you’re thrifting all wrong
Thrift shopping is one of my favorite things to do. Over the years, my style has changed drastically and not at all at the same time. I still find myself perusing the racks looking for the right jeans or the perfect plaid. Outside of that, it can get tricky.
If you want to break out of your flannel phase and take advantage of thrift shopping - I have 5 simple steps for you to use no matter what season you’re in!
Step 1 - identify needs
Identifying the needs of your closet can be annoying. If you’re like me, I constantly take old clothes to Plato’s Closet or give them away because I’m not happy with what I have, thus leaving me with gaps in my closet and a million “needs”. So what is a need or staple? I identify it as something that stands the test of time, has amazing quality and will match with almost anything for that season. (Bonus points if you can get more than 1 season of wear out of it!) For me, my needs are usually coats, pants, sweaters or the occasional short if I’m lucky. Once you’ve narrowed down your needs/deep wants for your wardrobe, you can move to step 2.
Step 2 - color code
Color coding my thrift shopping hunt was truly monumental! After binging multiple seasons of The Home Edit on Netflix, I realized the power of color coding. In recent years, I’ve been wanting to break out of the usual monotone colors in my wardrobe and add some spice! This past fall, I decided my colors were going to be green, teal, purple and orange. I chose these jewel-tones because they weren’t typically colors I’d have in my fall wardrobe. By narrowing down 4 or 5 colors, it makes your thrift shopping easier and sets the tone for your wardrobe. I knew I’d be able to match each color with the basic black, brown or white so it gave me freedom to find different items. So now, when you go into the thrift store, you can automatically skip colors that don’t fit into your color scheme or, on the flip side, find your piece waiting for you like a unicorn!
Step 3 - only look for what you need
Now that we’ve narrowed down our needs/wants and the color code, it’s time to shop. One of the things that I hear about thrifting is how stressful it is because of the amount of clothes that are there. Which brings me to golden rule #3, only shop for what you need. If you have a good selection of jeans, don’t even bother going to that rack! Try looking at pants only instead. If you are in need of longer shirts, only go to that section. And so on and so forth. By eliminating sections, your thrifting will be quicker and easier.
Step 4 - quality never goes out of style
The key thing for me and thrift shopping is that I want my pieces to last for a long time. I mean, part of the reason I thrift is because they don’t make things like they used to! … Except for technology, maybe, but times have definitely changed! When you’re thrifting, you want to look for fabrics that are hard to find and pieces that won’t fade easily. I know when I’ve found something good if it’s heavy on me. Another thing, is making sure there are no stains or rips in your clothing, not only does this decrease the quality but there is a chance you may not be able to fix it.
Step 5 - there is no comfort zone
Over the past several years, I’ve learned what I like on my body and the types of styles I’m not too hot about. This is due in part to thrift shopping and finding those unique pieces that give me a little tingle inside. I highly recommend trying cuts, prints and styles that you typically wouldn’t buy at a more current shop because thrifting is typically cheaper. I enjoy trying on items when I thrift because you never know what piece will stick out to you! Thrifting is the perfect time to get out of your comfort zone.
I hope your thrift shopping is made easier after reading this article! Thrifting can take a long time but take a deep breath and keep these 5 simple steps in your mind. Below, I will link some of my favorite thrift or second-hand stores in Kansas City!
