The cold weather is quickly approaching and we girls are switching style gears fast! During this time, we tend to justify excessive shopping sprees by saying that we need warmer clothes, when in reality we just don’t want to break out the old stuff for a seasonal repeat. There’s a solution to this: Thrifting. Whether you’re shopping for a new wardrobe, or accessories to spice up your old one, a trip to a thrift store is the best option. Follow these tips and get ready for your best winter fashion yet!
1. Go in with a plan. It’s easy to get lost and overwhelmed in thrift stores when staring at the endless mismatched racks that you need to pick through. Aimless wandering and pawing at hangers will ensue. The subsequent, ‘Yeah, I didn’t find anything,” really means ‘Yeah, I didn’t actually look…’ Having a plan of attack can give you momentum right from the start. Pick something like sweaters or jewelry and start only looking at those. Once you find something you like (which you obviously will), you’ll have more motivation to take on the rest of the store.
2. Be open-minded! Thrift stores tend to have some pretty funky stuff, we all know this. However, don’t write off the weird clothes right away. If something jumps out at you for some reason that you can’t explain, give it a chance and try it on! This could be your new favorite shirt once you see how great it looks on you. But, that said…
3. Don’t settle for something “okay.” You know how if you buy that H&M shirt that’s really cheap but just okay, you’ll never actually wear it? This goes even morefor thrifted clothes. Because of the three-dollar price tag (and uniqueness of most items), we tend to buy things just to have them. The resulting wasted money and wasted space isn’t worth it! Rule of thumb: if you’re not instantly excited about it after trying it on, don’t buy it, because chances are you’ll never touch it again.
4. Don’t ignore the Men’s section! We’re trained from the beginning to beeline it to the women’s section, but that eliminates some great stuff (especially during a time when oversized is in). Check out the sweaters, button-downs, and even T-shirts (for that DIY crop top) to score a creative and trendy new outfit.
5. Look for Labels. It’s true that a used Old Navy top isn’t going to hold up as well as, say, Ann Taylor, in the long run. While you are looking for cheap and unique, you’re also looking for quality. I mean, come on, we still want to look nice in these clothes! (It’s also super exciting when you find a label that wouldn’t typically be in your budget!)
So while other girls spend loads on a few cute tops, you can be the one with a full wallet and a full, one-of-a-kind closet.