When you shop in a curated boutique or an exquisitely merchandised department store, you’re guaranteed to find something you love.
Thrifting is a different animal. Without the proper mindset, thrifting can break the spirit of the typical consumer.
Amid the heaps of stained T-shirts and musty polyester scarves, the chances of finding a treasure is slim. Unearthing a diamond among the dime-store takes iron-clad tenacity, at least five uninterrupted hours and an immunity to moth balls.
After a recent visit to the infamous Red, White & Blue thrift store in the Hialeah neighborhood of Miami, I came away with a few new rules of the road.
1. You will eventually see something you paid full price for. Do not despair at the money you COULD have saved. When my mom spotted this whimsical T-shirt, she plucked it from the rack and asked, “Does this look familiar?”
It DID look familiar — she had worn the exact same shirt two days beforehand. The thrift version was $12.99, which is a king’s ransom in thrifting — but it was way less expensive than the price she had paid at Bloomie’s.
2. Shoes are your best bet for easy-to-spot designer labels. In 2013, I scored a turquoise pair of suede Pour La Victoire cage stilettos at Red, White and Blue. (The price was $15.) This past Christmas. I had no repeat luck.
Yes, there were plenty of labels: Burberry, Miu Miu, Stuart Weitzman. Unfortunately, the shoes also had tell-tale signs of hailing from the aughts or earlier — a shaky fashion era at best. The key? Keep visiting, week after week. You’ll be able to spot new pairs quickly.
3. By all means, check out the handbags — but be wary of fakes. Last year, I saw a gorgeous Coach bucket bag at red, White & Blue. Based on the design and hardware, I guessed it was from the 80s, and it was in great condition. But I chickened out — I just didn’t have the expertise to determine its authenticity.
I’m gun shy for a reason. I once paid $300 for a secondhand Gucci tote in college — and it wound up being a fake. The experience has scarred me for life. To save yourself the heartache, stick with brands you know well, so you can evaluate fakery — and regard every thrifted handbag with a high degree of skepticism.
4. Don’t neglect the decor. When the shoes and bags aren’t panning out, I turn my attention to the kooky decorations and home goods. People offload pricey china sets and cooking ware more frequently than they abandon designer handbags, so this is where you can get big bang for your buck. (I still own an engraved silver platter I bought for 75 cents at an SPCA charity shop.)
But thrift stores are also goldmines for customized, kooky gifts. The Penn State Santa (above) would be hilarious for a grad, while the alpaca would be a natural gag gift for someone returning from a Peruvian backpacking trip.
5. Remember — the holy grail is out there. Whenever I visit a thrift shop, I’m inspired by Bay Garnett, a British Voguette who elevated thrifting to luxurious heights. She famously found a $10 banana-printed shirt at a New York thrift store — and the shirt wound up on Kate Moss for a photoshoot. Later, Phoebe Philo copied the shirt for a Chloe collection. (Click here for a video that describes the shirt’s journey — the segment starts at 2:08.)
During my trip to Red, White & Blue, I was on the hunt for my OWN version of the banana shirt, which I would resurrect like a phoenix.
Alas. I had no luck. Here was my closest approximation:
My recent trip to Red, White & Blue may have been a bust, but there’s an upside: The turnover at thrift stores is incredibly high, so there’s always a fresh batch of trash — and a new chance to unearth a treasure. Yes, the prices are low, the pay-off is rare. But when you hit gold, there’s nothing more exhilarating.
Do you have any thrifting tips? I’d love to hear about your shopping secrets.