Why do I love thrifting?
I have always been into the art of dressing. I grew up in a ballet and performing arts family and was in costume weeks out of every year. I have always been obsessed with Halloween and getting to choose a character or theme for the night. When I was a little girl, I loved playing dress up and being glamourous and always matchy matchy. I even had a birthday party where everyone dressed in costume and got hair and makeup by my mom and big sister. I’ve had a passion for fashion, beauty, and decoration since I came into this world.
My mom had always liked going to consignment stores to shop for her four children. I learned then how much I loved getting unique, quality pieces at a fraction of the cost of retail stores or catalogs. It was like a fun adventure going into secondhand stores because you never knew what kind of treasure was waiting for you that day!
I went to Catholic private school from third to eighth grade and absolutely hated wearing a uniform because I couldn’t express myself with my fashion choices. My favorite days were “ jeans days”, when we got to wear (almost) whatever we wanted. I can remember planning out my outfits for an upcoming jeans day weeks in advance. I loved it when I showed up to school and hit the combination asphalt parking lot/ recess playground in something I felt super cool in that I knew no one else would be wearing. Limited Too was all the rage but not for this girl. I loved knowing my friends had spent a small fortune on their flower power top and flares while I had a more unique look for much less.
I started thrifting for myself when I was a teenager. I had moved to my dad and stepmom’s house in Chapel Hill, NC and went to a public high school. My brother and sister (twins) were one grade above me and were also in to thrifting for their gear. It was not uncommon for my siblings and I to head to the PTA thrift store or The Salvation Army thrift store instead of hitting up stores in the mall. At the time, I was into thrifting kids t-shirts and anything funky and vintage. I got really good at it and this is when thrifting became a lifestyle for me.
When I went to college, my first apartment was almost completely furnished with thrifted or hand me down goodies. I managed to make everything cute and cohesive, even on a shoestring budget. I started thrifting for clothes even more during this time. I even wrote a paper for a college assignment on the art of thrifting titled, Way to go, Thrift Shop Pro. I’ll never forget my then roommate describing my personal style as “somewhere between a toddler and a grandma”. Accurate.
When I thrift, I go back to all these familiar feelings. The thrill of the hunt, finding something I know no one else will have, discovering a perfect piece that feel aligned to who I am at my core. I don’t want to look like everyone else. I want to look like me. I want to look like I feel.
I would say that 90% of my wardrobe is thrifted and 8% secondhand or vintage that I may have payed closer to retail for. Of course, there’s the odd special article I just have to have and things like underwear, foundation pieces, workout stuff that I pick up from traditional retail shops.
For the past ten years or so, most of my home decor, furniture, entertaining pieces, etc. comes from thrfting, yard saleing, estate sales, and online secondhand markets. Same as with clothes, I love decorating for the holidays and having really cool, special, vintage pieces that look like me and not necessarily like a catalog or magazine spread. I always feel like I’ve rescued a precious article from destruction and erasure when I make a second hand purchase.
Not only am I able to source and collect amazing items for my home and my closet but I’m also not significantly adding to the waste and horrible ethical issues associated with fast fashion. I try to be eco friendly and people conscious in my lifestyle and sourcing most of my wardrobe and homewares helps a ton.
Long story short, I’m secondhand obsessed! I love it for the savings, the hunt, the treasure, and the smaller impact on the planet. Join me on the journey! No risk, all reward!
