What are your best tips for thrifting for your home?
1) As with all thrifting, take your time and check everything. Most thrift stores are a jumbled mess, so you have to dig around.
2) Research your finds. If something looks interesting, Google it. You may have inadvertently hit a goldmine. Or not. Either way, it might help you decide if the sticker price is worth it.
3) Take measurements. I’m guilty of not doing this often enough, and just winging it. But if you’re looking for something to fill a specific hole/spot – a frame, a sofa, whatever – then go to the store armed with the information you need.
4) Trust your instinct. You live in your house, so if you like an item and it makes you happy, then buy it.
Also, keep in mind that houses (like people) evolve over time. With small items in particular, if I really love it, I will buy it even if I don’t have a concrete plan for it at the time. I don’t like clutter, so I don’t recommend mindless hoarding, but I have bought items simply because “I’ll find it a home somewhere/sometime”. And I did, usually sooner than expected.
Is it too late to get married in your 30s?
I can’t really answer that. To start with, too late for what? Also, it depends. Actually, scratch that. My general life philosophy is that it’s never too late to try anything that makes you happy. From that perspective, as long as you’re both still alive and kicking, it’s not too late.
I got married a month shy of my 30th birthday, and had 2 kids before I was 35. Kids more than marriage is a question of timing and, even for that, there is no absolute right answer. There benefits and drawbacks to having kids in your 20s, and your 30s, and your 40s. Finding the best balance (or compromise) is a personal decision.
What is your favourite thrift find? Have you ever decided against buying something only to regret it later?
I honestly don’t know if I can narrow it down to one favourite thing. How about a list of favourite brands that I’ve thrifted, by category:
– Designer: Marni, Dries Van Noten, Rick Owens, Zero+Maria Cornejo, Sarah Pacini, Iris Setlakwe, Armani Collezione, Lela Rose, Burberry.
– Mall brands: Aritzia, Madewell, Anthropologie.
– Shoes: Manolo Blahnik, Ferragamo, Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin, AGL, Chie Mihara, Stuart Weitzman, Arnold Churgin.
I have experienced a fair bit of thrift regret, but it’s always temporary. Off the top of my head, I can’t think a single item that I still remember and regret not getting months after the fact.
Do you think your style would have evolved in the same way if your job hadn’t changed?
That’s a difficult question. I think so, because I had started to go down this path before I changed jobs. Would it had been the exact same evolution? Hard to say. My current work environment is definitely more casual, which helps me to embrace a less traditional approach to professional dressing that coincides with my overall aesthetic.
How come you are all over Pinterest but don’t have many followers on Instagram?
I am? I mean, that comes as something of a surprise to me, since I’m not on Pinterest. But to answer the question, I have no idea. Possibly because people don’t link to my Instagram or blog on Pinterest? I also don’t buy followers on Instagram, and have nothing to sell, which probably impacts my followers count as well. I try not to get too hung up on that. I don’t care about numbers for numbers’ sake; I care about connecting with people who are interested in the same things I am.
What are your best thrifting tips? How do you make the most of your time thrifting? What are the best stores?
Go often. Honestly, that’s the number 1 tip. I go every week. The merchandise turns over quickly in thrift stores, and they get new stuff every single day. The more you go, the more you find. By going often, you also get to know the store inside and out, which helps you to maximize your time.
My personal approach is to hit up all the areas of interest (usually in the same sequence) and scan quickly for fabrics that stand out, either to the eye or the touch. Sometimes, if I have lots of time, I will meticulously go through each rack; but that’s rare. Using my approach, I’m sure I miss some good stuff, but I’m still able to find lots of things in a relatively short span of time. The key is to develop your eye/touch for quality fabrics. That takes time and practice. So, again, going often is key. Also visit luxury department stores and spend time observing/touching the pieces (in a non-creepy way, haha!). You will learn to quickly recognize quality.
Best stores vary by location. In my area, Goodwills and Value Villages are the best. Both are chain stores, and get the bulk of donations.
How do you find such good scores all the time?
See above. Also, I live in a place with a good thrift scene. I still haven’t quite worked out what makes a town have a good thrift scene, but I have some ideas. Edmonton is generally considered a “blue collar town” – hence my blog title – but it’s actually far more diverse (economically and culturally) than people realize. There are tons of rich folks here … you just don’t necessarily see them/hear about them in the same way that you might in Vancouver or Toronto, let’s say. It’s also a good size – big enough to have a diverse customer base, not so big that there is a lot of competition (both in terms of people consigning their stuff versus donating, as well as thrift competition from resellers) and crazy high prices. Although Value Village is certainly doing its best to change that last part …
Got a question? Drop it in the comments. And stay tuned for Part 3 of my Instagram AMA.
How do you go thrifting without buying everything in the store? I went to Talize yesterday and bought 13 items – and I’m picky! I scored a lot of great finds from Club Monaco, Ted Baker, and Aritzia, and when I asked myself if I would have paid full price for them (one of my tests on deciding what to buy), I said yes to all of them! I want to go thrifting more often but I don’t think my closet can handle coming home with 10+ items each time!
It’s hard! And I do end up buying more than I should precisely because it’s so easy to find good stuff for super cheap prices. I’m way more picky now than I used to be (having worked on refining my style for over a year) but I still buy some things I shouldn’t. The good news is that you can always resell, re-donate or swap stuff that doesn’t work out for you in the long run, without contributing to the fast fashion cycle.
Would love to hear your thoughts about what alterations to thrift finds seem worth making. Also, have been thinking a lot about reducing consumption and altering existing clothing as a way of adding variety to my wardrobe. Do you have any good ideas to share along those lines? Lately I’ve been dyeing things.
Honestly, I don’t generally buy things that require alteration because tailoring services are expensive in my area. Hemming pants runs anywhere from $15-$20, which is basically the cheapest type of alteration. In the past, I’ve had a blazer taken in/tailored around the waist/trunk, and it was something like $60. I also took in a (lined) dress and it was about the same. Generally, I have been told that any time that zippers have to be moved, costs go up. Unless it’s a high end designer, spending $40 or more on alterations isn’t worth it to me. But I say that as someone that (a) can generally fit into off-the-rack sizes fairly well, and (b) prefers a looser/slouchier fit anyway.
In terms of altering existing pieces, I have no crafty skills myself, so I tend to cheat. Belting things can change the look of a piece of clothing. Layering pieces in new ways can also create variety. Currently, I love putting turtlenecks under everything. Another tried and true approach is putting a sweater over a dress to make it seem like separates.
I hope others have great ideas for you … I’m not a good resources, I’m afraid.
Thanks! Even simple ideas like that are useful and don’t always occur to me, so I appreciate them. Alterations here are not quite as expensive, though it depends on what it is. Luckily I can sew a bit, too, so simple alterations are within reach. Recently I’ve been taking some of my husband’s shirts (lovely fabric!) and making them into tank blouses for me.