There are so many benefits of thrifting whether you are searching for clothing, accessories, or home decor.
My Magnificent 8 group of bloggers are joining forces to showcase outfits with thrifted finds.
For Lesley, Charlotte, and I, we are sharing head-to-toe secondhand looks along with some history of our thrifting life. On top of that, I included a list of benefits of thrifting.
Quote of the day: “Save money by just buying bigger pants instead of paying a one-year gym membership.” Twitter-@ENVYDATROPIC
Thrifted/Secondhand/Preloved
1-Benefits of thrifting
2-What is the difference between thrift/consign/vintage
3-Lesley’s outfit and history
4-Charlotte’s outfit and history
5-Jodie’s outfit and history
6-Magnificent 8 girl group
I thought the quote was a tad funny, and it goes to show that there are many ways to look at anything, right?
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Benefits of Thrifting
Even though some people don’t like the idea of wearing clothing that isn’t new, I always point out that sometimes our “new” clothes can be preloved also.
For example, at the stores, other people could have tried them on. Or maybe something was returned.
And in reality, once you wear something, it’s preloved. Which is one reason why I don’t mind shopping at thrift or consignment stores. Of course, you should inspect anything you want to buy in detail before you buy it and then bring it home and wash it or clean it.
Insider tip: Did you know that washing things before wearing them is recommended even when you buy them “new” from the store. I found this article if you need proof.
So without further ado, here are what I consider the benefits of thrifting:
1-Saving money. It’s no secret you can find incredible deals on the brands you already love.
2-Colors. There is usually a larger selection of colors at the thrift stores. You are not limited by what colors are trending at the retail stores.
3-Different styles. You may spend more on the basics, but by thrifting, you can try different styles easily. This enables you to buy that hat you aren’t sure about, and if you end up not liking it, you didn’t spend an arm and a leg on it.
4-Weight changes. Many times women will tell me they don’t want to buy new clothes because they are working on losing weight. This is the perfect time to fill in your closet with clothes that will fit for the transition period.
5-Vacation or special events. Do you always want new things for an upcoming vacation or special event? Yet you know you won’t wear them but one or two times. Go thrifting. Halloween is another popular time to buy things to make into costumes at thrift stores.
6-Learning to alter clothing. When I was learning to alter clothes, I would buy items at the thrift store to practice on. Then I wouldn’t be messing up on my good things.
Insider tip: I created a way to make your ankle strap buckles into velcro attachment. But the first time might be scary especially if you have expensive and well-loved shoes. Therefore it’s beneficial, to find a pair of shoes at the secondhand store to practice on.
7-Need some outdoor decor. I have decorated some of my front porch with thrifted home decor and kitchen things from the thrift store. This is perfect for when you find a great ceramic pitcher, but it’s cracked. Use it for your patio decor then.
8-It’s good for our environment. Basically, you are rescuing clothing that would otherwise end up in a landfill.
What is the Difference Between Vintage/Consign/Thrift?
You will see stores touted as thrift and some as consignment and truthfully the only difference is how they get their items.
Both kinds of stores will have secondhand products where you can find treasures.
A consignment store will pay out the seller when the piece is purchased in the store. Most of them give a percentage of the profit for example the store keeps 70% and the seller gets 30%.
There are some consignment stores that will pay the seller a fee for certain items that are accepted for the store to sell at their discretion.
Insider tip: You can expect to pay a little more for these pieces and find higher-end items at consignment stores. If you think of the business end of these stores, you realize that they have to cover their costs and don’t get all of the profits from the items they sell.
Both of these options give the seller some money back for their unwanted clothing, and a chance for others to buy these things.
When we are talking about thrift stores, these are the kind of stores that are selling merchandise that has been donated to them. Many of these are your local Goodwill, Salvation Army, or other franchise stores.
Insider tip: You can usually find better deals at thrift stores because their merchandise didn’t cost them a thing. So they still make money if they sell it for $1.
Related post About the definitions of vintage/consign/thrift
Lesley’s Outfit & History
Lesley has come to love skorts more and more, and because of that, she keeps an eye out for them when thrifting. The advantage for her is she gets the silhouette of a skirt but has the coverage of shorts when sitting or doing activities.
She paired this beautiful blue denim jacket that contrasts beautifully against the black skort. Even the purse and shoes are secondhand.
History of Thrifting
Lesley says she remembers visiting Goodwill stores with her mother when she was a kid. Fast forward to her late 30s and she started visiting the thrift/consignment stores in the Aspen/Glenwood Springs area because there were fabulous high-end things for very little money.
Needless to say, she worked at a consignment store called First Class Trash in Glenwood for 4 years. Lesley got to put together the displays (and if you know her well, then you know she’s fabulous at that). She also would help people put together costumes and dress for pennies on the dollar.
