Thrifting has become this phenomenon where something that had previously been negatively stigmatized has now reached mass popularity. There is something so beautiful and thrilling in thrifting, it feels like an affordable scavenger hunt where you get great clothes as a reward. As a self-diagnosed compulsive thrifter and avid lover of clothes, I wanted to share a few tips on how I prefer to thrift as well as my journey into discovering personal style.
First things first, a majority of us have fallen victim to the allure of fast fashion and I am no exception to this. In an attempt to curve this cycle of consumerism that fast fashion plays into, I fell down the rabbit hole of thrifting. Yet along the way of my love for thrifting, I began to accumulate a slight clothing issue, one where my closet physically couldn’t hold much more. With this slight issue at hand, I decided to take a different approach to my previous shopping habits.
Closet Staples-Basics:
I’ve long heard the advocacy for minimalism when it comes to fashion. Though I don’t wholeheartedly agree with each of the concepts of minimalism I do think that there is something to be said about having a closet that incorporates multi-functional pieces. Having some basic closet pieces like a white T-shirt that fits well or a pair of jeans that you love are staple examples that we have all heard of. This doesn’t go to say that these aren’t important but what differs for each person is how their personal style may affect what they consider to be basics. Having staple pieces that are interchangeable provides not only extra closet space but clothing that will hopefully last as your style evolves. With minimalism comes an understanding of your personal style. That discovery of your personal style allows you to find your core pieces as well as a timeless collection of clothing. You can look at basics as the foundation of your closet, they are to be built upon.
Finding Your Personal Style:
Everyone’s style is unique to them, meaning, one person’s staple might not be the same as the next. Taking some advice from Ashley or Best Dressed, create a mood board, or in my case, a Pinterest board, to get an idea of what you like. Having a visual aid creates a reference tool when thrifting can decrease how utterly overwhelming it can be. One of the best pieces of advice I have found is once you have created a mood board of outfits you like you can analyze pieces that tend to repeat themselves, for instance, a black leather jacket or red boots. When you start to accumulate an understanding of the patterns in the types of styles you like it makes finding those pieces much more attainable.
Creating a List:
My next tip that makes thrifting less intimidating is to create a list of what you’re looking for. This may sound excruciatingly simple, yet it had taken me months to finally follow through. This concept of having something to refer back to puts precautions in place to avoid buying an excessive amount of clothing. It is an organizational tool if you will. Using the steps above to determine your basics and get an idea of your personal style then creating a list of what items you are looking for will decrease your chances of getting overwhelmed and overshopping.
With all of this said, each person’s journey to discovering a personal style is different and unique. These tips are ones that I am attempting to apply to my retail therapy habits. This doesn’t go to say that I don’t have an identity crisis every other week with my clothes but hopefully, these tips will help you build your timeless wardrobe, happy shopping!