Love It or Leave It – or, Learning to Say No to Clothes at the Thrift Store

I went thrifting with my friend Caitlin the other weekend – she racked up several items to try on and I struck out, so I ended up in the very spacious dressing room (thanks Newnan Goodwill!) giving her picks the thumbs up or down.

(Shoutout to my mom for training me to think it’s fun to help someone else try clothes on – Ma, you would have been proud of my re-hanging garments and sorting into yes/no/maybe piles while my friend kept zipping through her selections.)

My friend mentioned at the beginning of the process that she always tries things on twice, to give herself some time to marinate on a selection before sealing the deal.  I nodded in agreement – sometimes you just need to revisit a piece to decide if it’s coming home with you.

But then she found this purple, leopard print dress by Soprano (retailed for around $50).  My friend’s face lit up and we both oooohed and ahhhhed – it was love at first fit.  “I won’t have to try this on a second time!” she gushed. Continue reading “Love It or Leave It – or, Learning to Say No to Clothes at the Thrift Store” →

Thrifting from ThredUp – Cerulean Chinos

The universe is laughing at me right now.

You’ll probably recall my musings a few weeks ago about cerulean chinos – how they would make a perfect pop in my wardrobe and how I want to replace my navy pants with something brighter and less fussy for summer.

I was committed to wait it out on this one – I knew if I looked long enough and diligently enough I’d find something I loved.  After all, thrifting is a long game, and the long game ain’t failed me yet.

But then, I read a post about someone else’s experience with ThredUp (more on that tomorrow) and a lightswitch flipped. If I knew exactly what I wanted, and I want to wear it this season, not in 5 months when I finally find the perfect pair at a brick and mortar thrift store, why wouldn’t I hop online and see if I could secondhand me some cerulean chinos RIGHT NOW?

So I did. Continue reading “Thrifting from ThredUp – Cerulean Chinos” →

Friday ReBlog: Spring Capsule Wardrobe Additions via ThredUp

Erin at Reading My Tea Leaves showcased some spring capsule wardrobe additions in March (just seeing it now, whoops!) but I think her advice works for any season.

She used ThredUp to find these pieces, which is a great tool for anyone who a) hates shopping in person or b) doesn’t have the time to scour the thrift racks for that perfect piece.  I just bought my first piece on ThredUp and I’ll be sharing why I did it and how it went it arrives.

My favorite part of Erin’s take on the process:

“Here’s my best advice: Don’t try to build a [seasonal] capsule wardrobe from scratch. Make slow, careful decisions in every season about what additions make sense for your closet, and search until you find just the right thing. Right, mostly, because you love it.”

It can be hard to wait while you slowly, carefully build your wardrobe (and I’ve definitely succumbed to the temptation to just get it all over with NOW).

But what I love most about taking my time with building a capsule is that I can feel out what works and what doesn’t, growing into it instead of impatiently buying 10 things I *think* I’ll love and that I *think* will all go together only to find out that I only love 2 things – or, horror of horrors, none of it really flows, it’s all one big hot mess, and I have to start over.

And it’s always a good reminder that the “right” clothes for us aren’t the ones anyone else tells us to wear or what we think we *should* wear – they’re just the ones we love, pure and simple.

 

Do you like to just get it all done at once or do you savor finding “just the right thing”?

And what do you think of Erin’s additions?  Scroll down to comment!

 

I’m Breaking Up with Sheer

I’ve never been in love with sheer clothing.  It looks sexy on other people, but for me it feels like something I’d have to be 15 and going to the beach to pull off, or at the very least headed out clubbing.  (Nothing against clubbing, you’re just more likely to catch me bowling.)

I have a couple of tops that are juuuuust sheer enough to require a layer underneath to qualify as office appropriate, and I was excited last year to thrift a silk camisole that would serve that purpose grandly while breathing and holding up decently.

But honestly, it’s just annoying. Continue reading “I’m Breaking Up with Sheer” →

Friday ReBlog: Drew Barrymore on a Clean Closet

Drew wrote an editorial for Refinery29 last year about going on a closet “diet” that turned into more of a lifestyle, and it’s a perfect piece for anyone who’s going through an identity/style crisis because of life changes.  She writes about putting away the funky vintage pieces (“I still respect them, I just can’t wear them anymore”) and reaching for a more minimalist palette spiked with some florals and sequins.

At first it felt like she had lost herself, but then realized her “cleaner” closet was simply a reflection of who she was becoming as a mom and a nearly-40-something.

Take a read for some great tips on dramatic closet purging and also some great writing about clothes and identity.  Oh, and some tripped out squirrel-person illustrations.

