i'm over here in the green section, see you by the hats

a thread for secondhand/used clothes (and shoes/accessories) shopping in 2012

i didn't know if we had a thread specifically for current secondhand apparel shopping

A little personal tmi/history: I have had a longtime aversion to buying new clothes, and generally try to keep my acquisition of new things to new-to-me things. i have a pretty decent collection of casual-but-attractive clothes, but old clothes fall apart eventually and I don't know if I can really continue to wear this dress from The Limited that I got for my college graduation to work once a week. It has had a good run. There's nothing wrong with it, but I have been wearing it on and off since 1997.

Time for some new old clothes.

I did have some serious luck at my favorite thrift store over the weekend (three totally wearable dresses, only one is ridiculous (but handmade!), for $8.50)

I do buy new things -- don't get me wrong -- but I have long enjoyed the experience of thrift store shopping. It's a really homey feeling for me, for better or worse.

well i guess i'll share some deets
these are the dresses i got

* Pucci-style BCBG polyester stretch dress in green, purple, yellow, and white flowers, wore it yesterday, requires NO IRONING and will not fade because it's pure synthetic material YES (comfy too)
* chartreuse cotton tank dress, the kind of thing you sleep in and then wear around to do errands the next day before finally deciding to take a shower; casual, decent, and modest enough
* homemade off-the-shoulder huge front ruffle ties in the back around the waist peasant style dress -- omg this thing, it is crazy and kinda fits but a little large in the bust, but that's covered by the ruffle. makes me feel like emmylou harris only without her head, unfortunately.

total cost $8.50

it helps to have very low standards when it comes to 100% perfect fit since basically nothing has ever fit perfectly

Most interested in The Ruffle tbh. What color is the peasant dress?

It's blue and purple flowers with a lace bust ruffle. This hilarious man at the checkout next to me said, "Oh that dress is very nice. No man will ever look at you in it." and I was like O_O Mister, are you blind? He clarified by saying that what he meant was that it was very European.

So weird.

Maybe I'll give it a spin in front of the camera and just crop out my head. You'd think it's a hilariously awful dress!

None of that exchange makes the slightest bit of sense but it does crack me up.

OK so what kind of thrift store do you find the best stuff in and do you generally spend a long time searching for things? $8.50 for three dreses is extremely appealing.

it was good natured but very strange

other good things about thrift stores in 2012:

* when you take a spin around the blazers to see if there's anything good, you can take a little side trip to the mugs and records, maybe even lamps if there are a lot of them. tapes are everywhere too.

* there are no boxes or packaging or advertising costs involved in the transaction you make there.

downsides: sometimes the proceeds go to a charity you would not otherwise support

I find the very best stuff at resale shops where the collection is pretty well curated -- things are a little more expensive, but they are also WAY cuter than your average crummy thrift store

that said, i don't usually go there unless i want a special treat

usually it's one of two places, one independent thrift store with some kind of environmental cause behind it and a salvation army in evanston. and a lot when i go home to ohio.

stay away from anywhere near hipsters, but near a college is good because college kids often give away their nice clothes that their parents bought them, at least IME.

there is also ebay etsy etc but

i have just found liketwice.com, and i feel like my work clothes problems are basically solved now

OK, that's basically what I was wondering. There's a local chain of the curated kind around Boston that I've always been curious about. I will give them a try some time soon.

i just stop by when i feel the pull, don't really shop for anything specifically, buy nice stuff when i see it and find an occasion to wear it later

Ll, you gotta come out to the bay area - I will take you to this (sort of hipster) thrift store that has the most amazing vintage costume-y dresses

Oh that site is interesting!

i will admit to actually enjoying the looking-through-stuff part -- it's no skin off my back to just look around for a while and examine the things that people give away

j - will take you up on that if i ever find myself out that way!

I will take some photos next time I'm in there - their stuff is insane!!

i feel drooly thinking about it tbh

oh hey thanks for making this thread for me LL

You're welcome! I knew you were an enthusiast, this will be our palace.

EA do you have experience with Poor Little Rich G? I think there's one in Prov.

Oh wait - there's only one of those. I think I was thinking of Second Time Around.

i have a general method of approaching thrift stores.

records / tapes -> books / mags -> housewares -> art -> furniture -> shoes -> ties -> shirts -> sweaters -> blazers

oh you gotta have a method!

i look for magazines and books (heavy), then women's shirts --> dresses --> purses ---> hats ---> shoes ---> nighties (shut up, i found a lot of pretty things in there) then put some stuff back, then finally records and housewares.

usually. sometimes i skip the clothes because i can tell there won't be anything.

i can't say that i've ever found anything great at 2nd time around but I'm not there very frequently, tho i recall their prices being absurdly high for non-vintage consignment

There's a giant Goodwill by my office that I go to usually to look for costume accessories etc when I'm goign to a theme party or whatnot.

I tend not to shop for clothes a whole lot, bc I find that a v disappointing exercise being larger than most of the stuff on the racks. I tend to limit myself to jackets, occasionally glance at skirts.

