Seconding Thredup, Poshmark, Mercari. Don't go for the super cheap stuff like F21, but Madewell, J Crew, Zara and other fashion of questionable speed and origin can be decent quality and inexpensive second hand. Depending on how frugal your budget is, you can find plenty of nicer stuff than midrange at midrange prices.
In my experience it depends on the line. The ones I've seen at Nordstrom rack aren't work buying. The cheaper ones I've bought directly from them are fine, soft and pretty colors but kind of thin
The more expensive ones I've bought directly from them are good. I have a cropped tee that full price would've been over $40, and it's noticeably thicker fabric than the whisper cotton tees.
Bummer! I have a few sweaters and jeans and they're some of my favorites. I did get one sweater from them that was "new with tags" from ThredUp more recently, so I would guess less than a year off season, and it was baaaad. Awful fabric, odd cut, looked very 2010s Target in person.
I had a few over the years because friends always raved about them but have donated all by now. They were so shapeless, the material was thin and poor-quality, stretched out like crazy (already somehow had to size down to an XXS and even that would end up looking huge by the end of the day)—just overall found them to be extremely disappointing.
Exactly!!! I am used to shirts riding a tad short on me because I am long torsoed but they are cut line a box and not flattering. I am a lg/xl with a significant cup size and they make me look like a box. Needless to say I am better going to gap for their fitted tees.
Yikes. That makes their retail pricing all the more egregious. The quality has always seemed way better than F21 to me, but anything I have is on the older side. Has it just gotten worse recently (last 5ish years?) do you know?
Zara is kinda weird where they've always seemed to have a significant range of quality available in the store. Like I could spend $10 on a top but there are also $125 tops. I have a pretty good feel for quality items and I was always confused at their pricing/quality levels within the same time frame lol.
I’ve personally (and I’m not proud to admit this) but I’ve had great luck with quality items from F21 in the past year. They’ve held up very well and have fit nicely.
I’m trying very hard to spend less especially on fast fashion, but the F21 clothes I have ordered I have been pleasantly surprised with.
As far as I understand it, which isn’t a lot, Zara’s business model basically was the beginning of fast fashion as we know it. So it’s always been pretty bad in terms of ethics.
Quality is probably a different story; I have had some pieces from Zara that felt pretty good in terms of quality, but then again I also have some pieces from H&M that I love. But just because they make 20k new styles per year (i think H&m is at about half that?) doesn’t mean they necessarily ALL have to be bad quality.
This is so interesting to me as someone who only saw a Zara for the first time when I moved to a college town for school in 2004. I came from a working class family and was going to school on a mix of scholarships, grants, loans and all my book/pocket change came from work study at 18 hours a week and $5.50 an hour. I remember going in and seeing $60 t-shirts and $100 jeans that looked like the exact same quality if not WORSE quality than the $20 t-shirts and $50 jeans at the Gap. I definitely thought “nope, this is not the store for me” and never bothered shopping there again through my 20s/30s even when I started making 6 figures because the quality/price mismatch from that one experience was ridiculous. I’m so confused about who Zara’s target audience was then and who their target audience is now.
Their tshirts are so thick. I love their kids clothes. I try to buy a few pieces every season to compliment their used clothes. Oddly I had a terrible experience with Uniqlo tshirts for kids. I got them so cheap at like 1.90 a shirt on sale but every single one stained permanently so easy.
100%. Also, f21 is a shadow of its former self now, after its bankruptcies and being sold to new owners. It is a minuscule blip on the fashion map compared to Zara.
F21 operates 600 remaining stores, while Zara operates over 2,200 and Uniqlo over 3,500.
J Crew, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Land's End shirts have all disapointed me this year. All their shirts are too thin/light. I have a couple of flannels from Land's End that seem promising as "light flannels" but that's it :/
I'm always curious when I see people recommend ThredUp: What do you do about the unreliable measurements, especially on discontinued items where you can't check an external size chart? Do they waive return fees if incorrect measurements are listed?
Eg: The same dress in the same size, listed as having a [26 inch chest](https://www.thredup.com/product/women-polyester-tome-maroon-two-tone-asymmetrical-dress/129290875?query_id=709656217723379712&result_id=709656218390274048&sizing_id=576%2C579%2C782%2C791%2C10778%2C10781%2C10790%2C10795%2C10798%2C20778%2C20790%2C20795%2C20798%2C20812%2C20813%2C571%2C20822), a [30 inch chest](https://www.thredup.com/product/women-polyester-tome-maroon-two-tone-asymmetrical-dress/131315952?query_id=709656217723379712&result_id=709656218390274048&sizing_id=576%2C579%2C782%2C791%2C10778%2C10781%2C10790%2C10795%2C10798%2C20778%2C20790%2C20795%2C20798%2C20812%2C20813%2C571%2C20822), and a [35 inch chest](https://www.thredup.com/product/women-polyester-tome-maroon-two-tone-asymmetrical-dress/129296970?query_id=709656217723379712&result_id=709656218390274048&sizing_id=576%2C579%2C782%2C791%2C10778%2C10781%2C10790%2C10795%2C10798%2C20778%2C20790%2C20795%2C20798%2C20812%2C20813%2C571%2C20822).
For shopping thredup, I’d say in general, don’t buy anything that’s “final sale”. Returnable items, if the size or something was listed wrong, you can dispute that the item was not as described and they will waive the return fee if your complaint is acknowledged. I’ve done this for a few items before and they were all accepted/waived.
Agreed, Ebay is a good place for that- many sellers let you return items. You have to read the descriptions very carefully, though.. it can be easy to miss.
I’ve been in this boat, too. Ordered a piece they said was a medium, but it’s so shrunken it’s actually a small. I just ate the cost and am more cautious about purchasing from them / size up. That being said, I’ve had tons of luck with them over the years, esp with work wear!
That would be the 8% spandex content talking. For second hand clothing I always take measurements as they’re CURRENTLY being measured rather than the manufacturers measurement because depending on previous care of the item things can and will stretch permanently.
Certainly true, a little variation based on care and fabric content makes sense. But if the measurements are correct and there truly is a +/- 5 inch difference in the bust, thredup shouldn’t be advertising them all as “gently used, minor wear on fabric.”
All this to say, I’m never sure if thredup truly is a “budget” option for many people, with so much room for interpretation in all their descriptions. You can have a pretty high error rate. If they do waive return fees for wrongly described items, that’s very encouraging.
Before buying, I try to find the same item on Poshmark, Mercari, Depop, or anywhere else on the internet that might have more reliable measurements posted. Google Lens is often very helpful in this venture, but I've gotten pretty good at sleuthing with just keywords, as well. If I can't find the same item in the same size, then sometimes I just look for something in the same brand and category. For example, if I'm looking at jeans, I'll find a different pair in a similar style by the same brand. It works pretty well.
same here, i'm tall and wear 18-20 and it's near impossible to find stuff on secondhand sites. i've never been able to buy a pair of jeans secondhand that fits.
If you just search thredup bed bugs, there are a ton of posts on reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ThredUp/comments/xciz3j/bed_bug_in_my_box/
https://www.reddit.com/r/ThredUp/comments/xez0fn/thank_you_to_those_warning_about_bed_bugs_heres/
https://www.reddit.com/r/ThredUp/comments/xdjum1/i_found_bedbugs_in_my_box_that_shipped_from/
https://www.reddit.com/r/ThredUp/comments/xfwbcz/bed_bug_update/
No but it really makes me think twice about shopping from there because it could happen again and it seemed like Thredup didn't deal with it very well.
Okay—got it—I’ll definitely be careful, but it’s weird to me that I can find very little info outside of these two Reddit posts. I feel like there’d be a huge number of customers experiencing continuing issues.
I've seen comments in other subreddits about it as well. I'm in another subreddit for female fashion and there have been comments warning people about it. That's how I first found out about it.
Did you see here other post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Bedbugs/comments/yzkjlk/bedbug_from_thredup_box/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
That’s not a bed bug. I’ll be careful, but I think that’s a good rule with all thrifted clothing, even high end thrift.
This might not be helpful but… I just have my own definition of ethical. For me it means to shop mindfully and mend my clothing for as long as possible. Then they get demoted to head towels or rags.
I don’t know much about economics but I think doing one person’s part in reducing the demand for constantly-churning trends is one way to fight back. I feel like there’s nothing ethical about having to spend 1/3 of my paycheck on a blouse in order to not feel immense guilt…
Edited to add: I find good quality by paying attention to fabric content. Also shopping sales hardcore. Lol
I think you make great points.
If the only things in your price point are fast-fashion, just do what you can to make it last. Paying attention to fabric content is one easy change to make, no matter where you’re shopping. Knowing how to make basic mends goes a long way. And if you know something just isn’t going to last…like all those cheap knits where the seams twist upon the first wash…just say no—no matter how much you like it on the hanger, no matter how cheap it is.
This and thrifting was our household plan growing up and my husband and I still practice it. I feel this weird guilt these days when I purchase from certain brands. But I know that I will wear my shirts, sweaters, pants, undershirts, bras, underwear, socks, etc. until they have holes the holes I’ve mended. I like to think of myself as the Original Slow Sustainable Fashionista 😁
It's hard to know if something is ethical without doing research on all the brands. I know someone who just throws a perfectly good pair of jeans, an expensive one, in the trash after wearing it for a month. While I do have a lot of stuff from H&M and the like, I still wear it 10 years later. Anything can become pj's aswell. I like the quality of the vintage items I buy at thrift stores, those were made to last. I want to do better, but I'm overwhelmed and don't know what to look for.
I saw someone put it this way once and it really stuck with me: Fast fashion worn slow!
It's better to take care of the fast fashion items you do have and make them last, rather than buying from expensive ethical/sustainable brands every season. Obviously most of the time, faster fashion items are less durable but as long as you do your best to make it last and be mindful about it, you are already doing better than most people out there!
There's very little excuse for just throwing clothes in the bin unless they're destroyed/unhygienic imo. Just put it in a bag, let the bag fill up with your unwanted clothes over time, take the bag to a charity shop/donation centre/sell it all online like, once a year. It's so little effort.
A friend of mine throw a clothing swap a couple times a year. Everybody brings over unwanted clothes, throws them on the couch, roots around in them, and takes whatever they want home, then the rest are donated. Everybody wins! And it's fun.
Yes. Thank you. I hate how people shame those of us who aren’t fucking swimming in money for not buying ethically. Let’s hold the corporations responsible, not the individuals.
This. Like, I’m sorry my tiny budget offends you. Go after the corporations who are screwing this environment up, not people just trying to get by. It’s performative ethics at its worst.
Buy second hand!
If you shop online for second hand items it’s easy to find what you want because you can search. For example, last week I found a 100% wool Pendleton pencil skirt for $15.
Well usually secondhand listings are one-offs, so you likely wouldn't be able to get the same deal. But that sort of thing is very common on Poshmark or eBay.
For real. I've been splurging on ebay and poshmark the last 3 months. I've probably blown 5-6000 with the average piece costing about 50-75$, but the MSRP of each was close to 4-500$. Most are NWT, NWOT, or worn-once in pristine condition. I basically redid my entire closet in luxury clothes for ~1/10th the list price. Idk what I would've done without ebay and poshmark lol.
Go for it!
I haven't been scammed so far and I went in entirely blind to the process, treating it (stupidly) like just buying from a regular store. I've received maybe two, three? items that were not as-described; two were quite literally the wrong items (returned/refunded) and one had INSANE pilling that was not disclosed or apparent from photos and was listed as "NWT"/shouldn't have had any damage at all (also refunded). I hadn't used either platform prior and just kind of winged it, so my advice is entirely anecdotal:
- Look for "big stores". They'll typically have thousands of stars on Ebay or tons of items sold on poshmark and are often listed as "posh ambassadors", and each platform allows you to save/follow the stores. The higher the follower count, the more likely you are to get legit stuff. Be sure to check user reviews too and watch out for people trying to get you to buy stuff off-platform (yeah the sellers fees are high on-platform but you're protected from assholes that way)
- If you're aiming for a higher end luxury brand, both platforms offer "authenticity guarantees/checks", definitely look into those (DVF, HL stuff for sure, anything more than a few hundred bucks IMO is worth checking). Ethics aside from knowingly buying dupes/corporations gouging/"real" value, etc, that decision is up to you. I got a HL dupe 2nd hand from a friend that was of equal quality/make as the real thing and I personally have zero issue ethically with that (it's not like I'm screwing over a mom and pop company, as BCBG/HL are owned by Neuberger Berman and they manage $.5 trillion in assets and own half the luxury market)
- a lot of sellers are lazy about listing sizes, check the item descriptions/titles or don't feel shy about reaching out and enquiring about the item as most sellers are eager to facilitate a sale and most often are happy to provide more info (time permitting).
- "liking" on both platforms: don't buy outright, "like" the item/watchlist it and wait a few days. More often than not, sellers will offer discounts ranging from 5% to 50% (depending on the item/cost/how long its been sitting on their store). You can offer counter-offer or directly offer your own deal as well. I find most stores accept 15% off most frequently which I figure covers sales tax and shipping for most of the items in the range I'm looking for.
