Retail or Thrift?

I was at the mall recently because Banana Republic was running a 40% off everything sale and I figured it was my best chance to get some of their Argent+Aureus jewelry for a decent-ish price. In case you were wondering, this is what I got:

Stunning, right? My honest review is that the design is fabulous and the stones are beautiful (but only buy in person, because I’ve also seen very blah/grey labradorites being used), but the quality otherwise is very meh. I am skeptical about the durability of the gold tone finish; the ring is already starting to tarnish slightly. At the sale price, this isn’t egregious but I would be deeply wary of buying any of their A+A stuff at full price.

I have been seeing a few comments on Reddit about the “renaissance era” of Banana Republic so this was a good opportunity to check it out. Some Redditors are calling it “affordable MaxMara” which struck me as a stretch, tbh. Maybe MaxMara quality has declined lately, idk. Current BR doesn’t quite strike me as being anywhere near that quality level, though it does appear to be a lot better than the last 10 years or so. The designs are much improved as well, at least in my opinion. What’s for sure is that BR prices have become very aspirational. Most pants and skirts seem to start around $200 and go up from there. On sale, with extra discounts, it’s worth checking out, as I do enjoy the elevated aesthetic they are currently offering.

But, as always, when I go to the mall, the question in my head is “can I thrift that for less”? I like to go into stores – BR and Zara are my faves for this – to see what’s new and figure out whether I’m likely to find it for less secondhand.  So let’s have a look!

Leather skirt

This retails for $650CAD at BR. This silhouette is relatively easy to find in vintage iterations, with or without a front slit. Vintage leather is usually great quality; the only thing to watch out for is cigarette smells which can be hard to get rid of. I have a Gap leather skirt from 2000 which is almost identical and cost me less than $25. Danier is another brand worth keeping an eye out for.

Same story with this leather mini skirt, which retails for $530CAD. This flared silhouette will be a little bit harder to find than a basic mini, but there are similar options out there. For example, this LizSport skirt listed for $36 on Poshmark is quite nice:

Verdict: Thrift

Waistcoat

Vests and waistcoats are very trendy right now. This one retails for $190CAD at BR. I am happy to report that thrift stores always have a decent selection of waistcoats, including ones inspired by men’s suiting. I recently thrifted a vintage wool Mexx vest for around $5; I love its 90s vibe:

Verdict: Thrift

Wide Leg Pants

These wool pants retail for $240CAD at BR. The fact that they’re not even lined makes me side-eye the price a bit, but the design is really good. This is a category where I find that vintage falls short. I do have a pair of early-2000s, wide leg wool pants from Aritzia – which are lined!! – but they are a very low-rise so the silhouette is noticeably different. I have not been able to find older vintage trousers that replicate this current version of the wide-leg pant, and vintage wool pants on the whole are hard to find (polyester is more common). This is an item I may keep an eye on, to possibly catch on clearance sale at the end of the season. I like this silhouette a lot, so it would be worth a little “investment” because I can see myself wearing it for at least a few years.

Verdict: Retail

Oversize Shirting

I saw this at Zara but there are versions available all over the place, at various price points. But why buy retail when you can thrift a vintage (or new) men’s shirt and get that same oversized vibe and coolness factor for a fraction of the price. Thrift stores are overflowing with men’s shirts – WFH has decreased the demand substantially, I imagine. Just keep an eye on the collar to make sure they’re in good condition.  I have added a few vintage Ralph Lauren shirts to my collection including this one, which is my fave:

Verdict: Thrift

Sheer Things

Sheer skirts, tops and dresses are a big trend this year. They come in many flavours, often with a 90s twist which makes sense because sheer was also a Thing in those days. Some sheer things are easy enough to find at the thrift stores; mesh tops in particular, because they’ve been percolating in the market for a while. Sheer items made of other fabrics (non-mesh) are harder to find. I have not seen a lot of vintage iterations of this trend floating around (no pun intended), perhaps because of the inherent fragility of the materials, perhaps because it was never a trend that achieved full-market saturation so there would be fewer pieces left behind. On the whole, my personal strategy in situations like this is to spend at least a few weeks checking Poshmark and the thrifts, and if nothing interesting pops up AND I’m still very into the trend, then I will consider retail. In this particular case, by a VERY lucky stroke, I was able to find a nearly identical vintage DKNY skirt on Poshmark; it didn’t end up costing me less than the H&M version above would have, but I am sure the quality is much better (plus, the H&M skirt was sold out everywhere).

Verdict: It’s a toss-up!