I’ve starting keeping a running list on my phone of pieces I would like to add to my closet, which is something I haven’t done in years but I’m hoping will help me manifest some luck at the thrifts. Okay, I don’t really believe in manifesting … but also, maybe kinda I do? Remember my dream rainbow dress and how I randomly found it at the thrifts weeks after I was searching for it, fruitlessly, online? Or that other very specific Pink Tartan dress that I hunted for years and finally found, also at the thrifts? Whether my anecdata stands up to scrutiny or not, I’m making a list just in case.

The list is also good for strategizing. I’ve come to rely on Poshmark as a sort of online thrift store, but the higher prices mean that I have to be strategic about how I use it. Some things are better left to the thrifts; some are worth searching for on Poshmark. What’s my strategy?

I have a few considerations. If it’s a very specific item from a specific brand, Poshmark is usually my go-to. I will, of course, always keep an eye out for the item at the thrift store, but if I find it first on Poshmark for a price within my budget, I won’t wait. This is especially true for rarer items — anything designer and/or vintage. If it’s a non-specific item in a general category, then I will usually prioritize looking at the thrifts because it’s likely to be cheaper there. The exception, as you will see below, is for categories which I know, from recent experience, to be hard to source at the thrifts.

Let’s look at my list for summer 2022 and see how it’s been coming along.

White maxi

Here is an example of a non-specific item in a general category. I didn’t have a strong preference between skirt or dress, as long as it was something ankle-length or thereabouts, airy, and white. There were lots of options on Poshmark (both skirts and dresses) but none were under $30, after accounting for shipping, and I was sure I could do better at the thrifts. Plus, in person, it’s easier to assess the sheerness of white garments.

Funnily enough, as soon as I started looking, it seemed like all white maxis vanished from the thrifts — I swear I used to see tons before. I did recently manage to finally find a dress that I liked and checked off most of my boxes for under $20; it does not have a full skirt and it is a bit sheer (I have a slip I can wear with it, luckily) but I really like how it fits and it’s vintage which is a bonus for me.

I’ve decided that I will continue to look for a white maxi skirt in a fuller silhouette — because I’ve been enjoying wearing both white (as a colour) *and* full skirts this summer — but I’ll still stick to the thrifts. One of these days …

Duster

Again, I wasn’t looking for a specific item but I had certain criteria — it had to be long (calf-length or longer), light and airy, a nice pattern, and coat-style (no asymmetrical, waterfall, or handkerchief hems). Items answering this description have been vanishingly rare — nay, impossible — to find at my local thrifts, so I have been focusing mostly on Poshmark. It took a while to find one that answered to my specifications and fit my budget, but I did manage it. That being said, I love it so much that I’ve decided to keep an eye out for another. I’m not actively looking for one, but also not NOT looking for one, if you know what I mean.

Boho belt

Belts have been one of my favourite accessories since my recent style shift. I wanted to find one (or more!) boho-style belts similar to the ones I’d seen in Ralph Lauren’s past collections — big buckles, perhaps something with a southwestern flair. This was a category where my local Goodwill really delivered; I was able to find several cool belts there recently.

But I also really wanted a belt with a silver-and-turquoise buckle. I’ve started checking the jewelry showcases at all the thrifts I visit, but I know I have a small chance of finding something like that. You really have to be in the right place at the right time, because a lot of people scour the stores for silver pieces, so anything of quality goes very fast. So I also started to actively hunt for it on Poshmark. In this case, the price differential wasn’t likely to be as much of a factor because thrift stores price silver very high (I’ve seen unexceptional silver rings priced at $50 and up).

Finding good deals on Poshmark is not unlike finding gems at the thrifts; it takes time and patience and knowing how to recognize a bargain. I think I’ve gotten good at the later, if I do say so myself. When I spotted a vintage leather belt with a silver, turquoise and carnelian buckle for under $60, I JUMPED on it. The eagled-eyed may have spotted it in my recent OOTDs; I am obsessed with it.

