Thrifting for Vintage with @thriftyvirgo
- Elisha Marie G.
- Jan 10, 2019
- 7 min read
There are many reasons to love thrifting:
1. Good for the environment- Instead of tossing items we no longer need away in the trash, we can donate them in hopes of continuing their life elsewhere. An average of 26 billion pounds of textiles and clothes end up in landfills each year. Imagine adding to that number all of the furniture, wall decor, cookware, rugs, lamps, ect. being thrown away every year. Oh my!
2. Good for humanity- Most of the items we buy new from corporations are made by slaves in unsafe working conditions. From coffee and jewelry, to clothes, and carpet. Slowing down our consumption, to simply buy new less, we can show these companies that our momentary satisfaction of buying something new, is not more important than these makers’ lives. And, by doing a simple Google search, we can find out the owners of the places we shop at to truly know where our money goes. Do I want to invest in a billion dollar company? Or, perhaps, in a non-profit/ charity shop that aligns with my values? Maybe this awesome boss lady slinging vintage trying to make extra income for her and her family? Choosing secondhand is a choice for so much more.
3. Good for our Personal style- Currently, secondhand shops are updating to model typical department stores, which can make it easier for some shoppers that are otherwise timid of the thrift store digging. However, the unexpectedness of what to find is my personal favorite thing about thrift shopping! Sure, we all may have that ‘thrift-list’ stashed somewhere… But, just because we scribbled down 'white work blouse' doesn’t mean we thought we would be so lucky to find a vintage silk white blouse that has those special details making it uniquely ours and not the same shirt everyone else is wearing at the office. This, is personal style.
Thrifting vs. Vintage Shopping
Larger secondhand stores, like Goodwill, receive overstock from fast fashion companies. These overstock items are beneficial to the stores and can make thrift shopping easier for some shoppers. This is a good way to get “today’s look” for less, before the clothes are turned into rags for industrial use. Most of these stores have a tiny section labeled ‘Vintage’ and sometimes random gems can be found hidden throughout the store.
Vintage shopping, as I am discovering, is its own culture within the thrifting community. Wanting to get better connected with the Minneapolis, MN vintage community I’ve been following (and drooling over) on Instagram this past year, I hit up the December Minneapolis Vintage Market with my IG turned IRL friend Jenn of @minnesota_minimalist
MPLS Vintage Market
Thrifting and drinking, together at last.
We were greeted at the door of Lakes and Legends Brewing Co. with the smell of freshly brewed coffee and the sound of cooler-than-me music playing in the background. It was love at first sight and I was already excited to make this a regular event to attend.
The @mplsvintagemarket occurs monthly in Minnesota and brings together numerous vintage vendors from all over the state and surrounding area. This being my first market, I had one vendor in particular that I was super excited to meet, Amanda of @tandemvintage
After loading my arms with a couple of maybe pieces to purchase, I had finally made it to the Tandem Vintage booth. And, of course, I found the perfect item for my natural fiber wardrobe: a linen and cotton blend dress by Mordenmiss. With my new dress and 'Secondhand First' rainbow pin bought from the MPLS vintage vendor I’ve been fangirling over all year, I’d say this was a successful first vintage market!
Vintage Thrifting with @thriftyvirgo
Wanting to learn more about thrifting for vintage, I asked Amanda of @thriftyvirgo if I could get her perspective on being a Thrifter with a special love for vintage.
Thank you Amanda for having this conversation with me. First off, I love your IG account! You have introduced me to so many vintage shops here in Minnesota.
Would you mind telling us when you started to hit up the vintage shops and how you got into vintage shopping?
I have been vintage shopping for over a decade, & I sadly have not kept everything I have found. One of the things I have kept over the years is this Mohair jacket that I found at the Woodbury Savers with my mom eight years ago; we went there because she was looking for some sort of campfire pie maker? (They ended up having one!) I vividly remember this shopping trip since it was my first time at a Savers, & once I walked through those doors, I felt like the world was my oyster. When I first started vintage shopping in high school, I mostly frequented consignment boutiques where everything is beautifully displayed & I didn't have to comb through racks & racks to find a gem.
Combing through the racks is one of my favorite things about going thrifting, it's therapeutic in a way.