Have you ever gone through a style crisis provoked by a major life change? How did you come to a place of peace about it – or are you still struggling to adapt to a new identity? Share below!

Happy Weekend, Thrifters!

 

Signature Accessories

Do you have a signature accessory?

I’m talking about the piece you always wear – or the specific style of accessory from which you never deviate.

They add that recognizable detail to your look, save you time and money – no dithering about what to wear or whether you should buy new stuff! – and, hopefully, they put a smile on your face.

Mine are, in no particular order… Continue reading “Signature Accessories” →

Saying Goodbye to a Sentimental Favorite

I wore this dress at my ordination and to my baby’s baptism (where one of her godfathers said I looked like “somebody’s gurrrlfriend,” which was his way of saying “hot”).

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It was also the first sheath dress I found (yes, thrifted – it’s vintage Julian Taylor), and sheaths are now my hands-down favorite dress silhouette. So there’s history.

I love the cut.  I love the waist detail.  I don’t even know the proper name for the split neck but I love it.  Perfect length.  (A little hot, though – vintage polyester, you rakish cad!)

So why am I donating it to a secondhand store?

I stopped wearing it, plain and simple.  (This pic is from 40+ weeks ago – thank you Instagram for keeping track of my wardrobe.)

A photo posted by LeahLW (@thriftshopchic) on

 

I could tell you why (while I like the color, it’s pretty intense and it just kind of overwhelms me – see above), but I’m more interested today in sharing why I’m giving it away instead of hanging it in a garment bag for posterity.

Big things happened in this dress, sure – it evokes a lot of memories.  But those memories don’t live in that dress.

They live in each embrace from my parishioners, invoking the hands laid on me when I was tasked with this humbling and holy call.

They live in the face of my child and the way her church family – the one that welcomed her into the big, wide, family of God – can’t get enough of her on Sunday mornings.

They live in the smile on my face every time I rock a sheath dress that’s the sartorial descendant of that first one, feeling great and hearing the echo of my friend’s voice purring in admiration. (For the record we’re both married and of different sexual orientations so no funny business there. Ahem.)

And I like to think that someone else just might get something close to the level of joy out of this sweet teal number that I did – which will never happen if it stays in the back of my closet.

So goodbye, Julian Taylor sheath.  You have been good to me, and I thank you for it.  I now release you into the wider world to bring yet more style happiness to as yet unknown persons.  It’s been lovely.

 

Do you struggle to give up sentimental pieces?  Or do they bring you so much joy you WOULD rather keep them just to smile at them every day in your closet?  Click through/scroll down to comment!

 

The Style Doctor Pays a House Call

This post should really be called “The Style Magician…” because that is what my friend called the process when she talked about it to her spouse. But I don’t think magicians pay house calls, and “The Style Magician” sounded a lot more hokey than “The Style Doctor.”

A few weeks ago my friend Caitlin asked if I would come hang at her house and help her evaluate her style (and her closet).  I couldn’t say YES! fast enough. Continue reading “The Style Doctor Pays a House Call” →

Beyond “It” Colors: Searching for Cerulean Chinos

I’ve added tapered chinos in this color to my thrifting list:

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Not necessarily looking for Khakis by Gap, but I did love the fabric and fit…just a leetle too small

For blue pants I normally stick to navy, since it’s subtle and neutral, but this brighter, lighter hue will go with everything in my warm weather wardrobe (including navy) and liven things up a bit.   It’s almost summer, after all!

I’d call this color cerulean; it was definitely an “it” color a few (several?) seasons ago, and I’m pretty sure it’s the same as the cerulean featured in this clip from The Devil Wears Prada.  You won’t see it in most stores now.

Here’s what’s great about thrifting, though: you have everyone’s donated items from past seasons to help fill holes in your wardrobe, even if your preferred silhouette/color/fabric isn’t currently “in.”

Of course, that means you have to put in a little hard work to come up with your own style instead of chasing trends and the Pantone colors of the year.  But when you’ve figured out what you love (and it’s not just whatever happens to be hot in the mall nearest you), then you’re in charge instead of leaving your look up to fast fashion gurus.

And if you wear a color or cut that’s no longer “hip”?  Instead of seeming outdated,when you pair it with the rest of your purposely chosen clothes, it will read as “you” – part of your signature style.

 

Thrifting: you get to build a unique style, curating it with clothes from a much wider range than what’s currently in retail stores.

Win all around.

 

Do you have a favorite color or style that’s not “in” but that you snap up if you see it secondhand?

 

PS I’m seeing a lot of burgundy/oxblood pants currently in thrift stores…they were huge last year but if this color is YOU, don’t be afraid to get amongst it now!  Cobalt is also pretty prevalent.