thePULSEBy Stacia Kindler
With summer fun in full swing, plans pile up and fashion funds dwindle, as painful penny-pinching forces the fashion-hungry to choose between dinner and drinks or your latest obsession in the shop window. Luckily, there are things we can do to update our wardrobes that cost close to nothing compared to that designer dress (even on eBay), which is why this month is all about the babe on a budget.
As a large portion of current styles try their hardest to mimic the vintage aesthetic in all of its destroyed and stained glory, the questionable authenticity comes at a price ~ a price too high for most. Fortunately, even for the artistically lacking, two things may save you and your money while providing a much needed update: homemade and recycled fashion. So quit overlooking your local thrift store and don’t be afraid to get creative ~ because a lot of the latest and most popular trends are often just a snip away.
The resurgence of thrift store shopping and the do-it-yourself mentality rushed back into popularity with the widespread loss of jobs and downfall of the economy. A lot of people stopped looking for the most convenient way to do things and started working with what they already had, thus bringing back the huge popularity of home improvement and fashion DIY projects. The DIY way of life remains relevant and bigger than ever, as countless fashion blogs, magazines, YouTube channels and TV shows suggest that if you want it, you can make it.
So many trends right now ~ from high-low dresses and skirts to crop tops and oversized vintage T’s to studded and embellished denim ~ are so easily attainable with just a little bit of imagination and, of course, a little help from the Internet.
A good plan for thrift shopping is to actually have one. Start to build a shopping bag of clothing from your favorite online store or make blogs and websites like Pinterest your shopping partner. Doing your research will help you to see the potential of a great garment in an iffy setting. Which brings me to the most important rule of thrift shopping: Give yourself plenty of time! It is easy to become overwhelmed by the ocean of packed clothing racks and frantically push through the drab holiday sweaters and mom jeans, unknowingly passing by something with huge potential.
Keep your mind open and let it race with possibilities while you shuffle through the myriad options of secondhand clothing. Those gaudy ’90s flares would look great as cutoffs, and that old baseball graphic would be rad cut into a crop top. Don’t like the buttons? Replace them! Use a garment with nothing other than a great print as a jacket patch.
As you continue to play with the countless possibilities of thrifted treasures, you might find that just about anything can be made totally new. That’s when shopping thrift stops being about saving money and starts being about putting your own personal touch on your favorite things.
Happy hunting!
