There is nothing more fun than getting a friend addicted to thrifting–which is something I managed to do recently (yay for new thrift buddies!). I have been thrifting since I was a child, and remember with delight accompanying my mom on Saturday mornings to the local thrift shops and digging through the racks of $0.25 tees and exotic-looking vintage. (Little did I know that I’d grow up and wear some of those pretty frocks!) Although I’ve covered some of these tips in several of my thrifting videos, I thought I’d compile them into a post as I get asked these fairly frequently.

The internet is your friend. Sourcing thrift stores can be a case of just searching on Google with your zipcode/town name and the word “thrift store” (or charity shop–depending on the country you live in). I’ve found many of my favorites this way–along with spotting unlisted ones when I’m driving around town. I also love using the Thrift Shopper website as a jumping off point. It lists hundreds of thrift shops throughout the US, and many are rated for quality, selection and price.

Shop with a plan, but don’t stick to it. Thrifting isn’t like going into a department store: you never know what will be on the racks! Looking for a black pencil dress to wear this weekend? Be prepared to find something else, because stock changes daily at most thrifts. Even if you find a dress that fits your style criteria, it may not be the right size. A “general lookout list” is always a good idea (I keep my eyes peeled for things like vintage-style skirts, cardigans, and knit tops that would work with my aesthetic, just to name a few), but be prepared to shop based on what is in stock.

Ask about discount days or colors. Many thrift shops will run special discounts on certain days, or discounts for a certain demographic (senior, student or military seem to be most common), or even on a certain garment type/tag color. It’s worth asking when those discount days are, and save yourself a few dollars! Some of my favorite thrifts offer occasional discounts to military, and I definitely make an effort to shop on those days to get more bang for my buck.

Come prepared! I have a “thrifting kit” that I always take with me. My phone (for quick calls to family or friends if I spot something I think t hey’d like), hand sanitizer (a must), a tape measure (especially helpful if you’d rather not try on clothes), water and a list of local thrift store addresses. I never leave home to thrift without some combination of these items–they make thrifting a lot easier!

Shop the opposite season. Summertime where you are? Look for winter coats and wool skirts–they tend to be super cheap and not picked over when it’s warm outside. This winter has been incredibly mild, so warm clothing has been plentiful, and I’ve been stocking up. But I’m also keeping an eye out for summer clothes, since no one is thinking quite that far ahead yet. Most thrifts won’t put a ton of out-of-season garments on the sales floor, but it’s always worth checking for next season. Having a good handle on your personal style preferences and seasonal wardrobes is a great help for sifting through all the options too.

Be pennywise. One trend at thrift stores I’ve seen, and am more than a bit dismayed with, is the excessive pricing on “high street” garments. I’ve seen many pieces from popular mall brands like Forever 21, H&M and Zara marked close to half what you’d pay retail in the store for. It just makes no sense, since the quality tends to be less than desirable, and the condition of the garment is used. I tend to avoid these labels, and gravitate towards better quality brands I know. I recently found a beautiful, like-new boatneck French Connection tee for $1.99 (they retail for $45 and up) right next to a Forever 21 tee for $5! The French Connection tee is head and shoulders nicer than the other, and the $2 I spent was well worth it.

Train your eye to spot quality (or vintage). Many people ask me how I spot vintage when eying a rack, and honestly it’s just been years of experience. I know what are common colors, fabrics, style details and labels for various decades. The same goes for finding high-end RTW in a thrift store as well. Training your eyes to spot and fingers to know the feeling of quality materials makes a big difference in the thrifting experience.

Shop thoughtfully. Along the lines of the pennywise paragraph, shopping thoughtfully involves a sense of buying what you need. Not filling up your cart simply because it’s cheap. Consider quality, how the garment fits into your wardrobe and budget, and whether it needs special cleaning (I always try to consider this–especially for dry clean only pieces). Having a pile of beautiful clothes only makes sense if you’re going to wear them!

Look past the obvious for the potential. Sometimes a lot of what you find in thrift stores is a “diamond in the rough”. I find that shopping with an eye for what things could be altered to better suit me yields far more exciting finds than if I looked for things that perfectly fit my clothing wishlist. While I know this might not be possible for some, even simple alterations and adjustments can make that $0.99 find a real gem! Ask yourself this when you’re on the fence with a garment: can the hem be shortened? Can it be let out or taken in slightly? Can you redo the neckline? Can the sleeves be shortened or taken off completely? Even something as simple as adding a belt can transform a seemingly “dull” piece!