But I always get a kick out of looking at things like furniture and books and coffee mugs and framed pictures and whatnot. Years ago Mr Veg found these awesome matching coffee mugs printed with PRESBYTERIAN FAMILY CAMP :D

also - i skip pants usually because really, like i am going to find any pants that fit me? ha. it has never happened.
i used to look for men's pants when i was a teen who wanted to disappear and even got some super sweet and durable *perfectly snug* turquoise Levis cords from the little boys section yeeeeears ago (RIP) but i think that covers my success with used slacks/jeans/trousers/pants.

also lol because 'second time around' is just the most common predictable names for a consignment store, like that or 'second helpings' or 'second-hand rose' or whatever.

my boyfriend and i joke that when we open our consignment store it will be named 'sloppy seconds'

ANYWAY, my clothing scores have been limited lately, the only thing of note would be a couple vintage pendleton wool shirts and a few ties. always, always with the neckties.

oh, well that's not entirely true, i did buy a vintage denim jacket during my trip to the east bay (i needed a layer, so) -- it's got a navy / gold / red wool plaid for the collar and placket facings, raglan sleeves, and a drawstring waist? it's a bit odd and is fitted more like a parka than a denim trucker jacket. but it's nice & i like it.

I've lived in poor areas for a while, and the goodwill & second-hand stores are useless except for housewares so that's the only section I check (but housewares can be a good mine--witness the rare Fiesta candlesticks I found this summer). Would have to go way out of the city, or else uptown to rich neighborhoods to find good clothes.

*gold mine

i feel like there should be some sort of demographic analysis you could perform to locate the areas where thrift stores most likely to contain treasures

A long time ago, around 2001-2003, I used to take the train out into NJ to Paterson and Passaic and walk from the train station to a local Sal Arm in a building with one of those big chalet-style rooflines and an all-glass front wall. It always had THE BEST STUFF, including great furniture that I just had no way to truck home. My favorite shirt in the world in my entire life came from there, it says "Vulcan Science Academy" on it and is the perfect degree of falling-apart soft.

The Red, White, & Blue in Paterson used to be amazing as well, I bought a bunch of silk Vera scarves from there for $2 each.

it would depend on what you consider a treasure, no?

as far as i am concerned, i long for the golden age of the late 80s/early 90s, when there were lots of people in NEOH giving away their old tiny party dresses
other dream area would be in california in the mid-late 80s (?) when people were giving away their crazy 60s and 70s clothes

i think higher-than-average median income + low or negative population growth provides a pretty good starting point, tho

ime it helps to go where the old folks are (or had been, until recently, r.i.p.)

Bingo.

one of my best finds is an oscar de la renta shirtdress with gold tinsel and brown embroidered lederhosen
it was like $2 because it was in the kids section

but i could reminisce about old clothes forever -- there's another thread for that

i really love church & community thrift stores the most

and the old ladies who volunteer there 7 hours a week

oscar de la renta shirtdress with gold tinsel and brown embroidered lederhosen

wait is this one item or two?

i love the woman who runs the thrift at the episcopal church in providence, she is always there and ALWAYS at least a little bit drunk

I love the places where they hand-write receipts and you get awesome little old lady handwriting

oh, i'm kind of obsessed with boxes of old postcards...but those are more often in antique stores than thrift stores

one item -- the dress had the lederhosen sewn on
i still have it

wait waht, i thought for sure you were talking about 2 items

waow

can you take a photo of it? it sounds incredible!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8316/8003444599_5725fd6e57_m.jpg

those little poofs all over the dress are gold tinsel

You mean the dress had little picture of lederhosen embroidered on it or that it had actaul lederhosen attached to it that you wear as part of the ensemble? This is a very confusing sounding dress.

Oh so it has like suspenders embroidered on it. I think I get it now.

Sometimes I go to the Episcopal thrift shop with my grandma, but I can never find anything. Also, I can't deal with the old ladies complaining bitterly when the shop doesn't open EXACTLY on time.

can you see it?
it's like the gold paisley wallpapered room with an orange carpeted conversation pit of dresses only it is not sexy at all

that is a fascinating dress LL!

that's one word for it ;)

my boyfriend is having lunch with his aunts in newport today and i KNOW he will be visiting a thrift store afterwards so he better bring me back something nice is all i'm sayin

daddy needs another tie

bring me all of the ties

we are friends with another couple who thrifts a lot, it's pretty awesome because we all know what the others like and what they collect so it results in a slow but steady stream of $2 gifts

for me it's a really solitary activity, though i do find things for people and give them away all the time.

haha yeah, i like to do it by myself too, most of the time for me it's about getting rly rly high and patiently going through every object in the store so nothing is missed.

Oh see I could probably get behind that pretty quickly.

Greetings, thrift clothing shoppers of ilx. My wife likes vintage-y skirts and wrap dresses like this:

http://ak1.ostkcdn.com/images/products/P10678860.jpg

but pairs them with what I think is pretty unflattering footwear. When we first met she would often mix flowery skirts and Teva sandals for sort of a hippie college student look. The Tevas finally bit the dust, thankfully, but she has replaced them with something similar to these (if these didn't have a back on them, like a glorified flip-flop:)

http://www.designershoes.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/300x300/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/r/e/revolve_44487200.jpg

She doesn't really like shoe shopping in thrift stores, hates malls in general, and hasn't shopped much online. I think she kinda just doesn't know what to wear with them. Any recs? She used to have some black oxfords, but wore them til they disintegrated.

