Thrifting clothes means I’ve ended up with a closet full of meh clothing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have gotten to this point before and what has helped me is the following:

1. Zero polyester/nylon rule. I just do not allow myself to buy anything that is any % nylon/polyester. That alone has virtually eliminated most of my buyers remorse since those are the pieces that tend to be ill fitting.
2. After buying something, wear it for a full day at home before taking tags off. I send many items back that I liked upon try on but then realized upon wearing longer that they sag or look bad from certain angle or whatever.
3. Pay more and build a wardrobe of treasured pieces. On average I now spend like 3x or 4x more per item but buy 10x less.I have a lot of well fitting tops that work for any occasion. And yes I still occasionally buy cheap things like Old Navy linen/cotton blend shorts but I follow my no polyester rule strictly.

I am all for thrifting and reuse but personally I don’t have a good return from it for the time it takes and I instead just try to be more intentional now about building a wardrobe.

I am an 80s/90s kid who grew up hanging out at the mall and the instinct to buy clothes is really hard to curtail but overall I channel more energy now into researching major purchases vs. just idly shopping.

Do you buy absolutely nothing with polyester in it or just no polyester and nylon blend? I am trying not to buy polyester too, but it's difficult. Even nicer brands that Nordstrom sells tend to have a lot of polyester. And now companies are doing "recycled polyester" pieces that are expensive (Vuori, Patagonia, etc).

I truly mean zero synthetic, to the extent possible. Only exception I make is occasionally workout/swim stuff, or things with 1 or 2% spandex. Now, I work from home and can get away with wearing a t shirt most days, so this might be more drastic for others to implement. I have a limited work wardrobe for meetings and events and so I can repeat the same outfits more than someone who goes in 5x a week. But I’ve bought some very versatile tops that are linen, cotton/jersey, silk, cashmere, etc. and I like them so much better. oh and I do have a dress that’s Tencel - that’s technically synthetic but I find it drapes way more nicely and breathes better.

I also have noticed lots of polyester at Nordstrom and I just avoid it. Even less reason to buy it from an expensive brand.

[Anonymous]

Okay can we stop bashing thrifting though? I love thrifting and even though our household income is over 2 million a year I buy all of my clothes exclusively from thrift stores. I enjoy the hunt and it’s better for the environment to reuse. Yes, occasionally I end up with a dud but that happens in regular retail too. I don’t think op was intending to slam thrift so maybe the rest of you can chill out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay can we stop bashing thrifting though? I love thrifting and even though our household income is over 2 million a year I buy all of my clothes exclusively from thrift stores. I enjoy the hunt and it’s better for the environment to reuse. Yes, occasionally I end up with a dud but that happens in regular retail too. I don’t think op was intending to slam thrift so maybe the rest of you can chill out.

Haven’t really seen anyone bash thrift stores and this is a pretty tame thread overall

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay can we stop bashing thrifting though? I love thrifting and even though our household income is over 2 million a year I buy all of my clothes exclusively from thrift stores. I enjoy the hunt and it’s better for the environment to reuse. Yes, occasionally I end up with a dud but that happens in regular retail too. I don’t think op was intending to slam thrift so maybe the rest of you can chill out.

Haven’t really seen anyone bash thrift stores and this is a pretty tame thread overall

I haven't seen anyone bashing thrifting, either. Thrifting is great. It's just not working for OP right now. She needs to learn more about what fits her, and fits her life, before she can rely so heavily on thrifting to fill her wardrobe. Once you know your body - or once you build your wardrobe - all the power to you if you can get most of your clothes secondhand!

[Anonymous]

I don’t tend to go to thrift stores because I have to buy petite lengths and it’s rare that thrift stores carry petite.
But, I used to get sucked into buying stuff on sale and would end up buying things I didn’t really love or didn’t really look amazing on me.
(But it’s 50% off!!)

So now when I’m about to buy a clothing item, I ask if it looks better than anything else I have in my closet. If the answer is yes then I buy it. Usually the answer is no (especially stuff on sale or stuff at TJ maxx type stores) so it’s pretty rare that I’m buying a sale item on impulse. I also got rid of the guilt in paying regular price (which originates from first gen offspring of immigrant parents). So now I have a smaller wardrobe with items that always look good on me that make me feel confident.

[Anonymous]

Yes - for a long time, I looked at buying thrift clothes as a “catch and release” and I’ve definitely bought meh stuff because of the label. I sew, so I could fix fit issues.

I am now over thrifting - part of it is a lack of time, part of it is too many clothes, and part of it is that I’ve aged out of everything looking great on me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay can we stop bashing thrifting though? I love thrifting and even though our household income is over 2 million a year I buy all of my clothes exclusively from thrift stores. I enjoy the hunt and it’s better for the environment to reuse. Yes, occasionally I end up with a dud but that happens in regular retail too. I don’t think op was intending to slam thrift so maybe the rest of you can chill out.

Haven’t really seen anyone bash thrift stores and this is a pretty tame thread overall

2 million a year? Damn, girl! What do you do to make that kind of money?

[Anonymous]

Hi OP, I have found myself in the same boat lately and I was glad to run across your thread. The advice others on here have given is what I've done too: buy quality basics at regular stores, and stop buying synthetics.

My outfits couldn't come together because everything I thrifted was so random. I ended up with lots of odd/statement pieces that could almost work but were maybe a bit ill-fitting and didn't quite match other items in my closet. The white sweater I thought I was smart to thrift wasn't crisp white, and not very soft, and didn't end up filling the hole I wanted it to. It was a game changer to buy a new classic white sweater (from Quince, coincidentally) that I love and that I can pair with anything. All of the sudden, the thrifted bottoms in my closet have new life.

