Thrift shopping 101: Part 2

In my previous blog I gave some tips on finding high quality costume jewelery; to start your collection of jewelery for your new wardrobe!

Tip:
You always want to be an early bird shopper! Find out when they open, and be there when the doors are opened. You will get the best stuff first!

Browsing and inspecting:
The difference between these two? When you browse; you fluff some clothes around, peek at a few pretty colors, and generally, find nothing and decide to give up. When inspecting; you painstakingly flip through every piece of clothing, whether it may suit you or not. You will end up finding the treasure buried beneath Grandma's Christmas tree sweater, and the orange furry thinga-ma-bob that LOOKS like your cat Fluffy.

An open mind:
Bring one of these w/ you, even if you have to borrow it from your weird hippie co-worker! You may come out a whole new person, w/ your own unique and classy(Or not)sense of style. Thrift shopping invites all kinds, whether you want to dress like a punk, a hippie, an evening dress for a night out on the town, or you work for a business where you have to wear a suit. You can dress up in any genre, or find your own quirky fashion sense EVERY day! Thrift shopping is like when you were a kid playing dress-up. Be experimental, try things you've never tried before, colors you've never worn, don't stick w/ earthy tones and bland avocados, spice things up. Remember, you are leaving the cheap retail scene to escape the boring fashions that come and go.

How frustrating is it that every year the retail stores tell you what's "In", what colors are "Fall colors", and what cuts you should be wearing? We shouldn't let corporations dictate what we wear. We are all individuals with personalities, not cardboard cut-out of what's in or out!

The great thing is, you don't have have to find one specific style that is "you" you can have MANY looks and styles, for all occasions, and your g/f's will wonder WHERE you got all your great outfits!

What to do when you find something cool:
First, check the fabric! Read what kind of fabric it is, if it still has a tag. Check if has to be hand-washed, or dry-cleaned, etc. If hand-washing suits your lifestyle, and time schedule, its a good idea; otherwise, be wary of avoiding the clothing item until you finally get around to having it dry cleaned. The next thing you want to do check is the seams, and the fabric quality. Do the tug-o-war test on the seams, lightly pull the fabric taut and check if the seams are loose, or you can visibly see light through them. Check all aspects of the seams to make sure there are no loose seams, loose thread, or torn corners. Also; look for double-stitching, this is a good sign, noting that the shirt is durable. Look for small stains, tears, or rips, these can be easily patched and repaired it your item is a true find.

Sequins, beading, rhinestones and embroidery:
Make sure to check if the designs on the item your checking out, are strong, and well-done. Make sure the thread is thick, and if possible not visible. Check for missing beads, or sequins, or weak thread sagging under the weight of beads. You want the sequins to be tight knit, and well overlapped and layered. If the piece is particularly heavy in your hand, and the cloth appears strong, and the beading has no missing patches, then it is usually a good piece.
What about those rhinestones? Make sure your rhinestones are encased in a metal piece, that is firmly attached to your shirt. If they are just "floating" and glued on, they will fall off even with light movement and daily activity.
Embroidery; make sure that the thread is thick, and there are no stray threads sticking up. Make sure the design is strong, and not done quickly and factory style.

What I'm NOT going to teach you:
This guide is for Thrift-shopping functionality, not for brand-whores! I'm not going to tell you how to decipher between real vintage Louis Vuitton, and fakes, or any of that stuff. You have to decide that for yourself!

What I will teach you about brands:
I will tell you what brands to avoid, if you want your piece to last longer than its third wash!
Cheap mall brands, are to be avoided at all costs!
Brands like Charlotte Russe, Wet Seal, Forever 21, are big no-no's! If its cute and you don't mind it lasting only a few washes, by all means buy it! But be warned, mall brands have a higher chance of breaking, snapping, and unraveling, as well as tears, runs, and all around disarray.
Mall brands will fade quicker, lose their luster and appeal much quicker than quality boutique brands.
A lot of thrift stores will carry retail brand clothing; Fang, Southpole, Self Esteem; etc. These brands are a little bit better than mall brands, and their cotton tees and jackets usually last a good amount of time. However; the spaghetti straps, and lacy pieces have a tendency of falling apart quickly.
If you want to know what high-quality brands and labels to look for, I suggest getting some Harper's Bazaar magazines from your local library, and browsing through the clothing ads. You will find that some of these brands are at your thrift store. These brands tend to be higher-grade cloth, last longer, and are usually more fitted and contoured to your form than retail and mall clothing.

The Secret:
The secret to creating a wardrobe for ALL occasions? Check ALL the areas of your thrift store. Don't go in solely looking for tank-tops and blouses, check the skirt section even if you don't normally wear skirts. Check the formal evening dress section, even if you don't have a reason. Items tend to get misplaced, and stuck in odd areas as well. You can find cute tank-tops in the Pajama's section sometimes. Looking through the dresses, and blazers you can find high grade vintage pieces, because most people don't check the formal wear. Don't leave any area unchecked, because you might just be leaving a treasure behind.

After reading this blog, you will be equipped with a basic knowledge of how to find good quality items, and how to avoid being scammed into a shiny shirt, that will quickly fall apart.
With these skills you will soon be on your way to building your new wardrobe, with long-lasting timeless favorites, instead of cheap throw-aways!
In my next blog I will cover some notes of mine, on how to identify types of fabric!