Always scout accessories! I have found the majority of my favorite costume jewelry at thrift shops–usually for no more than $5 and as little as $0.25. Not only is there the potential to find some lovely vintage pieces, but pieces that are a bit different for you (but you’d love to try wearing) are so cheap that it’s worth taking the plunge. I also always check out purses (be sure to look over thoroughly for signs of wear, sturdiness and stains), scarves and belts.

Be realistic about what you’re comfortable with. Thrift stores sell all sorts of things. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have preferences about what you will or won’t buy, and would rather purchase brand new. Be honest with yourself, and if you’d rather not own a certain piece that has been pre-owned, then don’t buy it just because it’s a bargain! (That will save you a trip back to the thrift store to re-donate it.)

Got any favorite thrifting tips and tricks you’d care to share?

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It is perhaps wishful thinking right now, but just about all my sweaters have been pulled out and are systematically being gone over. Whether they need cleaning, mending a small hole or replacing a lost button, I’m doing all the work now so that I don’t have to scramble (or worse still, wear a holey sweater!) once it does get cold enough. (Let’s just say I’m hoping that by doing all this it might make the weather cooler! hehe.)

Vintage sweaters require special care. I rarely send mine to the dry cleaners unless they are beaded or embroidered (or have some embellishment that does require care that I can’t manage at home). Solanah’s tutorial she sweetly wrote for a guest post last year is still one of the best at-home methods out there that I’ve tried.. I’ve used this for the past year since she posted it, both on nubby wool sweaters from the late 40s and luxurious cashmere pieces from the early 60s. Although eventually I need to stop at the local yarn store and see if they carry Eucalan or Soak woolwash, which I’d like to start using to wash sweaters. The real key to hand washing sweaters is handling them with the utmost care when they’re wet. Wool felts extremely easily, but if you are gentle the results are well worth the bit of effort. I’ve even washed a vintage angora-blend sweater by hand with no ill effects!

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For beaded pieces, Jody at Couture Allure wrote a great post on cleaning garments with beading and/or sequins that has proved very helpful. Especially since with vintage garments you need to make sure that everything is secure (and can handle the cleaning) prior to dropping it off at the cleaners. I honestly only have a couple beaded sweaters (contemporary pieces too; I have yet to acquire a vintage beaded sweater), mostly for the reason that I just hate having to send things to the dry cleaners! (Which is probably why over half my wardrobe can be hand washed in the sink at the very least…)

Finally, one issue with buying vintage (or thrifted) sweaters is often that there are insidious odors that cling to the wool fibers. I recently had to try and get out the smell of cigarette smoke from a thrifted sweater (the angora one). The odor didn’t show up until I immersed the piece in water, but was stubborn in coming out after it dried. No sure what to do (not being able to wash or dry this sweater—angora is particularly tricky!), I turned to readers on Facebook to ask for suggestions. (Not every solution is suitable for working with wool, so keep that in mind.) A simple airing for a couple days worked wonders, but had the weather been less than ideal, I think I would have opted for the baking soda in a closed container method! (I am convinced baking soda is magic…)

What are some of your favorite ways for cleaning and repairing vintage knit pieces?

Gloves always conjure up images of elegantly clad women in 40s fashion photographs sporting eccentric gauntlet gloves in some eye-catching hue. Or of the more demure sort we often associate with the 1950s and floral afternoon dresses. I somehow have managed to amass a little stack of these vintage lovelies, usually for less than $1 at thrift shops. I am oddly drawn to these little bits of fashion history, and am always justifying their inclusion in my collection by thinking I’ll find some genius way to use them! But so far, the only gloves I wear are the sort that are meant for cold weather (or my opera length kid gloves—a rummage sale find—that have found use occasionally). So they sit in the pretty case I have for them, and are taken out for the occasional photoshoot prop or just to admire.

