Adrift in Thrift

My friends always say‘How do you find such cool stuff in charity shops? I can’t find anything’.

A large reason people avoid charity shopping is that they find it overwhelming. This is because in high-street shops products are laid out in micro collections, i.e. garments made for the same material, similar colour families, and complimenting pieces designed to help you build an outfit.

However charity shops will put 15 different items on one rail, as opposed to one product per rail in multiple sizes. Thus people can find charity shopping visually overstimulating and intimidated. But don’t be scared! It’s not so different to high-street shopping in the sales, you just need to be brave and rummage!

To find ways to help people get the braver and more experience with charity shopping I’ve decided to take two of my lovely house-mates on a charity shopping trip to see if I can help them learn the thrift way and hopefully find some gems. 

Here are 3 tips to prepare you for shopping.

1) Have energy - If you feel drained don’t go shopping, you won’t have the physical and mental energy to scan though the rail, try on clothes or effectively evaluate them.

2) Narrow the search -

• Size - Most charity shops stock by size so just go to your size section, this mean you only have to look at 10% of the shop. 

• Brands - If you have high-street shops or brands you favour you can search for those by checking the garment’s label. I’ve noticed I always pick up Topshop and Zara pieces.

• Item - Charity shops tend to itemise so if you don’t like dresses or blouses you can skip that section. 

• Colour - Some places itemise by colour, so if you have a restricted or preferable colour palette this can work well for you. 

3) Analyse your own style before you go - You will save so much time and stress if you know your style better: what shapes, colours, texture, and patterns you go for. For my house-mates on our trip we discovered that...

Alex is preferable for dipping her toe in a charity shop look. Her style is:

• Shape - Waist-high bottoms; cropped, strappy tops; over-sized button-up shirts; and wool jumpers. 

• Colour - Cream, stone, or black bases. With pops of autumnal colours of rust oranges, maroons, and mustards. 

• Texture - Game for all, loves a leather trouser, velvet or lace tops, silk shirts, and thick stitched knitwear. 

• Pattern - Not crazy on patterns, but when introduced into the wardrobe it’s often through sporting fun pattern of paisley or abstract shapes. 

Nancy is more of a charity shop virgin. Her style is:

• Shape - Waist-high bottoms of mom-cut trousers and A-line skirts, paired with v-necks and wrap tops. 

• Colour - Black or grey bases, with pops of reds and navys. 

• Texture - More traditional material of cottons and denims, and dresses up with velvet or lace.

• Pattern - Loves classic patterns of dots, tight florals, and is the queen of stripes. 

The Trip into Town Review.

It was great as both the girls got quickly stuck in, perusing the rails. We had lots of laughs and worked as a brilliant sounding board for each other. Culminating in a well-earned Spoons lunch to re-energise.

(me chuff in the vintage Lee jeans I got)

Alex, was very game and found many pieces that were fun and flattering, she successfully returned home with 3 items: A velvet black keyhole top, a red polka-dot frill top, and a pair of tortoise-shell sunglasses.

‘Going charity shopping with Izzy definitely changed how I would now approach a charity shop. There were a couple of times I nearly purchased something that I thought I might wear, but Izzy and Nancy were really useful in getting me to consider if I would genuinely wear them or not. I now know how to tell the difference in terms of whether or not I will actually wear something by considering how much I like it in comparison to other things and what I would pair it with in my wardrobe. I think it’s something that gets easier the more you get used to it as it’s definitely a different style of shopping but its loads of fun (especially with friends) and Izzy helped me find some gems! She also gave me great advice that I’ll be using in the future.’

- Alex :)

(Alex rocking the two lovely tops she got)

Nancy, noted early that she didn’t have the more ‘out there’ style that lots of charity shop garments lean towards, however she did try on more classic, elegant items throughout the day that reflected her style. She also had a great approach to evaluating clothes in the changing room to make sure we would actually wear it. Nancy said often due to this harshness she comes away from high-street shopping trips empty handed, but she was successful with a rust-orange top in a similar shape to her style but a new colour choice.

‘I had a fantastic time shopping. I’ve been into charity shops before but never really thought of buying clothes there. I have always found them quite overwhelming. But I’ve learnt that it’s so easy to find hidden gems if you look in the right places. I would absolutely consider buying clothes from charity shops again and understand now that I just need to be methodical and take my time when looking through shops!’

- Nancy xx

Yours Sincerely,

The Thrift Gift. X