Over the past few years, thrifting has become increasingly more common. Rather than buying expensive, new articles of furniture, trinkets, and clothing, many individuals have opted to go the thrifting route. My first time in a thrift store was in New Jersey with my aunt. She loves buying old furniture and modernizing or refinishing it to sell, so much so that she has grown to do it as a side career. I initially wondered why she was interested in buying old, dusty vanities when she could just buy a new one that required less work, but eventually, I began thrifting as well; however, I was more interested in the clothing aspect. The first piece of clothing I ever thrifted was a pale blue dress that I still own and wear fairly often. Now, I’ve grown to thrift the majority of my clothing and it has so many benefits.
I used to go through clothes like water. I shopped online so often that I had memorized my card number. The worst part is,the clothes wouldn’t fit me as I imagined or I would only wear them a few times before I would grow tired of them and go online shopping once more. It was a wasteful, expensive cycle. That is until I began to see more and more TikToks about thrifting and decided to start going myself in an attempt to find clothing I enjoyed more. It wasn’t long before I was a regular at my local second-hand store. I realized that the clothes I thrifted were almost always better quality than the clothes I would buy from online vendors, not to mention a lot cheaper. Thrifting is a sustainable and affordable practice that allows me to be expressive in fashion, while also teaching me to wear what I feel comfortable in rather than what’s trending.
As I got more attuned to thrifting, I started becoming better at separating micro-trends fast fashion from essential pieces in my wardrobe. This is really what terminated my wasteful cycle. I would walk into thrift stores on a mission to find those good-quality pieces that I knew I would wear more than two or three times. If I couldn’t envision five or more outfits with a piece of clothing that piqued my interest, I would choose to not buy the piece. This practice was honestly quite financially responsible of me and even made it easier for me, an indecisive individual, to make decisions. In gaining this ability to evaluate clothing, I’ve probably saved hundreds of dollars, which was especially important for me as a teenager making minimum wage.
However, thrifting is more than just sustainable and affordable; I find it fun. In my eyes, thrift stores are more peaceful than department stores and more casual than smaller boutiques. Whenever I go thrifting I just pop in my headphones and scan the entire store for as long as I wish. Plus, there is simply no better feeling than finding a truly unique article of clothing, or a hidden gem, as I like to refer to them. Hidden gems are those pieces I have listed in my notes app and Pinterest board, but am never lucky enough to find on my first attempt. Finding these clothes is always the best because I have to work and search for them. It almost feels like these scenarios are a reward for my dedication even though this is only a hobby and not a job, as I often forget. Finally, for all my Jersey girls, I like to go to Inspirations and 2nd Ave Thrift in Union, New Jersey. These two places are pretty big and typically quiet, which I enjoy, as I personally try to avoid hectic shopping environments. I’m also looking forward to trying some of New York City’s famous thrift stores. The NYC thrift scene was a pretty big incentive for me when I chose to come to school here. Some spots I’m most excited to check out are Funny Pretty Nice, Tired Thrift, and 10 Feet Single by Stella Dallas, which is known to be Bella Hadid’s favorite NYC thrifting location.