Corduroy blazer

Okay, this is not a summer item but your girl is thinking ahead to fall. A corduroy blazer would be a great addition to my Historian closet. In terms of specifics, I wanted a fitted blazer in a warm-toned colour, and the material had to be wide wale corduroy. The wider, the better — I’m really obsessed with that texture at the moment. I haven’t seen anything like that at the thrifts in recent months; while it’s possible to find cord blazers from time to time, it’s usually a fine wale material with little texture to it. I resigned myself to looking on Poshmark where, of course, I quickly found some great options including a vintage, grey Jaeger blazer, and a new, camel J. Crew blazer. However, both were over $75 which didn’t really suit my budget, so I decided to wait. Sometimes, sellers drop prices, or the same item pops up for a lower price (the J. Crew was a better candidate for that, being a more recent piece) — you never know. And maybe, just maybe, there will be a surprise at the thrifts one of these days.

Leather blazer

Similar deal to the above, except that I had my eye on a specific item here — a Gap leather blazer from the early 2000s. It came in several colours (black, brown, and olive) and there were a few of them listed on Poshmark for under $50. Not bad, but the prices weren’t enticing enough. Again, I adopted a wait-and-see approach.

And then … yes, you guessed it, I found a black one at the thrifts. Which is funny because it was the kind of item I was *sure* would turn up there sooner or later (I’m convinced I’ve passed them up before, sigh) and, don’t you know it, it did much earlier than expected. I paid $20 for it which is cheap, these days, for leather pieces, sigh. I am now debating getting a brown one too … but I will definitely wait for it to manifest at the thrifts again.

Brown sandals

I wanted a pair of sandals just like the J. Crew Factory ones I’ve had for the past 5-6 years, except in brown because I find it works better as a neutral with some of my summer clothes. The sandals are basically two straps, flat sole. Super basic. Easy to thrift, right? WRONG.

I am positive that last year, I saw a bazillion of these types of sandals. This year, nada. Considering that this is an item with a short window for wear, I was getting frustrated. So I did something that I hadn’t envisioned I would ever do: buy something very basic on Poshmark. It hurt my soul a little bit, but I found a deal on 2 pairs of brand-new Old Navy sandals for $30 shipped; I figured I would have paid about the same for them new at the Old Navy store (and I did try, but couldn’t find this style in stock). One is brown and one is black (and will be a back-up for my old J. Crew pair that will probably need replacing soon).

Crop top

I’ve been loving crop tops lately and wanted to add a couple more — one black for sure, one white or possible a pattern — to my summer wardrobe. The main criteria is that they have to be really cropped; ideally, I want something that is more or less bralette-style. I have a few super high waisted skirts, and if I want to show a sliver of skin above the waistband, the top has to be that short. Again, there are lots of options on Poshmark, but for something this basic, I don’t want to spend a lot of money. You would think there would also be lots of options at the thrifts but … nope. No luck yet, but I am determined to find something in time for the rest of the summer. Wish me luck.

Details: Pendleton sweater (swap), BCBG skirt (thrifted), turquoise necklace (swap)

Thoughts: Head to toe in my favourite colour? All the yes. I don’t normally pair a long top with a long skirt because it can feel a bit suffocating and make me look extra short (I have a complex, okay? lol). However, doing a solid colour like this, plus keeping the pieces streamlined — or, in the case of the skirt, light and swishy — helps a lot. I did not feel swaddled in metric tons of fabric, but rather like a tall mermaid. Haha!

Details: Superluckycat top (swap), Ines de la Fressange x Uniqlo pants (thrifted), stone necklace (from my mom), J. Crew shoes

Thoughts: This top has a very retro (late 90s/ early 00s) feel to it for me, so I feel like I need to be careful when styling it so it doesn’t look pastiche. Paired with this pants, in a complementary but neutral-leaning colour, it works for me.

Details: Papillon dress (thrifted), Patrons of Peace wrap (thrifted), belt (Poshmark), Old Navy shoes (Poshmark)

Thoughts: I had been looking for a white maxi for a while, as I thought it would be a great addition to my summer wardrobe which has developed a certain southwestern/prairie/cottagecore vibe. I thought it would be an easy item to source at the thrift stores, but that was not the case. Eventually I found this dress, with which I am very happy (though it’s not as swishy and voluminous as I had hoped), and it is proving to be as versatile and useful as I had hoped.

