Making and Breaking All the Rules
Well, it’s mid-February and according to my schedule I should have been on my third blog entry by today. This is clearly not the case and I appreciate your patience while I figure out this blog life thing, y’all!
Anyway, as I continue to figure out what it means to introduce Thriftheorem, I thought it’d be cool to share some core best practices I’ve created over the years. Keep in mind there’s no end-all, be-all set of rules for secondhand searching, but staying within these general parameters has paved the way for me to live my best thrift life.
1.) Location, Location, Location
I generally classify thrift shopping into two categories:
Curated shopping - Shopping in spaces where pickers (employees/store owners) have selected certain types of items to sell in the store. For example, Plato’s Closet, Buffalo Exchange, Crossroads, etc.
Non-curated shopping - Mom and pop-type shops where whatever comes in goes on the rack, Goodwill bins/warehouses, garage and estate sales. I’ve found gems in all types of spaces but my most prized, obscure possessions were found in non-curated spots. Thrifting can be a real time investment, and in an effort to use my time wisely, I favor non-curated shops that seem less likely to be picked over.
Pro tip: If you plan your thrift days ahead of time you can make sure you’re well equipped with the right thrift uniform to make life a bit easier. Thrift uniform post coming soon!
2.) My Type (*cue Saweetie*)
While most of my selections are driven by a gut feeling, generally if I’m taking something home it has to meet one of two criteria: vintage or value.
True vintage - A brand or an item that was manufactured and sold 20+ years ago in good enough condition.
True value - mid to luxury pieces that are in great condition, selling for a fraction of the price. Example: A Ralph Lauren blazer for $20 (retail ~$250) or a Madewell blouse for $7 (retail ~$60).
Pro-tip: Try to avoid the go-to fast fashion brands (F21, Old Navy, H&M, etc.) in thrift stores. More often than not the item won’t cost less than $5, and won’t last long enough to be a true deal. This rule also helps cut down on clutter which leads me to…
3.) The Purge - Not the movie but it can be just as scary
One downside of shopping secondhand is constantly being in situations where you know you’re getting a good deal, and because of that, you look up one day and have way more apparel than you need.
To try to combat this, I schedule a purge about every 6 months. My general rule is if everyday items like blouses or pants haven’t been worn in a year, I send them back to the rack for someone else to love, or to a local community program accepting used items. Doing an inventory every few months can also help re-introduce you to some of your old faves that you may have forgotten about, and there is no better feeling than getting creative and shopping your own closet!
So there you have it—a few foundational rules that I follow, amend, and admittedly break when I need to. These are completely arbitrary and by no means law, but but it’s nice to have some sort of boundaries to keep my obsession in check, right?