My Take on Thrifting

A long anticipated word from our very talented Bri!

I've never been a big "thrifter." I always thought it was just a place my grandma went to shop. Everything was from a different era and smelt like moth balls and dust. I just couldn't see how you could make anything cute from a thrift store? Little did I know back then....

Although, thrifting is a good way to save some money it's definitely a sport that takes some practice. Here are a few things I've learned about thrifting (also refere to "The Rules of Thrifting" at the top of the blog):

1. Take your time. If I'm ever feeling short on time, there is no way I will walk into a  thrift store. I immediately get overwhelmed. Take a day where you have nothing to do and anticipate that you may be in that store for some time and may not even walk out with anything. Patience.

2. Ignore the size (and smell). There have been many times that I've found a shirt or skirt that look huge but end up working. Belts are super trendy! If a shirt or dress is too loose around the waist, throw a belt around it and cinch it tight. Also, sometimes things can be altered easily. I'm not much of a sewer but safety pins come in handy a lot! ;) 

(This thrifted skirt was huuuge! But nothing a couple safety pins and a belt couldn't fix!)

3. Not everything is from your grandma. Yes, thrifted clothes are usually old ones that have been sitting in people's closets for years which result in largely out of date clothing items. But, this isn't always the case. Thank you to all of you fashionistas out there that throw away cute clothes when it's no longer in season. I've seen all sorts of good name brand clothes in thrift stores. You just gotta look!

(Scored this cute Old Navy blazer)

4. Have an open mind. Don't let the old clothes (and the massive amounts of them) overwhelm you. In the above picture with the skirt, I had to invision it paired with a cute outfit instead of being paired with all the other old lady skirts nearby. Invision yourself in the clothes with a cute pair of heels or accessories, instead of the stereotype it may portray. You can make anything cute! It's all the pieces together that make the outfit, not just the once piece. 

5. Try everything on. I mean everything. If there's even a hint of it possibly being cute, try it on. Some things may not be the cutest fabric, but could fit amazing and look great with a pair of jeans! You never know until you try. So try it on.

(This shirt looked large (refer to #2) and boring but had potential. It fit just snug enough around the waist that it ended up being the perfect shirt for this outfit and many more.)

So now I challenge you to do some thrifting. Dive right in! What harm can it do when it's rare to find anything over $8? 

xoxo

-Bri