We’ve all been there. You see some cute outfit on Pinterest you want to try, but you don’t have piles of cash sitting around. Lots of times I just pin it an move on–because I rarely have money to blow on trendy clothes. I like to go cheap on trendy clothes, but in the past few years I’ve also felt a tension in supporting the fast fashion industry.
I still like to shop. I still love the thrill of getting something for cheap. There are are actually pleasure centers activated in our brain when we buy something we love for a steal. So, I have found a more responsible way to still shop and stay up to date with my clothes.
I use the online consignment shop ThredUp (get $20 to spend with that link! no strings!) to both buy clothes I love and then also resell clothes I’m over. It’s kind of like a closet funnel. In and out. Easy peasy. BUT, truth be told, if you’re not an avid thrifter (and I’m not great at it) ThredUp is super overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time.
The overwhelming part is that there are about a billion things to sift through–just like your local thrift store. The underwhelming part is that because there is so much to sift through, it’s not all going to look amazing.
But, my friend Lindsey got me started on the right direction with her post on ThredUp and then I did my go-to Pinterest trick. I found some patterns in the things I was drawn to on my style pinboard and then I went to look for those pieces.
Gah! Sophomore High School Hayley is rejoicing that wide flares are back! When Mike and I were dating in high school, his dad said it looked like I had hooves because you could never see my shoes. I am ALLLL heart eyes over this look.
And, I found you (and me!) some on ThredUp!
- Express $11.49
- White House Black Market $15.99
- David Kahn $31.99 (retail $167)
- True Religion $35.49 (retail $190)
Patterned 1 || Patterned 2 || Patterned 3
Okay, so these really are a little out there. But, THEY ARE CUTE. (<–Yes, I’m shouting at you.) This is the beauty of buying from consignment or thrift stores–but doing it online is muuuuuuch easier than doing it in person. ;)
Printed pants are pretty prolific on ThredUp right now. That might mean that people didn’t love them as much when they got home, or maybe they just never figured out how to wear them well. It’s worth giving it a spin though.
I searched ThredUp for “patterned pants” and found these.
Skinnies 1 || Skinnies 2 || Skinnies 3
And, oh gosh. My love of black skinny pants knows no bounds. Seriously. They are super versatile and massively flattering. I’d basically wear them everyday (and some weeks I do!). I found a billion options on ThredUp.
Here are a few.
- H&M $6.99
- Madewell $29.99 (retail $119)
- True Religion $35.49 (retail $190)
- Citizens of Humanity $37.99 (retail $198)
Finally, a few tips to the wise.
- Get $20 to spend on your first purchase. There isn’t even a minimum–so you could get some of the stuff in this post for FREEEEEEE.
- Fiddle with your search terms in ThredUp. For instance, I searched for “Madewell Black Skinny Jeans” and those jeans above didn’t show up. But when I searched “Madewell Black Jeans”, voila…there they were. Don’t give up if you don’t find it at first.
- Go to the designers tab. Lindsey spelled that out in her post, and it was SMART. If I get $20 free, I want to put it toward something I wouldn’t normally get to buy!
- Head to your favorite fashion blog to discover the designers they love. Then, search for your newly discovered designers in ThredUP.
- YOU can earn money through ThredUP, too. Either through consigning your own clothes or through sharing ThredUP with your friends.
