The Ins and Outs of Thrift Shopping

Shop It To Me Trendsetter and vintage shopping expert Chanelle from The Penelope Times is here to share a few tricks of the trade. By following her 5 tips you’ll be able to turn a potentially overwhelming experience into one that makes your closet AND your wallet very, very happy. Be sure to check out her blog and online vintage clothing store, Penelope’s Vintage!

My name is Chanelle and I’m here to help you overcome your fear of thrift shopping or make thrift shopping easier on you. I own an online vintage clothing store, Penelope’s Vintage, therefore I’ve had some practice. I have 5 super simple tips to help you shop or get you started.

Be organized: Dive in and go one rack at a time. Thrift stores usually have everything separated nicely. Start off with the lightest weight items like blouses, then work your way across the store. If you’re like me you will end up with a mountain of clothes, they add up QUICK.

Look for patterns or colors that appeal to you: Walk down the aisle and spot the prints etc. that appeal to you. You can also push all the clothes to one side of the rack then push them one by one to the other side in a quick motion. While doing this spot out the prints and styles that you like and take it off the rack to see if it’s love.

Start off simple and take chances: First time? Vintage t-shirts are a great way to start, they go with ANYTHING and the men’s section is usually a jackpot. Eventually make your way into blouses, bottoms etc. and before you know it you’ll be in a full sequins jumpsuit! Try on at least one outrageous item; those are usually the best ones.

Picture the items on and/or with an outfit: Do you wear items alone? NO! You wear them WITH AN OUTFIT! Try picturing the item with a belt at the waist, if something is too long, picture it rolled up, put the outfit with a clunky bracelet and a cocktail ring. Play with the item if you like it. You can also research before shopping on sites like Lookbook.nu or Chictopica.com, which have AMAZING outfit ideas with vintage items.

Try everything on: Most places have mirrors and not dressing rooms. My best advice would be to go shopping dressed in leggings and a tight shirt so you can try items on over your clothes. Things look COMPLETELY different on than they do on the rack therefore this step is crucial.

The thing I love most about thrifting is; it’s creativity at its finest. You have to search, have imagination and be bold. It’s gratifying when you find that JEM that is a piece of vintage. It’s yours, and you found it. If thrifting is not your thing but you love vintage, there are Ebay and Etsy stores that do all the work for you. They do the shopping and show you different ways to wear it. Just click “buy”!

*image via Fashion Gone Rogue