I am glad she's gotten past the Tevas at least. That's promising!

There are shoe threads, I think, Dan--this one is specif FOR thrift stores, so maybe your question will get more traffic on another thread?

I do believe it's called "Just got feet, don't got SHOES."

so has anyone tried twice.com? i haven't had the chance to do much recreational thrift store shopping but i'd like some new winter clothes. mine are old and -- i'll admit it -- somewhat decrepit. i do have some plaid wool skirts that i bought when i was in college and STILL WEAR every winter, but i'm interested in some new sweaters.

i still can't bring myself to pay retail for sweaters

they're so expensive! and most are such shitty quality!

agree! i try not to spend much time in the sweater section but i'll usually run my hand over them as i walk past. i found a nice lambswool pendleton sweater this weekend! it didn't fit me (aw) so i bought it for my boyfriend.

They are! I did get a really cute sweater at Target for $20 bucks the other day though. I'm sure it'll fall apart after (or during) this winter but hey - $20!

also 2 wool work shirts and 1 wool dress shirt, all pendleton. it was a pretty good day! xp

Elmo, I'm gonna come down to Providence one of these days and go thrifting with you so you can show me how it's done. Sound good?

also i found this book

http://highvalleybooks.com/book_covers/the-kitchen-book.jpeg?

which i have been seeking for a long time. it's great, as are the other books in that series.

omg that book

yes, e! haha, i actually have a bunch of different 'circuits' i can run on a given day. on saturday i did my eastern circuit (salvation army & savers & south baptist, all in fall river, then salvation army in swansea, then savers in east providence).

I miss my amazing collection if thrifted wool skirts ;_;

oops, it's a saint vincent de paul store in fall river, not a salvation army

I'm totally serious. We're gonna make this happen. :)

LL it's so good! basically my book thrifting has been focused on craft & home decor books, and they better have lots of color plates or gtfo

shit i forgot i saw some furniture at the SVdP that i need to go back and get! maybe i will call tomorrow and see if they can hold it for me

they better have lots of color plates or gtfo

sisters

also partial to realistically illustrated plant and animal books and encyclopedias

or illustrated educational books about processes, in general

anything with good pictures basically
i'm like 3 years old btw

appropriately, i am wearing a plaid button up shirt i got in the boys section i wanna say circa 95 or so. fits snugly like a woman's shirt but is comfortable and boyish in cut and style. one of my favorite shirts!

this is the dinette set i found this weekend but had no way to transport

http://i.imgur.com/5Mz5B.jpg

needs a deep clean but it fits my need & criteria & was priced at $58

there was also a nice old mcm broyhill bedroom set but i don't think i can go for it due to space issues

went in for a cheap pot in which to melt beeswax, came out with

* small pot (made in austria!)
* smooth and unpilled dark green wool vneck sweater
* weird gray creepers i'm not 100% sure about
* late 80s esprit purse that is identical to the one i had in 7th gr except it's square instead of round

sigh

DID NOT buy:

* about 15 other sweaters i looked at
* brooch
* robinson crusoe en español with awesome illustrations (it was too heavy, i was walking)

i think i made the right decisions on those things

I am thrifting hiatus at the moment because christmas exploded all over the house and there is so much stuff that needs to be put away and i'm probably moving in a couple months anyway? i need to sell / donate some stuff

i wish we could have a swap!

i'm wearing the gray creepers today and even though i know they're basically orthopedic shoes for old ladies, i think they look kinda cool? they're extremely comfortable, that's for sure. maybe once i get my own stink on them a little more they will feel more naturally mine.

that's always a phase -- i have to wear something around the house for a while before i can wear it out and not feel like i'm wearing someone else's clothes.

V v intrigued by "grey creepers" and curious if they are actual creeps or just a heavy-soled orthopedic style, but that is right up my alley right now tbh.

yeah do u have pics?

hold on lemme take one!

they're not OFFICIAL creepers
just regular orthopedic shoes with a strange shape

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8231/8346291139_147030b671_c.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8376/8347347356_abf320deb6_c.jpg
i'm ok with them being kinda ugly btw

I see how they are ortho old lady shoes but apart from that they're quite pretty and quaint imo!

the detailing helps a little, also they're not black/white/"tan"
basically i would never pay more than $5 for these shoes, but they were there, they fit, they're comfortable for walking, and +/- presentable
i'm super excited about the purse, that's at home though.

i think the green argyle socks add a little something less nursing home but maybe i'm kidding myself

No no I think you're on the right track there.

i found a really great vintage heavy wool hiking shirt made for eastern mountain sports the other day, i'd say c. 1970 -- i think it's actually a women's shirt? -- really awesome, almost blanket-weight black & ivory twill. sadly, the collar facing is all torn to hell and it's missing a button and it doesn't quite fit me, but I COULDN'T LEAVE IT THERE. if i can't pawn it off on someone else i'm thinking of cutting it up for fabric.

