Thrift Day. The Route.

Every time I go to Talize, I make my way around the store in the exact same way. If I am with a friend and they go off course (do they know who I am?), I always have to part with them and check through my route first. In little thrift stores I tend to scour the whole place but if I go to a department size store, it's good to have some direction.
While I won't punish you too heavily if you veer off my route, I do think my system has a little bit of thrifting wisdom to impart. First things first... put on your game face...

Whoops, not my game face... just a chance to flaunt the cuteness that is Kyle asleep in my underwear drawer this winter. Yes, the bedroom is a mess and he is actually not allowed to sleep there but for that one time... he was too precious. OK, back in the thrift game, let's do this...

Accessories- Just by the way that my local favourite thrift store is set up, I start my shopping experience at the display cases, check the jewelry, peruse the shoes and finally on to the purses with a pinch of belts and scarves. It brings me around in a neat little loop. If I only have 5 minutes to shop, these are the places I go first. Accessories are fun, cheap and don't require change rooms, so if you are a novice thrifter and are unsure where to start, the accessories loop is a good way to go. There are always some fun jewelry, belts or purses to be found! These items are also easy to clean and hence sit low on the hypothetical ick factor chart. I know that some of you have an aversion to thrifting shoes. I can respect that... though I do often find brand new shoes... just saying...

Favourites- I admit I don't need anymore dresses... or skirts, for that matter. But they are my favourite and if I have time and don't check the racks for these, I would feel as if I could have potentially left my next DvF vintage dress for someone else to snag. That would not be good, we call it thrifting, not kindergarten, sharing is not important.
I kid... mostly. But if I hadn't checked the dress section the last time I went thrifting, I would not have a vintage lace Victor Costa dress hanging in my closet... the perfect dress for my brother's wedding this September.
Dresses and skirts might not be your favourite thing to wear; maybe you fall hard for blouses with bow-ties or acid wash jeans (together?) but whatever is your clothing of choice, make sure you give that area a quick scan.

Trends- Some of you may have time to check every section in the thrift store but I don't. I am too busy frittering my time away on the Internet for that kind of craziness. So after I check the accessories and look through the racks of dresses and skirts, I look for trends that have recently caught my eye. Bright pants, faux fur vests and my latest addiction (I needed a new one after I quit Diet Coke... more than 3 weeks baby!), silk shirts, are all crucial parts of a fashion blogger's rite of passage and can easily be found second hand. Get inspired before you go to the thrift store! This way, the 80's pleated skirt is suddenly a prized possession waiting for a golden sunset, a camera and some likes on Weardrobe. Don't laugh but I am seriously on the lookout for a pair of denim overalls. I want them to be not crazy baggy, like the ones that were cool in Grade 6 and not crazy tight, like the ones that were cool in Grade 9. Somewhere in between. So far no luck. Mostly due to my height and fitting issues in the crotchular area. But it's going to happen, I can feel it... after I find silk shirt #9 and #10.

Do you have a thrift route or do you need some thrifting GPS?