Thrifting has been a part of my life, on and off, for over two decades. As I’ve mentioned before, I grew up wearing thrifted clothes by necessity as a (totally unstylish) teen, and rediscovered thrifting as a fashion-obsessed adult. I’ve been shopping almost exclusively at thrift (or otherwise secondhand) since 2018, and so far this year I have made no retail clothing purchases at all. Even so, my thrifting habits are constantly evolving. It’s one of the things I love about thrifting: it’s not just for clothes, and success is very much a personal determination.
My home province began to lift its COVID restrictions back in May, which included the re-opening of retail stores. Although for the most part, I have continued to stick with the “quarantine lifestyle” (staying home and away from people who are not part of our “cohort”), I have started to dip my toe into thrifting again. I go once a week – taking all recommended precautions, of course – during off-peak hours to avoid crowds. It’s been a welcome stress release.
As I had expected, I’ve noticed that my focus has largely shifted away from clothes. This is not surprising. My wardrobe needs are different now – there are whole categories of items that I don’t have much use for, like jeans or blazers or high heels. My closet is well-stocked. (Though I will always have room for another potato sack dress – it’s my new uniform.) So, clothes-wise, I have become super picky. Other than some long-term “holy grail” items, such as a black velvet waistcoat (just found one!) or a tulle skirt (still looking!), I am limiting my purchases to pieces from my favourite designers. Since my favourite designers are not easy to come by, I haven’t been buying very much.
Clothing, that is.
I have been buying plenty of other things, and I won’t lie: there’s nothing like the thrill of a good find after being unable to do any “hunting” for months. Shopping online doesn’t come close. As I expect there will be another lockdown coming in the months ahead, I am indulging in my current privileges.
Jewelry
I’ve mentioned before, I think, that I’ve been wearing jewelry a lot more often even though I’m at home 95% of the time. It cheers me up. My obsession with collecting Rafael Alfandary pieces has also resurfaced, and while I haven’t lucked into finding any more of his pieces at the thrift store, I remain ever hopeful. In addition to looking for jewelry to wear, I am also searching for pieces suitable for upcycling for my art/craft projects. This, in fact, is another new obsession. I have made embroidered/beaded jewelry pieces before, but now the added element is incorporating upcycled bits and bobs from old costume jewelry. I love taking an existing necklace or pair of earrings, deconstructing it and then using its “guts” to create something new. It’s a different level of creativity, and I can’t get enough. Hmm, maybe that’s another post …
Books
The money I saved in the first 3 months of quarantine by not buying clothes … I spent on buying books online. My library is growing at a wonderful rate these days, but I won’t lie: I am happy to have access to inexpensive secondhand books again. Shoutout to my local Goodwill, which is now pricing all adult books at $2.50. That’s a deal you can’t beat! I’ve been reading so many great books lately, and discovering topics and authors that I might not otherwise get to explore.
[Note: I have made a concerted effort to support Black and Indigenous authors by purchasing books at retail, and in particular through local independently owned book shops. I will continue to include these in my What I Read updates for anyone looking for recommendations. I’ll have a new post up soon.]
Home Decor
I had been looking forward to “refreshing” my house with a few new treasures, but “home decor” is a category that has been disappointing lately. I had expected differently, given how many people seemed to be using their quarantine time to declutter theirs homes. Oh well. In lieu of new thrift finds, I’m re-arranging my existing collections instead. Here’s my personal tip: if you feel like you want a change, and can’t get a haircut, re-arranging furniture can be a satisfying alternative. Hashtag kiddingnotkidding.
In general, my observation about post-lockdown thrifting is, while some stores have reduced volume in certain categories – jewelry, sadly, being one of them – it’s mostly the same as before in terms of inventory. I have been able to find some real gems, but the stores are not some overflowing Aladdin’s cave as some of us might have hoped. But they are, for the most part, well stocked and generally not more over-priced than usual. [Value Village remains the biggest culprit here. I recently saw a Lululemon jacket for $80. I mean, whut? Meanwhile, a cashmere blend Jil Sander jacket was priced at $12, and you can bet your fancy yoga pants that I bought it in a heartbeat.]
I would love to hear from you, too: if stores have re-opened in your area, have you gone thrifting? And if so, what have your experiences been like? And if you’re so inclined, I would also appreciate a little feedback: would you guys be interested if I brought back my “thrift haul” posts? I have been posting them mainly to my IG Stories in the last year or so, but I’m wondering if it might be something worth covering on the blog as well. Let me know!