a quick trip to wikipedia reveals that EMS was bought in 1979 by... the franklin mint?? weird. anyway, this shirt was definitely made before that.

ok so that purse i bought? it took me a while to realize where the smell was coming from, but it REEKS of cigarette smoke. i think this purse spent a lot of time in bars before the smoking ban.

i had a leather jacket with the very same problem, but it was easily solved with this PROTIP: saddle soap

clean that shit with saddle soap and the smell is gone -- my jacket is fine, and i plan on scrubbing the shit out of this purse as soon as i go home.

in the meantime, PEE YEW

All better!!

saddle soap is the best

speaking of leather, just scored this sweet orange suede hoodie spring jacket for 95 cents!
it does not smell (and i think i have either gotten used to my purse or the smell has been solved)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8387/8622601500_f9ac9a7e8b_z.jpg

also that green wool sweater had to go because it was the worst kind of dog hair magnet and fit really badly
oh well!

Update: Spending time in the furniture department is fuuuuuuun. Also digging through boxes I've had closed for a decade is also fuuuuuunfunfun but arranging little dioramas of my favorite things? Honestly that has been the best. I've been putting photos on flickr if anyone cares. AT&T can eat shit but other than that clearly things are v v v pleasant way up here.

:D

my new neighborhood is full of yard sales and the wealthy folks putting perfectly good lawn furniture out with the trash

oh god that reminds me that the brown & risd dorms are going to be emptying out in a couple weeks -- for a few magical days, college hill in providence is a trashpicker's paradise

i'm hold a yard sale this weekend coming up, too. all of the dregs and remnants and accumulated unloved junk from the move will get put out on the table, and good riddance too

Yaaard sales this summer for sure!! I need to ~furnish my guest room~.

Ok I'm done furnishing, but yesterday I finally gave in to my mad craving for a paisley dress and looked online. There were some things, but nothing really stood out as MUST HAVE. Today I was walking to the store to get some stuff to make a food item, and I stopped at a local consignment shop and realized that I am living blocks from my personal motherlode. Will def go back, but today this paisley blouse/shirt combination that was clearly hand made to fit someone who is exactly my size had to be mine. And now it is mine. Can't wait to have new work clothes that I like!

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3682/9255671213_0dd282fcc6.jpg

I love that style of shirt! They always look so elegant but effortless

i wore that shirt just a few days ago!

recently i got a nice green paisley scarf that will make my boring sweaters look a little less boring as well as a high waisted dark grey polyester skirt with two nice rows of buttons down the front. it could go with almost anything and will be good for 3 seasons at least.

my LA vacation which was partially spent looking for vintage housedresses
damn that sounds like so much fun
i don't have any tattoos and i think some people expect me to be more square than i am (maybe) but that's their problem

― Florianne Fracke (La Lechera), Friday, June 12, 2015 3:36 PM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

the most noticeable thing about LA vintage stores vs. SF Bay Area ones -- LA stores are so much bigger!

― let he who has not approved of the ronaldinho bottle opener cast the (sarahell), Friday, June 12, 2015 3:40 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i bet the clothes were really outlandish too -- i love to try on ridiculous costumey things and LA seems perfect for that
i did some thrift shopping in maine and it was pretty great -- i got a shirt + some earrings in belfast and was wowed by the selection in bangor even though i didn't have any room in my luggage :(

― Florianne Fracke (La Lechera), Friday, June 12, 2015 3:43 PM (9 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i forgot there's a thread for this!

― Florianne Fracke (La Lechera), Friday, June 12, 2015 3:43 PM (0 seconds ago) Bookmark

i seem to have lost that skirt btw
no idea where it went!

this is one of my favorite thread titles ever

ha! it was intended to simulate the experience of being at the thrift, one of my favorite places to be

also that was sarahell's LA vacation, not mine btw

a week later, i questioned my strategy and thought, maybe i would have been better off looking for sweaters and coats with the logic that lots of people move to LA from colder places and then donate/sell their sweaters and coats that are rarely needed.

eh you can't overthink it -- did you get anything you love?
i forgot to mention a lot of the good stuff i've found in the last year, including a female friend who will pick something up for me if she sees it in my size. she got me nearly new frye boots for $25! <3

now that is love

she's awesome. she recycles fabric to make other stuff and i gave her one of my favorite dresses from my 20s (a blue toile shirtwaist that just kinda always looked just right no matter the occasion)
it was sorta hard to say goodbye to it but i'm glad she will make something out of it.

i got this vintage 50s(?) (looks a bit like something out of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) green nurse's uniform dress that I plan to wear on stage w/band

oh shit
yes
that sounds soooooo cool

do you have tips for making pre-worn shoes comfortable? I always find that they have a worn in pattern that isn't compatible with my feet.

you could always try fitted insoles? i dunno much beyond that. i've bought a few pairs of used boots recently but they're all not used heavily enough to have a foot pattern yet.

the odor in the shoe section of the bangor maine salvation army was so bad i had to walk out. lots of heavily used shoes in there.

but there was a whole ROOM of them
i bet there was some good stuff in there but i wasn't looking for shoes. there was a whole wall full of ice skates for hockey!

also, i am a bit weirded out that vintage stores have 80s sections now.

