Some of you weighed in last week with some additional thrifting pro/cons that I wanted to address (by the way, I in no way stole the pro/con format from i09′s True Blood recaps. Nuh-huh. No way).
Con: Vintage stuff runs small, and thrift stores can have a more limited selection of sizes.
Pro: While the above is certainly true, I actually find thrift store are more conducive to finding things that fit my real-lady body. The secrets here are these:
- Go to thrift-y thrift stores, as opposed to specialized vintage stores: the Salvation Armys and the Goodwills and the Lutheran Thrift Stores and the Savers and the Outlets. Real people have donated clothes there, and so there’s a variety of sizes to be found. Really: anything from size sub-zero to XXXXL.
- It takes the pressure off. Because of the immense variety of crap at thrift stores, I find the atmosphere much less judge-y of my body. At a store that sells new clothes, there’s a range of sizes…and that’s it. I remember almost having a panic attack while shopping for designer jeans: I sort of fit into the largest size on offer, leading to this thought running on repeat in my brain: MY ASS IS BIGGER THAN ANY OF THESE DESIGNERS CAN EVEN CONCEIVE OF AN ASS BEING. That’s a terrible feeling. But thrift stores? Well, hecko, maybe you don’t fit into those pants you like, but they’re sandwiched between triple-XL hot-pink stretch pants and weirdly spangled, oddly tiny booty shorts. It’s a reassuring reminder of the range of bodies that exist in the world.
Con: Thrift stores can be overwhelming. There’s so much crap, you guys! How’re you supposed to sort the wheat from the chaff? It’s easy to get distracted by the all the weird and truly awful thrift-store stuff, and then to sneeze at the dust and leave feeling overstimulated in the worst possible way. My friend Liz says she can always spot thrift-store newbies when they appear perrenially on thrift-store holidays like Halloween: “They go around in packs, wild-eyed, laughing…at, say, a mildly ugly sweater…These are people who have never parted the racks to reveal a faded black, rhinestone-encrusted “Always a Lady in Las Vegas” t-shirt illustrated with a cat holding a rose in its mouth.” (I took this photo featured on this article yesterday, on a thrifting trip with Bad Cholla. I have to admit I’m pretty easily distracted by rhinestones. I’m like one of the birds that peck at reflective surfaces).
Pros: Thrift store overwhelm is a real thing! But it can be handled. Here’s how:
- Start with the accessories. The selection of shoes, handbags, and jewelry is going to be more limited than the clothing, and it requires less commitment to sort through them and try them out.
- Develop a triage attitude to the ugly stuff. Only stop for the truly remarkably weird and/or unnattractive. An old puffy prom dress ain’t worth it, guys. There’ll be more. Keep looking. Don’t call your friend over. Which brings me to:
- Separate from your friend. Going with a friend is half the fun, yes. But you don’t need to page through every rack together. There’s lots of stuff and lots of is mildly giggle-worthy. So separate: one of you can start on the first rack of shirts, and the other can start on the second. Look through the rack quickly, with what I called the “thrift store snap”: a quick and snappy shopping style that’s like sort sort sort sort sort oooohnonevermind sort sort sort huh sort sort sort maybe sort sort sort sort maybe sort sort sort ohahahahahahahahakeepingthat sort sort sort sort. In mere minutes, you’ll have looked through a large rack, have collected a reasonable pile of maybes on your arm, and at the point you can compare notes with your friend.
Con: Thrift stores often don’t have dressing rooms. Or the dressing rooms are less than ideal.
Pro: You can try on clothes at a thrift store without a dressing room! No, I am not advocating public nudity. If you wear a skirt and leggings, you can park by a mirror and wiggle a skirt on under the skirt you’re already wearing. Once it’s on, remove the original skirt and et viola! You just changed, no nudity required. You can do the same with jeans. Shirts are tricky, but if you wear a small tank top you can often try on shirts over it. (If you’re truly worried, have that friend you brought stand guard but really: no flesh or underwear need to be exposed, for even a second).
Plus, there’s no temptation to oogle your underwear-clad body in the harsh florescent light of the dressing room and distract yourself from shopping by critiquing the cellulite on your thighs. It’s truly a win-win, and another reason I actually find thrift-store shopping more self-esteem-y than the your average new clothes store. Dressing rooms are over-rated.
I’m thinking next week of doing thrift store shopping for a winter coat? I live in Tucson, Arizona, but still: coats. How cute are they? And most people actually need them.
One of the best tips I’ve ever gotten about Thrift Storing was to wear a camisole with a cardigan and a wrap skirt. It is super easy to try on just about anything in that outfit.
Hey I live in Tucson Az too! I love going thrifting and am kinda really an expert. I found a yellow coat for FOUR BUCKS! awesome condition. I was ugh why didn’t I get it! We should totes go thrifting together.
I wish that there were good thrift stores near me. Everything at the Salvation Army and Goodwill here in South Florida looks like it should have been thrown away. I can’t wait to go back to New York just for thrifting!
Boo! Not to sound crass, but I would have thought South Florida = retirees = thrifting bonanza! (Plus, people who move to warm climates tend to ditch a lot of clothes when they move, right?) Guess not, in this case!
I often get overwhelmed when I try to look at clothes at a thrift store, because I know in order to find some truly great pieces I would have to comb through every rack–it paid off last week, though, and I found some great sweaters and an awesome purse!
Yeah, part of the overwhelm is that you know is takes some persistence/hard-work to go through all the racks. But totally worth it! I also don’t go through every rack — if I’ve thoroughly check a section, I call it a day.
I went to a Crossroads in Hollywood and was a little less enthusiastic because I am a 12-14 and… In Hollywood! Found a beautiful Calvin Klein 50s-style cocktail dress and it fit perfectly. Perseverance pays off when thrifting!
I couldn’t agree more!
i used to be able to find so many amazing things at thrift stores, now all the good stuff is on ebay for a lot more. i could sell my amazing 1950′s black and white shoes that i got over ten years ago for 2 dollars for 2 hundred now…i’d rather keep them, but it’s annoying that vintage is in now, i liked it better when everyone wanted something new…and i could actually afford my tastes in clothes.
True, online shopping for vintage/secondhand is a big thing these days…I have some friends who run online stores and am gonna do a piece on selling thrift/vintage stuff online! [and yes, the popularity of vintage has totally jacked up the prices, which is good or bad, depending on whether you're buying or selling!]