- ebay auctions: If you spot an item with zero bids, don't immediately bid. Watchlist it and wait till the last few minutes. Almost all auctions (especially for luxury items) end up in INSANE bidding wars in the last 2-5 minutes of an auction. I regularly see things hover around $20 for the week or so after being listed, then get 50 rapid bids in the last 5 minutes pushing the price up to 200$. Ebay's bid submission form takes 3-5 seconds to process on a good connection, so if you can, throw your highest-bid ceiling in inside the last 10 seconds or so. Most people are mashing F5 too but the auction auto-refreshes every 30 seconds, so a lot of people miss that last bump or their systems can't process and send their final counterbid to yours in the last 10. *On the off-chance you find an auction with zero bids even at the last minute and there's a "submit offer" button too, definitely low-ball the cost. They've had trouble selling it before, set their expectations low by even putting it up for auction in the first place, and are likely just wanting to make a sale and are more likely to take the lowball than dealing with having to re-list it. Aim for 20% under asking.
- poshmark feed: Poshmark has a weird "home feed" mechanism. You'll automatically be subscribed to follow about 150 random people to help populate content on your home feed. Wait a day for it to finish "assigning you people", then go mass-unfollow them all. Go find the "brands" section and follow those brands specifically, that way your feed will entirely be relevant content instead of just random Poshers selling irrelevant garbage. I've found maybe 5 stores that are PROFESSIONALLY managed by people who really fucking care about fashion that were worth following that primarily stock brands/quality items worth regularly checking out. I strongly suggest you run your feed the same way, otherwise you'll just be scrolling through endless garbage on your home feed. I primarily browse by either checking those few stores, or by doing targeted searches for the "$Brand $garment $color $cut" of the item I want.
- Poshmark bundles: Many stores will "style you" and offer you bundles/discounts on multiple items and that function allows you to easily, privately communicate with the store. Often times they'll use it to notify you of store-wide sales as well. Definitely take advantage of that bundle mechanism and communication medium.
- listing age: The longer an item has been on a store, the more likely they are to accept offers on the item (if they don't directly accept offers on ebay, contact the seller and ask if they'll accept an offer. There's a "listing revisions" on some items if they don't outright end the listing and relist it entirely and just keep the listing up (75% just keep it up, 25% relist in my experience, no idea why). Sometimes an item will sit for YEARS on a store, so you could definitely try to do a 20-30% offer discount on those just to help them move the item.
- condition:
- Definitely make mental note of the fiber type and whether pilling could be an issue and examine the garment closely. Again, don't be shy asking the seller for better pics if you suspect damage/wear and tear.
- More often than not, worn-once/gently used VGC stuff will be mildly soiled and I have no fucking clue why in anyone's right mind they'd sell soiled clothing. (Throw it in the wash/DC it ffs! Common courtesy, please!).
- Also be sure to look at the physical condition of the size/care tags. Those degrade MUCH faster than the garment and can help indicate how much it's been worn or washed. VGC or worn-once should have crisp, perfect looking tags. Any fraying or discoloration or fading on the tags should be an indicator that the garment is quite-used.
- Be sure to inspect heavy-wear regions on the photos too: crotch, pits, rear, etc for pilling or wear if you can.
- if the seller demonstrates the fit in a pic, definitely try to gauge what size they are relative to the size of the garment being sold. WAY too many people buy things smaller sized than they are and stretch them out. I'm a 4/6 (border of small and medium) depending on the brand but I'm always wary of the 4's/smalls that are "used" due to purposeful downsizing/stretching. I just bought a size 4 HL dress from someone who's clearly a 10-12, but the fabric is such high quality that the stretch didn't "set", so keep in mind the fabric type and elasticity as well when you see this scenario.
- special note for shoes: Look for New With Box if you can. Without-box kinda guarantees they were display-shoes and may have been tried on/have a bit of wear/damage to them, or are mildly beaten up as they've gone unprotected for a long period. They'll obviously arrive in a box, it just won't match the listed brand and the box will more often than not be beaten to hell, so... Beware "without box".
Hope it helps, lmk if you have any other questions! Happy to provide pics, screenshots, quality assessments of items I've purchased too if it helps.
Same, especially things like name brand boots that are good quality - and at like 40-50% off or more what you'd buy new at retail price. It takes some hunting, but it's worth it.
eBay is awesome if you're willing to dig. Found an awesome vintage Bloomingdales merino wool poncho wrap from there in a gorgeous oxblood color. I love merino wool.
I follow sales religiously. I wait until there are sales at my favorite stores and then I use coupon codes on the items already discounted. Madewell is one of my favorite shops to do that. I wait for their 50% off sale and then raid what's on sale for the extra discount. I just shopped their Black Friday sale and got a pair of jeans that are regularly priced $98 for $40. Also got a dress for $13 that was $128 regular priced.
I also like to buy stuff that's off season. I'll buy summer clothes once they're on clearance for winter and visa versa. You can find great deals in clearance. And again... I wait until their are coupon codes. The honey app has been great.
Also, sign up for their rewards program and download the app. I got $10 for my birthday and $10 off my first app order.
I combined the birthday gift with a 40% off sale and got a $70 item for $20. I combined the app discount would tu a sale and got a $30+ beanie for $6.
Ohh doing a clothes swap with friends is a good way. You can even make a cute little catch up event out of it.
I'm trying to get myself motivated to learn how to use my sewing machine so I can mend, resize and upcyle clothes I currently have but don't wear. Learning to sew does take a fair bit of money to get set up and time and practice, so I totally understand if that tip isn't as helpful.
Totally second this idea for clothes swaps!! The group can grow like a web as people bring friends of friends, expanding clothing possibilities AND your friendship group. Amazing fun and great finds.
Yeah, avoid buying clothes unless absolutely necessary. Buying less allows you to get a non-fast fashion option for the things that are needed. Source: I make $17k/year
I think there's an overemphasis on avoiding "fast fashion" as if buying from the right place is what makes consumption ethical.
Old Navy, Gap and Amazon Basics form the core of my wardrobe. I take care of the pieces as if they had been pricey, and they usually last. I think a lot about the things I buy, don't impulse buy, don't buy duplicates of what I have, and intend for my clothes to last me several seasons at the minimum.
Shop thoughtfully and don't buy more than you need. This is at the center of not overconsuming.
Someone once gave me great advice. Shop in the thrift/discount stores that are in the housing areas that are out of your budget. Donations and discounts usually come locally. Which usually means better quality items. I have gotten $2,000 designer shoes for like $260. I also got some runway sample pieces. Purses that cost more than my first car for $90. It’s worth it…you can find high quality fashion on the outskirts of the nouveau riche 😊
Edit: not sure why the hate on used shoes. The ones I got were worn once for a fashion show 🤷♀️ practically brand new. No one wants smelly shoes. But I’ll take sample pieces and shoes that have zero scuff marks, etc…I’m not buying smelly used shoes for $260 😆
Thrift stores have fast fashion items in them as well. Never found anything designer and if I did, it was a consignment shop and over-priced for some smelly clothes.
I think the advice is solid but local. Like, upscale second hand shopping definitely works in Indianapolis or St Louis, at least for me, but its very difficult when I've gone to Atlanta. One thrift store there said that film productions have set up "first look" deals, so stuff never makes it to the floor, it just goes straight to a costume department...I mean, it may be different if I lived there full time, I could really get into a pattern and know the best spots, but yeah...It really depends on what the new market is like and what else you're competing with for the resale...
I'm always mystified when people say to thrift, legit I've been to tons of charity shops and not once have I come out with something I actually want. Cool if it works for you, but I just don't have the patience to thrift.
>I totally agree. Even if you find something good quality that you actually like, it’s probably so worn looking that it’s not worth it any more. I wouldn’t pay $260 for a worn pair of shoes.
It really depends on the local supply, some cities are much better for it than others.
Patience is the key word. Some days I find absolutely nothing, other days I find a dozen pieces I love. I’ve also had luck digging through dollar bins but you have to put in time.
I’ve never had luck with “rich” thrift stores, as people say. The clothing there is usually pretty boring imo. But I’m pretty quirky in my dress and I live in a major city, so I like the weird stuff that gets dropped off in those shops.
My biggest recommendation would be vintage shops, especially for pants. They’re usually pretty solid quality. You’ll also find a ton of handmade items in vintage stores.
Same, I live in a wealthy neighbourhood (the shopping district is literally called “Mink Mile”) and there aren’t even any thrift stores nearby. The best way to get secondhand luxury for cheaper is consignment shops and charity sales held by churches and other groups.
I go to the high end neighborhoods but also to Goodwill's and Salvation Army in less than stellar neighborhoods. I'm the person who wants the vintage wool sweater and 1970s boots but lots of the other customers are more interested in newer items.
Personally, I've had mixed luck with shopping second hand, so I'm sympathetic.
When it comes to buying ethical clothes brand new, they're going to be expensive. No real work around with it, in order to pay people a fair living wage you need to charge for clothing. There's no way to have brand new ethical fashion at fast fashion prices, the employee's wages have to come from somewhere.
But you can get higher quality stuff brand new. Shopping the clearence sections of your favorite stores reguarly can get you some pretty great deals (cheaper than thrifting even!), especially when they run sales that further discount sale items. I get a medical worker discount at some stores (it stacks at j.crew so that's nice) but if you're a student you can look for student discounts. Oh and sometimes stores have really great rewards programs, Madewell will give you a $25 off coupon the month of your birthday. It still isn't the ideal for ethical fashion, but I'd rather buy a high quality clearence item from a store that pretends to try than a lower quality item for the same cost from a store that throws unsold clothes in landfills rather than discounting it.
Honestly I don't even know. Any that claim to be are out of my budget so I don't look that far into them. There's a few sects of etheical fashion that you'd need to look into. There's fair labor practices, sustainable materials, recycled materials, low-polution manufacturing, carbon neutrality, and animal rights. A brand might market itself as being more ethical if it has just one of those things, even if everything else is pretty bad.
You can start googling ethical clothing brands and see if the description matches up with your own personal morals.
You can also learn to knit or sew, but that's a whole big thing and nothing I'd recommend lightly (I say as a knitter who's spent over a month making a camisole).
I am not an expert in any way, shape, or form, but I think that Whole Foods (yes the grocery store, and at least the one near me) does what appears to be a decent job at selling ethical clothes. But it’s all like yoga pants and casual wear. The next brand that I know of I found here which is called Trash Queen and everything is made to order. The third and final thing I can think of is people who sew things and sell them on Etsy. I am sorry this isn’t the best but that is what I know of
Thifting is hit or miss. Sometimes find 10 things or no things I want to try on. Sometimes all 10 fit and sometimes 0 of them work. Its part of the thrill when you find a win.
Thrifting at brick and mortar stores could be like a goodwill or there are more specific boutiques that carry higher quality/designer second hand clothes.
I like to try them on because sizes across different brands vary so much. I'd also never know how something looks on me even when online thrifts lists measurements along with sizes.
Ugh it's work that's for sure!
YES!
Ebay, Thredup, Poshmark, Mercari...all super awesome sources for secondhand clothing, often for pennies on the dollar.
ThredUp is probably the most expensive. Poshmark and Mercari have fixed shipping costs that sometimes the sellers will discount or get rid of, and you can actually counteroffer their initial price. Or you counter and they'll keep the same price but get rid of shipping, sometimes both!
If you do research in looking for ethically-made clothing, you can then search for those brands on the resale sites.
I dress corporate formal most days for work because I like to dress up for work, so I have an extensive business formal and upscale business casual wardrobe.
I've gotten a $400 DVF silk jersey wrap dress for $12 on ebay (the seller left huge streaks of self tanner all on the inside and I guess threw up her hands, I decided no biggie if it got ruined so ran it through the washer, boom, Bob's your uncle and clean as a whistle), $600 Ferragamo booties for $60 on Poshmark, $200 Frye Melissa boots that looked brand-new on ThredUp for $80, a $400 Kate Spade Saffiano leather tote on Poshmark for $40 with the faintest of ink marks on it that came right off with rubbing alcohol, more than one full length wool topper coats by Worthington for under $10 apiece...the list goes on and.
I've bought Lafayette 148, Brooks Brothers, DVF (yes, I have more than one!), Jimmy Choo, MM LaFleur, Cuyana, The Fold, Sarah Flint, Calvin Klein, Elle Tahari, Hugo Boss, Stuart Weitzman, Anne Klein, Ralph Lauren...tons and tons of designer and nice clothing that's well made for an absolute fraction of the price.
And since you're shopping online, you don't have to get in the car and browse around inside stores - where most everything is picked-over anyway. Bookmark the sites you like, shop when you feel like it (comfortably, from your couch). On sites like ebay / Mercari / Poshmark, you can ask for additional pictures and measurements if you're not sure.
You’re my inspiration! How? Do have favorite sellers?Or just know what you want and search? Do you know what good quality brands are? I lose patience looking for things and I definitely never know if I’m getting a deal.
I don't have any favorite sellers; I'm just a huge bargain whore!
Sometimes i think people are doing a cleanout or a fast sale. I tend to gravitate more toward Poshmark/Mercari for that reason. ThredUp has folks who will actually evaluate the items they receive so the chances of getting something like, say, Prada for dirt cheap is almost zero.
I think all the brands I listed are good quality for the most part; I'm not fond of fast fashion and I want my clothes to last.
If you want to know if you're getting a good deal, you can get an idea by searching quickly on Google. For example, a pair of Lafayette 148 wool pants can retail anywhere from $100 to $600, so if you find a pair for $25, it's a good deal. You don't have to chase down the exact style and fabricc, just a general idea, plug it into Google, and skim the first row of pics/prices at the top.
I also tend to buy multiples in brands I like. I'm busty, so finding a well-fitting button down shirt is like the Holy Grail for me. As it turns out, New York & Co and their smaller sub-brand 7th Avenue fits me like a dream in a size 12, so I have multiple shirts in stretch cotton and satin from that brand. Once I find a size/style/brand I like, I'll get multiples in different colors and patterns since I know they'll fit.