Details: Farm Rio top (Poshmark), Thierschmidt skirt (thrifted), selfmade necklace, J. Crew shoes (retail)

Thoughts: Sometimes I wear all white, sometimes it’s all colour. Two things I realized recently. One, all of my crop top (bar one) are not cropped enough for my high waisted skirts like this time. I think the proportions of this outfit would have looked better if the top had been an extra 2-3 inches shorter. I’ve started looking for my bralette-style crop tops, but no luck so far finding one to my picky specifications. Two, I love silk but we do not get along. To wit, I somehow managed to get some kind of stain on this skirt which isn’t coming out with spot treatment; luckily, it’s small and not super noticeable due to the pleating, but still annoying. I probably need to stick to cotton, linen, or silk-blend materials (I love silk-linen blends, but they are usually only designer items) that are a bit hardier.

Details: Gap dress (Poshmark), For Cynthia top (retail), Adriano Goldschmied jeans (thrifted), Lena Bernard necklace (ebay), Barbara Barbieri shoes (thrifted)

Thoughts: I initially got this Gap dress to wear precisely like this — open, like a duster — before realizing that it looked amazing as a dress too. But this also works, and once again I am patting myself on the back for finding a special piece like this in the haystack that is Poshmark.

Details: Le Chateau vest (Poshmark), Topshop skirt (swap), J. Crew shoes (retail)

Thoughts: I have been coming around to brown a lot in the last year or so. This orangey shade is my favourite. I picked up this skirt from the swap precisely because of that colour, and also the length and general swishiness which is on full display on the left photo. It’s the kind of skirt that definitely looks better on the body and in motion, than on a hanger.

Through one of my friends in the local resale community, I recently heard about a vintage warehouse sale and was immediately intrigued. My love of vintage (late 80s through early 00s, specifically) has grown a lot lately, and it’s nice to find new places to indulge my obsession. The thrifts are not bad, of course, but you have to sift through a lot of fast fashion and mall brands to find those vintage gems. The prospect of shopping at a vintage-only place was very attractive.

For Edmonton peeps, the warehouse sale is hosted by @97st.vintage (their handle on IG) once or twice a month at their southside location. It is a literal warehouse, so do not expect a curated or fancy shopping experience. There are large bins of clothing where each item is $5, as well as racks of stuff that is individually priced (mostly around $10-$30, although there are higher ticket items too). The bin experience was somewhat reminiscent to me of the Goodwill Impact centre, albeit much friendlier and less hectic. The warehouse isn’t very large, and they do have capacity limits, but there was a small crowd there when I shopped. However, everyone was nice and helpful — I got to talking to a few others who were digging through the same bins as me, and we even swapped some items and helped each other make decisions about pieces.

I would say that, based on what I saw during my visit, it’s worthwhile to go if you are on the smaller side, sizing wise (most skirts, for example, were too small for me and I wear size 4/6 in modern sizing), and if you like vintage styles from the 70s and onwards. There were some older pieces (40s and 50s), but they were mostly individually priced and more expensive.

Overall, I really enjoyed my experience despite being initially nervous about it (as I prefer to shop alone, without large crowds around), and I managed to score some great things. Wanna see?

Of course you do.

This vintage Eddie Bauer sweater was the only off-the-rack item I bought. It was $15, which is a good deal as it’s selling online for $50 and up. It’s giving me Jessica Fletcher vibes and I can’t wait to wear it this fall.

Okay, I know this vintage Tabi sweater has a similar vibe but I couldn’t resist it for $5. Plus, it’s a turtleneck, which is totally different.

This is a vintage TeenFlo corduroy skirt immediately caught my eye because it’s a style I adore. Plus, the colour is dreamy. I quickly tried it on over my clothes (there are no changing rooms) and realized that it was a very, very, very snug fit. I almost put it back … and then I have a brainwave. I will show you how I plan to wear it soon.

This Erika midi dress is such a sweet little piece – perfect to throw on for walks in the neighbourhood or even some gardening, when I want a little colourful pick-me-up.

I was kinda on the fence about this Jones New York shirt; the fabric is a heavy rayon, and I wasn’t sure how wearable it would be. However, I really liked the pattern and thought it had potential for fall outfits. For $5, I decided to take the risk.

The warehouse inventory is regularly replenished, so I am making plans to go to another sale in a month or two. Here’s hoping that some vintage RL pieces might find their way there soon.