How I go about finding the "perfect" thrift

What was once somewhere you took your old clothes, has now turned into somewhere you buy your new clothes. 

Thrift stores or second hand shops have become a staple in the 2020’s fashion trends. The rush and adrenaline of finding those vintage Coach heels, or the perfectly broken in limited edition Nike hoodie, even a pair of Levi’s that fit JUST right. 

Almost anything you get from the thrift store is always a Snapchat private story worthy, but how do you come home saying “You’ll never guess what I found thrifting today!” well there’s more to it than you’d think.

The algorithm of thrifting isn’t that complicated, yet some would still say it’s only luck. Thrifting requires a keen eye, some sticky fingers, and a desire for the last best thing. 

But when is the BEST time to thrift? In my years of thrifting I have found mornings on weekdays is when you’ll get the luckiest. You’re just surrounded by grannies trying to find toys for their grandkids at the local Goodwill. 

On that note don’t diss on your local Goodwill. My entire outfit I have on right now was bought from Goodwill. High end neighborhood thrift shops are great, but from my experience you won’t be finding much originality, just last year's ribbon shorts. 

At my small town local Goodwill I’ve purchased items from vintage Levi’s white capris, black leather Coach purse, or even brands I've never recognized but ALWAYS get compliments from. 

Check both sections. Thrift stores are messy. The men could be in the women's and vice versa. You never know what oversized vintage tee you could find in the women's or what Victoria Secret nightgown you could land on in the mens. 

Oftentimes when thrifting you have to look past some stains, rips or even size factors of an item. Let me give an example why. 

You’re at the bar with your friends and you’re wearing a brand new white skirt from lets say White Fox. Then all of the sudden you laugh a little too hard while holding your strawberry margarita. The pink slush overflows off the sugared rim of your glass and lands onto that brand new white skirt. Oh no! 

But you and your friend rush to the bathroom to clean it off. Someone has a tide stick, the other grabs that brown paper towel to wipe it up with soap and water. And after five minutes and some elbow grease your skirt still has a bit of a pink smudge, but it isn’t terrible. 

(this exact scenario has happened to me)

You continue on to enjoy your night even with the smudge on your skirt. In fact next week when you hit Friday happy hour with your girls, you decide to wear that same skirt, because no one really notices the slight pink smudge in the left thigh area. 

All that being said, when shopping for an item at the thrift store you have to sometimes look past it’s past. One of my favorite items of clothing I’ve ever thrifted was a dark green oversized crew neck with a giant brown fish on it. 

When I bought it, the cuff of the right sleeve had a gashing hole in it. Still, that shirt became a STAPLE to my wardrobe. I ended up cutting the neck off and it became the perfect off the shoulder lounge shirt. The whole time it literally just had a fish on it. Had I decided the holes in the cuff part of the sleeve was too much… I would’ve lost my entire personality my sophomore year of college. 

So try to go thrifting more. There’s already enough stuff in the world, so make your stuff vintage.