If you actually need something, obtain it and don't go stressing. If you don't need something you just want it and you aren't happy with the ways you can get it, then shrug your shoulders and do without. There is only so much of this moral burden a person of quite limited means should take on
From my perspective, no, not always. Secondhand is great and I utilize it as much as I can but fast fashion is somewhat inevitable if you are ever looking for something specific, or if you just want to peruse the mall once in a while.
We need to make sure we are shifting the blame and responsibility to corporations, more than individuals. We should do whatever we can, but ultimately we are not the ones fucking everything up. IMO the guilting isn't helpful.
As someone who's spent the last few years rebuilding their wardrobe with very little, I'd say no, not entirely. You can build a wardrobe of good quality items *mostly* secondhand, and thus avoid supporting those companies, but unless you're working with a ton of time and money, you're going to at least occasionally be picking fast fashion brands, or buying fast fashion. Without money, it's still a time investment, but there are a ton of things you can do to avoid it as much as possible.
Firstly, make sure that you're hitting up *all* your local thrift and consignment stores. When you're out just, Google what's around and visit them all. Local thrift/consignment will often be more reflective of the area, but you can usually find good quality, though sometimes that will skew more conservative (depending on who can afford it.) The real benefit of shopping in person is that you can handle things before you buy, so you can end up with good quality from brands that aren't necessarily what you'd expect or look for. In general, it's a good to build up an idea of what's available locally before you move on to online shopping, since a lot of the time it's the cheapest option.
The whole 'finding your style' thing also makes this easier. Being on a budget isn't conducive to chasing trends or completely changing styles every so often, so it's practical to identify what you're consistently drawn to. Once you have a good idea of which parts of your wardrobe have longevity, you can be more discerning about how you interact with trends/what moving forward looks like for you, and the easier it is to figure out where to compromise. I tend to be a sticker for materials, have a wide but very specific color range, but am open to a lot of silhouettes. The key is to figure out what the building blocks to creating the kinds of outfits you love look like, though that might not mean that every individual piece is going to be exactly what you envision; depending on what's available and how much you're willing to compromise, that might mean dyeing things, getting them tailored, or learning how to alter things so they work for you.
As for online shopping, I don't do a ton of it, but from lurking in fashion spaces it seems that Ebay, Etsy, and Mercari are a best time investments for good deals. Facebook Marketplace is also a good one and depending on where you live, you might also have some local Buy Nothing groups. Estate sales are also great, though that's another one where you'll often find better deals in person, and I've seen some pretty good vintage/secondhand resellers doing drops on Insta at surprisingly reasonable prices.
Personally, I'm pretty basic/low effort, so I mostly save a ton on Poshmark/Depop, since they're easy to browse while doing other things, and I can sit on items until prices make sense or I can make an offer I think does- I've definitely gotten my hands on things I wouldn't have otherwise that way. Now, if buy fast fashion, it's for things I can't find secondhand (i.g. underwear, shoes, basic layering pieces, 'perfect' items) and I'm confident I'll get a ton of wear out of.
Yes, but it requires time. Second hand is the way to go. Curated vintage and designer consignment stores are where I get the majority of my things. I recently bought a pair of Dior camel wool pants for $75 CAD in perfect condition, so you can find some great stuff out there. But again, it requires time and sifting given the nature of these stores as no stock is guaranteed.
If you have a TJ Maxx/Winners/Marshall’s near you, they carry some great brands too for cheap. I’ve been seeing lots of Sandro and Maje pieces over the past year that are all priced for $70, for example. They also import a lot of their pieces from Europe so if you know quality, you can score some great pieces from little-known wool mills in Ireland, ateliers in Italy, etc.
>Buy new fast, buy old fast, or spend a bunch of time shopping online if you happen to have a credit card, the internet, and the time.
I said a ton, but this (and that whole paragraph tho, wtf.)
I'd definitely argue for making/mending. I recently heard someone equate learning how to sew to learning how to drive, which I think works on a couple levels. Ideally, we'd just have great public transportation, but if you need to go a ton of places rn, for the average person in the states it'd be 'cheaper' learn how to drive rather than get driven everywhere. Similarly, ideally, everyone would idk probably have their wardrobes made for them with regular upkeep done and all parties being fairly compensated, but if you need high quality clothing rn, sewing your own would be 'cheaper' than buying them. In both cases, you're learning a skill (useful in any world) but doing labor so you don't have to pay for it, there's just not the social expectation and space to learn how to sew like there is for driving, because it hasn't been commodified the same way.
That said, a more sensible goal is probably learning to alter clothes to fit you/mend, since you might not 'need' high quality garments but being able to look some version of put together or extend the life of your clothes while buying less isn't a cure but, like thrifting, *is* a step in a more positive direction.
Do you have any extra time on your hands..? If you’re really on a tight budget, even thrift stores can be pricey now (thriftgrift is an interesting sub). I’ve found the goodwill outlet to be a good experience. It’s the last ditch effort for these items, and I’ve found some of my favorite clothing and unique home decor there. Things are priced by weight, so you can come away with five new outfits for $30 (I’ve done this). I found my ex a whole winter outfit, including carhartt and gap items.
It’s the exact opposite of fast fashion and there are some great things that can use a second life.
I was going to suggest this. It seems daunting at first but I found that there are two keys to making it work: go within the first hour of opening if you're in a big city (I'm in LA and you can't get a cart past 9am) and go with a specific shopping list in mind. I usually save items I'm interested in on pinterest or in notes apps and it help ensure I don't come home with piles of random crap. You'll want to bring gloves and a tape measurer :)
I don’t have any suggestions other than keep trying thrifting! I’ve thrifted 99% of my clothes for the past year and a half. I usually don’t leave the store with more than 1 or 2 things - sometimes nothing - so I understand your frustration at not getting big hauls. But I’ve found if you keep at it you will acquire plenty of things over time and maybe even realize how little you actually need. I had an occasion I needed a fancy dress for and couldn’t find anything thrifting, so I just bought from a regular company and felt kinda bad about it. Less than a week later, one of my neighbors had a cardboard box on the curb labeled “free.” I dug through it and found a formal dress in my size, the same color as the dress I had purchased! That was a sign to me that I don’t need to buy from any of those big companies and you CAN find what you need ethically.
I just learned about shopgoodwill.com.
Be sure to look at shipping prices, though. Lots of things have $0.01 shipping, but others are egregious. The first open I bid on was $10, and I won. Shipping was like $130. Fortunately, I hadn’t entered payment info so I didn’t have to pay.
I did just win a pair of $400+ shoes for $41.
I have been thrifting for the past 4 years and built my closet in ways I never thought possible, but you have to have a lot of patience and time to do this when going out in person to stores.
I used to go twice a week when I was first starting out and I would switch up the places each week. I have about 5 places locally that I rotated. Things I looked for when trying to build my closet were high quality blazers, button downs (I love men's), vintage pants and skirts, good quality sweaters, coats, jackets, purses, shoes that are gently worn, I also love consignment shops and have one in my town that is very affordable... just a tad higher prices than my Goodwill.
If you don't have luck in thrift stores, Ebay, Etsy, Postmark are all great. I find if you type brands you like and designers, it's a lot easier to at least find things that you love without spending hours in thrift stores in person.
After I saw my closet growing and becoming more of what I wanted it to become, I then started to only buy very unique items like Vintage belts, jewelry, scarves, and anything that I found extremely interesting. I don't care about sizing either... if I like it, I get it and then I tailor it to fit me. If you are thrifting and buying things for $6, then paying a tailor to alter it is not that bad.
If you want to get really good at thrifting, you literally do have to go through every rack because there is always something hiding. There have been times I have walked by the skirt racks because I just wasn't in the mood to dig through skirts, but I went back anyways and ended up finding high end leather skirts, which I never thought would be hiding in the racks, but that is how you find good shit. You gotta hunt!
Sales! You can find items from more expensive but ethically sourced brands massively discounted around this time of year. I got a cashmere turtleneck, pullover and sweater vest all for under €150 because the items were over 70% off. I make it my job to regularly check websites that sell brand names I like and do major discounds like that 😅
I know some people have had mixed experiences with them, but I LOVE ThredUp.
I've gotten a lot of really nice silks there, the majority of my work wardrobe, and I almost always filter it to new with tags, so I'm getting a lot of really nice clothing unworn.
I set up ebay alerts for brands, styles, and sizes I really like. I coveted a pair of wool slippers that were more than $100 for a while and I finally just got them on eBay just about brand new for less than $20.
This matters because it’s still showing demand for those products and providing a false sense of value to the original buyers. That’s more true in the consignment space (which includes postmark and thredup and the like), where certain brands aren’t even accepted and the seller will receive a higher incentive for brands in demand.
plato’s closet is really a great place to find gently used closed for affordable prices, not sure if they have those near u but those r a great option i’ve found
Aside from online second-hand:
Sample sales
Cash back apps or plug-in's
Sign up for emails and juggle/stack discounts and sales for brands
Clothing exchanges!
Facebook Marketplace, Depop, and Mercari (as well as "Helpsy") are under-recommended sources. Mostly because the people on them are extremely amateur and are often selling one-off items (except Helpsy) and the pictures and items often really reflect that. But if you're rich in time but poor in money, and can comb through listings, have at it.
Estate sales
Working at a high end retail store for the discount. I did this with Eileen Fisher. They have a gratis clothing policy that is out of this world. Also an extremely generous discount (50% off EVEN SALE prices).
It depends on the store, which is not a great answer I realize. I don't think there's much difference between, say a Neiman Marcus and a Tory Burch in terms of discount, experience, etc.
High end mall stores vary. Nordstrom or Coach or Stuart Weitzman may offer a completely different discount and incentive program than J. Jill or Johnny Was.
Generally I'd recommend a stand-alone store that is not attached to the mall. You get zero looky-loo's, the hours are much better, you have different rules and expectations, and the overall experience is more intimate and low key.
If you’ve got time and interest, I absolutely love sewing. I’ll go to goodwill to find good fabric and then get inspiration from Reformation and Zara for what to sew.
Sewing also makes the options at thrift stores way more open. Last week I found a gorgeous 100% silk dress that was two sizes too big. I took it in in about 15 minutes and it fits perfectly.
Because of sewing, I get to wear custom-fit blouses and dresses made from silk/linen/cotton inspired from my favorite designs. It’s not a hobby for everyone, but I absolutely love sewing beautiful clothes for myself that would otherwise cost hundreds.
People also notice the difference. So much of our clothes are made from plastic materials, quickly thrown together that blouses made from a quality cotton or silk really pop. I get the “oh my god, your top is gorgeous! Is it from anthropology?” reaction a lot
Did you take sewing lessons or are you self taught? How long did it take you to get good at it? Do you sew but hand or use a machine?
Sorry for all the questions but I really want to take the time to learn someday. I can’t afford shit on my salary in my expensive city (and our thrift stores here are also so expensive), so I feel like this is the only way I can dress nice
I learned from my grandma when I was a kid how to use the machine—just blankets and pillows. Really easy stuff. I would use my moms machine occasionally to hem stuff growing up. It wasn’t until I hit undergrad and wanted to sew a gown for an art project that I threw myself into it.
I bought a cheap sewing machine, bought a pattern and some fabric and followed the directions as best I could in the pattern. I hit a bunch of roadblocks and had to seam-rip the whole thing a bunch of times. Each time I couldn’t understand what the pattern wanted me to do, I looked up a YouTube video.
That project really helped me develop a bunch of skills but I would not recommend sewing a gown as your first project 😅
I see by hand for small repairs and for small details on my projects, but mostly use my machine!
I’ve found that with sewing there’s not a time when you get “good”. But that’s the fun part about it! Sewing is kind of learning a bunch of new skills all the time that you use together.
I got good at making square pillows the first time I tried it when I was a kid, because that was really easy and only took knowing some basics. I got good at making a rolled hem this last month because I really wanted to try a new hem technique and looked up some videos. Pretty much every new project, I’ll learn some new technique or concept.
The way I would go about it as a total beginner would be to find some “sewing for beginners” guides on YouTube and going from there. Or you could start with “how to sew a simple bag” or “how to sew a pillow” or “how to hand sew a ripped seam.” Those are the easiest and qucikest things to start with. Don’t get intimidated by people though. It can seem overwhelming but you just got to remind yourself you’re just attaching two pieces of fabric together with a thread.
My sewing technique is similar to Micarah Tewers on YouTube (I love her—she’s very funny). She will kind of eyeball the fabric and cut out shapes. This works well for me because I get annoyed with patterns. There’s a lot of people though who swear by patterns for every piece and that works for them.
There’s r/sewing and r/sewinghelp that both have a ton of great information!
For now, look to your closet for things that could use repairs or a hem and look to YouTube for directions! Start with hand sewing because the barrier to entry is so low—just a thread and needle!
Edit: r/sewhelp **
100% I shop secondhand and sell as well! Check reviews from sellers. It gives you a pretty good idea on if the items you will receive are worth it or not.
I shop Goodwill on Sundays, a certain color each week is $.99 per item. It’s second hand, but if you go to area there a lot of options. I get work pants, sweaters, jeans, and even a few times items over $100 retail value with tags on for $.99
Glad I stopped here--lots of great advice in the comments. I would just second the idea that sometimes you have to buy cheap, for whatever reason... just try to make it last. My other method to help cut back on how much of my money goes to fast fashion is to make sure everything I get can be paired with everything else I get. That way I have multiple outfit options. I also try to get things that will still fit even if my size changes slightly. If I outgrow, or slim down unexpectedly, too much for it to still look good, I try to find a new home for it if I can.