She shared that she thinks of thrifting as a treasure hunt. It’s the thrill of finding something that is such a wonderful deal.
Skort: Lands End-Junior League Thrift in Denver ($8)~~ Jacket: Baccini-thrifted~~ Top: Nine West-Horizon thrift ($7)~~ Shoes: DV-Horizon thrift~~ Purse: no label-Goodwill AZ ($3)
Charlotte’s Outfit & History
Charlotte chose a black and white outfit for this head-to-toe thrifted look and then threw in pops of color with her shoes, purse, and earrings.
When she first tried on these pants, she wasn’t going to get them because they are tighter than the pants she normally wears.
Yet, I twisted her arm and think these windowpane pants look fabulous on her.
Insider tip: It’s good to have variety in our closet. Try to have some items that are a tad tighter and some that are a tad looser. Otherwise, you are stuck with the same silhouette in every outfit.
She decided to showcase both a thrifted necklace and scarf for different options.
Her History of Thrifting
When my mom was working in alterations, a younger cohort took her to a thrift store in Toledo, and my mom even remembers getting a wool skirt suit and scarf there. This was in the early 1990s. There weren’t a lot of these kinds of stores around town, so she didn’t shop there often.
After moving to Denver, she was working in alterations at Nordstrom and really only shopped there because of her discount. Once she retired, she did find some local thrift stores that she would occasionally shop at in the area.
However, here in Arizona and being near our retirement community, it’s a different story. There are a bunch of great secondhand shops along with many estate sales.
Let me chime in here with a funny!! We kid my mother that she can remember where she bought a piece of clothing and how much it cost, but she can’t remember going to some of the places we have been exploring lately.
I don’t claim to be any different, but it goes to show how much my mother loves shopping and clothes.
Pants: Time & Tru -Horizon thrift ($9)~~ Top: Chicos-Sun City Thrift ($2)~~ Shoes:Faded Glory-Horizon thrift ($5) ~~ Necklace: ACT II ($14)~~ Earrings: Pennywise thrift ($5)~~ Purse: ~~Hat: Steve Madden-Horizon thrift ($8)
Jodie’s Outfit & History
I recently bought this mini tulle skirt in the kid’s department. I saw one of my friends wearing one like this over leggings and then I saw another women talk about buying the young girl’s version. Since it’s an elastic waistband, it fits!!
Layering it over a dress was my idea, and then my husband suggested the belt which gives it even more sass. BTW, I’m wearing the belt backward so the buckle is in the back.
I even liked it with the short trench coat on top, because it almost looks like it’s part of the coat instead.
Want to see this skirt worn as a top? Here is that outfit.
Needless to say, it’s all preloved pieces. The beret is from my mom’s college days, and the earrings used to be Lesley’s mother’s.
Related post: Shopping for secondhand shoes
My History of Secondhand
Call me crazy but I’ve always loved hand-me-downs. My aunt who lived in California used to send me my cousin’s things when she outgrew them since I was always a little behind in growing up. And these were things that were so in style because they came from CA. We lived in the midwest, so fashions took longer to come out to us.
But I never remember being inside a secondhand store until I bought my dental practice and my employee took me to one. Aaaaand, I was hooked. You could find such great deals, and I needed a lot of professional items since most of my time in dental school was spent in a lab coat.
Once I married Rob, I got out of the habit of thrifting because he wasn’t such a fan. But now that we are retired, I even get him looking when we go to the secondhand stores. In fact, he loves browsing the home decor and kitchen items most of all.
Coat: ~~Dress: ~~Skirt: ($2)~~ Shoes: ~~ Belt: thrifted from Goodwill ($1)~~ Earrings: Lesley’s mom’s~~ Purse: no label-Goodwill ~~Beret: vintage-my mother’s in college~~ No-show socks: Sheec, Ultra-low version (You can see them if you look closely)
Magnificent 8
The Magnificent 8 is a collaboration among 8 stylish women, each in a different age bracket, ranging from their early 20’s to their early 80’s. The mission of this collaboration is to show you just how ageless style is, how we can each dress however we’d like, and in ways that make us feel fabulous. There are no age restrictions on style. So wear what you want, when you want, add a smile, and strut your style with confidence.
And be sure to check out all of these amazing women with styles that showcase the benefits of thrifting.
But not every post goes live at the same time, so if it’s not up when you check them out, I hope that you will check back later!!! It’s hard when we are all in different time zones.
- Grace of Graceful Rags
- Mica of Away from the Blue
- Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge
- Rena of Fine Whatever
- Eugenia of Age of Grace
- Lesley and Charlotte of Jodie’s Touch of Style
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Welcome to Jodie’s Touch of Style. I’m here to prove that it’s never too late to look great. Clothing and style are meant to showcase your inner personality. So let’s have fun and try new things.
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