Thrifting Tips

In light of Stacey Dooley's documentary on fast fashion and its consequences, I have really been trying to think more about the impact my consumerism has on the planet. I mean, yes, I still love popping into Primark and eyeing up trend pieces, but less so at the expense of the environment, yanno. I think it's important that we all do our bit here and there because when added together, the impact could be huge. 

So, I've decided to start thrifting a bit more. I had a bit of a charity shop phase a few years ago but hadn't really been in one since. Well, fast forward to now and one of my best friends and I went for brunch and then did a charity shop tour of our local highstreet. Talk about rock and roll. I picked up four pieces that I absolutely love and paid less for all of them than I did my smoothie and berry compote pancakes the hour before, win-win. 

So, you've decided that you want in on this thrift shop, sustainable but inexpensive fashion malarkey... Here are three tips for thrifting:

- Set aside a large chunk of time 

There's no such thing as just popping into a charity shop for two minutes and walking away with a new outfit. It takes time, and patience, so is definitely not something to do in a rush when you've got 10 minutes left on your parking meter. In their very nature, they're all over the place and filled with random toot, so finding the hidden gold takes a long ol' while.

- Ignore the size labels 

I cannnnot stress this enough. For one, lots of the clothes have been worn lots and so hence have been washed lots and so have shrunk. The stripey tee I bought is labelled as a size 16 and is fairly snug on me (I'm an 8). Also, there are all sorts of brands in charity shops with all sorts of different sizing. What is an 8 in Primark is not always the same as an 8 in brands X, Y and Z. So, I would recommend just looking at all the rails and working out what might fit by eye. Most charity shops have changing rooms so just grab a load of stuff and try it on.

- Plan outfits in your head

Yes, the clothes might be cheap, but if you can't picture yourself wearing them as part of an outfit then it's definitely time to put them back down. Whilst shopping with my friend we made a real point of doing this, trying to come up with different outfit combos for potential buys. That £6 hot pink fur coat might be a nice statement piece, but if it's going to sit festering in your wardrobe for 12 months, then maybe leave it in the shop.

Do you ever go thrifting?

What's your favourite thing you've ever found?