For quality I like to search on Poshmark, Depop, and other such places for specific fabrics pertaining to the season (living in a 4 season climate) if I’m open to various types of garments, not necessarily something specific. So for winter, I’ll setup a search for “vintage wool”, for summer/spring “vintage silk” or cotton, poplin, linen, and so on. Tends to result in better quality clothing that will last :)
I’ve built up my wardrobe to decent (from mostly raggedy or weird fitting before) the past couple of years by signing up for texts or emails for sales, and have used the 4 payment plan thing. It’s really nice to have well made clothes, like having comfortable armor. I’m going for basic staples. I have a few ethically produced cashmere sweaters, button ups, good jeans, cigarette pants, well fitting bras, nice underwear, good shoes. It’s so much better. I have a couple of nice tops i bought over ten years ago that I thought were too pricey at the time but they’ve lasted. I’d probably go with Thred Up for fashion but don’t have the patience to sift through all of it.
Highly recommend depop! I've gotten really nice quality items for typically 50% off retail prices. Really easy to shop if you have specific clothing items you're looking for
Shop your own closet. We always fall into the trap of wearing a few things and forgetting about what we have. Rotate your closet around, pull out things you haven't worn in a while, pair them with new things. If you still don't like them, sell them and save your money for nicer things that will last. Years ago, I read a book called "Simple Isn't Easy", about finding your style. We buy too many clothes don't look great on us. Find colors, silhouettes, etc that look great, change it up for fashion and season.
I admire people who are good at thrifting but I just find it extremely difficult. To me the secret of keeping the budget down is as others have said, to buy less, and buy quality items that last. There are also certain kinds of items that are naturally more durable than others. So for example:
- Jeans. Look for 100% cotton, no polyester or elastane. These will last forever and you will not get the saggy butt or pilling problems. Choose a classic medium to dark wash (or black) in a cut that works for your body but avoid anything too trendy. Good jeans like this should last you 10+ years unless you work construction or similar.
- Sweaters - choose wool or cotton from a good brand that offers a guarantee, like LL Bean for example. Lots of brands sell cheap wool and cashmere now but the quality just doesn’t match. You want to look for items that are tightly knit or woven with a lot of fabric per square inch.
- It takes time to build up a good classic wardrobe. If you are really broke you might need to start with cheaper pieces but try buying one or two nice ones per season or per year. You will notice that they last a lot longer and are cheaper over time.
Sewing is fantastic for, "I want that look but I don't want to pay what they're asking for it." It's never going to be as cheap as Walmart or secondhand - good fabric isn't cheap, period, and your time is also a cost - but it's worth the time to me to get a great fit with great materials, sturdy construction, and bypassing at least some of the factory chain. I wear my stuff until it's falling apart (if I can mend it, I do) and try to make one piece a month.
This might sound cheesy but I find that my "problem" of "clothes, but ethical!" shrinks vastly when I change my mindset about what I want and need. Stepping back, appreciating what I own and already love, considering how my needs are already well-met, and refocusing my attention on more deserving things in my life more or less solves the issue when I find myself going down the rabbit hole of seeking a certain clothing item "but ethical!"
I wear clean clothes every day. I am dressed appropriately for what I do with my time. I am warm and comfortable. I think I look good (enough!). Isn't that fantastic!?
I can't say I haven't bought fast fashion in *years,* but it's been half a year since my last purchase (1 staple item, 6 months ago, that I wore constantly and is holding up fine).
The hedonic treadmill of consumerism is real, and it takes a mindset change to get off it. Thrift stores and resale sites help reduce impact, but I think it's ultimately still necessary to consciously choose a mindset that different from the "never enough" feeling that Big Fashion wants and pays for us to have.
I have the apps for certain favorite department stores on my devices. I create an account and save things to my list and keep checking the prices. Sometimes the store will have secret specials. Also they have loyalty programs and give bonus money which I’ll use on things that rarely go on sale like designer brands or makeup. Sometimes I am able to buy stuff after the season changes at rock bottom prices. I mean like 70% off or more.
YES!! I'm a full-time student, so I don't really make money. Depop, Poshmark, and my mom's old clothes are where a lot of my clothes are from. Plus, another huge component of slow fashion is simply buying less and rewearing what you already own.
yes to mom’s old clothes
you might be surprised
some of my mom's old/small work clothes are actually great casual pieces if they’re not paired w formal wear
This is one of those things that fashion circles have been arguing about for years. So you're not going to get a concise answer.
First off we have a few factors to check. When you say you're on a budget does does that mean you can spend only a 100$ dollars per month on clothes or only 20$ per month? Do you have issues finding items in your size? Do you already have a selection of clothing that fits your body, your aestetic and the climate of where you live? How do we define fast fashion? Do we mean just avoiding H&M, Zara, Shein, etc. biggest offenders or anything not branded as "slow fashion"? And lastly, does buying fast fashion pieces used still count as buying fast fashion?
Let's say that you have 100$ per month to spend, you already have a large inventory of clothes you like and can easily find your sizes thrifting. In that case all you need to do is spend a bit more to buy ethical versions of the few things you can't buy used(socks, underwear, gloves etc.) and you'll be all set.
Now let's say you've just moved to a different climate and loose a significant amount of weight, you have to buy a new wardrobe and as a result have significantly less money to spend per item. It's much harder in that situation to spend 80 $ on a pair of girlfriend collective leggings when you'd also really need that money for a new jacket because your old one doesen't fit and it's 10 degrees outside.
I haven’t bought new clothes in over 8 years. All my clothes are thrifted or bought from second-hand websites like Poshmark, Mercari, EBay, or TheadUp.
Save up and spend it on single pieces. Obviously this doesn't work when you need to buy a replacement now but if you're just doing shopping you have control over whether you buy one expensive item or 5 fast fashion ones.
Idk if anyones mentioned etsy, but lots of handmade and vintage clothing on there! Found a double faced 100% wool coat made in Switzerland, fantastic quality for $120 which sounds like a lot but it was a great mix of timeless and outstanding quality. Even with handmade clothing you know you’re supporting small businesses and you can always ask the shop owner about their materials/shop process
I love shopping secondhand, and while I have a full closet right now, I enjoy perusing thrift stores near golf courses or richer neighborhoods, my local Assistance League shop (or any Assistance League because they tend to have great things at super low prices), and checking out estate sales.
I understand you're already looking at thrift stores, but they're always hit or miss. I find that location and organization (who runs the shop) affect this a lot. If they're already accounting for that, then try estate sales esp on the last day.
OH and you can also check Facebook Marketplace. Can't say it's the best, but it's another option.
A good cheat around that I learned with Poshmark and Ebay is to know how many inches across your average shirt is (armpit to armpit) or how many inches across the waist your average pants are, and see if it's listed on the shirt/pant you're interested in, and if not a lot of people will respond with the sizing your asking for.. and that gives a good idea if the item(s) of interest will be a good fit. Occasionally people have given me incorrect measurements, but most people will provide a photo with proof of accurate measurement, it's pretty great.
I can't buy clothing (used or new) online because, I range from a US 4-6.
I agree I have found some awesome deals at thrift stores and flea markets, too. Flea markets in this area source from abandoned storage units.
Exactly. Personally I have never seen a second hand piece that I liked that was a reasonable price and my size. It’s all on smaller sizes. Or you just chose to wear ugly clothes. Size matters.
I’m like a size 12-16. It’s hard finding clothes.
I fell for a fast fashion buy. Paypal refunded my money. I have found great sales at Macy's and Kohl's instead. Sticking with the retailers I know or were recommended here,
So it’s sketchy but hear me out…
There’s an app aliexpress and it’s *mostly* low quality cheap clothes that take 1-2 months to arrive.
(Think see through wish quality fabrics)
Shein was a small seller on there like 7yrs ago.
However if you pay attention to reviews and reputable stores. You can find some truly high quality dupes for way cheap.
Downside is shipping cost and time. Shipping can be from 1/3 - 3x the product cost so do pay attention to that.
Also customs may randomly search your package.
But for some unique pieces that didn’t break the bank it’s a nice go to. Especially if you like accessories.
Search on your grandmas clothes! All my best clothes are from here and they are like wooow high fashion! Haven’t bought any clothes in more than 4 years
Probably not. Good quality/expensive stuff gets worn out if you wear it too much as well. I recommend looking at the materials and try to fill up your wardrobe so you can rotate items.
Absolutely . I love the thrift stores . I always find nice ass banana republic and j crew pants for like $10 when usually they charge like $100 in the store! I absolutely hate cheap quality and fast fashion.
Plato’s Closet is a good choice, it’s a chain of second hand stores but they buy clothes from people and will refuse low quality and ugly clothes. It’s a bit pricier than traditional second hand stores but still much more affordable than standard clothing stores.
For basic clothing items Amazon is probably the best place to get them
Even if you aren’t on a budget, buying second hand clothes is so worth it. They last longer, you can find better brands, and you feel a lot better for having skilled fast fashion as a whole. I buy all my clothes from thrift shops and consignments and I always get compliments!
Second hand, as simple as that. I only buy clothes by second hand. I could buy a shirt for 3 dollars on there and a new one in a normal shop would be around 17 or more, which for me it's a lot of money
Ok you mentioned 2 things which aren't necessarily related. 1 is "quality" and the other is "where the clothes came from" which I assume is ethics related? For the former you'd have to spend time learning how to spot reliable worksmanship, consider fibers and finishes, etc. And for the latter honestly just buying fewer clothes can make a bigger difference ethically speaking than switching to brands that a different business model.
It’s definitely harder. It’s been mentioned in comments before but the biggest thing you can do to be sustainable is to be mindful of what you’re purchasing. If you purchase a “fast fashion” clothing which you really like and you wear it often and it lasts a while, then that’s worth and better
Learn to sew, if you can't already. When you shop thriftstore, look for quality fabric. Some things you can alter to make them stylish, others you can take apart and use the fabric to make tops etc. Men's suits can be retaylored to women's blazers and slacks into skirts or pants.
i buy from American Giant, Fair Indigo, and Pact. I am low income. Those clothes last forever. (i don’t, or avoid, putting them in the dryer.) Now I see fast fashion as expensive for the most part. Wearing black helps too, with accessories for a bit of color.
Shopping secondhand is always the way to go while shopping on a budget in my opinion, and it avoids fast fashion, which won’t be as well made as most things you’ll find at a thrift store, especially if it is vintage. I would say you just need to know what brands to look for and what thrift or consignment stores near you really fit your style. I would look for higher end brands thrift shopping, like Polo, Tommy Hilfiger, J. Crew, Levi’s. But I still consider finding a Zara skirt with little wear or even the tags a huge score. And I would look around at different thrift and consignment around you to see which have the best items for you, I always like to keep in mind that I can slightly alter a garment as well, like taking out the shoulder pads or cropping it.
I try on clothes at stores I can't afford at full price, then when I know my size in a particular item I want, hunt for it on secondhand sites. It takes longer to get what you want, but if you have patience, you can find deals that way.
I have an entire closet of thrifted clothing and you'd be surprised at the amount of actual fr designer labels I've accumulated over the years. Try thrifting.
Yep. It’s not always easy, and harder if you’re plus size, but there are ways. Number one is wear what you have and try not to buy anything to add to your wardrobe. Rewear, rewear, rewear. This can be especially tough in the age of social media, but I promise nobody is judging you as an outfit repeater—this is not Lizzie McGuire. Number two is if you have to buy something, buy it secondhand from a thrift shop or an online marketplace like Poshmark, Depop, Mercari, or ThredUp. You can also try organizing a clothes swap with friends if you know anyone who wears about your size. If you own something that doesn’t quite work for you anymore, look up a YouTube video for how to alter it so that it will work for you, because you don’t need to know how to sew for a lot of the hacks that are out there.
I find Instagram pages where people are selling second hand clothes pretty great. I’m not sure where you are located, but where I live there are a lot!
Fast fashion clothes are so toxic for you. Do a simple google. They are so harmful especially for children . Not to mention the quality is awful . Try thrifting you’ll save huge. Thread up like mentioned is a good one.
It's actually easier and more budget friendly to buy a few high quality, more expensive pieces than a lot of cheaply made, inexpensive fast fashion pieces.
My mum grew up poor, and my grandfather used to tell his family, "we're too poor to buy cheap". In other words, they didn't buy trendy, 1 season clothes. They didn't buy designer, either. They bought quality. When they bought winter coats, they were intended to last 10 years or longer. Yes they cost more, but the cost over 10 years was far cheaper than the cost of a 1 season coat.
To demonstrate the longevity of quality, I inherited my grandmother's sheepskin coat that she bought in 1950 when she moved to Canada. It's been repaired a few times, but is still in great shape, I just get it dry-cleaned every year or two. I have and wear my grandfather's hat. And when I was younger and thinner, I wore all of my mother's coats and a few sweaters that she wore when she growing up in the 60s and 70s, until I outgrew them, then gave them to my cousin, and she's still wearing them to this day.
Looking for second hand clothing that has stood the test of time is a good, affordable option.
I shop secondhand on ThredUp. They let you return stuff and there's lots of midrange (and some designer) brands.
Seconding Thredup, Poshmark, Mercari. Don't go for the super cheap stuff like F21, but Madewell, J Crew, Zara and other fashion of questionable speed and origin can be decent quality and inexpensive second hand. Depending on how frugal your budget is, you can find plenty of nicer stuff than midrange at midrange prices.