Yeah that's bonkers. Are they like teen clothes or adult clothes or both?

I forgot I bought 2 skirts in Bangor at this tiny place across the street from the place where we ate lunch.

a combination of both: dresses that look Jessica McClintock-y that were worn to proms, dresses that look like something out of Dynasty or Falcon Crest, and dresses that look like something out of my mom's closet -- suburban office casual.

My fever for Gunne Sax has waned somewhat but even seeing the name Jessica McClintock makes my pulse speed up!

I wanna see the nurse uniform!

oh yes, Gunne Sax, way too many square feet of Gunne Sax dresses

Now I know where they've all disappeared to.

totally scored at my hometown thrift over the weekend! got the following:

-- small cross-body purse for going out
-- gold sequined j crew miniskirt w/ elastic waistband in my size
-- diagonally striped button up rayon shirt in pastel ice cream colors
-- really cute pink and green summer dress with cute details on the pockets

and a teacher's discount = total cost $12.51

Nice! I'm not good at thrift stores. I need a tutorial.

First step: stop telling yourself you're not good at thrift stores :)

i totally forgot about this thread a few months back when I got my ironic baby blue "super bacon" t-shirt and grey sweater with a french bulldog with a rhinestone studded collar on it.

also the useful thrift store staple: black knit mini-skirts with elastic waists from the 80s

i have a theory that thrift store stock has really improved with the increase in people buying clothes online. i definitely recognized more than a handful of modcloth items on the racks.

the quantity of wacky dresses/other is definitely higher than it was 10 years ago or so. i'd credit forever 21 and places like that too. i honestly can't believe the range of styles i see when i do enter a retail store, which is rarely but enough to remind me why i don't go more often (too expensive for such crappy stuff!) i've worn other people's hand-me-downs a lot lately too.

grey sweater with a french bulldog with a rhinestone studded collar on it.
O_O amazing <3

i also feel like the selection at your standard thrift store: goodwill, out of the closet, etc. is often better and more interesting than the "curated" vintage stores. Maybe it's just because I live somewhere where real estate is expensive and vintage stores have less space? But I went to LA in May, and their vintage stores were so much larger, and my theory still held.

Being a larger sized person definitely makes a difference though. If I were a size 8 again, maybe I'd feel differently ...

Every so often (but not often enough) I have the idea of having a vintage/thrift store for larger women's clothes because I'm sure there'd be a market for it.

i think that's a great idea - consignment shop!!

yeah sometimes the curated vintage stores have a lot of old 60s party dresses or whatever but that is not what i'm looking for -- i just want everyday clothes for the most part. of course it's good to find a comfortable sequined skirt at the thrift because i wouldn't want to pay $40 for it, but i already have a pretty good selection of ridiculous party dresses. why shell out for another one? that's just me and my needs though.

also ljub i wasn't trying to be dismissive of your request -- i do genuinely think that is the first step to success in many (most?) endeavors at learning how to do something new.

you're not wrong! And I need to find some stores I actually like. When I come across those stores it tends to be in hipster areas, and I feel all wrong in there and everything in me screams 'leave'.

it's actually something I've thought about -- thrift store strategies -- and it of course depends on how you feel about buying clothes, in general, and what your values and anxieties are.

exactly -- everyone has different priorities/needs. if you can figure out what yours are, you are most of the way there.
if you feel the need to leave, you should leave!

that's how i feel at virtually every retail clothing store
get me OUT OF HERE NOW

Have definitely had that experience in retail stores too. They are harder for me in N America than in the UK, because of the solicitous attention... I enjoy clothes shopping about 200% less in general than I did ten years ago.

does anyone here have feelings or opinions about thredup or swap.com?

The wife loves thredup. Haven't tried swap.com

I'm sure they are useful websites. Personally I try not to look at anything that will allow me to buy used clothing on the computer -- I can't control myself! I only eBay specific things and rely on irl swapping and thrift shopping for unplanned purchases.

i bought a few vintage items from an etsy store a few days ago -- I don't know whether it's the limitations of the etsy storefront architecture but there wasn't any way to select by size. I was reminded yet again why I spent so much money and bought so much used vintage clothing when I was in my early 20s and a size 8, and of course now, most vintage clothes are too small for me. So it was a lot of scrolling --- so cute! waist size ... uh, no.

Thredup is cool in that not only can you sort by size, but you can pick designers/brands you like and that's what it will show you -- most of the time. It also does the standard try and predict what you would like thing based on what you click on or buy. There was an interesting looking gray skirt that I clicked on so that I could try and figure out what the fabric was like, and then Thredup gave me a page of gray skirts, and nothing but gray skirts. Which made me think that as far as clothing goes, there are so many different criteria and factors that make me like an item of clothing that aren't just "gray" and "skirt" and made by a certain company.

