If you know me in real life, or if you’ve come across any of my old Her Campus articles, you’ll know I love to thrift. And what better excuse for a refresh than a new season?
With the air cooling and the sun starting to set earlier, fall is an inevitability. So let’s dive into some of the items on my wish list when I go rummaging to different thrift shops this season. If you are a thrifting newbie, check out my article that features tips I picked up from when I worked at a thrift store back in the day!
And don’t forget, if the in-person hunt isn’t your thing, thrifting thrives online with retailers on Instagram and Depop. If you’re plus-size like I am, this can help with the frustration of having to work at least twice as hard to find things than smaller folks.
- grandma sweaters
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My best friend once told me that she would describe my style as that of a Grade 5 English teacher, and she was right. Although my palette has evolved as I’ve gotten older, I love a cringey grandma sweater that you might see on the likes of your teacher. Patches, embroidery, colours, the more the merrier. Right now I have a lonely floral sweater so I’m looking to add a couple of friends.
- plaid/gingham pants
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So my favourite pair of pants to wear in the spring is a gingham blue stretchy waist capris (my mom hates these pants BTW, which kind of makes me feel like I’m doing something right fashion-wise). Basically, I’m looking for a darker pair that suits the fall. I have a hard time finding full-length pants since I have really long legs. Honestly, buying pants in general is a nightmare, but I figure if I’ve done it once, it can happen again. This time with a pair that works for fall and winter.
- Mushroom Lamp
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I prefer to thrift or find everything that I can second-hand, to lower consumption and all. Plus, I’ve seen so many amazing quirky lighting options at the thrift store, just usually for hanging lights. What I’m specifically looking for is a light for my room in this sort of vintage mushroom style. I’d pretty much be happy with any material as long as it’s small enough to fit in the space I need.
- brown purse
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I’ll admit it, I’m a purse person. I don’t know why but I love a purse and I’ve collected them for pretty much my whole life. The one hole that I feel is in my collection right now, though, is a small brown leather one. I’d love for it to be well worn and a bit crumpled, and something with a shoulder strap for sure!
- oversized jean jacket
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I’ve been looking for an oversized jean jacket for as long as I have been thrifting, which is years now, but I’ve never found one with the right fit. There’s something about a worn-in jean jacket that really gives it character. Bonus points if there is some cool embroidery on it. This is the item that I might give in and buy online from a reseller if I can find one for a decent price and ethical business.
- chunky boots
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Most of these items come from a vision I have in my head of some outfit or another. I think that’s key to enjoy the thrifting process; you need to be able to envision these things in the bigger picture, DIY’d and styled. For this particular vision, I want chunky boots, with or without heal that rise halfway up my calf.
So happy this is what I’m looking for this season. How about you? Anything you’d love to find?