Esoteric by most modern standards, as I have not seen (in person) anyone outside of a tea room sporting these elegant treasures. Yet, sometimes I’ll run across an image of a beautifully dressed young lady (usually head to toe vintage or some mix of that nature), and it inspires me. Yet, unlike hats, I cannot seem to muster the courage to go about wearing gloves (other than when it’s cold). So tell me: are day gloves completely passé? Would you wear them (if so—how)? Best kept for pretty displays and summer weddings?

Tuesday I met a friend for a “farewell” outing (she is moving shortly). Now, our usual outings consist of thrifting, antiquing, knitting, geeking out about sewing or vintage fashion, and finding a good tea room for lunch. Usually a combination of the above. On this particular day, we were short on time, so a quick trip to the thrift shop down the street and lunch at a new-to-me tearoom was in order.

One of our favorite spots to rummage at the thrift shop is the stacks of china. I, of course, am always secretly hoping to hit it “big” with a complete set of a pretty china pattern. I only have what I’d call practical dishware—no real pretty pieces to use for the occasional gatherings (or elaborate dinner parties I dream up but never host…). But of course finding the mythical set of china (in appealing—not boring—colors!), is proving a bit harder than I anticipated. So while sorting through the piles of cute, but mismatched china and lamenting the fact that I can’t find my dream set, my friend said I should just start amassing all the pretty odds and ends I find. Sort of a “tearoom china” set. I’m sure if you visited a number of tearooms you’ve run across the one with the charmingly mismatched antique and vintage china. Those are usually my favorites sorts of places, so I thought: why hadn’t this occurred to me sooner?!

Later that day I spent some time digging out a small stack of vintage saucers I had thrifted last year and used a few here and there for holding things (but never for their intended use). I also added a couple of pretty tea cups I found that day at the thrift store. So here’s to the beginning of my “tearoom china” set! (So far all had for the princely sum of a little less than $5.) I’m seeing it the sort that I shan’t be afraid to use on a regular basis, and supplementing with standard white china plates and such as needed. Now just to find a place to store this…

Do you find the idea of mismatched vintage china sets endearingly charming? Or does it make you want to run from the room screaming? What is your favorite set of china (even just a dream set!)?

A couple months ago Portia of the Miss P blog contacted me with a very fun idea. The premise was a collective refashion project among a handful of bloggers—turning thrift store “duds” into cute pieces that breathed new life into the cast-off garments. Portia would provide the garment—a mystery piece that I would not see until it arrived at my doorstep—and I’d provide the ideas and execute the refashioning.

The brightly wrapped package arrived and I was eager to see what Portia sent me. Inside was neatly folded a two piece suit with a pastel, watercolor floral print. The suit was far too big for me, a bit dowdy, and needed some definite perking up—challenge indeed! Ironically, I had been toying with the idea of doing a dressmaker suit (meaning a woman’s suit that lacks the traditional tailoring we associate with a suit) in a 40s style for myself this summer. I had been poring over lots of “make do and mend” booklets and reading about the homefront during WWII. So my mind was taken up with ideas of how to apply the “make do and mend” challenge to the suit Portia sent me.

I’ve blathered on a great deal about my approach to the project, as well as some loosely strung-together steps of how I went about the refashion on Portia’s blog. I have to admit, I ended up waffling more than a bit with my ideas (did I really want a suit? or would scrapping the entire design of the garment and picking the pieces apart to make something radically different work better?), which meant I had to scramble a bit after my NYC trip to make this happen. Working under pressure sometimes is great fun though, and I have to say I am pleased as punch how this turned out! I’m hoping to get a bit of wear out of the suit before October (although in Florida wearing pastel floral year-round is not frowned upon), and then it shall be my spring suit next year! (Hopefully with a jaunty little hat—still to be found and acquired…)

A 1940s Advance pattern with cutting diagram for a man’s suit from my pattern collection.

The only “bad” side to this? It’s whetted my appetite for eventually buying a many-sizes-too-large man’s suit and doing a real 1940s “make do and mend” suit! If you’ve ever seen the layouts in old booklets or even old patterns from the war years, it’s a fascinating way of re-cutting a man’s suit using a ladies’ pattern, and creating something totally fresh! Now just to find the perfect suit at the thrift store. I’ve come very close, but of course I have a tweed-type fabric in mind and cant’ seem to find a complete suit! lol.

Be sure to stop by Portia’s blog and check out the other amazing refashion transformations that are part of the series!