Buying Brand New vs. Thrifting
The Getting Dressed Chronicles #3
Welcome to the third instalment of The Getting Dressed Chronicles, a series where I’m sharing about the kinds of things I’m chatting about with my IRL friends these days.
Today’s post is about how I’m shopping from brands as well as thrifting lately, and how this aligns what what I believe about personal style and getting dressed.
The Pursuit of a Fully Thrifted Wardrobe
Last time, I wrote about using a note in my phone to keep a list of things I want to buy to try and curb over-shopping and impulsive thrifting.
As I wrote then, it’s been working well!* With a list to refer back to, I give myself the opportunity to reflect before making a purchase, identify true gaps in my wardrobe, and stay mindful about what is really worth it.
Shopping more intentionally has had another interesting side effect, too. I’ve started to become more comfortable with something that once made me feel guilty, even ashamed: buying new (not thrifted) clothes.
My goal was once to have a fully thrifted wardrobe. A nice idea, and definitely my first choice if it were fully possible while still feeling comfortable in my clothes, but not always reality. At least, not one that allowed me to have a streamlined getting dressed strategy.
Nonetheless, I’ve experimented with this over the last few years, never fully getting to a 100% secondhand clothing collection.
I have, for example, always defaulted to Old Navy jeans** which suit my midsize (US size 14) body perfectly and are incredibly affordable even brand new.
As well, as any woman with a size 11 foot can tell you, it’s slim pickings for shoes, especially at the thrift. I’ve built a beautiful collection of secondhand sneakers, recently thrifted the most amazing (men’s) loafers, and still adore my Poshmarked Birk Bostons, but when it comes to more feminine styles, thrift trips are often fruitless.
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My closet purging project has helped me to see that in pursuit of that arbitrary goal of mine—to wear only secondhand clothes—I ended up with an over-full high turnover wardrobe, with items coming home with me only to be re-donated again or taken out of rotation far too quickly.
What I’ve realized, too, is that despite the thrill of being able to say Thanks, it’s thrifted like a full-blown fashion girly every time I get a compliment, that goal wasn’t serving me or my personal style.
*Wishlisting is working for me. And, sometimes there is something called the emotional over-ride, like this leopard skirt that I definitely did not have on any list but also is perfect for a concert I’m going to on the long weekend.
**Links to products I love are affiliates. Thanks for clicking!
Lifestyle vs. Reality
So where did I even get the inkling that I should buy all clothes secondhand? I find that the internet exposes us to so many lifestyles. Lifestyles, as in, the kind that fit neatly into social media algorithms and personal branding niches. I’m thinking of things like #thrifttok and #myminimalhome, not to mention the trad wife discussion which is a whole other story.
Becoming immersed in new worlds can be so enriching, and is one of my favourite things about the internet: seeing beyond our own corners of the world. (Anyone who was pulled into the depths of North Sea TikTok knows what I mean!)
BUT, while we are exposed to creators with unique and important convictions like sustainable fashion, it’s important to remember that nothing has to serve us absolutely all the time. Such is the case with me and thrifting.
Don’t get me wrong, I will always love the sustainability, creativity, and practicality of buying secondhand. But, I’m sense-checking my all-or-nothing thinking that can go hand in hand with the concept of a #fullythriftedfit.
Because from the perspective of healthy consumption, what makes more sense: consecutively thrifting three pairs of ill-fitting shoes, or buying one brand new pair that fit perfectly and can be worn for many years?
If meh pieces just end up back in the donation-landfill cycle, is it even that environmentally sound in the first place?
And, through the lens of personal style, not to mention closet space, doesn’t it make more sense to try on and purchase a simple black tank dress that can be worn every single week of summer—styled with my favourite vintage and secondhand accessories—than to present myself to the world in a rotation of five less well-fitting and less me dresses that just happen to be thrifted?
What are your thoughts?
I’ve been reflecting on these questions myself, and have comfortably come to the conclusion that for me, a mix of brand new and secondhand clothes in my wardrobe just makes sense.
A Birkenstock Epiphany
It started when my husband went to Oregon (a tax-free outlet-a-plenty shopping paradise for us Canadians) in late spring.
Before he left, I climbed from beneath a mountain of hideous thrifted sandals that I knew I’d never wear to request he stop at the Birkenstock store for me. He was given specific instructions to seek out the Birkenstock Big Buckle Arizona and/or the Birkenstock Big Buckle Madrid in my size. I’d long hoped to find these secondhand, but it just hadn’t happened.
My sweet husband, after many chaotic FaceTimes and a near-miss when a box of Gizehs were mistakenly placed with the Madrids, came home with both requested pairs.
Friend, I have worn those sandals more than any other shoes this season. They’re comfortable, high quality, and both timeless and on-trend enough to go with almost everything I like to wear.
The Birkenstock Epiphany—as we’re now calling it apparently—helped me to see that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a mixed wardrobe, one that includes both secondhand and brand new things.
My Evolving Shopping Strategy
I continued to expand my shopping horizons as I purged my summer closet. I paid close attention not only to what sat unworn, but also how I felt in the outfits I did put on.
Remember the sweaty grey dress I mentioned in an earlier post? I removed her from my closet instantly after feeling self-conscious the whole day at work, only to realize I had no other options that I felt more comfortable in. The same went for shorts from last year. My size has changed slightly and the ones I had just weren’t working anymore.
My first point of call was still the thrift store, but the thing about thrifting is that the thrill of the hunt is balanced equally with the disappointment of leaving empty-handed without the thing you really want (and in my case, needed!)
With intention, I built my wishlist, gathered inspiration from my Pinterest boards and favourite creators, and found what I needed for summer online and at my local mall (namely shorts, lightweight trousers, and a simple dress).
My new pieces perfectly complemented my existing thrifted t-shirts, button-downs, and denim jackets. And, I managed to go the rest of summer school without an Outfit Meltdown™️. Success!
Throughout the rest of the summer, I had the luxury of getting dressed mainly for home or beach days, backyard hangs, and fun nights out. I was left with not only an accidental capsule wardrobe that serves my life of leisure (lol) as much as my work, but also a new shopping strategy which can be outlined pretty simply:
Keep a wishlist. Thrift what I can. Not too much.
And that pretty much sums it up!
It’s been an interesting mindset shift to go back to buying some things brand new. I’m more aware of just how much we are marketed to, and the impact of a get it before it’s gone sale.
As I type this, I’m preparing to refine my wishlist and get ready to *very mindfully* shop the Aritzia Warehouse Sale this coming week. I’m feeling hopeful that with my mantra, I can avoid excessive impulse buys!
What’s your shopping / buying / getting dressed philosophy these days?
I’m truly curious as I have friends who span the full spectrum: Some folks I know might shop Poshmark or eBay but don’t have the time or desire to thrift at Value Village, for example.
Others rarely shop brand new, relying on thrift, hand-me-downs, and buy-nothing groups. And, those I’m texting with the most these days are embracing a healthy mixed bag of all of the above.
Where do you fit in?
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Until next time, friend.
I love your posts because they take me far away from the land of all-things-disability, which is where I spend much of my time on Substack.
I very much agree that a mix is good, especially if you’ve figured out your pattern of tossing things more when you’re buying lots of thrifted clothes. And the size 11 shoe struggle is SO REAL 😫