There are many things I miss about my BC (Before Corona) life, and it’s probably not a surprise that thrifting is one of them. I’m an introvert homebody, so my daily habits likely were less impacted than others’; even so, the loss of the concept of being free to go about as I please hit me harder than I thought it would, especially in the beginning. And I miss the treasure hunting aspect of thrifting a lot; the “me time” as well as the bonding time with my BFF (a fellow thrifter). What did surprise me was the fact that I didn’t really miss the clothes shopping. I haven’t purchased any clothes since the end of February. I have occasionally looked online – at secondhand sites and local consignment shops – but closed the browser each time without feeling any desire to buy anything. For someone who has occasionally wondered if there was a compulsive aspect to her shopping habits, this was an interesting development.
Thinking about it, I came to realize that there is a huge element of “I have nowhere to wear this” in my current apathy about clothes shopping. I never thought of myself as someone who “dressed for others” but I do; clothes, for me, are a form of expression and without an audience (so to speak) the desire to create in that medium has waned. Instead, I’ve poured my creative energies into other pursuits. An interesting related discovery? I still wear jewelry. Even when I choose a relatively simple (and comfortable, above all) WFH outfit, I find myself reaching for one of my favourite jewelry pieces – earrings and necklaces, especially – to wear with it. I do that for me, because it makes me feel a little better, prettier.
I am not sure how things will change once quarantine is over. [I hesitate to say “when things go back to normal” because who knows what “normal” will be.] I assume I will buy clothes again once thrift stores reopen. I may shift some of my priorities; for examples, blazers is not a category I need to expand, though I may make exceptions for soft/unstructured toppers, and perhaps some of my favourite designers. Same with pants. I will probably stop buying jeans altogether. And high heels.
One thing I will try to do more is wear my “special” pieces regularly. If that means wearing an Issey Miyake skirt to run errands on a weekend, so be it. Life is too short.
I will also prioritize clothes that have versatile silhouettes. Loose, long dresses are a good example. I have been wearing them a lot around the house because they make me feel better than wearing sweatpants 24/7, but they can easily be “dressed up” – cinched with a belt, polished up with accessories – if I need to be presentable for the office. I want clothes that are comfortable enough to wear at home, but also nice enough to wear outside – and I am not talking about leggings. Although leggings will probably replace jeans as my go-to “bottoms” option. I am never breaking up with comfort now.
I am also struggling to visualize what thrifting itself might look like in the future. In the short term, I think it will resume familiar patterns. I’ve heard from a lot of folks that they have been busy decluttering their homes during this time, so I expect thrift stores will be bustling in the months after quarantine is lifted. After that, who knows? A lot of folks on social media have also been talking about consuming less in the future. Thrift stores have become big business precisely because a lot of people over-consume and adopt an “everything is disposable” mentality. If that begins to change, the thrift scene will start to change too. We will have to wait and see whether the changes people are contemplating now, in the midst of the pandemic, will take root or whether humanity will eventually simply swing back to the old “normal”.
I would love to hear from you about your thoughts on changes — to your style, shopping habits, fashion industry as a whole, etc. — in the After Corona era. See you in the comment section!
A lot of folks have stopped spending by choice or by necessity of a job loss. Luxury retail fashion in-person & runway shows will take a huge hit but I expect that thrift stores & luxury consignment will eventually see a big increase in sales online. All my favorite consignment stores in SF are doing sales entirely on Instagram & Etsy.com.
I’m proud that I’ve not purchased any clothing since mid-Jan 2020 and continue to save up for my retirement nest egg. In past month, I’ve consigned with the RealReal and buffalo exchange by prepaid mailing envelopes to get rid of office clothes & evening wear that I do not wear anymore. This is a good time to reflect on what you need vs. what is luxury/not a necessity.
I wonder … I think high end luxury will bounce back because I don’t know if the 1% has been that affected, financially speaking. It will be the middle and working class who will bear the brunt of the economic downturn, as always. I agree that this has been a time to reflect on priorities of all kinds. I do feel for people that had to go through that involuntarily (ie due to job loss) because it’s one thing to re-evaluate choices from a place of relative financial security and another to do it because it’s a matter of life or death.
I also noticed that I have no desire to shop since I have almost nowhere to go besides for walks amd grocery shopping.
Another thing is that I wear different things out of my wardrobe – the focus has shifted to the (too) few pieces that I owm that are comfortable but still kind of chic. Same goes for shoes: No (work) heels for me right now and only very comfy shoes for long walks….
All in all it is strange to realize what part of the closet I now wear most ans that one really dresses a lot for other people (and of course: work outside the homeoffice).
Comfortable and chic is going to be my style aesthetic for the foreseeable future. I’m not sure when I will be back in the office but even then, I think my approach to dressing will be different.
Two weird things that I’ve noticed during quarantine, that will likely continue after:
I was lipstick obsessed, BC. Now, wearing a mask all the time, it’s just too messy. (I really miss it).
Because I wear more “athleisure” clothing with sneakers in quarantine, I can’t imagine going back to my usual footwear. I may have to embrace the sneakers-with-everything look.
with you on the shoes! I’ve only gone out to the grocery store once and had to wear a mask so I haven’t thought about lipstick but you’re right. It might be a “casualty” of the pandemic. Although I do wear it at home when I have a FaceTime call, lol!
My WAH uniform before this was jeggings, pretty tops and comfy shoes (often sneakers). Now I am skipping the bra unless I leave the house, and it’s all Birkenstocks all the time. I’ve been working at home full-time since 2004, so I’m accustomed to being in the house 24/7, but I’m missing my thrift runs too…it’s always been such a nice outlet when I hit the wall with work to go pillage the Village 😉 The housewares are going to be outrageous when we can go back!
Just swapped in my warm weather clothes. I am on year 4 of transition to casual office wear. I think for WFH , Spring Edition, I will be wearing close to what I would wear IRL, except for the blazers and heels. I have not gotten rid of them, I think by next Spring this will all be behind us.
I hope so!!! I’m not getting rid of blazers or heels either, but I can’t say that I miss (most of them) that much.
I love your blog, but I personally am not a dresser upper, and I did not realize how much I have no love for “getting ready” until this – I haven’t done my hair, make up, worn a bra, worn anything other than sweats/leggings except twice when I was going to distance see people, no uncomfortable shoes, etc. I do not know how I will go back to having to waste time doing something that brings me zero joy! I’ve gotten used to seeing myself without make up and air dried hair and I’m fine with it. Times will be weird!
I do think people’s expectations will change after this is over. Maybe I’m naive. But I think a lot of people are having similar realizations.