My love of thrift shopping goes way back. Like a lot of people, I started buying vintage or thrift store clothes because I didn’t have a lot of money to spend, but I also did it because I thought it made me edgy and cool. Today I shop used because of my conscience. I know how harmful the fashion industry is and I want to make a difference if I can. I try to be very selective when I add things to my closet, whether they’re new or used, and buy quality if I can. Then I take really good care of those pieces so they last. I find as many ways to wear those items and be creative in styling them. Lastly, I take great effort to resell clothes so they stay out of the landfills for as long as possible.

Replacement for my favorite AG jeans that ripped irreparably

IN PERSON

Pandora’s Closet & Style Encore — Located in Allentown PA, these sister stores are my favorite places to sell items because they sort, choose, and pay for clothes on the spot. I’ve found a few good things for my daughter and myself.

The Attic — I had one experience with this vintage consignment store in Bethlehem PA. I brought them a large bag of clothes, carefully edited, then went through a very lengthy and tedious process of consigning with them. They were very picky, took very few items, sold very few, and I had to hunt for the unsold pieces in the store. In the end I made only about $30.

Country Chic — This vintage consignment store in the very quaint town of Frenchtown NJ is great for browsing although I have only found one item I liked, a pair of leather pants that ironically my friend was selling there. It hasn’t worked out to sell to them because I rarely have the large collection of clothes they require to be a consigner.

Salvation Army — This is definitely the preferred place for my daughter and her friends. Sometimes we go to the Family Thrift Shoppe in Hellertown, but Salvation Army is better because it is a true non-profit, and they have a place to try on clothes. After I sell or consign, I hit up either of these places to donate the remaining stuff.

There are, of course, tons of other places like Greene Street in Lambertville and Shop Vintage Alley in Doylestown, but these are where we go most.

ONLINE

ThredUp — I can’t say enough about ThredUp. They have so much inventory, you wonder why anyone would want or need to shop new. I have found dresses for weddings and parties, great when you know you’ll only be wearing it once. One time I went shopping for dress pants at Ann Taylor, then came home and found the exact same navy blue trousers on ThredUp in perfect condition, for $9! As for selling, they provide pre-paid shipping bags for you to send in your used clothes in exchange for money or credit. I’ve purchased about 20 things over the years, returned some because they were not right, but found some very good pieces.

Poshmark — There was a time I was on there a lot. I’ve sold over 30 pieces, and bought close to 40. Every once in a while you encounter someone on there that is unpleasant or shady but it’s rare.

eBay — In the past I have found some good items on eBay like J. Crew coats and the like, but I’ve sort of drifted away from them.

I’ve scrolled through Vestiaire Collective and DePop, but never sold or bought on them.

Black leather pants, originally thrifted in Paris!

J. Crew slip dress.

J. Crew black wool blazer.

Whether you shop online or in person it’s good to shop with a list. Just like you would with new clothes, know what you already have, what you really need and be honest about whether you would really wear the new piece. Try things on and be picky. Most stores don’t take returns. I think thrifting is most fun when you go with friends and make it entertaining. Sometimes we have more fun finding things that are so wrong, rather that what’s right. Sometimes you get to go back in time to when your style was completely different. Chunky loafers! Low-rise jeans! And it’s especially enjoyable to see your kids discover things that are cool again. 

Happy hunting!

When we got back from Mexico this past March, I thought, “Oh good, we will get back just in time for the beautiful Spring weather.” Uh, no. The middle of March was warm. Then bitter cold. Then everything in between. April was all over the place but actually not too rainy. Now, as we approach Mother’s Day weekend, the official, we-won’t-be-getting-any-more-frosts-and-you-can-plant-your-gardens time of year, I feel I can finally wear pretty much anything. I waited until just after Easter to do my closet switchover from Fall/Winter to Spring/Summer. All that means is I pull out all my shorts and try them all on and decide I don’t really like any of them. I also cycle the warm weather items I’ve had packed away in the big drawer in my dresser and replace them with my corduroys and cashmere and things I know I won’t wear for a while. It’s hugely satisfying. Welcome linen! Sandals. Tank tops. I’m especially excited to wear my clog sandals. Hello old friends. Flashbacks to my mom pulling boxes and boxes of clothes out of the attic and making me try everything on. How I hated it then, and now I love it. Some items I love just as much as when they were new, if not more. Other things I am so over and I say goodbye to them. I did a follow up inventory of my workout wear, specifically the running shorts and tops. I don’t usually get rid of much when I do a switchover, but I let a few things go. Only one pair of running shorts made the cut. And one pair of Patagonia baggies. After seeing what I had, I allowed myself to add a few new pieces. All clothing is old except for those with links.

Gap tank | Loft trousers | Lotta from Stockholm clogs

Gap tank | Pistola chinos | Lotta from Stockholm clog sandals

I recently learned that rainy days aren’t so bad if you have rainwear you love. Last year I bought a new raincoat and I’m excited when I get a chance to wear it. I had a raincoat but it’s not very waterproof — kind of necessary for a raincoat.

My original coat is from J. Crew from Spring of 2019 and I still like it. It’s the shorter of the two. A cotton-nylon blend. I love the dark moss color. It’s lightweight and fairly stylish. You could even wear it if it’s not raining. It’s cute.

The new coat is by Joules which I bought on Amazon. It’s polyester-cotton with a cotton-nylon lining that has a very pretty floral pattern. It really repels water and definitely keeps you dry. The hood even has a little visor.

Now, rain boots. I have a pair from J. Crew that are very minimal, black rubber in a sort of chelsea boot style. They’re not terribly comfortable, like I wouldn’t want to wear them all day. But they get the job done.

Then I have a classic pair of tall Hunter boots. Remember when people decided those were cool? I got some about 10 years after that, second-hand. They are great when it’s just bucketing down. But if you’re not slogging through puddles on a country walk with your dog, do you really need them? I say no. You definitely don’t want to wear them for long or drive a car in them.

If it’s wet but not aggressively raining, I will wear my green rubber gardening clogs, because, you know, clogs. They’re by a brand called Nora.

I also have my Doc Marten‘s which are not for rain, but won’t get ruined if it’s a little rainy. They have that really stiff, shiny leather.

If I were to get a new pair of boots, I’d get these from Everlane. They look really cool. I would replace the J. Crew ones with them. But for now, if it rains, I’m all set.

I have about a dozen sweaters. In an effort to appreciate them more and avoid buying new ones, I did a shop-my-closet, try-on session recently. It really helps me to pick out items I don’t usually wear and also pair them with things that I wouldn’t usually choose. I find that makes getting dressed in the winter more fun. Here are a couple of outfits I felt pretty good about.

Everlane sweater vest | J Crew skirt | Troentorp clogs

I got this sweater vest recently at Everlane and I love it. Wearing it without a shirt underneath would probably not happen in real life but I thought it looked cool. The whole mini skirt and tights combo is another thing that is outside my comfort zone. With the clogs, I feel very Scandi. I threw a black wool jacket over it and kind of liked that too.

LL Bean sweater | Nili Lotan pants | J Crew rain boots

I got this green cashmere sweater from LL Bean last Fall and it’s so nice. I picked the khaki chinos to go with because the two greens seemed almost clashing, or too matching. I don’t know. The rain boots are old from J Crew.