So I was searching through the racks, & came upon this jacket, & it was love at first sight. It was everything I desired in a vintage jacket, it was in great condition, it was something I couldn’t find elsewhere, & it was very versatile. I recall presenting to my mom like: "look at this fabulous jacket I just found!" She takes one look at it & goes: "please do not buy that." So what is a girl to do? Buy the jacket.
Spoiler alert, my mom all these years later loves this jacket and has no recollection of telling me not to get it. Of course, she doesn't. Love ya, mom! I do not wear this jacket as much as I should or would like, but it serves as a great reminder, that vintage clothing was built to last, & all these years later, this jacket still brings me as much joy as it did the day I found it. And now this got me curious, does my mom still have that pie maker? I must go call her to find out!
Are there misconceptions of vintage you’d like to discuss?
Yes, what a great question! One of the main reasons I created Thrifty Virgo is to rid people of all the misconceptions of vintage/thrift shopping. I think one of the greatest misconceptions is that people believe all vintage clothing is tacky, outdated, & in poor condition. Some of my favorite articles of clothing are vintage, & trust me they have lasted a lot longer than that cheap dress I bought from Forever 21 in college.
Vintage clothing was created to last, they didn’t have as many fashion seasons as we do now. There used to be two fashion seasons: Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter, now we have 52 micro-seasons per year; that number blows my mind.
You can also find brand new things at the thrift store. Do you know how many brand new pairs of shoes I have found? Or dresses new with tags? Too many to count, you just can't be afraid to take the time to dig.
What are some personal experiences or lessons you've learned of vintage shopping?
Oh, I have lots of stories, & personal experiences to share from, but I don't think your readers want to be here all day reading this. So I will do my best to share my best advice.
Take your time, don't rush through the racks, thrift shopping is not a race.
Unless you are on some weird game show where you literally have to be the first one to the counter with all your fabulous finds, please rush away. I have found when I rush through the racks, I always end up missing something & I have to go back to double check that rack. Just take your time, thrifting is supposed to be enjoyable, let the gems find you!
Sizing does not matter, I repeat sizing does not matter!
There have been so many times that I have tried on a vintage item of clothing, & been like that's not the size I wear, & it leads to an existential crisis in a Goodwill dressing room, which isn't cute. The size on your skirt does not determine your worth. Sizing has changed over the years, & we should just roll with the times. And if something is too big or in need of a repair, take it to a tailor!
Which leads me to my next piece of advice, invest in a tailor.
For my brother's wedding in November, I found the perfect secondhand dress, it was velvet, & simple, just what I wanted but way too long. Luckily, Alison of @alstailoring reached out to me on Instagram about something, & we immediately connected. I now go to her for all of my tailoring needs. If you live in the Twin Cities please give her a follow, & use her! She is wonderful, & talented. She fixed my dress for my brother's wedding, & it seriously transformed the look of the dress.
Any ending thoughts/ something you want to reassure readers of when thrifting for vintage?
Just know that sometimes when you go out, you might not leave with a cart full of amazing finds. There have been times when I have left with a cart full, & there have been times when I have left empty handed but not discouraged. Just know that most thrift stores selection is always changing, & just because you didn’t find something that day doesn’t mean the next time you go you won’t find a cart full!
Oh, & never forget to check the men's section, some of my favorite secondhand band tees and sweaters have come from there!
Also, the Twin Cities is a prime spot for Vintage shopping. There are so many people I follow on Instagram who reside in large cities that I just assume have a stellar vintage scene, but they don’t.
I think sometimes we take for granted how amazing this community is. So please, please, please don't forget to check out all the local vintage shops we have. Those shop owners work day and night to provide us with some of the best vintage clothing, & it would be a shame to see this community stop flourishing.
And lastly, don't forget to just have fun. This community is an amazingly supportive community, and I am so proud to be a part of it.
Thank you for letting me be a part of your blog, Elisha, this has truly been a wonderful experience!
Thank you everyone for joining me this month on the blog. And thank you Amanda of @thriftyvirgo for sharing your perspective on thrifting for vintage! Continue to follow @thrift_ethics on Instagram for more thriftspiration.
See you on the feed Thrifters
Comments