On Saturday morning my mom and I would load up into the truck and drive thirty minutes along the back roads to town. St Vincent De Paul or Vinnie's, as we called it, was our destination. The best thrift store. It had shoes and home goods, a corner of kids toys that I thought was just a place to play. The clothes were organized by size not color. I hate when their organized by color. The prices were low. I built my personal style from the offerings of Vinnie's. Girls at school made fun of me for the clothes that I wore, but that was none of my business. I had fabulous things, silky polka dotted tops and flared jeans. Plaid wool coats, that I'm still wearing now. A pair of Crocs that had Zac Efrons face printed on the strap! The thrift is a place of local treasure.
I know thrifting can feel overwhelming to some. Every store is organized differently, there is no guarantee you'll find something that fits. So here our my ,coach Jo, tips to thrift.
1. Manifest what you want. LL Bean duck boots, zebra striped slip dress. Think about them, dream about them. Then go looking and look until you find them. A rain dance works because you dance until it rains. A thrift manifest works because you thrift until you find it. It might take weeks, months or years. That's ok. The gods will give to you when you are ready. Enter into a meditative state, what will be will be. Exercise in non attachment.
2. Hit the shops in an incomplete outfit. Put on pants, a shirt, go out and find something to match the look, to finish the outfit. I did this and bought the best sweater I've ever owned. 100% cotton chunky knit, pink with shoulder pads. I slipped it on over my green striped button up with my cropped flared jeans, hot damn I was feeling good that spring day. I fell for this strategy for three major reasons, it limits how much you buy, just enough to complete the outfit. It brings an item into your wardrobe that is guaranteed to match. Lastly, you wear the garment out of the store, romantic, rich, and you don’t have to carry an extra bag. This is my hottest tip.
3. Check the content tags. You will always find me with my head up a skirt looking for that content tag. Typically along the wearers left side seam 3" above the hemline in dresses skirts and shirts. Sometimes the back neckline in shirts. In pants somewhere along the waistline. The content tag is your guide to the fiber. Natural fibers is what I look for, cotton, linen, wool and silk. Bamboo, hemp, and ramie are more rare finds. Natural fibers are more comfortable, they have qualities that synthetics only dream about.
4. Heavy and stiff. This is my newest mantra. I look for items that are heavy and stiff because that tells me that they will last a long time. If those fibers are tough now that is an indicator of a long life ahead. Garments in stores that sell new clothes might be soft to the touch, but they get that way from processes that break down the fiber. Don’t let the manufacturer reduce your fibers lifetime. That's your job. Buy heavy and stiff, let the fibers soften around you.
5. Look for items that are true to your closet. I am a striped button down wearer. Through and through, I always want to put on a striped button down. So when I find one at the shop, I take it home. Your personal style does not need to be diverse, we wear clothes for function. Buy what you like. It will build a wardrobe that meets your needs.
Thrifting is fun thrifting is cool thrifiting is collecting local artifacts. Have fun, be patient. Let it go.
XOXO Gossip Jo
