| People often seem to think that there is some sort of | | | | you found them later.) Or, you could go ahead and |
| hidden "secret" to finding the gems in thrift stores, | | | | take a gamble by purchasing it, and try to find |
| garage sales and estate sales. But truth be told, the | | | | something to wear with it elsewhere. And don't forget |
| only secret is that it takes diligence! You cannot simply | | | | that you have your own wardrobe at home that is |
| scan through a pile or rack and expect to strike gold, in | | | | certainly not off limits for mixing and matching. |
| the same manner that you cannot expect to find a | | | | 5) Remember to be diligent in your search. I don't know |
| hidden treasure in every cave. You have to have the | | | | about you, but my favorite vintage items have never |
| treasure map... or at least a mental treasure map, and | | | | jumped out to bite me. In fact, I've found that my best |
| I'm giving mine to you for free. Use it wisely! | | | | finds are at the bottom of a pile somewhere, and |
| 1) The best way to start anything is by doing research | | | | that's why they've been overlooked. I usually take |
| and several kinds of research. The first kind of | | | | great pains to dig through things that others won't |
| research is, of course, finding the right places to shop. | | | | bother with. |
| To find thrift stores in your area, check online (try | | | | 6) One of the most important things about choosing |
| thriftshopper.com), but also don't forget to to ask | | | | your items is to carefully inspect the quality. First and |
| around. I've noticed that thrift stores are often not | | | | foremost, check for rips and stains. Not everything will |
| always listed online. Where do your friends thrift? Your | | | | be in pristine condition. Unless you are a pro |
| mom? Your grandma? Surely you know someone | | | | seamstress and want to do some handy work, I |
| who has some experience. There is more than one | | | | suggest moving on if the item fails this test. |
| way to find out about these shops. | | | | 7) Also, bare in mind how the item will have to be |
| And before you go, plan out your route. It's okay if you | | | | cared for. If you don't want to take things to the dry |
| get off course, but be economical about your travel, or | | | | cleaner, don't buy dry clean only items. |
| you probably aren't saving any cash by thrifting | | | | 8) Any item that has moved on to round two should |
| anyway. | | | | be tried on so that you can get an idea of the fit. Fit is |
| This list will be for thrift stores, but for listings of garage | | | | everything! Even if there is not a dressing room, you |
| and estate sales, check craigslist or just about any | | | | can always try things on over your clothes. This is |
| local publication's classified section. Also, I suggest | | | | why I told you not to wear anything bulky. Keep in |
| taking a drive down major streets on Friday mornings. | | | | mind that clothing sizes used to be different (and |
| Look out for road signs to guide you in! | | | | smaller than sizes today). You can usually find a full |
| You'll also want to do a secondary type of research. | | | | length mirror to check things out in the furniture section |
| Decide what type of items you are looking for before | | | | of thrift stores. |
| you set out on a shopping spree. If you want to | | | | 9) If you are looking for true blue vintage, there are |
| purchase clothing, check vintage fashion web sites, | | | | several ways to identify it. Look at that tag. If it's a |
| and consider what look you are going for. Or, skim | | | | recognizable brand, is the logo current? I've found |
| through magazines (including online magazines) to | | | | some really neat vintage Gap before, for instance. |
| discover fresh looks that you can recreate with old | | | | Chances are you won't recognize the brand, but you |
| clothing. The key is to be open minded and creative. | | | | might be able to find a date on the back of the tag if |
| 2) Now get comfortable. If you want to find treasure, | | | | you're lucky. If you have an iPhone, this might be a |
| you might have to get a little dirty doing the grunt work. | | | | good time to do some Google searching to identify a |
| Thrift stores are often dusty places, and you might find | | | | brand. |
| yourself on your knees digging through shelves or piles. | | | | More than likely, your best bet for dating something is |
| You wouldn't want to ruin your latest vintage find. | | | | to really look at the cut, fit, stitching and obviously, the |
| Remember vintage is invaluable, as it's not easily | | | | style. Certainly, this will take experience to learn the |
| replaced! | | | | various eras of fashion, but over time you will learn if |
| I also suggest wearing easily removable shoes with | | | | you put effort into it. If you've ever wondered why |
| socks, jeans/sweats and a T-shirt, so you can easily | | | | people shop vintage stores (like my vintage shop) |
| try on items. Don't wear anything bulky; you want to be | | | | rather than thrift, it's because this is definitely a discipline |
| able to try on things over your clothes if you need to. | | | | to be learned. |
| 3) You are now ready to start shopping! When you | | | | 10) Now that you've evaluated your primary |
| arrive at your destination, immediately dig into the area | | | | merchandise and decided what you want, it's time to |
| where you think you might find items you are looking | | | | dig into to the secondary items in the store that you |
| for. Try not to get too distracted in other areas at first. | | | | overlooked earlier. I would suggest only doing this if you |
| You can check out these areas secondarily if you feel | | | | have the time. Remember, time is money! If you |
| like you have the time. You do, after all, want to get | | | | haven't found what you want, move on to another |
| what you came for. | | | | store. Be choosey. Don't buy something just to buy it. |
| 4) Consider your options. I suggest using a cart or | | | | However, if you feel you do have some extra time, |
| basket, if one is available, and picking up a few | | | | women should check the men's section and vice |
| possibilities. That way, if you find something that you | | | | versa. I actually find most of my t-shirts in the men's |
| like and aren't sure about, you can throw it in the cart | | | | section. |
| for later consideration. Sometimes I find things that | | | | Now that you've picked my vintage-savvy brain, I hope |
| alone are not particularly outstanding in my size, but | | | | that you feel prepared to buy yourself your own thrifty |
| then I find the perfect compliment for it later that | | | | duds. In the future, I'll offer advice about purchasing |
| makes it amazing. For example, a top might not seem | | | | accessories, knick knacks, furniture and more. |
| awesome until you find a stellar scarf and high-wasted | | | | Got any tips for thrifting for clothing that I missed? |
| skirt to pair with it. You can always discard items if you | | | | Leave them in the comments! I want my readers to |
| don't find a good match. (Try to be respectful of | | | | look fabulous. |
| employees at thrift shops, though; return items where | | | | |