Thrift Thursday. UpGrade You

All thrift finds (except the jeans).

I have been holding unto this post for a while; I think today's post is one of the most fundamental parts of thrifting and with an inflated sense of self importance, I didn't want this post to be lost in the holiday mayhem of the last weeks. I have also had the title picked out for a long time and predictably, this song has been running through my head incessantly. Listen to it and share my misery.

But this is about upgrading not misery... Thrifting gives you the opportunity to try some finer things in life that you might not ordinarily be able to afford. I am not a food snob, I am not a wine snob but I am a clothing snob. And I would never have been able to enjoy clothes to the extend that I do, without the power of thrift. There are a few ways to optimize your upgrading in a thrift store...

Better Brands. If someone is new to thrifting, it may feel more comfortable to look for the brands that they recognize and often shop for. But this is your chance to get much higher quality garments for a better price. Hence the upgrade. On the thrift hunt I often avoid labels like h&m, F21, Old Navy and any Target brands, not that these places don't have cute clothes, but because the quality usually isn't worth the thrift price tag. We've all bitched that a lot of thrift stores, especially the bigger ones, have been raising the prices lately (yesterday I even posted on The Twitter that I think I may be breaking up with Value Village), and I notice that it is the mall brands that are marked-up the highest. If you find something from a fast fashion label and it is more expensive then you would find it at the end-of-season clearance, then perhaps that sweet deal isn't so good after all. However, I will spring for brands like Gap, Club Monaco and Banana Republic if they are in perfect condition... Of course I have a soft spot for my #1 highschool brand, Gap, but their pieces do hold up really well. And then, finding high end treats from Kate Spade (see shoes above), Tory Burch or Marni are great reasons to dance in the aisles.. You may not always recognize a label (and lucky for you, the person pricing them might not either) but you can often see better quality based on fabric content, finishing and fit. For the sake of your attention span, I plan on doing a post on quick quality checks next week.

Location, location, location. This overused phrase is not just for real estate anymore... In small thrift stores where everything is mish mashed together, I usually take the time to go through all the racks but in large thrift stores I choose carefully where to look. Hard to believe but I can't shop forever (though it might be fun to try), so I need to use my time wisely... I rarely look through the tanks, tees and long sleeve shirts... yes, I give the rack the quick once over (Ha, I am rereading it and that sounds like a Jersey Shore line but I'm keeping it in...) but I don't go through every piece. T-shirts for example, get worn a lot and so why spend time going through racks of washed out and twisted seamed jersey? Even worse then wasting time? Wasting $4 on this washed out jersey... I rarely say this... but buy a fancy Starbucks drink instead... one with fancy, foreign words. The best racks to get good value are the dress, skirt, jacket and sweater section. You can find items on these racks that have rarely been worn and are of greater quality. There are plenty of people who bought that fancy dress and never wore it, waiting for the right moment, only to grow out of it and donate it... Buy that dress! Don't wait for the perfect timing; wear it to the corner store to pick up smokes and some pepperettes. Well, leave the smokes, I heard a rumour that they are bad for you...

Shop vintage. It is impossible to find a well-priced wool blazer anywhere new but at the thrift store there are a plethora of vintage ones. Same goes for sweaters. Wool, cashmere, angora thrifted for $5... or $40 for some acrylic blend bought new... Tough choice, right? And the best vintage finds are the handmade dresses. I have made some dresses and know how much work it can be, so it boggles my mind that people are likely donating the dresses that their mothers or grandmothers made by hand. These vintage dresses are often well constructed and they are unique... which is so much cooler then showing up to the prom in the same dress! I know in more urban areas these dresses are sought after and expensive but I find them here in Hamilton for less then that thrifted h&m dress. High five!

As always, happy thrifting!