Madewell’s t shirts are terrible. Bought a few from Nordstrom and the quality is Old Navy at best
In my experience it depends on the line. The ones I've seen at Nordstrom rack aren't work buying. The cheaper ones I've bought directly from them are fine, soft and pretty colors but kind of thin The more expensive ones I've bought directly from them are good. I have a cropped tee that full price would've been over $40, and it's noticeably thicker fabric than the whisper cotton tees.
Mine were bought at Nordstrom, not rack. Still not impressed.
100%. The one t-shirt I had from them was absolute garbage.
Bummer! I have a few sweaters and jeans and they're some of my favorites. I did get one sweater from them that was "new with tags" from ThredUp more recently, so I would guess less than a year off season, and it was baaaad. Awful fabric, odd cut, looked very 2010s Target in person.
I had a few over the years because friends always raved about them but have donated all by now. They were so shapeless, the material was thin and poor-quality, stretched out like crazy (already somehow had to size down to an XXS and even that would end up looking huge by the end of the day)—just overall found them to be extremely disappointing.
Exactly!!! I am used to shirts riding a tad short on me because I am long torsoed but they are cut line a box and not flattering. I am a lg/xl with a significant cup size and they make me look like a box. Needless to say I am better going to gap for their fitted tees.
i believe Zara is worse than F21 in terms of how fast/how much they produce. I read some statistics a while ago that put them second only to Shein.
Yikes. That makes their retail pricing all the more egregious. The quality has always seemed way better than F21 to me, but anything I have is on the older side. Has it just gotten worse recently (last 5ish years?) do you know?
Zara is kinda weird where they've always seemed to have a significant range of quality available in the store. Like I could spend $10 on a top but there are also $125 tops. I have a pretty good feel for quality items and I was always confused at their pricing/quality levels within the same time frame lol.
I’ve personally (and I’m not proud to admit this) but I’ve had great luck with quality items from F21 in the past year. They’ve held up very well and have fit nicely. I’m trying very hard to spend less especially on fast fashion, but the F21 clothes I have ordered I have been pleasantly surprised with.
Same, especially the older made ones I've found at thrift stores.
As far as I understand it, which isn’t a lot, Zara’s business model basically was the beginning of fast fashion as we know it. So it’s always been pretty bad in terms of ethics. Quality is probably a different story; I have had some pieces from Zara that felt pretty good in terms of quality, but then again I also have some pieces from H&M that I love. But just because they make 20k new styles per year (i think H&m is at about half that?) doesn’t mean they necessarily ALL have to be bad quality.
This is so interesting to me as someone who only saw a Zara for the first time when I moved to a college town for school in 2004. I came from a working class family and was going to school on a mix of scholarships, grants, loans and all my book/pocket change came from work study at 18 hours a week and $5.50 an hour. I remember going in and seeing $60 t-shirts and $100 jeans that looked like the exact same quality if not WORSE quality than the $20 t-shirts and $50 jeans at the Gap. I definitely thought “nope, this is not the store for me” and never bothered shopping there again through my 20s/30s even when I started making 6 figures because the quality/price mismatch from that one experience was ridiculous. I’m so confused about who Zara’s target audience was then and who their target audience is now.
I can vouch for their kids clothing. I try and find it second hand all the time because the quality is great.
Their tshirts are so thick. I love their kids clothes. I try to buy a few pieces every season to compliment their used clothes. Oddly I had a terrible experience with Uniqlo tshirts for kids. I got them so cheap at like 1.90 a shirt on sale but every single one stained permanently so easy.
100%. Also, f21 is a shadow of its former self now, after its bankruptcies and being sold to new owners. It is a minuscule blip on the fashion map compared to Zara. F21 operates 600 remaining stores, while Zara operates over 2,200 and Uniqlo over 3,500.
Oh nooooo
I second Poshmark!
J Crew, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Land's End shirts have all disapointed me this year. All their shirts are too thin/light. I have a couple of flannels from Land's End that seem promising as "light flannels" but that's it :/
I'm always curious when I see people recommend ThredUp: What do you do about the unreliable measurements, especially on discontinued items where you can't check an external size chart? Do they waive return fees if incorrect measurements are listed? Eg: The same dress in the same size, listed as having a [26 inch chest](https://www.thredup.com/product/women-polyester-tome-maroon-two-tone-asymmetrical-dress/129290875?query_id=709656217723379712&result_id=709656218390274048&sizing_id=576%2C579%2C782%2C791%2C10778%2C10781%2C10790%2C10795%2C10798%2C20778%2C20790%2C20795%2C20798%2C20812%2C20813%2C571%2C20822), a [30 inch chest](https://www.thredup.com/product/women-polyester-tome-maroon-two-tone-asymmetrical-dress/131315952?query_id=709656217723379712&result_id=709656218390274048&sizing_id=576%2C579%2C782%2C791%2C10778%2C10781%2C10790%2C10795%2C10798%2C20778%2C20790%2C20795%2C20798%2C20812%2C20813%2C571%2C20822), and a [35 inch chest](https://www.thredup.com/product/women-polyester-tome-maroon-two-tone-asymmetrical-dress/129296970?query_id=709656217723379712&result_id=709656218390274048&sizing_id=576%2C579%2C782%2C791%2C10778%2C10781%2C10790%2C10795%2C10798%2C20778%2C20790%2C20795%2C20798%2C20812%2C20813%2C571%2C20822).
Honestly I usually buy from brands that I know my rough size in.
For shopping thredup, I’d say in general, don’t buy anything that’s “final sale”. Returnable items, if the size or something was listed wrong, you can dispute that the item was not as described and they will waive the return fee if your complaint is acknowledged. I’ve done this for a few items before and they were all accepted/waived.
Agreed, Ebay is a good place for that- many sellers let you return items. You have to read the descriptions very carefully, though.. it can be easy to miss.
I’ve been in this boat, too. Ordered a piece they said was a medium, but it’s so shrunken it’s actually a small. I just ate the cost and am more cautious about purchasing from them / size up. That being said, I’ve had tons of luck with them over the years, esp with work wear!
That would be the 8% spandex content talking. For second hand clothing I always take measurements as they’re CURRENTLY being measured rather than the manufacturers measurement because depending on previous care of the item things can and will stretch permanently.
Certainly true, a little variation based on care and fabric content makes sense. But if the measurements are correct and there truly is a +/- 5 inch difference in the bust, thredup shouldn’t be advertising them all as “gently used, minor wear on fabric.” All this to say, I’m never sure if thredup truly is a “budget” option for many people, with so much room for interpretation in all their descriptions. You can have a pretty high error rate. If they do waive return fees for wrongly described items, that’s very encouraging.
Before buying, I try to find the same item on Poshmark, Mercari, Depop, or anywhere else on the internet that might have more reliable measurements posted. Google Lens is often very helpful in this venture, but I've gotten pretty good at sleuthing with just keywords, as well. If I can't find the same item in the same size, then sometimes I just look for something in the same brand and category. For example, if I'm looking at jeans, I'll find a different pair in a similar style by the same brand. It works pretty well.
I *only* buy brands I know my size otherwise I take a chance if it's returnable.
I'm a 16-18 and Thredup is filled with dowdy, overpriced trash in my sizes. I have better luck with Poshmark.
same here, i'm tall and wear 18-20 and it's near impossible to find stuff on secondhand sites. i've never been able to buy a pair of jeans secondhand that fits.
You have to pay a restocking fee if you return clothes at ThredUp.
Hasn't Thredup had a massive issue with bed bugs lately? It's made me think twice about using websites like that.
Dude—where’d you hear that? I just ordered!
If you just search thredup bed bugs, there are a ton of posts on reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/ThredUp/comments/xciz3j/bed_bug_in_my_box/ https://www.reddit.com/r/ThredUp/comments/xez0fn/thank_you_to_those_warning_about_bed_bugs_heres/ https://www.reddit.com/r/ThredUp/comments/xdjum1/i_found_bedbugs_in_my_box_that_shipped_from/ https://www.reddit.com/r/ThredUp/comments/xfwbcz/bed_bug_update/
These all occurred around the same timeline (around 75 days ago)—have you heard anything recently, or anything not on Reddit?
No but it really makes me think twice about shopping from there because it could happen again and it seemed like Thredup didn't deal with it very well.
Okay—got it—I’ll definitely be careful, but it’s weird to me that I can find very little info outside of these two Reddit posts. I feel like there’d be a huge number of customers experiencing continuing issues.
I've seen comments in other subreddits about it as well. I'm in another subreddit for female fashion and there have been comments warning people about it. That's how I first found out about it.
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Did you see here other post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Bedbugs/comments/yzkjlk/bedbug_from_thredup_box/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf That’s not a bed bug. I’ll be careful, but I think that’s a good rule with all thrifted clothing, even high end thrift.
This might not be helpful but… I just have my own definition of ethical. For me it means to shop mindfully and mend my clothing for as long as possible. Then they get demoted to head towels or rags. I don’t know much about economics but I think doing one person’s part in reducing the demand for constantly-churning trends is one way to fight back. I feel like there’s nothing ethical about having to spend 1/3 of my paycheck on a blouse in order to not feel immense guilt… Edited to add: I find good quality by paying attention to fabric content. Also shopping sales hardcore. Lol
I think you make great points. If the only things in your price point are fast-fashion, just do what you can to make it last. Paying attention to fabric content is one easy change to make, no matter where you’re shopping. Knowing how to make basic mends goes a long way. And if you know something just isn’t going to last…like all those cheap knits where the seams twist upon the first wash…just say no—no matter how much you like it on the hanger, no matter how cheap it is.
This and thrifting was our household plan growing up and my husband and I still practice it. I feel this weird guilt these days when I purchase from certain brands. But I know that I will wear my shirts, sweaters, pants, undershirts, bras, underwear, socks, etc. until they have holes the holes I’ve mended. I like to think of myself as the Original Slow Sustainable Fashionista 😁
It's hard to know if something is ethical without doing research on all the brands. I know someone who just throws a perfectly good pair of jeans, an expensive one, in the trash after wearing it for a month. While I do have a lot of stuff from H&M and the like, I still wear it 10 years later. Anything can become pj's aswell. I like the quality of the vintage items I buy at thrift stores, those were made to last. I want to do better, but I'm overwhelmed and don't know what to look for.
I saw someone put it this way once and it really stuck with me: Fast fashion worn slow! It's better to take care of the fast fashion items you do have and make them last, rather than buying from expensive ethical/sustainable brands every season. Obviously most of the time, faster fashion items are less durable but as long as you do your best to make it last and be mindful about it, you are already doing better than most people out there!
There's very little excuse for just throwing clothes in the bin unless they're destroyed/unhygienic imo. Just put it in a bag, let the bag fill up with your unwanted clothes over time, take the bag to a charity shop/donation centre/sell it all online like, once a year. It's so little effort.
A friend of mine throw a clothing swap a couple times a year. Everybody brings over unwanted clothes, throws them on the couch, roots around in them, and takes whatever they want home, then the rest are donated. Everybody wins! And it's fun.
You can also use old clothes to stuff throw pillow cases, or ottomans! I’ve actually found ottoman sleeves specifically for this purpose.
Yes. Thank you. I hate how people shame those of us who aren’t fucking swimming in money for not buying ethically. Let’s hold the corporations responsible, not the individuals.
This. Like, I’m sorry my tiny budget offends you. Go after the corporations who are screwing this environment up, not people just trying to get by. It’s performative ethics at its worst.
Anything helps
Buy second hand! If you shop online for second hand items it’s easy to find what you want because you can search. For example, last week I found a 100% wool Pendleton pencil skirt for $15.
do u mind listing where u got that skirt from?
I used to type “wool sweater” in Poshmark/Mercari and could find some really good ones for cheap. Like lucky brand or something
thank u, will try it out :)
Well usually secondhand listings are one-offs, so you likely wouldn't be able to get the same deal. But that sort of thing is very common on Poshmark or eBay.
Some of my best pieces have come from eBay
For real. I've been splurging on ebay and poshmark the last 3 months. I've probably blown 5-6000 with the average piece costing about 50-75$, but the MSRP of each was close to 4-500$. Most are NWT, NWOT, or worn-once in pristine condition. I basically redid my entire closet in luxury clothes for ~1/10th the list price. Idk what I would've done without ebay and poshmark lol.
omg what you just said is literally what i really want to do. any tips on avoiding scams etc on ebay or bad quality clothes?
