A few years ago, when we talked about thrift stores, the only image that would come to our minds were ugly, filthy and damaged clothes that had no chance of getting inside our closets. Thankfully, that image is changing. Contemporary thrift stores are upgrading their products and we can now find beautiful relatively new pieces available for a very interesting price.
As a college student, I know very well that living on a budget is not even close to easy. Rent, bills and food are priorities when the pay-check arrives each month, which leaves us little to no money to spend on our so loved clothing stores. Shopping on stores like Forever 21, H&M or Zara are luxuries when the budget is tight.
To give you guys a hand on staying stylish when the money is little, my friend Mariana Martucci and I visited some of the best thrift stores in the neighborhood called “Perdizes”, in São Paulo. Because Mariana is a shopping freak and loves a bargain, she knew exactly where to go when I proposed her to help me in this post.
Together, we chose three of the best places to shop good quality and looking clothes for a good price. Check them out:
1. “Minha Avó Tinha Brechó”
Address: R. Dr. Franco da Rocha, 74 – Perdizes, São Paulo – SP.
Phone: (11) 3801-4124
This is certainly the most stylish out of the three stores. It’s completely vintage and has some incredible pieces, from leather skirts, to long old-fashioned pants, all the way to the most incredible scarfs. Mariana and I had a long talk with the saleswoman, Bina, and she told us that they sell a ridiculously high amount of vintage clothes to Globo because of their vintage novels that requires a specific clothing style.
Because of that, the pieces available are a bit pricey. Compared to other non-thrift stores, the prices are still better, but whe you compare to a tight budget, it may not be the best option out there. Either way, we decided to make up some looks that would fit in our daily lifes. Two looks that would work to go to college and then straight to the internship and one that is more relaxed and fun.
LOOK 1:
Sleeveless black shirt: R$50,00
Brown leather skirt: R$120,00
Black 1920s belt: R$40,00
LOOK 2:
White Polka Dot Button-Up Shirt: R$45,00
Long Black Plitted Skirt: R$60,00
Black 1920s belt: R$40,00
White Little 1930s Bag: R$70,00
LOOK 3:
Black Loose-Sleeves Dress: R$85,00
Some pictures of the gorgeous scarfs we found:
They also have an enormous arsenal of jewelry and accessories. The prices vary from R$10,00 up to R$500,00, all you have to do is choose what suits you best. Look for yourself: (I wasn’t kidding when I said enourmous!)
2. Um Mimmo de Brechó
Rua Turiassu, 837 – Perdizes, São Paulo/SP
Phone: (11) 3862-7047
Working since 1971, in a calm little street in Perdizes, this place reunites some high quality pieces for a very interesting price. They re-sell clothes to all genres and ages and also have their own factory in the second floor. The new pieces produced by them are sold in the front of the store.
They have a very organized system and you can clearly notice how the clothes are divided. In almost every wall, they have a paper explaining how it works. Summing up: every color is a different price. Depending on your needs, you can go straight to the area that is the most interesting to you and save some precious time.
You can find Levi’s jeans for only R$20,00! Mariana and I chose some pretty pieces with a very good price, check them out:
Long green button skirt: R$20,00.
Ripped Levi’s jeans skirt: R$15,00
All shirts below: R$5,00.
The thick coats section really wowed me. They’re all in such great condition and the highest price I saw was R$90,00, which is still a very good deal for this type of piece.
This is the place to take some time off and really bargain!
3. Capricho à Toa
Rua Heitor Penteado, 1096 – Casa 8. Sumarezinho/Perdizes, São Paulo – SP.
Open Monday-Saturday from 9h30 to 18h30. Closed on sundays and holidays.
It’s very famous here in São Paulo so you’ll have some competition. The best thing is to go on the begining of the week and preferably in the afternoon, when there is less movement.
The place holds a little café, with mouth-watering cakes, nourishing juices and many other options. This may be your place if you’re in a rush and need to have that mid-afternoon snack quickly.
This thrift store is H-U-G-E! Three levels of every single clothing brand you can think and ones you can’t. Everything from phone cases, to perfums, skirts, party dresses, shoes is available in this amazing place. The prices are very good and the quality of the pieces are outstandingly good. You can find everything from popular brands to designer pieces. But you need to have time and must be willing to hunt for the the pearls.
Here are two pieces I really liked:
Zara: R$29,00
Forever 21: R$29,00
Try not to go crazy over the amount of shoes they sell! But you must be careful in this section: not everything is affordable. There are some designer shoes there that can cost up to R$400,00!! Please don’t forget to check the price tag.
Capricho à Toa may be the answer for your problems if you have that amazing party on the weekend but have nothing to wear. I get you, ladies!
They have a separate section! How amazing is that? Everything from skirt, to long or short dresses, to high heels: rock the #ootd!
The prices vary depending on what you desire. You can find dresses for R$80,00 or R$300,00. Again, be sure you have a lot of free time… You’ll definitely need.