Shoutout to Thrifting | Telling the Stories of My Best Thrifted Finds
Before Oxfam and charity shops of the UK surrounded me in 2019, my relationship with thrift shopping was a toe dipped in water, if you will. The hospital auxiliary shop my Nana used to volunteer at before she became sick, as well as her own closet, was my introduction to the possibilities of thrifting. At that time it wasn’t about the environmental gold star or the Instagram hype for me. It was a way to revisit a time in my pre-teen youth where I was hilariously stubborn when it came to fashion. I was certain that no matter how horrific the piece of clothing, I could some how make it “work”. Minimalism hadn’t caught on in my life yet and so instead of closet purging and giving things away, I kept everything, determined I could wear every single thing in some sort of fashionable way. Thrift stores presented to me musky rooms full of forgotten clothing that were waiting for me to bring them a new life and prove nay sayers wrong. Not that I had many naysayers telling me what I could or couldn’t wear. Hung up in my wardrobe amongst my growing collection of band tees and Acne Studios, these new/old pieces - the frumpy grandma knits and mens blazers in need of an iron - glimmered once again with style opportunity. Today I break down for you the histories of my favourite thrift store finds, always made memorable by the people who convinced me to buy them. Each title is linked to photos documenting those wonderful memories.
At the start of the year, a travelling vintage clothing fair came to Hatfield and parked itself in The Forum, the club on campus at my study abroad alma mater. Arm in arm with my Aussie girlfriends, we attacked the racks with the vigour of newly passionate thrift store shoppers. Along with some workwear jeans, an XL pinstripe mens shirt, and a floral print skirt I promised myself I’d wear on our upcoming holiday in Croatia (It ended up being far too cold), I managed to grab the gems you see here: A mid 70s shift dress, and a pair of white cat-eye sunglasses too small for my head. I think I spent about £40 in total. I couldn’t have predicted that the sunglasses would be one of the most complimented, sought after pieces in my wardrobe, or that the dress would solidify my intimate love affair with turtle neck layering. You can never foresee these things when it comes to thrifting. Imagine a ribbed cream roll neck, this dress, a black belt to cinch in the waist, the white sunnies of course, and the biggest pair of patent black combat boots you could dream of. It was a brand new look for me, one full of yummy contrasting elements that I now rely on constantly to bring intrigue to my style.
This entire post could have been about my love for this teeny tiny red crossbody bag. Purchased from the St.Albans Oxfam, I could not tell you a brand name or a place of manufacturing, or even if it is real leather. All I can say is that this bag was glued to my hip (literally) for every single trip I took in 2019. It perfectly fits my essentials for airport travel: Phone, Airpods, Saje Peppermint Halo essential oil blend, passport, boarding pass, and lip balm. Travel is an obsession of mine, but airports and airplanes especially are filled with some of my biggest anxiety tiggers. These are the items that I know I can rely on to provide calming energy, and fend off an oncoming anxiety attack if need be. The bag itself, my little red friend, has become yet another piece of the anti travel anxiety puzzle. I pull the cross-body strap so it’s short enough to sit right above my hip bone. I like the feeling of the weight of my essentials sat close to my body reminding me that I have everything I need to get through that travel day. The same day I discovered the bag, my eyes fell onto the leopard print polo neck top of dreams, and the brown leather boots that have become a fabulous occasion piece considering they are half a size too big for me. That’s the beauty of thrifting, you’ll spend £10 on a pair of boots simply because you adore them, not because they come with a flashy title or are even the perfect fit. Once you’ve given them some love (in some thick socks), you can pass them on to the next thrift store, and the next lover.
Notts February 2019 was a trip that solidified my sense of independence for my year abroad. I travelled from Hatfield to Nottingham to stay for the weekend with my then Instagram pen pal Ragib. We’d video called after connecting online in 2018, but never met in person. Nights playing poker and endless photo shoot shenanigans ensued (he’s an unbelievable photographer). Among those memories my most vivid will always be our trip to a local thrift shop. Ragib, our friend Kyle, and myself tore the place apart essentially piling a third of the store’s contents into a change room so we could strut around, create insane looks, and find inspiration for more photo shoots before the weekend was out. Along with the Black & White scottie jumper you see here, I was convinced to buy a massive denim jacket with Tiger on the back, and an outlandish racehorse printed blouse. For more accounts of that time, and some of Ragib’s work, check out this post.
Our Brighton trip is fully summed up in this grass green vintage Nike hoodie. Despite the past owner loosing the drawstring, I adore this comfort piece. It brings back memories of thrift shopping in the lanes with my new friends, eating burgers and fish & chips at sea side dives, and getting a very impromptu tattoo dedicated to The 1975. The winds were icy that weekend, but that trip, and this cheerful hoodie, marked the beginning of the most wonderfully bright spring season.
London December 2019
Finally I’ll bring things back around to the place I now consider my second home. Down the street from Dalston Junction station in Hackney, London, there is a DVD and colourful mug filled thrift store where I found these insanely tight Miss Sixty flared jeans. It was during my lunch break on my very last day of work before heading home to Canada. My friend Immy convinced me to try them on, and though I could barely breath in them and knew they’d need hemming, I just had to say yes. I knew I would remember that day each time I wore them, plus they made my bum look semi-existent (chef’s kiss). Attached to those jeans are the memories of getting a free holiday mint chocolate bar from Pret, and wrapping up my life in London.
For more information about my 2021 pledge to shop exclusively second hand (#nonewclothes), and how you can get involved, go check out this post!
Thanks for reading.
Em
