There is no greater joy in this world than when someone compliments my outfit and I’m able to respond with the fact that I thrifted it all, head to toe. That feeling just might be equivalent to the sense of power that people destroy and conquer nations for.
Aced your final that you stayed in the library studying hours and hours for? Go thrifting. Bombed your final that you stayed in the library studying hours and hours for? Go thrifting. Many people can agree that the appeal of thrifting includes its (alleged) low prices, uniqueness of clothing, and eco-friendly correlations.
However, I’ve noticed a disturbing clothing trend within my own closet. It’s a cycle in which in the thrift stores, I find clothes that I’m in love with, but the second that it’s hung in my closet, it disappears from my mind, and I might even dislike it as time passes. As a certified outfit repeater, I honestly wear the same five shirts and the same two pants.
Bottom line is: I’ll love garments for about a week and then forget about it. Or worse, hate it.
Here, I’ll discuss some ways to prevent your closet from metamorphosizing into another second-hand store.
avoid microtrends
The amount of sweater vests I once had in my closet would have had you thinking that I was born without arms. It had gotten to the point where my parents were expressing concerns over my thrift hauls solely revolving around the vests. I had brushed them off, swearing I would love sweater vests forever.
I did not.
In fact, I currently own zero of them and much prefer sleeves now. Also, the amount of SHIEN products that I see in thrift stores is both concerning and increasing.
All of this makes it apparent to me just how microtrends affect our shopping habits. In general, clothing trends have always been an issue within the fashion industry, in which businesses push out advertisements and media encouraging their new styles while discarding and shaming the old. That process of discarding on both levels, in donating out-of-style clothing to thrift stores and in people like me re-donating unwanted clothes with the passing of microtrends, is what is incredibly alarming.
This isn’t to say that donating to thrift stores is bad, but the issue arises when people begin to turn to these centers as a place to dump their undesired clothes at a rapid turnover rate, especially with the reward of believing they are “helping people”. It’s just detrimental for the planet and truly unsustainable.
The main way that I combat this is stopping and asking myself, do I love this shirt (or whatever it may be) or do I just like it because everyone else is wearing it?
I have also made myself aware of what I denote as the “thrift effect,” in which clothes tend to look more appealing in stores and then lose that enchantment once in my closet. So, I like to make deliberate choices and see if I can envision myself pairing the piece of clothing with the rest of my closet in my mind!
This is why I usually try to go into a thrifting trip with goals in mind. They’re not strict, but just general ideas of what I’m looking for. And if I’m picking up something that I hadn’t planned for, it better be an item I see myself wearing often.
keep in touch
When I do my deep winter and spring cleanings, there are often worrisome characteristics of my clothes. Sometimes, the price tags remain on the pieces of clothing, a clear sign that I never actually wore it, and yet I already want to get rid of it. The hanging tag is the ultimate sign of a waste in multiple ways.
I simply want to emphasize the ‘use’ in ‘reuse’. The goal of these second-hand stores is for people to find purpose and actual usage in items to prevent waste.
So, stay updated with your own closet. Sometimes, it’s a gift when I rediscover a piece of clothing that I absolutely adore. At the same time, it makes me aware of how my closet may be doubling as a thoughtless collection of clothes rather than an intentional selection of apparel.
Rather than big, deep cleans of your wardrobe, I would encourage that you check in often and make sure that the clothes you thrifted are getting the purpose that you had once intended.
full heart, empty hands
One of my biggest self-taught lessons was that I don’t have to come out with something just because I went in to thrift. Sometimes, you go out on shopping trips, and by the end, you begin to realize the thrift isn’t turning out the way that you were hoping. This desperation has led me to snub many last-minute grabs that have yet to see the light of day just so that I can walk away with the feeling of a successful thrifting trip.
Impulsive buys are rather close to being my mortal enemy. Being excited and swept up in the rush of finding a good deal on stylish clothing opens my wallet perhaps too often for me to be fond of.
Now, I have found myself scouring Pinterest for centralizing and imagining my ideal style while providing certain outfit styling ideas for me to look for. This allows me to set rather loose goals when I enter a thrifting trip.
Just think of a grocery shopping list. You’re going in for certain items, and you won’t really stray from that list except for things you really, really want.
And just like a grocery trip, you also go in with a budget. This budget, when applied to thrifting, may help hinder any opportunity for impulse buys and any imprudent clothing purchase.
Ultimately, the goal is to be mindful when thrifting to prevent any waste of space within your own closet and any further waste for the environment. Clothes passing from the thrift store to my closet and then back to the thrift store is a cycle I hope I won’t be participating in any longer.
Catch you at the next Thriftopia!