“Fashion is not necessarily about labels. It’s not about brands. It’s about something else that comes from within you”
― Ralph Lauren
That quote is one of my favorite quotes about fashion because it’s very true. Most people get distracted by brands and labels that they forget that style is about you. It’s about how you put things together, how you express yourself, and how you feel about what you’re wearing. That’s why I love thrifting, and probably why you love it too! It’s a challenge and it really separates the true fashionistas from the “hypebeasts”!
But even thrifting comes with its challenges. From buying things just because they’re on sale to shopping for you fantasy self without any plans on wearing that item, there are mistakes that majority of us thrifters made in the beginning that we wish we’d known about before filling up our closets with a bunch of stuff.
1. Getting It Because It’s Cheap.
There are always cool sales going on in thrift stores, even some that are hard to believe! One of my favorite thrift stores does a 99 cent sale every once in a while that makes me want to go crazy in the store. Buying things because they’re cheap is a trap that majority of thrifters fall into though.
2. Buying Things That Aren’t Your Style.
I had a bad habit of buying things because I thought they were cute…but never wearing them. In thrift stores especially, you are going to see a million cute little things. But are you really going to wear that light blue shirt with cute kittens on it? You may want to, but if that’s not actually your style you should probably leave it there for the person who would wear that shirt every week. The term “fantasy self” refers to that version of you you’ve always wanted to be but realistically, you probably won’t be. For example, my fantasy self wears high heels even to the simplest occasions. My real self? Never.
3. Buying The Same Thing Twice.
I know it may seem weird to think that you could buy the same things twice at a thrift store, especially because of the way thrift stores operate, but it’s a mistake that thrifters make all the time. The pieces are never exactly alike but they serve the same purpose. How many floral button-ups or vintage print skirts do you own that look pretty similar? It’s so important to know what your closet looks like; what you have, and what you don’t have. So that when you go thrifting you’re not just mindlessly throwing things into your cart because they’re cute.
4. Buying things that don’t fit perfectly.
I understand that feeling of seeing something cute and even though it’s a size larger than what you know fits you, you want it anyway. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with going with the “boyfriend shirt” look, right? Wrong. Most things aren’t meant to be worn bigger unless they were made to be worn bigger. Those jeans we buy that don’t fit our body perfectly, shirts that make us feel uncomfortable, and shoes that hurt our feet usually sit in our closet forever. It’s best that we buy things we know will boost our confidence, not make us feel self-conscious. Push past that initial desire and look at the bigger picture. It will serve you better in the long run!
HCXO!