Thrift Your Next Outfit

    As someone who loves fashion, and adores shopping for clothes, I feel that almost all necessary (and frivolous) clothing purchases can be found at the thrift stores today. Just recently I found myself browsing the thrift store for a colorful dress that I could wear for an upcoming event. I rifled through all four aisles of dresses, touching each garment, feeling for a good quality fabric as much as I was searching for an aesthetically pleasing garment. Luckily, I found a gorgeous dress that fit like a glove, plus it was cotton! Tagged at six dollars, I happily brought my find up to the register. It being my lucky day, the dress was on a 75% off sale, and rang in at only $1.61 with tax. Using my store credit, I left the Volunteers of America with a gorgeous 100% cotton dress for a whopping seven cents. You can imagine my joy and amusement in the situation. While not all thrifted finds are going to cost a whopping seven cents, I believe that thrifting that can allow us all to find clothes that make our wallets and minds happy without compromising on quality and style.

    Let's establish why thrifting clothes presents any advantage at all. In the modern day, nearly every article of clothing you can imagine is found at the thrift store. If you are skeptical, I want to outline why this is the case. Consider the massive clothing production by countless retailers globally. Shein, Abercrombie and Fitch, Nordstrom, Target, Land's End, and many more retailers each produce a vast array of clothes, often seasonally or monthly. With fast-fashion retailers like Temu, Wish, and Zaful reducing the purchase barrier to near zero, buying an entirely new wardrobe is only $100 away. In short, more clothing is being produced every day, and the trends are moving rapidly and at a lower price, thus creating a constant cycle of buying and donating.

    Maybe you yourself have contributed to this cycle. Thrifting is a great way to break this cycle, and focus on a more quality wardrobe that reflects your own taste, and not the trends purported in a retailer's marketing. Plus, many items bought and sold this way will have been minimally worn, as the trends dictate changes to the popular styles. For a thrifter, this means that there are plenty of clothes available in good quality, at low prices as people discard them.

    Another point of concern is quality. Have you bought a pair of leggings or a sweatshirt from an expensive store that feels tremendously soft upon purchase, and seems to disintegrate and pill within a few washes? If you have, you have dealt with declining garment quality.  The phrase "They just don't make them like they used to" certainly applies to clothing today. While these poor quality garments can also be found at the thrift store, we can source older garments made with higher standards and even see how popular brands of clothing hold up after a wash or two. In this way, thrifting clothing is like buying a piece of clothing with a life story. How did this shirt hold up to a wash? Did it pill in the armpit after light wear? Having some insight to these factors can be incredibly educational about the true value of a garment. If you can buy a thrifted crewneck sweatshirt with a Tommy Hilfiger logo for six dollars with minor signs of wear, is the new version worth 10 times the price? How do we know how the new product will hold up to wear?

    An important caveat to the quality concerns outlined above is fabric composition. Finding a silk slip for $3 certainly is a better deal that a slip from Target for upwards of $20 made of polyester. Some folks won't mind cheap fabrics, but companies tend to price items for how they look, regardless of how cheap the actual fabric is to source. A true silk shirt or linen pants are more costly to produce, as they are composed of natural fibers. Why should any of us be paying $100+ for a dress from Free People when it is made of polyester and poorly constructed patterns? Paying a premium price at a well-known retailer does not guarantee a quality product. Natural fiber clothing is also preferable for its' breathability and comfort. When I thrift, I recommend feeling the fabric of the clothing as you browse a rack. If it strikes you as scratchy, pilled, too thin, or otherwise, it is worth reconsidering that purchase. 

    Thrifting presents each of us the unique opportunity to screen our purchases on the basis of quality, fabric, and looks. I encourage everyone to try thrifting their next garment, even if you ultimately decide to buy something first-hand. Thrifting allows us all to think more critically about a piece of clothing, especially in the context of its' longevity and practicality. Gone are the days where thrifting was associated with shame and financial distress. Second-hand clothing represents a more consciously curated wardrobe, and the mainstream culture even embraces the practice. Join us, and thrift something great, at an awesome price!