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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Columbia Chicago chapter.

I woke up the other morning with the sudden urge to reset my lifestyle, so naturally, I started with my closet. When I say I have a lot of clothes, I mean I have a lot of clothes. I fill up not only the full-size closet in my own bedroom, but at least half of the closet in the empty bedroom next door. Between these two wardrobes, I was sick of looking at all the clothes that haven’t been taken off their hangers in years. On a Thursday morning, I woke up around 8 a.m. and started furiously cleaning my closet. This wasn’t  the kind of clean where you say “Maybe I’ll wear this again so I should keep it.” No. Anything that didn’t fit my style was out of my wardrobe. This included dresses, skirts, pants, shoes, sweaters: everything.

After my wardrobe breakdown, I piled together the clothes I no longer needed, filled up some garbage bags, and brought them to my local Goodwill. Now, my budget would not allow an all-out shopping spree, so I settled on the thrift store. Browsing through the racks, I found pieces to replenish my closet without the high price tag. Here are some of my personal favorites from my recent trip.While rummaging through racks of worn out mom jeans, I came across this hidden gem and it quickly became my favorite thrift store find. Can you say Instagram worthy? Imagine these with a brown sandal wedge, a fitted white tank, my hair in a bun, and a red bandana around my neck. I’m ready for my weekend on a yacht – if I had one that is.Everyone needs a chambray shirt in her closet. Everyone. Don’t fight me on this. They are so absolutely versatile. You can wear it on its own with a pair of black skinny jeans, as a layering piece throughout the fall and winter months, or you can tie it around your waist to spice up the average t-shirt dress. Finding skirts at a thrift store that are not only cute but also your size is a miracle, which is why I couldn’t leave the store without this one. The button front detail is so trendy, you would think I paid more than $4 for it. Needless to say, this will be my new spring staple. I’m already picturing it with a white-short-sleeved button-up that you can tie in the front. Maybe I can find one of those on my next trip to the thrift store.​The weather is finally starting to warm up and I can’t wait to make my debut in this beautiful floral dress. Layered with my favorite denim jacket (that I also ended up finding at a thrift store) and a pair of plain white sneakers, I’ll be ready for a day in the sun or more realistically a day spent in class.

Revamping your wardrobe doesn’t need to be expensive. While thrift stores offer an array of options for a bargain price, you’ll probably need to spend multiple hours scouring the racks to find something that fits you and your style.

 

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Tory Appel

Columbia Chicago

Hello! My name is Tory Appel and I am a student at Columbia College Chicago studying advertising and photography. I am also working at 101.9 the Mix and 100.3 WSHE as a Promotional Assistant, and I'm loving every minute of it! In my free time I like to take portraits, read, and watch scary movies.