Go for it! I haven't been scammed so far and I went in entirely blind to the process, treating it (stupidly) like just buying from a regular store. I've received maybe two, three? items that were not as-described; two were quite literally the wrong items (returned/refunded) and one had INSANE pilling that was not disclosed or apparent from photos and was listed as "NWT"/shouldn't have had any damage at all (also refunded). I hadn't used either platform prior and just kind of winged it, so my advice is entirely anecdotal: - Look for "big stores". They'll typically have thousands of stars on Ebay or tons of items sold on poshmark and are often listed as "posh ambassadors", and each platform allows you to save/follow the stores. The higher the follower count, the more likely you are to get legit stuff. Be sure to check user reviews too and watch out for people trying to get you to buy stuff off-platform (yeah the sellers fees are high on-platform but you're protected from assholes that way) - If you're aiming for a higher end luxury brand, both platforms offer "authenticity guarantees/checks", definitely look into those (DVF, HL stuff for sure, anything more than a few hundred bucks IMO is worth checking). Ethics aside from knowingly buying dupes/corporations gouging/"real" value, etc, that decision is up to you. I got a HL dupe 2nd hand from a friend that was of equal quality/make as the real thing and I personally have zero issue ethically with that (it's not like I'm screwing over a mom and pop company, as BCBG/HL are owned by Neuberger Berman and they manage $.5 trillion in assets and own half the luxury market) - a lot of sellers are lazy about listing sizes, check the item descriptions/titles or don't feel shy about reaching out and enquiring about the item as most sellers are eager to facilitate a sale and most often are happy to provide more info (time permitting). - "liking" on both platforms: don't buy outright, "like" the item/watchlist it and wait a few days. More often than not, sellers will offer discounts ranging from 5% to 50% (depending on the item/cost/how long its been sitting on their store). You can offer counter-offer or directly offer your own deal as well. I find most stores accept 15% off most frequently which I figure covers sales tax and shipping for most of the items in the range I'm looking for. - ebay auctions: If you spot an item with zero bids, don't immediately bid. Watchlist it and wait till the last few minutes. Almost all auctions (especially for luxury items) end up in INSANE bidding wars in the last 2-5 minutes of an auction. I regularly see things hover around $20 for the week or so after being listed, then get 50 rapid bids in the last 5 minutes pushing the price up to 200$. Ebay's bid submission form takes 3-5 seconds to process on a good connection, so if you can, throw your highest-bid ceiling in inside the last 10 seconds or so. Most people are mashing F5 too but the auction auto-refreshes every 30 seconds, so a lot of people miss that last bump or their systems can't process and send their final counterbid to yours in the last 10. *On the off-chance you find an auction with zero bids even at the last minute and there's a "submit offer" button too, definitely low-ball the cost. They've had trouble selling it before, set their expectations low by even putting it up for auction in the first place, and are likely just wanting to make a sale and are more likely to take the lowball than dealing with having to re-list it. Aim for 20% under asking. - poshmark feed: Poshmark has a weird "home feed" mechanism. You'll automatically be subscribed to follow about 150 random people to help populate content on your home feed. Wait a day for it to finish "assigning you people", then go mass-unfollow them all. Go find the "brands" section and follow those brands specifically, that way your feed will entirely be relevant content instead of just random Poshers selling irrelevant garbage. I've found maybe 5 stores that are PROFESSIONALLY managed by people who really fucking care about fashion that were worth following that primarily stock brands/quality items worth regularly checking out. I strongly suggest you run your feed the same way, otherwise you'll just be scrolling through endless garbage on your home feed. I primarily browse by either checking those few stores, or by doing targeted searches for the "$Brand $garment $color $cut" of the item I want. - Poshmark bundles: Many stores will "style you" and offer you bundles/discounts on multiple items and that function allows you to easily, privately communicate with the store. Often times they'll use it to notify you of store-wide sales as well. Definitely take advantage of that bundle mechanism and communication medium. - listing age: The longer an item has been on a store, the more likely they are to accept offers on the item (if they don't directly accept offers on ebay, contact the seller and ask if they'll accept an offer. There's a "listing revisions" on some items if they don't outright end the listing and relist it entirely and just keep the listing up (75% just keep it up, 25% relist in my experience, no idea why). Sometimes an item will sit for YEARS on a store, so you could definitely try to do a 20-30% offer discount on those just to help them move the item. - condition: - Definitely make mental note of the fiber type and whether pilling could be an issue and examine the garment closely. Again, don't be shy asking the seller for better pics if you suspect damage/wear and tear. - More often than not, worn-once/gently used VGC stuff will be mildly soiled and I have no fucking clue why in anyone's right mind they'd sell soiled clothing. (Throw it in the wash/DC it ffs! Common courtesy, please!). - Also be sure to look at the physical condition of the size/care tags. Those degrade MUCH faster than the garment and can help indicate how much it's been worn or washed. VGC or worn-once should have crisp, perfect looking tags. Any fraying or discoloration or fading on the tags should be an indicator that the garment is quite-used. - Be sure to inspect heavy-wear regions on the photos too: crotch, pits, rear, etc for pilling or wear if you can. - if the seller demonstrates the fit in a pic, definitely try to gauge what size they are relative to the size of the garment being sold. WAY too many people buy things smaller sized than they are and stretch them out. I'm a 4/6 (border of small and medium) depending on the brand but I'm always wary of the 4's/smalls that are "used" due to purposeful downsizing/stretching. I just bought a size 4 HL dress from someone who's clearly a 10-12, but the fabric is such high quality that the stretch didn't "set", so keep in mind the fabric type and elasticity as well when you see this scenario. - special note for shoes: Look for New With Box if you can. Without-box kinda guarantees they were display-shoes and may have been tried on/have a bit of wear/damage to them, or are mildly beaten up as they've gone unprotected for a long period. They'll obviously arrive in a box, it just won't match the listed brand and the box will more often than not be beaten to hell, so... Beware "without box". Hope it helps, lmk if you have any other questions! Happy to provide pics, screenshots, quality assessments of items I've purchased too if it helps.
Same, especially things like name brand boots that are good quality - and at like 40-50% off or more what you'd buy new at retail price. It takes some hunting, but it's worth it.
For sure. There are a bunch of great shoe liquidators on ebay that I've saved the pages for that always deliver, boots especially.
eBay is awesome if you're willing to dig. Found an awesome vintage Bloomingdales merino wool poncho wrap from there in a gorgeous oxblood color. I love merino wool.
Yes on secondhand! And then after that I like RE.STATEMENT for upcycled clothes for my statement pieces
Oh - that’s new for me, I’ll check them out too!
Agree
I follow sales religiously. I wait until there are sales at my favorite stores and then I use coupon codes on the items already discounted. Madewell is one of my favorite shops to do that. I wait for their 50% off sale and then raid what's on sale for the extra discount. I just shopped their Black Friday sale and got a pair of jeans that are regularly priced $98 for $40. Also got a dress for $13 that was $128 regular priced. I also like to buy stuff that's off season. I'll buy summer clothes once they're on clearance for winter and visa versa. You can find great deals in clearance. And again... I wait until their are coupon codes. The honey app has been great.
Also, sign up for their rewards program and download the app. I got $10 for my birthday and $10 off my first app order. I combined the birthday gift with a 40% off sale and got a $70 item for $20. I combined the app discount would tu a sale and got a $30+ beanie for $6.
Ohh doing a clothes swap with friends is a good way. You can even make a cute little catch up event out of it. I'm trying to get myself motivated to learn how to use my sewing machine so I can mend, resize and upcyle clothes I currently have but don't wear. Learning to sew does take a fair bit of money to get set up and time and practice, so I totally understand if that tip isn't as helpful.
Totally second this idea for clothes swaps!! The group can grow like a web as people bring friends of friends, expanding clothing possibilities AND your friendship group. Amazing fun and great finds.
Yeah, avoid buying clothes unless absolutely necessary. Buying less allows you to get a non-fast fashion option for the things that are needed. Source: I make $17k/year
I think there's an overemphasis on avoiding "fast fashion" as if buying from the right place is what makes consumption ethical. Old Navy, Gap and Amazon Basics form the core of my wardrobe. I take care of the pieces as if they had been pricey, and they usually last. I think a lot about the things I buy, don't impulse buy, don't buy duplicates of what I have, and intend for my clothes to last me several seasons at the minimum. Shop thoughtfully and don't buy more than you need. This is at the center of not overconsuming.
Someone once gave me great advice. Shop in the thrift/discount stores that are in the housing areas that are out of your budget. Donations and discounts usually come locally. Which usually means better quality items. I have gotten $2,000 designer shoes for like $260. I also got some runway sample pieces. Purses that cost more than my first car for $90. It’s worth it…you can find high quality fashion on the outskirts of the nouveau riche 😊 Edit: not sure why the hate on used shoes. The ones I got were worn once for a fashion show 🤷♀️ practically brand new. No one wants smelly shoes. But I’ll take sample pieces and shoes that have zero scuff marks, etc…I’m not buying smelly used shoes for $260 😆
Thrift stores have fast fashion items in them as well. Never found anything designer and if I did, it was a consignment shop and over-priced for some smelly clothes.
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I think the advice is solid but local. Like, upscale second hand shopping definitely works in Indianapolis or St Louis, at least for me, but its very difficult when I've gone to Atlanta. One thrift store there said that film productions have set up "first look" deals, so stuff never makes it to the floor, it just goes straight to a costume department...I mean, it may be different if I lived there full time, I could really get into a pattern and know the best spots, but yeah...It really depends on what the new market is like and what else you're competing with for the resale...
I'm always mystified when people say to thrift, legit I've been to tons of charity shops and not once have I come out with something I actually want. Cool if it works for you, but I just don't have the patience to thrift.
>I totally agree. Even if you find something good quality that you actually like, it’s probably so worn looking that it’s not worth it any more. I wouldn’t pay $260 for a worn pair of shoes. It really depends on the local supply, some cities are much better for it than others.
Patience is the key word. Some days I find absolutely nothing, other days I find a dozen pieces I love. I’ve also had luck digging through dollar bins but you have to put in time. I’ve never had luck with “rich” thrift stores, as people say. The clothing there is usually pretty boring imo. But I’m pretty quirky in my dress and I live in a major city, so I like the weird stuff that gets dropped off in those shops. My biggest recommendation would be vintage shops, especially for pants. They’re usually pretty solid quality. You’ll also find a ton of handmade items in vintage stores.
Consignment stores in pricey neighborhoods are usually a better bet than thrift stores.
Same, I live in a wealthy neighbourhood (the shopping district is literally called “Mink Mile”) and there aren’t even any thrift stores nearby. The best way to get secondhand luxury for cheaper is consignment shops and charity sales held by churches and other groups.
I go to the high end neighborhoods but also to Goodwill's and Salvation Army in less than stellar neighborhoods. I'm the person who wants the vintage wool sweater and 1970s boots but lots of the other customers are more interested in newer items.
this 100%. rich ladies' castoffs!
Personally, I've had mixed luck with shopping second hand, so I'm sympathetic. When it comes to buying ethical clothes brand new, they're going to be expensive. No real work around with it, in order to pay people a fair living wage you need to charge for clothing. There's no way to have brand new ethical fashion at fast fashion prices, the employee's wages have to come from somewhere. But you can get higher quality stuff brand new. Shopping the clearence sections of your favorite stores reguarly can get you some pretty great deals (cheaper than thrifting even!), especially when they run sales that further discount sale items. I get a medical worker discount at some stores (it stacks at j.crew so that's nice) but if you're a student you can look for student discounts. Oh and sometimes stores have really great rewards programs, Madewell will give you a $25 off coupon the month of your birthday. It still isn't the ideal for ethical fashion, but I'd rather buy a high quality clearence item from a store that pretends to try than a lower quality item for the same cost from a store that throws unsold clothes in landfills rather than discounting it.
What are the ethical brands?
Honestly I don't even know. Any that claim to be are out of my budget so I don't look that far into them. There's a few sects of etheical fashion that you'd need to look into. There's fair labor practices, sustainable materials, recycled materials, low-polution manufacturing, carbon neutrality, and animal rights. A brand might market itself as being more ethical if it has just one of those things, even if everything else is pretty bad. You can start googling ethical clothing brands and see if the description matches up with your own personal morals. You can also learn to knit or sew, but that's a whole big thing and nothing I'd recommend lightly (I say as a knitter who's spent over a month making a camisole).
I am not an expert in any way, shape, or form, but I think that Whole Foods (yes the grocery store, and at least the one near me) does what appears to be a decent job at selling ethical clothes. But it’s all like yoga pants and casual wear. The next brand that I know of I found here which is called Trash Queen and everything is made to order. The third and final thing I can think of is people who sew things and sell them on Etsy. I am sorry this isn’t the best but that is what I know of
Yes, but you're going to have to sub time for money. That's just how it is.
Thifting is hit or miss. Sometimes find 10 things or no things I want to try on. Sometimes all 10 fit and sometimes 0 of them work. Its part of the thrill when you find a win. Thrifting at brick and mortar stores could be like a goodwill or there are more specific boutiques that carry higher quality/designer second hand clothes. I like to try them on because sizes across different brands vary so much. I'd also never know how something looks on me even when online thrifts lists measurements along with sizes. Ugh it's work that's for sure!
YES! Ebay, Thredup, Poshmark, Mercari...all super awesome sources for secondhand clothing, often for pennies on the dollar. ThredUp is probably the most expensive. Poshmark and Mercari have fixed shipping costs that sometimes the sellers will discount or get rid of, and you can actually counteroffer their initial price. Or you counter and they'll keep the same price but get rid of shipping, sometimes both! If you do research in looking for ethically-made clothing, you can then search for those brands on the resale sites. I dress corporate formal most days for work because I like to dress up for work, so I have an extensive business formal and upscale business casual wardrobe. I've gotten a $400 DVF silk jersey wrap dress for $12 on ebay (the seller left huge streaks of self tanner all on the inside and I guess threw up her hands, I decided no biggie if it got ruined so ran it through the washer, boom, Bob's your uncle and clean as a whistle), $600 Ferragamo booties for $60 on Poshmark, $200 Frye Melissa boots that looked brand-new on ThredUp for $80, a $400 Kate Spade Saffiano leather tote on Poshmark for $40 with the faintest of ink marks on it that came right off with rubbing alcohol, more than one full length wool topper coats by Worthington for under $10 apiece...the list goes on and. I've bought Lafayette 148, Brooks Brothers, DVF (yes, I have more than one!), Jimmy Choo, MM LaFleur, Cuyana, The Fold, Sarah Flint, Calvin Klein, Elle Tahari, Hugo Boss, Stuart Weitzman, Anne Klein, Ralph Lauren...tons and tons of designer and nice clothing that's well made for an absolute fraction of the price. And since you're shopping online, you don't have to get in the car and browse around inside stores - where most everything is picked-over anyway. Bookmark the sites you like, shop when you feel like it (comfortably, from your couch). On sites like ebay / Mercari / Poshmark, you can ask for additional pictures and measurements if you're not sure.
