So what's the deal with "thrifting" anyway?

I don't pretend to be an expert on thrift store shopping, because I'm not. In fact, there are a lot of girls out there who have a much better eye for this stuff and are not only able to scope out the awesome thrift store items but are able to magically transform the not-so-awesome ones into something entirely fabulous (which I'm not so good at). Even so, most of my clothing is second hand in one way or another. So I thought since so many of my items for this 30 for 30 are listed by me as "thrifted" I'd do a little clarification on what I mean by that, as well as give a few tips and tricks that I use when I go thrifting.



jacket: thrifted (Name Brand Exchange)
skirt: thrifted (Name Brand Exchange)
shirt: thrifted (Name Brand Exchange)
belt: thrifted (Goodwill)
shoes: wal-mart (sale)
(P.S. I wish I were wearing knee socks that peeked just about my boots. Oh well. Next time I wear this I will!)



So let's start with the clarification part (this outfit is a great example): although I list most of my cloths as "thrifted" that's not really an entirely accurate description. The cloths I'm showing here were all bought at a store called Named Brand Exchange, and while it is (mostly) second hand, it's more like consignment than thrifting. The traditional thrift store like Goodwill, D.I., or some small local thrift store run by your community or church, take in cloths as a straight donation and put almost all of what they receive on their shelves to sell to the public. Stores like Name Brand Exchange, on the other hand, take in used clothing in exchange for money or store credit. They are more selective about what they accept meaning that you, the shopper, have a lot less sorting to do to find that really great piece (score!) but it's still much cheaper than buying things brand new. I think Name Brand Exchange is local to Arizona only, but you can check out similar stores in your area. Plato's Closet is another that I'm familiar with. Another fun thing about these stores is they usually have a small selection of new items like accessories, which is where I find a lot of fun and funky tights like the ones I wore yesterday.



So how about the tips part? Here are three simple one's:

#1. If you're overwhelmed by thrifting, start at a store like Plato's Closet first. I can pretty much always walk into that place and find something I like. Sometimes it's name-brand (like today's bebe jacket) sometimes not (like today's skirt). A lot of the stuff I get there is labels like Express and Forever 21. They carry Seven brand jeans a LOT. So there ya go. Start there.

#2. Accessories are extremely easy to find at thrift stores, no matter what type of thrift store you're frequenting. You still have to sort, but all the belts and scarves will be together and the ones you love will really stand out to you making them an easy find. Purses are the same way, although I will admit I don't usually buy second hand purses because it kind of grosses me out. Hey, I won't judge if you do, though. In fact I'll probably be green with envy over your super cute new purse. (anti-bacterial wipes are awesome)

#3 Shop with purpose. Personally, I love walking into a thrift store with absolutely nothing particular in mind and just sifting through racks and racks to see what treasures stand out to me. But, if you're not used to thrifting it can be a little daunting. If that's the case, go thrifting with a particular item in mind. "I'm looking for a plaid jacket or blazer in earth tones" That way you just need to glance for the particular shape and colors you're looking for. You might even find that something different jumps out at you. "Well here's this blazer but it's not the type of pattern I had in mind. I never thought I'd like something like this but it would go great with such and such!" .... You get it.

So there ya go! If you're not into thrifting yet, there's three easy tips to help you break into the thrifting world. (Like I've mentioned before, I do it mostly to save money, but I also think it's a ton of fun. And I love the recycling aspect of it too.) Happy hunting, everyone! ... well, once the 30 for 30 is over, at least ;)