When I picked out photos for Felicia's profile I loved how cute and unique her outfits were... so I was surprised to find that most of her clothes are from thrift stores! She is definitely an ace thrifter and I had to ask her some strategy questions. I hope this helps all the thrifters and wannabe thrifters (like myself) out there!
BGLH: You are an AMAZING thrift store shopper. What percentage of your wardrobe is thrifted?
Felicia: Thank you! I love thrift store shopping. I would say that right now at least 95% of my wardrobe is thrifted. Probably more than that. The only items I never buy at the thrift store are my underwear and bras. Everything else, right down to the shoes, is fair game.
BGLH: We want tips! How do you get so many amazing thrift outfits?
Felicia: Sooo many tips to share, so little blog space… I will list my most beneficial tips:
Give yourself time and exercise patience when thrifting
Go in with a few ideas on either a look or certain items you would like to buy. Once I am inspired by a certain look I tend to make a mental note so that the next time I go shopping I’ll stay on the look out. Your “look” can be as simple as a certain color. I often color shop myself.
Use the grab-try-sort method. That means grab all the items you like, find interesting and may be in your size. Then try them all on and sort through the ones that work and don’t work.
Which leads to the tip to ALWAYS try on your items. If you followed the first tip then this shouldn’t be an issue.
Do a final look over. You are looking for holes, rips, tears and stains. My rule of thumb is not to buy any stained clothing. In my experience I almost never washes out and is likely the reason someone donated it in the first place.
Finally, donate stuff yourself! There have been a number of times when I’ve rolled into a thrift store with a garbage bag full of (washed, gently used) clothing and walked out with a new (to me) items. It’s a cycle for me. I will, in fact, donate back previously thrifted items if they are still in good to new condition.
BGLH: What are the best places to go?
Felicia: Generally speaking, thrift stores in the more affluent parts of town have the better quality items. And if you are specifically looking for name brand gear, those are the ones you want to check out first. My favorite thrift store is Goodwill. I like Goodwill because they always have a wide variety, and they tend to have the greatest amount of brand new gear in their stores. What I’ve also noticed over the years is they have tons of brand new Target store items. Goodwill is were I buy most of my shoes. Another thrift store I enjoy is called Arc Village. I like shopping there because they usually have better quality than other smaller thrift stores and carry more of the current styles. They are higher priced than Goodwill. But I drift toward these stores since they are non-profit. Believe it or not there are FOR PROFIT thrift stores out there. A large chain is the Value Village (also called Unique) thrift stores. I don’t normally shop at these stores because I feel like they for the most part are a rip off with the pricing. I’ve been thrifting enough to know if I’m getting a good deal. And just because it says COACH does not make it worth $50 for me because it’s still second hand. I am shocked and appalled by thrift stores that charge that much for a purse. May as well buy a purse at retail with prices like that. Hmpf!
*hops off soapbox*
12 comments:
I am a huge fan of thrift and vintage shopping. I am in San Francisco this summer and it is THE best place for thrifting. Certain neighborhoods (the Haight, Berkeley, etc) are practically overflowing with thrift stores. I scored a classic London Fog for only 16 bucks my first weekend here!
I hate thrift store shopping because it takes too long to find the good stuff. I need to take her advice and just be patient! My mom is like the thrift store queen, but Felicia seems like a close second! I love donating clothing and I agree with her that you should always donate your used, yet still nice, clothing to help others out.
I have rediscovered the thrift store recently while looking for an 80s outfit for an 80s themed party. I went to the Salvation Army and saw a lot more that I wanted to go back for..
I really like her style. I'm a thrifter myself and it's great to see who have the same passion for it as I do. She is right about Value Village, they are pretty expensive where thrifting is concerned. I prefer shopping at Salvation Army stores myself.
Peace and Happy Thrifting
http:womanofcolour.blogspot.com
Over 90% of my wardrobe comes from thrift stores. I'm addicted. If I go out of town, I always try to find the nearest thrift/vintage store. In terms of the stained clothing, it depends on how large the stain is, where it is and on what. Sometimes, depending on the item, you can cover the stain or hole with a flower or some other applique.
Also, what you may consider too old to donate, someone may find useful. I have a friend who makes crafts out of old knits.
I've found that it's not necessarily true that thrift stores in the better parts of town have better items. At least not in MD anyway. Here, the stores in the better parts of town tend to be higher in price. I've had a lot of luck with getting really quality, inexpensive items from Value Village in a variety of neighborhoods. That requires A LOT of searching though because they are incredibly overpriced. I no longer donate to them since I found out they're really a for profit business and very little is dontated to charity. I think they donate less than $1 from the proftis from each donated bag to charity. I don't mind that they are not a non-profit. I mind that they portray themselves as such. I've also had a lot of success with Village Thrift, but you need A LOT of patience there. I haven't had much luck with Goodwill though.
On a trip to Cali, I discovered Buffalo Exchange. There's also one in New York I believe. They're supposed to be opening on in DC. I like BE because the prices are good, the quality is good and the styles are recent.
I too never buy retail other then my undergarments and socks.I started thrifting 6 years ago when our house burned to the ground and we lost everything. When I watched all my designer belonging vanish before my eyes I was totally humbled. I had to start from scratch and the insurance is never enough to replace all that one needs. I mostly shop the GW (Goodwill) or the catholic St. Vincent De Paul Thrift store. And then there are those yard sales.. I love it all.
My mom is the thrift store queen, oh my goodness she's bought stuff for maybe 1-3 dollars I would wind up buying in the store for for like 9-12. My hubby tries to say he doesn't like them and can tell the outfits I buy from the thrift store...so not true one of his favorites items is from the Thrift and he won't believe me LOL
I'm not a fanatic but I'm a fan LOL
i love to thrift shop...i find so many one of kind items and people are always asking mne where i get my clothes. i live in boston and there are several thift stores that have quality items and that frequent such as boomerangs and urban renewal...i found a pair of SILK pants for $3.99! SCORE!!!!
Arc's Value Village in the Twin Cities is different from Value Village stores, which are outside of Minnesota. I think you'd love Arc's Value Village for its great values and merchandise. I do!
Thank you, Felicia, for sharing thrifting tips. Nearly all of my wardrobe comes from thrift stores and I'm proud of it! Whenever someone compliments me on one of my finds, I gladly tell them where it's from.
I live in Georgia and shop mostly at Blessingdale's and Goodwills. I've also gotten great deals from Value Village while visiting friends up North.
Whenever I hit a city, I look for thrift stores; the area doesn't matter. I do agree... you pay more in higher end neighborhoods. Needless to say, I've gotten some seriously one of a kind items just browsing.
Personally, I refuse to pay retail for "designer" clothing made overseas. Military friends would tell me stories about the cheap Korean Jordans and designer clothing you couldn't tell from the real deal. Also, I've heard stories of high end stores passing fakes for the designer items at designer prices. Retail is so over rated!
At thrift stores, you can still find well made coats, suits, shoes, accessories and all kinds of classic stuff! I thrift because I hate the "mall look" and I like being me. It's easier on the pocket, too!
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I LOVE thrifting but as big as I am I don't tell some members of my family about it because they view it as trampy and can't understand why anyone would want to wear someone else's "sweat inna". I don't NEED to tell anyone but when I get compliments about a certain thing I'm wearing and I'm asked where its from I tell a white lie.
I LOVE that first photo of Felicia, she looks confident and regal.
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