STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

I am so envious of you guys and your thrifting finds! Anybody have any tips for thrifting? Are smaller stores better than bigger ones (like SA or Goodwill?) Are certain days or parts of the city better than others?

Yesterday I got medium-dark Calvin Klein straight-leg jeans for $3.25, lightweight wool Ralph Lauren slacks in gray for $6, and a pretty gray Max Studio sweater tank for $3.50. The straps and trim around the v-neck is interesting, it's silver sequins sewn between two layers of mesh, so it's subtly blingy. Total, about $12 for jeans, pants, top.

Locations matter...things aren't that great in small towns, I hear. Now that you mention it my best finds lately have been at a smaller store called Out of the Closet run by an AIDS charity, but you kind of have to go to all of them to see what they're like and which are best in your area. For example, my nearest SA has a ton of crap that should have been thrown away, BUT I've found D&G, Prada, Gucci, and Armani there. I have also shopped for two hours and walked out empty-handed. On the other hand my Goodwill is smaller, better organized, the prices are slightly higher, but there's less crap. It's almost a given I'll find something, but it ain't gonna be Dries van Noten - more like Zara or BCBG. Also a store can improve or degenerate over time. One of our SAs that used to be great is now mostly crap. (Or maybe the pro shoppers have caught on.)

I have some systems for thrift shopping that make it much more profitable, but there's a patience issue. If you don't have the patience or time for Nordstrom Rack or a TJ Maxx, thrifting is about a hundred times worse. Here are my tips.

Always go alone, unless you're not really committed.

I try to start with purses, shoes, and accessories. It's rare to find anything good. The decent stuff sells on the day it's put out, but it's worth a quick look. Yesterday I saw a great pair of chocolate brown velvet BCBG pumps with tan mock-croc piping, never worn. Other than those, I haven't seen a decent pair of shoes at a thrift store in a long time.

Usually I go through the bigger-ticket sections first - dresses, suits, coats/jackets, pants, jeans (if separate from pants), skirts, then tops last. Tops are sometimes separated by wovens and knits; if so, hit the wovens first. This way if you burn out early, you've at least hit the best areas - and most old knits like t-shirts aren't great. Sweaters are usually pretty worn-out too, so that's a waste of time, I find. I think people hang onto their sweaters until the bitter end.

I always shop by color. Since it's impossible to see style, shape and size, if you're just fixated on certain colors you can scan the racks very quickly and tease out the interesting stuff. Then you check the basics like condition, manufacturer, etc. With jeans you can look for washes you like, and skip all the faded stuff. Goodwill stores in my area are sorted by color so I can whip through a Goodwill in under an hour. I usually skip white items because they're rarely still white.

Personally I ignore brands that were cheap junk to begin with - no Target/Kohls/Walmart, no Charlotte Russe/F21, and so on. If a store has too much of that, I probably won't go back. A minimum for me is department store private labels or AT/BR/that ilk if the condition is new/nearly new. Things without labels can be interesting. They could be handmade/one of a kind, or they could be castoffs from a retailer with the tags cut out.

Don't tidy as you go. Only pick it up if you dropped it. Only re-hang it if you took it off the hanger. I'm pretty compulsive so this is hard for me.

Try everything on. Sizing is weird so you may not want to pay attention to the number on the tag. Most stores I go to have changing rooms, but if they don't, put it on over your clothes for fit. You might want to dress appropriately for this. I buy less than 25 percent of what I try on. Don't lower your standards just because something is cheap. I still want it to fit and look good on me. (Also don't bring a clutch or hand-held purse - you want both hands free. I usually get a handbasket if they have them and kick it along the floor in front of me as I go through the racks.)

Much in a thrift store is NWT, but that doesn't make it a good find. It still should be evaluated for color, condition, size, etc.

Keep an open mind. Buttons can be changed, hems and sleeves can be shortened, etc. A great coat with a few missing buttons, or ugly buttons, is an easy fix. Major tailoring isn't worth it unless it's a vintage YSL cocktail dress or something.

Don't forget the jewelry at the counter on your way out.

I struck out last week and haven't been out again this week yet, but I'll chime in with my tips I guess!  I'll be back if I find anything Mon or Tues, which are thrift days around here !

I think it all depends on what you're looking for.  We don't have alot of small thrifts nearby, so I shop mostly Goodwill, with sporadic trips to Salvation Army, the ARC thrift, and the far-away Value Village.  I've shopped city and suburbs, and IMO the suburbs are usually better, on stock and on prices.  City stores always seem to be full of overpriced crap, and are usually dirtier than I'm willing to deal with. 

I have 4 different Goodwills that I go to with regularity (some more than others), and after enough times through each one you get to know the type of stock they carry.  They are all in different parts of town and their merch reflects it - one is in an older run-down part of town but I always find great vintage stuff there and their prices are a touch lower.  Another is in a nice part of town where a lot of people with high-tech jobs live, and I always find more designer stuff there (including shoes).  The one nearest me has alot of newer, high quality merch and gets donations of unworn goods from the shopping center up the street.  You never know what you'll find exactly, but the demographics give you a better idea, and if I'm looking for something in particular I know better where to look first!

Some stores let you sign up for email notifications of sales (Savers/Value Village just sent me one for 50% off all clothing on Feb15th), and Goodwill puts a new color tag on 50% off sale every Sunday (I have the order they rotate through the colors written in my wallet).  However,  with tag sales it's typically on the merch that's been around for longest.  I usually try to consider finding a 50% off item that I want to be a bonus, and shop Mondays and Tuesdays for the best selection of new donations made that weekend.  My shop puts the date the item came on the floor on the tags, and most of my items were put out only a day or two before I got them. 

Salvation Army here has a standing policy that anything that's been on the floor for 2 weeks or longer is 50% off, but they don't edit their donations as much as Goodwill so I end up digging through alot of crap there.  A local consignment place has two sales a year, summer and winter, where most things are 50% off to clear the floor for the new season - I think that's pretty typical of consignment/resale places, except for chains like Plato's Closet (who I find overpriced and full of F21 crap).

Sorry to hijack, I just wanted to say to Leah Leanna what a great photo that is of you and your son!