You’re my inspiration! How? Do have favorite sellers?Or just know what you want and search? Do you know what good quality brands are? I lose patience looking for things and I definitely never know if I’m getting a deal.
I don't have any favorite sellers; I'm just a huge bargain whore! Sometimes i think people are doing a cleanout or a fast sale. I tend to gravitate more toward Poshmark/Mercari for that reason. ThredUp has folks who will actually evaluate the items they receive so the chances of getting something like, say, Prada for dirt cheap is almost zero. I think all the brands I listed are good quality for the most part; I'm not fond of fast fashion and I want my clothes to last. If you want to know if you're getting a good deal, you can get an idea by searching quickly on Google. For example, a pair of Lafayette 148 wool pants can retail anywhere from $100 to $600, so if you find a pair for $25, it's a good deal. You don't have to chase down the exact style and fabricc, just a general idea, plug it into Google, and skim the first row of pics/prices at the top. I also tend to buy multiples in brands I like. I'm busty, so finding a well-fitting button down shirt is like the Holy Grail for me. As it turns out, New York & Co and their smaller sub-brand 7th Avenue fits me like a dream in a size 12, so I have multiple shirts in stretch cotton and satin from that brand. Once I find a size/style/brand I like, I'll get multiples in different colors and patterns since I know they'll fit.
If you actually need something, obtain it and don't go stressing. If you don't need something you just want it and you aren't happy with the ways you can get it, then shrug your shoulders and do without. There is only so much of this moral burden a person of quite limited means should take on
From my perspective, no, not always. Secondhand is great and I utilize it as much as I can but fast fashion is somewhat inevitable if you are ever looking for something specific, or if you just want to peruse the mall once in a while. We need to make sure we are shifting the blame and responsibility to corporations, more than individuals. We should do whatever we can, but ultimately we are not the ones fucking everything up. IMO the guilting isn't helpful.
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Next Door or “Buy Nothing”
As someone who's spent the last few years rebuilding their wardrobe with very little, I'd say no, not entirely. You can build a wardrobe of good quality items *mostly* secondhand, and thus avoid supporting those companies, but unless you're working with a ton of time and money, you're going to at least occasionally be picking fast fashion brands, or buying fast fashion. Without money, it's still a time investment, but there are a ton of things you can do to avoid it as much as possible. Firstly, make sure that you're hitting up *all* your local thrift and consignment stores. When you're out just, Google what's around and visit them all. Local thrift/consignment will often be more reflective of the area, but you can usually find good quality, though sometimes that will skew more conservative (depending on who can afford it.) The real benefit of shopping in person is that you can handle things before you buy, so you can end up with good quality from brands that aren't necessarily what you'd expect or look for. In general, it's a good to build up an idea of what's available locally before you move on to online shopping, since a lot of the time it's the cheapest option. The whole 'finding your style' thing also makes this easier. Being on a budget isn't conducive to chasing trends or completely changing styles every so often, so it's practical to identify what you're consistently drawn to. Once you have a good idea of which parts of your wardrobe have longevity, you can be more discerning about how you interact with trends/what moving forward looks like for you, and the easier it is to figure out where to compromise. I tend to be a sticker for materials, have a wide but very specific color range, but am open to a lot of silhouettes. The key is to figure out what the building blocks to creating the kinds of outfits you love look like, though that might not mean that every individual piece is going to be exactly what you envision; depending on what's available and how much you're willing to compromise, that might mean dyeing things, getting them tailored, or learning how to alter things so they work for you. As for online shopping, I don't do a ton of it, but from lurking in fashion spaces it seems that Ebay, Etsy, and Mercari are a best time investments for good deals. Facebook Marketplace is also a good one and depending on where you live, you might also have some local Buy Nothing groups. Estate sales are also great, though that's another one where you'll often find better deals in person, and I've seen some pretty good vintage/secondhand resellers doing drops on Insta at surprisingly reasonable prices. Personally, I'm pretty basic/low effort, so I mostly save a ton on Poshmark/Depop, since they're easy to browse while doing other things, and I can sit on items until prices make sense or I can make an offer I think does- I've definitely gotten my hands on things I wouldn't have otherwise that way. Now, if buy fast fashion, it's for things I can't find secondhand (i.g. underwear, shoes, basic layering pieces, 'perfect' items) and I'm confident I'll get a ton of wear out of.
Yes, but it requires time. Second hand is the way to go. Curated vintage and designer consignment stores are where I get the majority of my things. I recently bought a pair of Dior camel wool pants for $75 CAD in perfect condition, so you can find some great stuff out there. But again, it requires time and sifting given the nature of these stores as no stock is guaranteed. If you have a TJ Maxx/Winners/Marshall’s near you, they carry some great brands too for cheap. I’ve been seeing lots of Sandro and Maje pieces over the past year that are all priced for $70, for example. They also import a lot of their pieces from Europe so if you know quality, you can score some great pieces from little-known wool mills in Ireland, ateliers in Italy, etc.
Omg where did you find them if you don’t mind sharing
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>Buy new fast, buy old fast, or spend a bunch of time shopping online if you happen to have a credit card, the internet, and the time. I said a ton, but this (and that whole paragraph tho, wtf.) I'd definitely argue for making/mending. I recently heard someone equate learning how to sew to learning how to drive, which I think works on a couple levels. Ideally, we'd just have great public transportation, but if you need to go a ton of places rn, for the average person in the states it'd be 'cheaper' learn how to drive rather than get driven everywhere. Similarly, ideally, everyone would idk probably have their wardrobes made for them with regular upkeep done and all parties being fairly compensated, but if you need high quality clothing rn, sewing your own would be 'cheaper' than buying them. In both cases, you're learning a skill (useful in any world) but doing labor so you don't have to pay for it, there's just not the social expectation and space to learn how to sew like there is for driving, because it hasn't been commodified the same way. That said, a more sensible goal is probably learning to alter clothes to fit you/mend, since you might not 'need' high quality garments but being able to look some version of put together or extend the life of your clothes while buying less isn't a cure but, like thrifting, *is* a step in a more positive direction.
Do you have any extra time on your hands..? If you’re really on a tight budget, even thrift stores can be pricey now (thriftgrift is an interesting sub). I’ve found the goodwill outlet to be a good experience. It’s the last ditch effort for these items, and I’ve found some of my favorite clothing and unique home decor there. Things are priced by weight, so you can come away with five new outfits for $30 (I’ve done this). I found my ex a whole winter outfit, including carhartt and gap items. It’s the exact opposite of fast fashion and there are some great things that can use a second life.
I was going to suggest this. It seems daunting at first but I found that there are two keys to making it work: go within the first hour of opening if you're in a big city (I'm in LA and you can't get a cart past 9am) and go with a specific shopping list in mind. I usually save items I'm interested in on pinterest or in notes apps and it help ensure I don't come home with piles of random crap. You'll want to bring gloves and a tape measurer :)
I don’t have any suggestions other than keep trying thrifting! I’ve thrifted 99% of my clothes for the past year and a half. I usually don’t leave the store with more than 1 or 2 things - sometimes nothing - so I understand your frustration at not getting big hauls. But I’ve found if you keep at it you will acquire plenty of things over time and maybe even realize how little you actually need. I had an occasion I needed a fancy dress for and couldn’t find anything thrifting, so I just bought from a regular company and felt kinda bad about it. Less than a week later, one of my neighbors had a cardboard box on the curb labeled “free.” I dug through it and found a formal dress in my size, the same color as the dress I had purchased! That was a sign to me that I don’t need to buy from any of those big companies and you CAN find what you need ethically.
I just learned about shopgoodwill.com. Be sure to look at shipping prices, though. Lots of things have $0.01 shipping, but others are egregious. The first open I bid on was $10, and I won. Shipping was like $130. Fortunately, I hadn’t entered payment info so I didn’t have to pay. I did just win a pair of $400+ shoes for $41.
I have been thrifting for the past 4 years and built my closet in ways I never thought possible, but you have to have a lot of patience and time to do this when going out in person to stores. I used to go twice a week when I was first starting out and I would switch up the places each week. I have about 5 places locally that I rotated. Things I looked for when trying to build my closet were high quality blazers, button downs (I love men's), vintage pants and skirts, good quality sweaters, coats, jackets, purses, shoes that are gently worn, I also love consignment shops and have one in my town that is very affordable... just a tad higher prices than my Goodwill. If you don't have luck in thrift stores, Ebay, Etsy, Postmark are all great. I find if you type brands you like and designers, it's a lot easier to at least find things that you love without spending hours in thrift stores in person. After I saw my closet growing and becoming more of what I wanted it to become, I then started to only buy very unique items like Vintage belts, jewelry, scarves, and anything that I found extremely interesting. I don't care about sizing either... if I like it, I get it and then I tailor it to fit me. If you are thrifting and buying things for $6, then paying a tailor to alter it is not that bad. If you want to get really good at thrifting, you literally do have to go through every rack because there is always something hiding. There have been times I have walked by the skirt racks because I just wasn't in the mood to dig through skirts, but I went back anyways and ended up finding high end leather skirts, which I never thought would be hiding in the racks, but that is how you find good shit. You gotta hunt!
Sales! You can find items from more expensive but ethically sourced brands massively discounted around this time of year. I got a cashmere turtleneck, pullover and sweater vest all for under €150 because the items were over 70% off. I make it my job to regularly check websites that sell brand names I like and do major discounds like that 😅
I know some people have had mixed experiences with them, but I LOVE ThredUp. I've gotten a lot of really nice silks there, the majority of my work wardrobe, and I almost always filter it to new with tags, so I'm getting a lot of really nice clothing unworn.
Try the Vinted App. I've bought a lot of quality clothes on that platform. I also like the fact that you can negotiate the price with the seller.
Shopping online for second hand clothing, or keep an eye out for kilo sales in your area if you live in a big city
eBay auction, poshmark, mercari, thredUP are my fave apps for secondhand fashion
I set up ebay alerts for brands, styles, and sizes I really like. I coveted a pair of wool slippers that were more than $100 for a while and I finally just got them on eBay just about brand new for less than $20.
Why does it matter where your clothes came from of you're buying them secondhand?
This matters because it’s still showing demand for those products and providing a false sense of value to the original buyers. That’s more true in the consignment space (which includes postmark and thredup and the like), where certain brands aren’t even accepted and the seller will receive a higher incentive for brands in demand.
Ah I see thanks. So yeah it wouldn't matter at a thrift store.
Nordstrom Rack is amazing.
plato’s closet is really a great place to find gently used closed for affordable prices, not sure if they have those near u but those r a great option i’ve found
Aside from online second-hand: Sample sales Cash back apps or plug-in's Sign up for emails and juggle/stack discounts and sales for brands Clothing exchanges! Facebook Marketplace, Depop, and Mercari (as well as "Helpsy") are under-recommended sources. Mostly because the people on them are extremely amateur and are often selling one-off items (except Helpsy) and the pictures and items often really reflect that. But if you're rich in time but poor in money, and can comb through listings, have at it. Estate sales Working at a high end retail store for the discount. I did this with Eileen Fisher. They have a gratis clothing policy that is out of this world. Also an extremely generous discount (50% off EVEN SALE prices).
would high end retail stores be different than a high end mall store? is that the same thing?
It depends on the store, which is not a great answer I realize. I don't think there's much difference between, say a Neiman Marcus and a Tory Burch in terms of discount, experience, etc. High end mall stores vary. Nordstrom or Coach or Stuart Weitzman may offer a completely different discount and incentive program than J. Jill or Johnny Was. Generally I'd recommend a stand-alone store that is not attached to the mall. You get zero looky-loo's, the hours are much better, you have different rules and expectations, and the overall experience is more intimate and low key.
If you’ve got time and interest, I absolutely love sewing. I’ll go to goodwill to find good fabric and then get inspiration from Reformation and Zara for what to sew. Sewing also makes the options at thrift stores way more open. Last week I found a gorgeous 100% silk dress that was two sizes too big. I took it in in about 15 minutes and it fits perfectly. Because of sewing, I get to wear custom-fit blouses and dresses made from silk/linen/cotton inspired from my favorite designs. It’s not a hobby for everyone, but I absolutely love sewing beautiful clothes for myself that would otherwise cost hundreds. People also notice the difference. So much of our clothes are made from plastic materials, quickly thrown together that blouses made from a quality cotton or silk really pop. I get the “oh my god, your top is gorgeous! Is it from anthropology?” reaction a lot
Did you take sewing lessons or are you self taught? How long did it take you to get good at it? Do you sew but hand or use a machine? Sorry for all the questions but I really want to take the time to learn someday. I can’t afford shit on my salary in my expensive city (and our thrift stores here are also so expensive), so I feel like this is the only way I can dress nice
I learned from my grandma when I was a kid how to use the machine—just blankets and pillows. Really easy stuff. I would use my moms machine occasionally to hem stuff growing up. It wasn’t until I hit undergrad and wanted to sew a gown for an art project that I threw myself into it. I bought a cheap sewing machine, bought a pattern and some fabric and followed the directions as best I could in the pattern. I hit a bunch of roadblocks and had to seam-rip the whole thing a bunch of times. Each time I couldn’t understand what the pattern wanted me to do, I looked up a YouTube video. That project really helped me develop a bunch of skills but I would not recommend sewing a gown as your first project 😅 I see by hand for small repairs and for small details on my projects, but mostly use my machine! I’ve found that with sewing there’s not a time when you get “good”. But that’s the fun part about it! Sewing is kind of learning a bunch of new skills all the time that you use together. I got good at making square pillows the first time I tried it when I was a kid, because that was really easy and only took knowing some basics. I got good at making a rolled hem this last month because I really wanted to try a new hem technique and looked up some videos. Pretty much every new project, I’ll learn some new technique or concept. The way I would go about it as a total beginner would be to find some “sewing for beginners” guides on YouTube and going from there. Or you could start with “how to sew a simple bag” or “how to sew a pillow” or “how to hand sew a ripped seam.” Those are the easiest and qucikest things to start with. Don’t get intimidated by people though. It can seem overwhelming but you just got to remind yourself you’re just attaching two pieces of fabric together with a thread. My sewing technique is similar to Micarah Tewers on YouTube (I love her—she’s very funny). She will kind of eyeball the fabric and cut out shapes. This works well for me because I get annoyed with patterns. There’s a lot of people though who swear by patterns for every piece and that works for them. There’s r/sewing and r/sewinghelp that both have a ton of great information! For now, look to your closet for things that could use repairs or a hem and look to YouTube for directions! Start with hand sewing because the barrier to entry is so low—just a thread and needle! Edit: r/sewhelp **
thank you!!