I would love if you brought back your “thrift haul” posts. I love thrifting too and then I can live vicariously through you. Stores are just starting to open up around me and I haven’t been back to any yet. I do miss the treasure hunt aspect of thrifting though.
I hope you feel comfortable about being able to go again soon!
I don’t usually provide negative feedback but I found this post tone deaf. We have been donating our more useful clothing and household items to a charity shop that serves a hard hit community of workers whose lives have been devastated by illness and the shutdown. Let’s fuss about designer donations some other time.
I appreciate your feedback. It was not my intention to sound whiny or complaining and I apologize if my post did so. I fully recognize my privilege in being able to thrift for fun, and of course people are free to and should donate to whichever organizations they wish to support.
I’m also mostly sticking to that Stay at Home lifestyle even though many restrictions have lifted in my state. I have gone to 2 thrift stores within the last month or so — the first one was great and I ended up with some beautiful Anthropologie cardigans for a steal. The second stop was underwhelming and I walked away empty handed. I was also shocked that the homegoods section was so sparse, as I’ve been hoping to thrift some vintage Pyrex!
I saw those cardigans – they are lovely!
Hi Adina! Yes I would love to see your thrift hauls. I don’t get to the thrift store as often as I’d like but always enjoy seeing what others have found.
Same! It’s been cool to see fellow Thrifters starting to post their finds again.
I love your thrift haul posts and would be happy to see them come back as a welcome distraction 🙂 I haven’t been to the thrift store at all since COVID (for the same reasons you outline above – also because i realized i have a GINORMOUS closet with too many beautiful things!) – but I might start going occasionally, just as a little break 🙂 currently obsessed with loose linen anything – especially if made in italy.
Linen is the best! We are having a pretty warm summer for once, so I am living for (and in) linen.
I would love to see your thrift haul posts!
Your thrift haul posts are always a favorite of mine. I love to thrift and live on an island that until last week, was shutdown to travel–so I have not thrifted for almost 4 months. I need vicarious thrills, and especially love your clothing finds, because I love your style. Thank you for your wonderful blog.
Thank you, Jo!
I love the Thrift Haul posts – I live through them vicariously, since there is only one thrift store near me that has designer labels at fairly reasonable prices. I haven’t checked to see if thrift stores are open – not much passion for buying new clothes when I’m not going anywhere!
I totally get that! It’s why I’m also less excited about buying clothes these days. My main reasons for going back to thrifting were books and materials (jewelry) for my craft projects.
Yes, please! Would love to see some thrift store haul posts. We’re not open yet here in DC, although I believe will be soon? I haven’t been as disciplined about only buying second-hand during quarantine … largely because most of my closet was fancy workwear that I now am not wearing. (And full recognition of my privilege that I get to work from home.)
I’m not on IG, so I’d also be interested in seeing your thrift purchases on the blog!
I’ve donated more clothes to Buffalo Exchange and consigned at the Real Real. The Real Real gives you a $50 credit each time you consign so I’ve done only 1 shopping activity with the Real Real. Other than that, I’ve done zero clothes/jewelry shopping since March 2020 in order to build up a vast emergency fund that I continue to build up throughout the year.
I’ve never done online consignment but it sounds like a great option.
Here in Oklahoma, COVID cases are increasing at a dramatic rate even though every business is back up and running; it should come as no surprise that I’ve only been thrifting once a few weeks ago and it was meh. Prices were higher than normal; so much so that some pieces I actually still found online for cheaper retail prices. I’m not going to pay $11 for a boy’s Crew Cuts shirt when I can buy it online for $7.50, free shipping, and no human contact. Please keep sharing your thrift hauls and your book recommendations! I screenshot so many and add them to by library queue.
I’m so sorry to hear that. I can imagine how stressful it must be. I hope things improve in your area. We also had an increase in cases with the reopening but the rate of new infections seems to be leveling out now (and manageable for our health care system). Still, I wish more people wore masks. Hang in there ❤️
Another vote for yes please, show us the thrift store hauls so we can live vicariously through you. While I recently followed you on instagram, I mute stories for everybody who isn’t a personal IRL friend.
I haven’t been to Goodwill since maybe January.
Arizona is one of the new coronavirus epicenters and I’m staying home instead of buying a pair of jeans to turn into shorts like I usually do each summer.