Happy Friday babes! Today I thought we’d do something a little different. This past weekend, I went thrift shopping with my friend Megan who is the champion at thrift shopping. Megan’s that girl who has super fun fashion sense and when you ask her where she found something, the answer is it’s probably thrifted. From fun weekend outfits to chic workwear, Megan has become something of an expert at thrift shopping and regularly finds amazing gems at places like Goodwill.
I’ve never had much luck when it comes to thrift shopping so I thought to pick Megan’s brain on all her successes and share that information with you ladies. Just keep reading for a fashionista’s guide to thrift shopping!
Fashionista’s Guide to Thrift Shopping
1) Location, Location, Location
Just like real estate, Megan says that location store is key! Just like regular retail, different store locations get sent different a variety of items. Thrift stores in higher-end neighborhoods generally have more designer finds. For my Seattle area babes, she says that Redmond, Edmonds, and Capitol Hill Goodwill locations tend to be the most fashion-focused stores.
2) Look for Black Labels
One of Megan’s insider tips to always look for the Black Label section. At least in Goodwill, these tend to be the higher end fashion brands and will, generally, be displayed in the front of the store. In this section we found J.Crew, Tory Burch, Zara, Banana Republic, Coach, Pendleton, North Face, and Salvatore Ferragamo, among many other brand names. Plus several of these pieces still had the original price tags still attached! Talk about score, right?!
3) Know Peak Shopping Time
Another insider tip Megan dished out is that again just like regular retail, they rotate the merchandise regularly. This means that there are different times when shopping for fashion gold is better or worse. Halloween is very costume heavy. However, Megan says that right after the Glitter Sale, Goodwill allocates the remaining designer pieces to the various stores and that is the prime time to go hunting shopping!
Oh yeah, the Glitter Sale! The Seattle area Goodwill’s do this thing where they collect all the high-end designer (Dior, Chanel, etc) pieces that are donated throughout the year and sell them on one day in a massive sale called the Glitter Sale. Thousands of people wait in line to get to go in and shop this sale. I don’t know if other regions have their own version of the Glitter Sale but it’s a pretty big deal here in Seattle.
4) Don’t Come in with a Plan or List
Megan says that generally when you approach thrift shopping with a shopping list or a certain item in mind, it’s likely that you’ll leave empty-handed. If you’re more open to browsing the rack instead of just looking at say jeans, then you’re more likely to find hidden gems.
5) Look in ALL the Sizes
Another pro tip is to make sure you look in all the different size ranges. Especially in the Black Label section, Megan shared that you can regularly find pieces that are out of place. This is, even more, the case when you go towards the end of the day, or like us, at the end of the weekend, when the store hasn’t been merchandised for a day or so.
6) Try Everything On
The final step is to make sure you try EVERYTHING on. This is the final quality check for you to find any items that are piling or have snags or other quality or fit issues. Just grab a basket at the beginning of your trip and load ‘er up with everything that you think you might like. You can give your final verdict in the fitting room.
The outcome of our shopping trip this past weekend was as follows. Megan walked away with a camel colored blazer from J.Crew, a Pleione (Nordstrom brand) blouse, and a vintage Charter Club cropped sweater. I snagged a J.Crew pencil skirt (with original tags still attached!), a Tory Burch cardigan, an Ann Taylor sweater, and a Halogen (Nordstrom brand) sweater. Not bad for a evenings work and we both walked out spending under $100.
Do you go thrift shopping? What has been your success rate? Let me know in the comments!
Head over to Megan’s blog, Diary of this Girl, for more thrift shopping tips and style. Let her know that I sent you!
Until next time,
Ana Luiza
