Like we’ve discussed before, I love a good day spent thrifting. I much prefer the uncurated adventure of a thrift store and usually prefer it to a trip to the mall. While I do love clothes and dressing up, I actually hate shopping which thrifting doesn’t feel like. It turns into a game, a treasure hunt that pays off in good clothes and the joy of knowing how much of a deal you got. These items are accumulated over about a dozen trips to thrift stores in the Columbus and Chicago area. Some items I got but forgot to photograph were: 

- A white raincoat, 

- A pink neckerchief, 

- A lamp for my dorm room, 

- An over the door hamper for my dorm, 

- Shoe organizers for my dorm,

- A tray (that will be upcycled)

- 2 photo display boards that I upcycled

- A pair of knock off ugg boots

I’m so excited for when it will be cold enough to wear these! The rainboots are a great look and a great height for comfy day to day outfits, and the over the knee boots will be so fun for dressier looks or going out.

My mom is honestly over my sweater collection. She knows any time I go thrifting I can’t help but scour the place for a new sweater or jacket and I did just that.

I can already see this fluffy white turtleneck with a pair of leggings and my over the knee black boots and the other cropped sweater would be great with the ankle length black skirt I thrifted as well.

I practically have a collection at this point. This is actually denim jacket #3 but I’m going to justify this one by saying this one has a completely different vibe than the other ones I have. It’s a bit more of a relaxed “dad” look with its fleece lined interior and corduroy collar. Needless to say, I’m pretty excited.

My sister made me list 5 Beatles songs when I said I wanted this shirt so @naaila

- Yellow Submarine

- Let It Be

- Eleanor Rigby

- Here Comes the Sun

- Come Together

I think these shirts will look great cropped and paired with jeans or leggings in a pretty casual look and maybe even with denim jacket #3. A cute dressier pairing would be the Beatles shirt tucked into the skirt for a dressier, effortlessly cool look?? Maybe?? I have no idea if I can pull it off but I’ll definitely try.

This last shirt is kind of summer-y but I definitely will probably wear it year round because it doesn’t really matter if you can layer right? These shoes i’m excited about because I was definitly  about to drop $50-60 on a similar pair from vans. I’ll admit the platform spooked me a little, but I love how they make these slip ons a bit edgier and dressier.

Aaaand thats all I got. Thanks for sticking along with me and my thrift store overshopping.

     Thrifting is not for the faint of heart. It had its moment in 2012 (thanks, Macklemore), but I feel like the hype has cooled severely which leaves all of those gems to those willing to slug through the mush. To this day people seem to find it mindboggling when I tell them that a. the outfit they just complimented was in fact thrifted and b. everything is dirt cheap if you know where to go. Since I enjoy thrifting, here is my two cents on how to make away with tons of things while thrifting.

1. Find a friend.
     You can’t thrift by yourself! Having a friend that's willing to spend hours sifting through racks is essential whether it be to laugh at a goofy find or to encourage you to at least try on that bright yellow windbreaker (trust me, you’ll love it).
2. Have a few places to hit.
     You need to know where to go. You can never predict what and where things are while thrifting so the only option is to visit everywhere. I have a few places that I love and produce consistent and beautiful finds, and some places I skip entirely. You have to try it to know.
3. Open-mindedness.
     When I go to the mall I usually have a clear idea (or at least a misty one) of what I want to come away with. This doesn’t work with thrifting. Be prepared to look at EVERYTHING. In my experience nowhere is off limit except usually the kid's section because they just won't fit. Typically the men’s section is my favorite to look for things like sweaters, comfy things, and t-shirts. I really love that oversized look.
4. Practicality
     Obviously, thrift stores have a ton of junk. Don’t come home with a ton of junk. Just because its cheap doesn’t mean you have to buy it so, look at what you pick, maybe even try things on to make sure you aren’t loading yourself with a ton of trash to take home. Also, try to keep an eye out for the tags. Some thrift stores have certain days where say a certain color is discounted, these can come in handy. Finally, also keep in mind that you actually might find new things because sometimes businesses just donate things that didn’t sell.

5. Random!
     - Hand sanitizer/ lotion - Touching a ton of things while thrifting makes my hands smell weird and feel gross so this is a must.
     - If you have to try pants on but there are no dressing rooms you can either do the neck trick (wrap the waistline of your pants around your neck, if it fits they'll fit on you), or you can put on a random long skirt and try the pants on underneath.
     - Always give five minutes to look over everything you've picked for holes, tears, or stains.

Mini Thrift Haul

Of course, I had to include the finds from the trip that inspired this post.

"This shirt had been my saving grace this summer and fall,  in all weather this shirt has been there for me, in rain serving as an umbrella, drying off after the pool, staying warm in general, I’ve been able to wear it pretty much every day. This shirt/ jacket  has been great to me and It looks great also, so here are three ways I like to style it.

This outfit would be the most casual of the three and something I would throw together pretty much without thinking, and would be something great to wear to school on a lazy day that looks nice for that little to no thought. I also paired it with jeans for a denim on denim look that is very on trend.

Look 1:

Denim Shirt

Blank Tank Top

Leggings

Blue Vans

Look 2:

Deer Zara Blouse

Denim Shirt

Black leggings or jeans

Black ankle boots

So I went with:

Black Scarf- Crocheted Myself

Black Tank Top

Maroon Button Up Skirt

Penny loafers 

Tights