On the spectrum of coping tools for my anxiety, I’d put thrifting somewhere below Lexapro but definitely above yoga.
This is going to be a quick post because the sun is shining and daycare pick up looms and I need to go craft a witty branded social media post about vaginal discharge, so I won’t spend too much time scrabbling around the sandbox of my brain for why I find thrifting so endlessly soothing, but I will say this: in general, I understand capitalism = bad, but I also believe creativity, aesthetics, curiosity, pleasure = good. I don’t want to contribute to the horrific cycles of fast fashion, but I also cannot afford to support most ethical brands at this point in my life (that does not mean I believe them to be overpriced, because clothing should be far more expensive than it is). I would love not to care how I look, but I live now, in this world, and so I do. I would also love to be more comfortable with my body as it is, but again — I live now, in this world, and I had two children in the last five years so I look and feel radically different than I did 10 years ago. While I want to look “good,” I no longer really know what “good” means to me, and the only way to figure that out is through play. All of this is to say that while part of me resents having to participate in fashion and self-adornment, another part of me loves beauty and textures and shapes. Part of me resents consumerism and part of me loves the thrill of the new. Part of me wants to play dress up and part of me never wants to look in the mirror again. Yes — I do, indeed, contain multitudes.
I would say that at this point in my life, about 80% of my wardrobe is thrifted (this is also true for the kids). I have more than enough clothing but also very little, I think, when compared to my peers. I get rid of things often (giving them to friends, selling them on Poshmark, purging them on Buy Nothing groups, or donating them back to a thrift store) and when I feel itchy or stressed, content or energized, dissatisfied or celebratory, I go to the thrift store.
First up, this Wilfred linen-blend denim-ish dress? A bit of a different shape for me, kind of a sporty, tennis-vibe, but the lines and flow and pockets (!) are great, the fabric has a nice heft, and I could also see it being really cute worn as a skirt with a shirt or sweater over top.
Next, these cotton pants, which have a fabulous print and an even more fabulous tag. Abidjan is a city in Cote D’Ivoire and while I couldn’t find anything about the designer, I’m going to keep investigating. Maybe I’ll just call the phone number. I also got this shirt, which is a good example of my general fabrics rule (natural fibers, touch everything) — I certainly don’t NEED another striped shirt but I could tell this was a super heavy quality cotton. So I looked at the tag and — surprise! It’s Sezane.
This thrift trip was driven, in part, by this post, which made me want to go and get an oversized striped shirt and red shorts of my own, so I did (Long Live is a fantastic newsletter for second-hand recs, as is the always-fabulous Harling’s Gumshoe). The shirt is one I’ve had for a few years now (thrifted, duh), and I’m now looking for one with a thinner stripe in a lighter blue since this combination reads a bit too primary-bright for me (pro-tip: the men’s section always has better button-ups), but the shorts are very soft and have a nice fade and drawstring.
A few more: these very soft cotton cropped pants from Pact, a brand I have always wanted to try; another pair of shorts in this great heavy embroidered cotton (pretty sure these are mens?), a cashmere navy cardigan with a confetti fleck from Lands’ End (this has a very tiny hole — another rule of mine is not to buy things that need mending because they will sit in a pile and glare at me ruefully but the confetti knit here means that the mend will blend in, plus I cannot resist a cashmere confetti!).
Finally, these! I wish you could have seen the face of the lovely woman who rang me up. “My grandmother wore these,” she said, and god, I hope so. Weird cotton bloomers? Look at that lace! Look at that tag! If anyone can tell me anything about that tag, I will be eternally grateful. Where will I wear these? Who knows! Another thrifting rule: ALLOW YOURSELF SOME WHIMSY.
I also nabbed three books — a kids’ illustrated guide to Hindu deities, an 1970s three-in-one Anne of Green Gables compendium, and a copy of Black Swan Green, one of my favourite books that I loaned out years ago to a prof who had a drinking problem and therefore never returned it.
Total: $47. (More than I usually spend, but worth it.)
Is this a cool thing? Should I keep doing this? Do we like this? You tell me.
WE LOVE THIS!
Here for this! And yes to liberating & engaging with the nuance of *consumption* through play. Love