Why and How I Thrift Shop

~Why and How I Thrift Shop~

Why I Thrift Shop:

There are many reasons but I will just list a few - 

~ Better for the environment

~ Cost effective

~ Unique pieces you can't find anywhere else

Some of my favorite pieces have been purchased at thrift stores on or offline rather than at fast fashion stores.

My main thrift stores on and offline:

Goodwill, Clothes Mentor, Style Encore, Poshmark, Ebay, and Plato's Closet.

How I Thrift Shop:

The thrift store that I shop at the most offline is Goodwill.  Before I even enter the store I have learned from other thrift shoppers it is good to have in mind what style or item you are specifically looking for because thrift stores can be very overwhelming.
Once I am in the store I try to go to the section of clothes that I am specifically looking for.  Then, if there is time, I will take a look at the other racks.
I always look through everything on the rack and check the material the item is made of.  I try to stick with all cotton, silk, tencel, merino wool, pima cotton, linen, and cashmere or blends of these fabrics.  I like to stay away from polyester, acrylic, and rayon.
I look for good name brands but I don't let a average name brand stop me from buying the piece if it's made from the fabrics I like.
Something I learned from other thrift shoppers is to ignore the size on the tag.  Every brand sizes their clothes differently and vintage pieces are usually sized smaller.

After I have acquired a big pile of clothes I make my way to the dressing room to start narrowing down my favorites.  This is key for me because items can look great on the hanger but I may not like them on me.  Don't pressure yourself to buy everything just because it is so inexpensive; only buy what you absolutely love and feel good in.  I don't know how many times I have felt that I maybe liked something, took it home, and then later on don't wear it or regretted buying it.

In Conclusion...

Thrift shopping does take more time than your regular fast fashion but it's more fun and you find unique pieces you can't find most anywhere else.

You get the satisfaction of contributing towards the recycling of clothing rather than adding more textiles to landfills.
To see some of my thrift shop finds check out my Instagram account here - https://www.instagram.com/inthelifeofgray/