I scored some good stuff today.

* Spring green velvet blazer that's slightly too big so it doesn't look overly fussy/can be worn over things
* cropped patterned wool sweater w short turtleneck, "made in Scotland"!
* red cotton cable knit cardi for a friend
* brown sweater vest & western-style dress shirt for mr

Good day!

i was just thinking about this thread!

i got my first box from thredup the other day, including this amazing dark purple cardigan with a dark purple and black fur collar.

blazer sounds great! Now I feel like I need something along those lines, that's a color other than black ... maybe? idk

Ha yeah the way I see it, if I'm wearing a green blazer and the rest of my outfit is a total snooze/slobby at least I'm wearing a fresh green jacket. lol!

oh totally! I have a few things like that -- including this new/used purple cardigan. The other, which is more for receptions and fancy occasions is this cream and black striped sequined jacket that I inherited from my grandmother. I can wear it with leggings and a black t-shirt dress from target and still look dressed up.

This is reminding me that my tshirts are getting pretty gnarly

i have too many t-shirts. this past summer I spent a day doing artful cutting of t-shirts: turning them into tank tops, making party vents, making them into scoop necks and v-necks because the standard t-shirt collar isn't all that flattering on me ... I still only regularly wear a small percentage of the t-shirts.

shopping at thrift stores since i've been in tokyo i've added lots of things to my wardrobe that i always wanted to wear like weird as fuck japanese/euro pieces from koenji 2nd hand shops, like i can wear margiela! i never imagined wearing margiela replica boots and being able to pay my rent and then when i get tired of them, sell them back at don don down for 20% less and buy a stupid yves st laurent marching band jacket or facetasm fake fur shawl. i can wear ann demeulemeester! and that sweet spot of 2000s japanese designer stuff like issey/yohji/comme and subsidiaries like sacai, undercover, etc. is cheap because? 1) it was cheaper in the first place, compared to buying it in paris or new york? 2) nobody buys yohji but gothy 17 year old instagram kids who buy recent stuff and whatever the new cheaper yohji brand is and wear it with limi feu and rick owens boots and gothy older men. koenji is dominated by 70s jean jackets and flannel shirts from shops that always make me a bit sad, like the jacket will have the name of the old owner penned in the collar and the feeling is like pictures of my dad from 1983 in general--or by niche niche obsessive: only like three british brands from 1965 in one shop and only purest 19th century french moleskin/patched cotton workwear in another. but recycle shops in older neighborhoods are like the thrift store i'm more familiar with: old beer signs, blenders, ski boots-- all those bubble era suits for ten bucks, going from really conservative tweedy british stuff to bizarrely cut italian suits and like the other day gianni versace tuxedo with silk psychedelic 1994 miami mansion rave pattern, hermes scarves under a stack of school uniforms, and like a prada fur collecting dust since the showa for fifty bucks-- all that money sloshing around and men wearing suits and i guess most of them are dead? and their kids found a bunch of italian suits and packed them up with their spoon collection and hawaiian guitar records and sold them for fifty bucks. you can get a used humidifier and a nice suit for twenty bucks.

when I was an exchange student in Japan in the 90s, I was told that buying secondhand clothes had a strong stigma in Japanese culture. Is that still true, or has it changed? I remember going to the equivalent of rummage sales at a temple in Kyoto or Nara and was seriously in awe of how cheap I could get things.

i don't think so? there're chains like off, mode off (and spinoffs BOOK OFF for books and LIQUOR OFF for used liquor), don don down + kichioji has dozens of second hand stores that range from cheap three dollar sweaters to niche collector shops and shimokita and nakano have the same vibe, 90% of clothes shops are vintage/2nd hand. harajuku is 45% shops selling old bape hoodies. shibuya, shinjuku. local recycle shops.

all the money that paid for those designer clothes in the 80s and 90s dried up, so it makes sense.... i guess.

Although the Japanese consumer has a history of high purchasing power and discriminating tastes, currently consumers report having less to spend on clothing. Price sensitivity is increasing, changing the way consumers in Japan shop for apparel.

Overall, Japanese consumer apparel spending has declined steadily for many years. According to Euromonitor International, apparel spending fell 19% from 2000 to 2009 and is projected to fall 9% from 2009 to 2010.

http://www.cottoninc.com/corporate/market-data/supplychaininsights/the-shifting-japanese-apparel-consumer/japanese-consumer-10-10.pdf

uniqlo + 2nd hand

I think there's a lot more work that can be done on predictive algorithms as far as what clothes you may/would like. Multiple sites are doing this now, as well as thredUp. I just got a promo email from thredup with "we think you will like these items" - and none of them were things I'd want, all very basic, staple-y stuff that is kinda the opposite of what I like.

attn: tangenttangent -- this thread exists if you wanna talk about dresses

i scored some nice stuff at the goodwill near my grocery store recently. a few shirts for work, a red/black polka dotted cotton dress, a stretchy black a-line dress with a little white collar and sleeves that isn't too tight, and a replacement gray cardigan because mine had a hole in the armpit. can't write on a chalkboard under those circumstances!