The same is true of synthetic thrifted finds. I have come to hate polyester, and the acrylic sweaters I have thrifted don't hold up so I have to replace them after a few wears.

I have had to remind myself that clothing is a basic need. Even in video games you spend money to buy clothes. You don't have to spend a fortune, but it's an allowable expense. Just because you can buy something for <$10 doesn't mean everything has to be <$10. You deserve staple pieces that make you feel good.

I struggle with the same shopping anxiety - spending a lot of money feels bad, spending a lot of time and ending up with a lackluster wardrobe feels bad, having my size change and needing new clothes feels bad. I try to treat myself with kindness and understanding about how I have been trying my best (to save money by thrifting, to manage the things in my life but neglecting my self-care and gaining weight, getting older because time happens). Even if I've made mistakes, I am learning and am going to do my best to course correct from here.

Sending you good clothing vibes! Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I love thrifting too, and the sustainability factor - but it's easy to end up with a lot of ill-fitting stuff like you mentioned. I no longer live in DC so not sure if that's the case there, but my local thrift chain has gotten rid of change room entirely ("Covid") and has a really annoying return policy (you can exchange for items of the same value).

I find that it helps if I have a list of what I am looking for (white cotton button down, black jeans) for example. I really like the fabric advice above too. I also think it's okay to invest in some new quality pieces, just don't fall into the fast fashion trap. The amount of Shein at the thrift store is atrocious.

[Anonymous]

I also have a high disposable income and shop almost exclusively at thrift stores. I love rummaging through things about once a week on a weeknight to relax! My rules are:

1) Tailor clothes immediately so that they fit perfectly.
2) Don't buy anything I wouldn't want if it were the full original price.
3) No synthetics, with very few exceptions.
4) No items that are from cheapo labels, even if they are good knock offs.
5) No shoes that are not high quality and leather.
6) My latest rule is that even if something is a total steal, like a cashmere sweater with the tags on it from Saks, if it isn't 100% flattering, I put it back.

You can wear a very snug body suit under your clothes and strip down to that to try on things right there in the aisle. I also carry a tape measure in my purse to check things like pants length. Sometimes the donor will have shortened the pants or taken them in. So, even though the label says it's a size X, it no longer is.

I completely disagree that you can't find basics at the thrift store. I have lots of really nice black wool slacks (Brooks Brothers type with lining), great jeans (Madewell), black boots that were originally over $300 (Stuart Weitzman and Aquatalia), and great wool coats from Euro designers and Max Mara. I don't buy panties there but I have found great shapers and even the Euro bras that I love (Freya, Chantelle, Panache, and so on).

[Anonymous]

I used to do a lot of thrift shopping and it definitely contributed to my overflowing closets and cabinets. Like PPs, it was a fun, inexpensive outing and it's hard to resist a good deal on a quality item! Some of my favorite items came from thrift stores, and the low price I paid relative to the value I get from them and their inherent value contributes to my enjoyment.

Then the pandemic happened and I stopped going and really haven't started back.

So that helped me end the cycle, but I still have overflowing closets and cabinets with "nice" stuff that is hard to part with.

[Anonymous]

Stop buying something for the label. Only buy it if it fits you.

That will solve a lot of this problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also have a high disposable income and shop almost exclusively at thrift stores. I love rummaging through things about once a week on a weeknight to relax! My rules are:

1) Tailor clothes immediately so that they fit perfectly.
2) Don't buy anything I wouldn't want if it were the full original price.
3) No synthetics, with very few exceptions.
4) No items that are from cheapo labels, even if they are good knock offs.
5) No shoes that are not high quality and leather.
6) My latest rule is that even if something is a total steal, like a cashmere sweater with the tags on it from Saks, if it isn't 100% flattering, I put it back.

You can wear a very snug body suit under your clothes and strip down to that to try on things right there in the aisle. I also carry a tape measure in my purse to check things like pants length. Sometimes the donor will have shortened the pants or taken them in. So, even though the label says it's a size X, it no longer is.

I completely disagree that you can't find basics at the thrift store. I have lots of really nice black wool slacks (Brooks Brothers type with lining), great jeans (Madewell), black boots that were originally over $300 (Stuart Weitzman and Aquatalia), and great wool coats from Euro designers and Max Mara. I don't buy panties there but I have found great shapers and even the Euro bras that I love (Freya, Chantelle, Panache, and so on).

This is me too! Another person with a very high HHI $1.5m+ (more than half of which comes from me) and i love a thrift store! I have a favorite one in my town and for a while 5-10 years ago, i think solidly half my wardrobe came from there. Unfortunately in the last few years, i've found the selection getting tougher - i think coinciding with people buying more athleisure and less 'real' clothes, so there's less supply of nice stuff. I generally agree with the above list - especially #2. Would i be looking at this if it were full price? If not, don't need it. I don't generally mess around with #1 (tailoring) - too busy to deal with that. And i am also flexible on #4 - sometimes i find some random cheap label stuff that just calls out to me, and some of those pieces are still in my wardrobe 10 years later. But i have a really good eye for stuff that looks quality, even when a cheap label.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah OP you have a shopping addiction. The whole culture of finding “deals” at thrift stores is 99.9% useless shopping addiction. If you found 10 things at a thrift store from a “luxury” brand, you’d almost certainly be better off buying one thing that actually fits and flatters for full price. It’s not a “deal” because you’ll never resell the thing for anything close to what you think it’s worth.

That, and the notion that they aren't going directly back to the original thrift store. OP is still hung up on these being valuable, given it's a random assortment of clothes she doesn't want to wear (and some previous owner didn't like). Humane Society isn't going to make any extra on these.