Thrifting Tips

Find Your Look. For the purposes of this site, find the movie still you want to recreate. Really look at all the elements of the outfit and break it up into pieces. Try to find alternative images of the outfit or watch the movie. I never put up a movie, I haven’t seen and enjoyed or that is worth the watch for the fashion.

Measure Yourself. This is a must if you’re going to thrift online, but important to know regardless. It will help you visualize an outfit on your actual body, not just as the image on the screen. If you hold out the measuring tape and take note; you just try to imagine that on the waist of pants or the bust of a top while holding them in your hands.

Set Aside a Few Hours. If you really want to find amazing pieces for cheap, you have to avoid the vintage store boutiques.The difference between a consignment or vintage store and a thrift store is that the pieces from a vintage shop have been handpicked from thrift stores and marked up. So, now you are the ‘picker’ and you have to go through everything to find the one treasure. So account that in your day. Your first couple of times, add one or two extra hours.

Wear a 2-piece Outfit with Neutral Colors. Shirt and pants or skirt, just wear an outfit with two separate pieces that are easy to take off. You won’t have to waste your dressing room item limit on a piece you’re just trying things on with.

Go to More Than One Place. You can’t expect to find the perfect outfit all at one place or even all at one time, though it has happened. Look around for thrift stores, antique stores, flea markets, estate sales, Goodwill, Salvation Army, Housing Works, and any local thrift store. Don’t let any store turn you off. My roommate and I got all of our 1960’s vintage living and dining room furniture from a stuffed-full junk shop in Bushwick, Brooklyn for $500, just sayin’. Also, remember online thrifting. It could be a little more pricey, especially with shipping, but with more tailored choices and in your bedroom. Check sites like Ebay, Etsy, Poshmark, Rusty Zipper, Goodwill Online (to name a few).

Focus on Pattern, Cut, Color, Material, etc. While Browsing. Take that film still idea from step one and let it be the jumping point for your thrift search. You don’t really browse while thrifting, it’s more eliminating.

Let’s break down an example:

We take the skirt from Anna Karina’s outfit in Band of Outsiders (Bande a Part), a midi-length plaid number. (If that sounds like a foreign language to you, click here) So, while you flip through the racks you can eliminate all skirts that aren’t plaid and then by looking at the bottoms, we can eliminate the mini and maxi length skirts. We also know that the skirt needs to be flowy to dance in, so we can eliminate any pencil skirts or other style that is tight around the bottom.

Know (and Love!) Your Body. The first thing I hear when I talk about wearing vintage clothing or thrifting, it’s, ‘Oh, I could never pull that off.’ Well, fuck that. The only thing that makes someone pull off an outfit is feeling confident and comfortable in what you’re wearing. That’s it. If you don’t feel comfortable in something, don’t wear it; but don’t let someone else dictate how you feel.

Take Risks! Don’t just stop at recreating the exact look I’ve put together. That’s the cool thing about thrifting: it’s rare that someone will have the same piece as you. Use this more as a template, inspiration, an example, or proof that it can be done.

By Thrifting, You are Up-Cycling and Saving the Environment. It’s true! By purchasing clothing that has already been used and is now being repurposed by you instead of using new materials to make something. You’re also helping give a middle finger to the fashion industry that taunts us with $10,000 shoes, by showing them you can get the same thing for $10.

Final Thoughts? Always check the racks outside of the dressing room. They have already been picked, but probably just didn’t fit the person before you.

Happy Thrifting!