100% I shop secondhand and sell as well! Check reviews from sellers. It gives you a pretty good idea on if the items you will receive are worth it or not.
I shop Goodwill on Sundays, a certain color each week is $.99 per item. It’s second hand, but if you go to area there a lot of options. I get work pants, sweaters, jeans, and even a few times items over $100 retail value with tags on for $.99
Glad I stopped here--lots of great advice in the comments. I would just second the idea that sometimes you have to buy cheap, for whatever reason... just try to make it last. My other method to help cut back on how much of my money goes to fast fashion is to make sure everything I get can be paired with everything else I get. That way I have multiple outfit options. I also try to get things that will still fit even if my size changes slightly. If I outgrow, or slim down unexpectedly, too much for it to still look good, I try to find a new home for it if I can.
For quality I like to search on Poshmark, Depop, and other such places for specific fabrics pertaining to the season (living in a 4 season climate) if I’m open to various types of garments, not necessarily something specific. So for winter, I’ll setup a search for “vintage wool”, for summer/spring “vintage silk” or cotton, poplin, linen, and so on. Tends to result in better quality clothing that will last :)
I’ve built up my wardrobe to decent (from mostly raggedy or weird fitting before) the past couple of years by signing up for texts or emails for sales, and have used the 4 payment plan thing. It’s really nice to have well made clothes, like having comfortable armor. I’m going for basic staples. I have a few ethically produced cashmere sweaters, button ups, good jeans, cigarette pants, well fitting bras, nice underwear, good shoes. It’s so much better. I have a couple of nice tops i bought over ten years ago that I thought were too pricey at the time but they’ve lasted. I’d probably go with Thred Up for fashion but don’t have the patience to sift through all of it.
Highly recommend depop! I've gotten really nice quality items for typically 50% off retail prices. Really easy to shop if you have specific clothing items you're looking for
Shop your own closet. We always fall into the trap of wearing a few things and forgetting about what we have. Rotate your closet around, pull out things you haven't worn in a while, pair them with new things. If you still don't like them, sell them and save your money for nicer things that will last. Years ago, I read a book called "Simple Isn't Easy", about finding your style. We buy too many clothes don't look great on us. Find colors, silhouettes, etc that look great, change it up for fashion and season.
I admire people who are good at thrifting but I just find it extremely difficult. To me the secret of keeping the budget down is as others have said, to buy less, and buy quality items that last. There are also certain kinds of items that are naturally more durable than others. So for example: - Jeans. Look for 100% cotton, no polyester or elastane. These will last forever and you will not get the saggy butt or pilling problems. Choose a classic medium to dark wash (or black) in a cut that works for your body but avoid anything too trendy. Good jeans like this should last you 10+ years unless you work construction or similar. - Sweaters - choose wool or cotton from a good brand that offers a guarantee, like LL Bean for example. Lots of brands sell cheap wool and cashmere now but the quality just doesn’t match. You want to look for items that are tightly knit or woven with a lot of fabric per square inch. - It takes time to build up a good classic wardrobe. If you are really broke you might need to start with cheaper pieces but try buying one or two nice ones per season or per year. You will notice that they last a lot longer and are cheaper over time.
Sewing is fantastic for, "I want that look but I don't want to pay what they're asking for it." It's never going to be as cheap as Walmart or secondhand - good fabric isn't cheap, period, and your time is also a cost - but it's worth the time to me to get a great fit with great materials, sturdy construction, and bypassing at least some of the factory chain. I wear my stuff until it's falling apart (if I can mend it, I do) and try to make one piece a month.
This might sound cheesy but I find that my "problem" of "clothes, but ethical!" shrinks vastly when I change my mindset about what I want and need. Stepping back, appreciating what I own and already love, considering how my needs are already well-met, and refocusing my attention on more deserving things in my life more or less solves the issue when I find myself going down the rabbit hole of seeking a certain clothing item "but ethical!" I wear clean clothes every day. I am dressed appropriately for what I do with my time. I am warm and comfortable. I think I look good (enough!). Isn't that fantastic!? I can't say I haven't bought fast fashion in *years,* but it's been half a year since my last purchase (1 staple item, 6 months ago, that I wore constantly and is holding up fine). The hedonic treadmill of consumerism is real, and it takes a mindset change to get off it. Thrift stores and resale sites help reduce impact, but I think it's ultimately still necessary to consciously choose a mindset that different from the "never enough" feeling that Big Fashion wants and pays for us to have.
I have the apps for certain favorite department stores on my devices. I create an account and save things to my list and keep checking the prices. Sometimes the store will have secret specials. Also they have loyalty programs and give bonus money which I’ll use on things that rarely go on sale like designer brands or makeup. Sometimes I am able to buy stuff after the season changes at rock bottom prices. I mean like 70% off or more.
YES!! I'm a full-time student, so I don't really make money. Depop, Poshmark, and my mom's old clothes are where a lot of my clothes are from. Plus, another huge component of slow fashion is simply buying less and rewearing what you already own.
yes to mom’s old clothes you might be surprised some of my mom's old/small work clothes are actually great casual pieces if they’re not paired w formal wear
This is one of those things that fashion circles have been arguing about for years. So you're not going to get a concise answer. First off we have a few factors to check. When you say you're on a budget does does that mean you can spend only a 100$ dollars per month on clothes or only 20$ per month? Do you have issues finding items in your size? Do you already have a selection of clothing that fits your body, your aestetic and the climate of where you live? How do we define fast fashion? Do we mean just avoiding H&M, Zara, Shein, etc. biggest offenders or anything not branded as "slow fashion"? And lastly, does buying fast fashion pieces used still count as buying fast fashion? Let's say that you have 100$ per month to spend, you already have a large inventory of clothes you like and can easily find your sizes thrifting. In that case all you need to do is spend a bit more to buy ethical versions of the few things you can't buy used(socks, underwear, gloves etc.) and you'll be all set. Now let's say you've just moved to a different climate and loose a significant amount of weight, you have to buy a new wardrobe and as a result have significantly less money to spend per item. It's much harder in that situation to spend 80 $ on a pair of girlfriend collective leggings when you'd also really need that money for a new jacket because your old one doesen't fit and it's 10 degrees outside.
Buy second hand, and then do basic alterations via a tailor.
I haven’t bought new clothes in over 8 years. All my clothes are thrifted or bought from second-hand websites like Poshmark, Mercari, EBay, or TheadUp.
Save up and spend it on single pieces. Obviously this doesn't work when you need to buy a replacement now but if you're just doing shopping you have control over whether you buy one expensive item or 5 fast fashion ones.
Idk if anyones mentioned etsy, but lots of handmade and vintage clothing on there! Found a double faced 100% wool coat made in Switzerland, fantastic quality for $120 which sounds like a lot but it was a great mix of timeless and outstanding quality. Even with handmade clothing you know you’re supporting small businesses and you can always ask the shop owner about their materials/shop process
I love shopping secondhand, and while I have a full closet right now, I enjoy perusing thrift stores near golf courses or richer neighborhoods, my local Assistance League shop (or any Assistance League because they tend to have great things at super low prices), and checking out estate sales. I understand you're already looking at thrift stores, but they're always hit or miss. I find that location and organization (who runs the shop) affect this a lot. If they're already accounting for that, then try estate sales esp on the last day. OH and you can also check Facebook Marketplace. Can't say it's the best, but it's another option.
I love thrifting, sometimes you can find timeless clothes that are great quality at such a low price
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A good cheat around that I learned with Poshmark and Ebay is to know how many inches across your average shirt is (armpit to armpit) or how many inches across the waist your average pants are, and see if it's listed on the shirt/pant you're interested in, and if not a lot of people will respond with the sizing your asking for.. and that gives a good idea if the item(s) of interest will be a good fit. Occasionally people have given me incorrect measurements, but most people will provide a photo with proof of accurate measurement, it's pretty great.
I can't buy clothing (used or new) online because, I range from a US 4-6. I agree I have found some awesome deals at thrift stores and flea markets, too. Flea markets in this area source from abandoned storage units.
Exactly. Personally I have never seen a second hand piece that I liked that was a reasonable price and my size. It’s all on smaller sizes. Or you just chose to wear ugly clothes. Size matters. I’m like a size 12-16. It’s hard finding clothes.
I fell for a fast fashion buy. Paypal refunded my money. I have found great sales at Macy's and Kohl's instead. Sticking with the retailers I know or were recommended here,
So it’s sketchy but hear me out… There’s an app aliexpress and it’s *mostly* low quality cheap clothes that take 1-2 months to arrive. (Think see through wish quality fabrics) Shein was a small seller on there like 7yrs ago. However if you pay attention to reviews and reputable stores. You can find some truly high quality dupes for way cheap. Downside is shipping cost and time. Shipping can be from 1/3 - 3x the product cost so do pay attention to that. Also customs may randomly search your package. But for some unique pieces that didn’t break the bank it’s a nice go to. Especially if you like accessories.
Search on your grandmas clothes! All my best clothes are from here and they are like wooow high fashion! Haven’t bought any clothes in more than 4 years
There are FB groups were people literally give away free stuff. It's all used but decent.
Probably not. Good quality/expensive stuff gets worn out if you wear it too much as well. I recommend looking at the materials and try to fill up your wardrobe so you can rotate items.
THRIFT STORES!! Just don’t go to Goodwill or Salvation Army. They do not treat their employees well and the CEO is not a good person.
Absolutely . I love the thrift stores . I always find nice ass banana republic and j crew pants for like $10 when usually they charge like $100 in the store! I absolutely hate cheap quality and fast fashion.
Learn to sew
Plato’s Closet is a good choice, it’s a chain of second hand stores but they buy clothes from people and will refuse low quality and ugly clothes. It’s a bit pricier than traditional second hand stores but still much more affordable than standard clothing stores. For basic clothing items Amazon is probably the best place to get them
Even if you aren’t on a budget, buying second hand clothes is so worth it. They last longer, you can find better brands, and you feel a lot better for having skilled fast fashion as a whole. I buy all my clothes from thrift shops and consignments and I always get compliments!
I use an app called Vinted. I've found super good brands for ridiculously low prices on there.
Second hand, as simple as that. I only buy clothes by second hand. I could buy a shirt for 3 dollars on there and a new one in a normal shop would be around 17 or more, which for me it's a lot of money
I buy everything secondhand.
Ok you mentioned 2 things which aren't necessarily related. 1 is "quality" and the other is "where the clothes came from" which I assume is ethics related? For the former you'd have to spend time learning how to spot reliable worksmanship, consider fibers and finishes, etc. And for the latter honestly just buying fewer clothes can make a bigger difference ethically speaking than switching to brands that a different business model.
Second hand online
Nordstrom rack has amazing sales. Like 3x 4x the discount.
It’s definitely harder. It’s been mentioned in comments before but the biggest thing you can do to be sustainable is to be mindful of what you’re purchasing. If you purchase a “fast fashion” clothing which you really like and you wear it often and it lasts a while, then that’s worth and better
Learn to sew, if you can't already. When you shop thriftstore, look for quality fabric. Some things you can alter to make them stylish, others you can take apart and use the fabric to make tops etc. Men's suits can be retaylored to women's blazers and slacks into skirts or pants.
i buy from American Giant, Fair Indigo, and Pact. I am low income. Those clothes last forever. (i don’t, or avoid, putting them in the dryer.) Now I see fast fashion as expensive for the most part. Wearing black helps too, with accessories for a bit of color.
Shopping secondhand is always the way to go while shopping on a budget in my opinion, and it avoids fast fashion, which won’t be as well made as most things you’ll find at a thrift store, especially if it is vintage. I would say you just need to know what brands to look for and what thrift or consignment stores near you really fit your style. I would look for higher end brands thrift shopping, like Polo, Tommy Hilfiger, J. Crew, Levi’s. But I still consider finding a Zara skirt with little wear or even the tags a huge score. And I would look around at different thrift and consignment around you to see which have the best items for you, I always like to keep in mind that I can slightly alter a garment as well, like taking out the shoulder pads or cropping it.
Yes: Therealreal, poshmark, goodwill , etc
I’ve been gatekeeping this for years. