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hello beautiful people! thanks for coming by today!! I wanted to share a few quick tips that I have compiled over my years of thrifting that might help you in your ventures 🙂 I encounter a lot of people who think that thrifting is not for them because they haven’t had luck in the past with it. I get it, I really do, it can be frustrating and not enjoyable at all to thrift when you never find anything good, BUT I firmly believe that if you know what you are doing, you will find some jems that you love!! So without further adieu, here are my top tips for thrifting pieces that you love…

• First and foremost: you have to be willing to dig
• Leave enough time for you to find what you’re looking for
  • In my experience, leaving yourself less than an hour to thrift doesn’t allow you enough time to properly look and get some sweet deals
• Go with a list and inspiration but be willing to deviate
  • Pull inspo pics from pinterest or insta and make a board of what you like are looking for 
  • Make a list of the key pieces you liked from your inspo board and be on the lookout for the pieces while you are thrifting – keep your eyes open for other pieces as well, sometimes I think that I find my favorites when I’m not even looking for them
• Wear the appropriate undergarments for trying things on
  • Nude bra and undies – I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve worn black undies or a sports bra {or something of the sort} thrifting and it makes it so much more difficult to really see if a piece will work well on you when you are just looking at your blaring “underthings”
  • If you are going to thrift at a place you know does not have dressing rooms, wear something like bike shorts and a tank top – something that you can easily slip stuff over and you will still be able to see the true fit of the piece
  • {bonus tip: Don’t try things on when you are bloated or have to pee or are generally uncomfortable – you will not feel good about how you look or how things fit and just trust me, it’s better if you don’t !!}
• Hit the thrift stores before the consignment stores
  • Consignment stores are generally more expensive, so check the cheaper option first and then move on to consignment 
• Check all the sections and all the sizes
  
  • Thrift stores are notorious for having things incorrectly tagged or misplaced {especially as people rifle through searching for what they want} don’t just stick to looking in your size area – even if you pick something up that you really like that’s not in your size, try it on anyways, I have a multitude of thrifted finds ranging from XS to XL depending on the fit and style of the piece, so don’t be afraid to look and try on
  • Always check the guys section too!! Especially for oversized button downs, all of my favorite button downs are from the mens section, the fit is just so much better for some reason
• If they have a loyalty program, SIGN UP!! 
  • I just saved a few bucks the other day w this one
• Go to an area or city that has money or the type of people who dress the way you like
  • This sounds weird, but if you are looking for nice authentic vintage pieces, thrifting in an area that has an older population helps, because these older people donate their vintage clothes to their neighboring thrift stores. If you are looking for classy work wear, try thrifting in an uptown or “ritzier” area. Obviously anyone can live anywhere, but being cognizant of the general population demographic can help you thrift what you want
• Check the quality of the piece
  • If a piece is threadbare already, chances are it will fall apart in a very short amount of time – don’t run that risk
  • Know good {and bad} brands – knowing which brands are made for their quality pieces and which are just one-time-wear fast fashion brands. Even though thrifting it already more sustainable that shopping big fast fashion brands, the goal is to keep and wear your clothes for years and years to come, and you can’t do that if they fall apart on you
  • Check the material on the tag !! Opt for natural fibers such as cotton, linen, silk, and wool over synthetic fibers like polyester and rayon – they are better on your skin and the environment as they usually wear better with time and regulate your body temperature better

there are so many more things to be said about the best ways to thrift, but these are the tips I thought most important to share. thanks for reading and lots of love, 

em 🤍