Thrifting is Hard: Tips for Finding Your Personal Style

Since the beginning of thrifting‘s trendy start, I’ve heard over and over that thrifting is hard. But is thrifting hard? Or do you just have no personal style? Without an idea of your personal, you have no idea what to look for. Of course it’ll be difficult for you to find something you like. You don’t even know what you like!

Discovering your personal style is no easy task, but it is essential to loving your closet. I’ve always been stressed out about trying to have a specific niche or to love just one type of style. But, both my fashion and interior design style has always been eclectic. I’ve always liked a little bit of everything. I’ve gone through many phases. The Madewell-loving 30-year-old woman, the avant-basic pastel lover, the y2k beachy queen, and now the green queen (@kelseykotzur). I’m even considering dabbling in the newest TikTok fashion trend, coastal grandmother (and granddaughter). And that’s perfectly fine! Because it’s my personal style. It doesn’t have to be a very niche, exact style. It’s okay to color outside the lines. It’s okay to use different mediums.

So, back to my original thought. Thrifting is hard without a sense of your personal style. But there’s a caveat here: thrifting is a great way to find your personal style. Oftentimes nowadays, people are captivated by brands. Girls are desperately trying to be “that girl.” Buying everything from $100 Aritzia sweatsuits to knock-offs from Target or Amazon. Scrambling to find an athletic romper (like the Aritzia Divinity) that everyone will no doubt be sick of next year. Everyone wants a Lulu belt bag. With all the trends on TikTok, TikTok influencers saying you have to buy this from Amazon, to finding the perfect dupe for insert trending item here, it’s hard to determine whether you actually like something or if someone just told you to like something. Or if you’ve just seen it so many times you begin to like it. This is why thrifting is great for discovering your personal style. For the most part, brands are not the center of thrifting (unless you’re one of those annoying resellers). It’s all about finding clothes you like the color, silhouette, or fit of. Thrifting is also a great way to try out new patterns or prints. You may discover that you love paisley print! or neon colors. There have been many times that I’ve thrifted something pretty out there (for me) and ended up loving it and reaching for it often. And that’s the beauty of thrifting! You can try new things for cheap and discover pieces that inspire your next trip.

So how do you start? I love to use Pinterest to inspire my outfits and thrift trips. I pin everything from full outfits to single items to funky prints and patterns.

With the current state of fashion, vintage is all the rage. This is great because that means you can easily find trendy pieces at the thrift store! But how? You have to go in with an open mind and consider how different pieces can be altered to look trendier, fit you better, or fit in better with your closet. (and personal style!) To do this, it’s helpful for me to refer to my Pinterest boards where I’ve pinned silhouettes and styles I like. Doing this helps me envision the piece in my wardrobe or think of multiple ways to style it. The more you do this, the easier thrifting will be!

Thrifting is fun, don’t make it too complicated! ;)

Image from Pinterest. User: @sweetpearidot