead and have already worn them 10+ times. In my opinion, most trendy pieces have a quick 15 mins of fame and eventually end up looking trashy. On the other hand, there are a few trendy pieces I’ve found that become so trendy they become closet main stays. Those are the ones I try to add to my closet, while filling the rest of my racks with pieces that will never go out of style.
What originally got me hooked on shopping at thrift stores (besides helping clothes stay out of the landfill and not contributing to fast fashion pollution) is that they are real life treasure hunts. My closet may have cost $$$$ but is worth much much much more. Being a girl who grew up reading fashion magazines, I always wanted to look like the celebrities and have brands that they wore, hanging in my closet someday. Weirdly enough I do now. The crazy thing is I’ve found these designer pieces for a fraction of a fraction of the price at thrift stores both IRL and online. One of the last insane finds I came across that obviously ended up in my closet was a pretty maxi dress from Zadig & Voltaire. It was hanging on the top of the wall and was marked at $75. When a sales associate brought it down for me, I noticed it still had tags on. This dress was a PR gift to a celebrity or local influencer most likely (it said the name of the pr company on the tag) and it was valued at……$795. Seriously. In the picture above, I’m wearing a Stella McCartney silk blouse paired with H&M linen shorts I’ve had for years. I found a $600 blouse for $45 and it was half off (YES REALLY). I have so many stories like this that are currently hanging in my closet and it blows my mind that people are missing out on these deeply discounted finds. I have no complaints except a currently very full closet but the struggle is worth it.
If you’re like me, and have a closet that could use a deep clean, or some cash in your pocket, OR trade at your new favorite thrift store, head here to learn how to sell at some of my favorite thrift stores.
