I love to shop. You may have gathered this about me. I also love to thrift, and have spent many a pleasant afternoon scouring the racks of my local secondhand emporiums. I love clothes and feeling beautiful in my clothes, I read hundreds of style blogs every week, and I pore over countless magazines catalogs every month. My brain is brimming with products and prices and garments and outfits. I look at a lot of stuff and I buy a lot of stuff, including the occasional misfire. But I have managed to work on and nearly eradicate my impulse shopping urges. Here’s how:read more
I’ve been thrifting since high school. Buying used clothing has never bothered me one whit, and I encourage all stylish women to consider hitting the thrift stores virtually any time they need new duds. But I know there are many longstanding biases against thrifting, and I’m curious if any of you are loathe to thrift for these reasons:
The stigma of buying used
I’ve never experienced this one directly, but I’ve heard from many people who have. I feel like used clothing doesn’t carry the stigma it did years ago, but that could vary from region to region. I also get the impression that young people who are only just learning about money, clothing, and associated statuses might disdain used clothing. But it could be more prevalent than I realize.read more
I went to two proms: My own, and my older boyfriend’s. My mom made both of my prom dresses. (See dress number one here.) And despite the fact that I’d spent all of middle and high school acutely aware that the popular kids in my schools were also the rich kids, I honestly didn’t give my homemade prom dresses a second thought. I could’ve cared less that I never got to shop for off-the-rack dresses for these events. I got to pick out the materials and colors I wanted, select the styles and patterns, and get custom-fit dresses to wear. It was ideal! And yet I know that wearing clothes that are mom-created or hand-sewn can cause massive embarrassment for certain kids under certain circumstances.read more
Originally posted 2013-06-06 06:29:16.
About Sally
Sally McGraw is a Minneapolis-based freelance writer, blogger, and editor.
