Tales From the Thrift: Recent Thrift Finds

Last week Monday was National Thrift Shop Day, but that’s pretty much every day around here. There are many reasons why I love to thrift, and I am fortunate to live in a place with a thriving thrift scene. Even as popularity of thrifting has surged in recent years, stores are still overflowing with inventory and plenty of cool finds. If you follow some of my fellow Edmonton thrifters, you know I am not an exception; I am constantly marveling at the neat things that others find, and it motivates me to hunt for my own treasures.

This is probably as good a segue as any into looking at my best thrift scores from the past month.

Y3 Adidas bag

I wasn’t too familiar with Yohji Yamamoto’s Adidas collab, but then a funny coincidence happened. A few days before my thrift visit, while out for a walk in our neighbourhood, I saw someone carrying a backpack with the Y3 logo. Out of curiosity, I googled it once I got home, and that’s how I learned about the line. So when I spotted the Y3 logo on this bag at the thrift store days later, I immediately went for a closer look. Even though it’s a mass market collab, you can tell from the quality of leather and stitching that it’s pretty good quality. I researched a bit and found out this was a bag from 2007 – and I was even able to find what I think is a picture of it from the runway. Pretty neat, eh?

GAP Rainbow Heart sweater

I am low key collecting GAP rainbow stripe sweaters (I have 3 soon to be 4 others) so I was pumped to find this version. I don’t typically wear stripes but there is something so cheerful about wide stripes in rainbow colours that I find hard to resist. They also provide a nice, graphic contrast to many pieces in my closet, and add just a touch of whimsy that doesn’t feel too twee for me.

Jimmy Choo shoes

Not my first time thrifting Jimmy Choos, but always exciting to find a pair in my size. I like that these are more of a kitten heel; if and when I got back to the office, they will be part of regular rotation. Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blahnik are my two fave designer shoe brands for looks and comfort. This pair was almost brand new, with a portion of the original Holt Renfrew sticker still on the sole; while I did pay up a bit ($25), it was still a great deal.

Zara crop top

Not all my favourite finds are designer. This Zara crop top is a case in point. I spotted it a while back at VV, but balked at paying $10 for it. But it haunted me. I even looked it up on Poshmark, only to realize that it would cost more. So, I went back the following week and, luckily, it was still there. I paid the ten damn dollars and have no regrets. I have a feeling this will be one of those “surprise” super versatile pieces that I will be happily styling for years.

Tulle skirt

Ok, yeah, not the most versatile piece. But I am obsessed with tulle skirts at the moment, and this one makes me so happy. My dream is to some day own a fluffy Dior or Comme des Garcons tulle skirt, but in the meantime I will happily take this Boohoo version for $6.50 and play around with it.

MCM candle holder

This on the other hand, was something I grabbed so fast, your head would have spun if you saw it. I’ve been looking for a MCM candle holder exactly like this one for ages, after seeing it on a vintage reseller’s Instagram. They resell for $200CAD and up, which was more than I could justify, so I had kinda resigned myself to never getting one. Plot twist! I have never had much luck in the candle aisle before, especially at Goodwill, so this was a huge and pleasant surprise. I paid $15 and I couldn’t be happier.

Eileen Fisher top

I haven’t thrifted Eileen Fisher for a while, as my local stores have started marking up prices on this brand a lot. Most EF pieces I see are rather bland, and I don’t want to spend $20 and up for plain basics like that. But while technically plain, I guess, this tunic top is anything but boring so it was worth the $15 price tag. I love velvet – always feels so luxe – and the silk side panels (not visible here, sorry) are a nice detail.

In other news, this past month I finally starting experimenting with the Poshmark app (as a buyer) and I think I may need to do a whole separate post on that experience because it’s been … interesting. Stay tuned.