if i had smaller feet, i would have walked away with the most amazing stash of shoes i have ever seen collected in a thrift store at once: off-white laceup granny boots (curved heel!), bright orange minnetonka moccasins, and silver pumps with the least-jacked-up dainty heel i have ever seen in a thrift store

I just watched the newest season of Love on netflix. It's really making me want to start scouring for vintage clothes again, although I got rid of so much 2 years ago when I realized that I am never that keen to wear all polyester.

scooooooooooooore today at the thrift -- muted silver pleather biker jacket in exactly my size
i got two other things as well but this jacket is totally the shit, i can't wait to wear it. it's 90+ degrees today (and thrift had broken a/c) so i give myself credit for thinking ahead to cooler temps and snagging this extremely cool jacket

also yesterday i brought home one of those classic thrifted women's cardigans with a little shell pattern on it, totally acrylic, you know these sweaters. mine is yellow but they come in easter egg colors like light blue, pink, white, yellow.

PICS PLEASE

i haven't posted a pic to ilx in ages -- idk how to do it anymore!?

this is the same jacket only it's gold and mine is silver and mine only cost $10! https://poshmark.com/listing/Express-Gold-Moto-Biker-Leather-Jacket-Small-5a49bd23daa8f68062036973?utm_source=gdm&l_con=PREOWNED%2FUSED&gdm_bottom=false&campaign_id=1068438942&utm_campaign=1068438942&enable_guest_buy_flow=true&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqf2ttMrY3AIVStbACh1RfQFYEAQYAyABEgKPEPD_BwE

the sweater is something you probably saw on someone you knew in high school or college -- these fully synthetic old lady sweaters have been floating around since i was in high school and almost everyone i knew had one. to the point where i never bought one because we can't all go around wearing the same sweater...until now!

oh man i want a silver jacket

i just googled and there are apparently abundant options -- you should get one! you can even get a puffy one a la missy

it was super weird because just a couple days ago i watched Single White Female (hilarious, awesome, template for so many USURPER Lifetime movies, that weird little orange hairdo) and Bridget Fonda's clothes were really cute in that movie (heels aside). She had a silver raincoat that would have been a holy grail type item if Jennifer Jason Leigh hadn't waltzed out with the same exact one! lol

i saw a little girl at the farmers matket yesterday in a silver windbreaker & i nearly squueeeed out loud in envy

this is within your grasp -- we are living in a rich era of wacky affordable clothing. i looked around at Target the other day and marveled at the variety. It almost made me want to stock up for those times when things become more austere.

I need a raincoat and am now looking up silver raincoats.

look at this thing

https://screengoblin.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/bridget-fonda-swf2.png

thing = her coat, not her specifically

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/03_04/EastendersBBC_468x316.jpg

(jk - the leather one looks ace)

who are those miserable-seeming people?

the ginger lady is the iconic Bianca, from British aspirational soap opera 'Eastenders'

aha
i've heard of that but clearly not familiar with the characters

tbh i'm pretty useless at figuring out what people mean with solitary image posts

sorry, that silver puffa jacket is kind of famous over here!

no need to apologize! i wish we all could be more forgiving of people not knowing things/needing to ask questions, self included.

i forgot to post about this when i executed the score but i scored so huge at this very small thrift last month. i got:

* black sweater with a sexy blue/white leopard on it (i am in love with this sweater)
* bizarre gigantic black sequined shirt/dress with red feathers around the collar that makes me look like phyllis diller or a shrunken latter day liza minnelli (idk where i will wear this but it's mine now)
* amazing brown/orange peasant dress with laces that corset up the back that fits me *perfectly* and is comfortable (this is going to be nice for special occasions)
* psychedelic orange/pink/brown/green flowered skirt that has *shorts underneath it for total comfort and protection omg* (i can comfortably play drums in it!!)

i got all this for $14.33!!!! half price for the holidays, love this place so much

also let's all raise a glass to the next few months when Kondo-following people will be discarding their perfectly good but joyless items and making them available to us at reasonable prices. i feel like i could start my own store if i shopped well enough during the next 6 months!! all the vultures are gonna be out though...

also i will mention that upon paying my $14.33 i felt a palpable noticeable surge of whatever that good-feeling hormone is. like i felt flushed with...what is it? joy!!!????

yay! very much looking forward to Kondo acolyte discards ... also, tis the season for discount cashmere

got some great thredup scores this week (i bought them in December, just came in the mail this week)

* black designer coat dress with chunky beads and jewels on the collar that fits perfectly ... tags attached, priced at $380 ... I got it for about $40
* this amazing art deco looking sleeveless top, kinda like the bodice of a fancy flapper dress
* 80s-ish puffy sleeved blue & black leopard print v-neck sweater

also, a not very exciting boatneck-ish black crushed velvet blouse that I bought for exciting refashioning -- a year or so ago I got rid of a bunch of clothes that hadn't really fit me since the late 90s ... including a half dozen cute patterned bras that I took apart and kept the cup fabric, which works well as a stitched on collar for a boatneck, scoopneck, crewneck, etc.

anyway, so now this blouse has a cute collar that is black & red lacy skull & bones, plus some additional beadwork I did

omg that is so cool -- how satisfying is it to wear a garment with a decorative bra cup collar?!?!?!

we should wear our black/blue leopard sweaters together sometime!!

ok that is a terrible idea but i am still enjoying the idea of wearing similar but not matching secondhand sweaters

that is actually an awesome idea -- we could perform together wearing said garments

yessssssssss
i can only travel in the summer or winter but i am fully into this idea and not even joking

yknow i have seen online animosity/competitive behavior between kondo-enthusiasts and thrifters -- 1) this is divisive and 2) who cares? don't fight amongst yourselves. keep giving it away/recycling your stuff and everyone's happy, the ecosystem is healthy. it's cooperation not competition!!

so weird! - the animosity/competitiveness - is it that the kondo-kin think thrifters are hoarders or gluttons in need of discipline or ...?

idk what they think honestly -- that seems otm based on what i can glean from the snarking i have seen.

to me it just seems like "defending my 'position' means insulting yours" mindset that seems to plague some modern online discourse. unfortunate, imo. i'm sure some people would say "lighten up, it's a joke" but isn't that what people always say to excuse themselves? idk i wish we could celebrate because this is a win-win for everyone.

That is so strange! Yeah, it would seem like a mutually beneficial system.

also there is the shared value of objects providing pleasure, er, joy

it is symbiosis of the highest order, what's not to like!?

also, it's not like I keep all my thrift scores forever -- I let things go when they cease to be useful or there are enough other things that have surpassed it in terms of joy and use value ... granted, I might have more things than some people believe I should, but what can I say ... i have so much love to give

especially when it comes to things that are relatively unique ... like the things I get rid of first are the more generic-looking items that would be easy to replace if I changed my mind

like i said, symbiosis!

“It’s a good time for thrift shopping. I have the people who are purging, and then I have the people that need those things and can have access to them at a lower price. It’s a beautiful, mutual symbiotic relationship,” she said.

https://blockclubchicago.org/2019/01/11/marie-kondo-has-everyone-tidying-up-and-chicagos-thrift-stores-are-reaping-the-rewards/

i have plenty of things to get rid of too. maybe i should organize a swap. i found the handout i made for aspiring swap organizers for my speech class last semester and i make it sound so easy! maybe it is easier than i think it is.

i think you just need a space and willing participants and a plan for what to do with stuff that is left behind ... clothing swaps have always been awkward for me because I'm significantly larger than most of my friends

since we don't have a thread for swaps, i will put my q here in the hope someone can give me a quick answer:

what is the most inclusive language for inviting women + femme people of all stripes ?

is the swap just for women's clothing? Others I've seen have been "all genders/gender identities welcome" -- but if you want to specify that the clothing to be swapped is gendered, do that separately? Also, you may want to say something about sizes.

opening it up to men's clothing would open a whole new can of worms that i am not ready to host in a week, so yeah -- just women's + children's at this point. the swaps that i have been to are all women's clothing but there are people of various identities there (not cis het men though)

this is why i haven't hosted before. too complicated!

i am definitely going to mention that there will be diversity of sizes and style + a changing room w a mirror
it's the invitation process that is giving me hives at this point :-/

then i would say, "women's and children's clothing!" "all sizes and gender identities welcome!"

ok thank you -- that is helpful!!

let us know how it goes!

someday i would like to host a monster swap for everyone but not right now. party planning is so hard for me! i get really hung up on things that aren't important and then the stress fritzes me out
i also want people to know that even if they don't have stuff to bring or don't want to swap they are still welcome to come over and hang out and meet some new people/talk with me and who knows -- maybe a free accessory or other item may fall into their laps! you never know what you're gonna get at a swap.

i will def let you know how it goes.
it's a week from tomorrow :)

i have since let go some of the items i found at the beginning of this thread almost 7 years ago! wow
time flies!
my swap failed btw. i had to cancel it!

It’s 2023 now and I just got home from a trip to hometown, where I visited my hometown first and fave thrift and scored many items to my immense satisfaction.
Haul included: 4 nice sweaters, one denim skirt, one pair cords, two blouses for work, one tweed jumper dress, and a pair of shorts to sleep in bc I forgot mine.
The thrill is not gone!!

yay!!!

a friend on fb who lives in Canada recently posted complaining about how fast fashion is most of what you see anymore in thrift stores ... I do a lot of it online now, and seriously, there is so much of it. I am tempted to suggest to the online thrift site I frequent that it should have a way to filter out certain brands. Like, can I just omit all the Shein, Lularoe, etc. crap?

I’ve never taken to internet thrifting in spite of years of attempts. Being in the store and being able to hold the items, it makes choosing so much easier for me. I tried on the skirt over my jeans but overall everything I bought fit nicely and I didn’t try anything else on before buying. Part of that is my size, I know. The other part is the eye, which doesn’t work the same way for me on a screen. I’m so relieved to have some fresh work clothes and not have to sweat it or shell out hundreds of clams lol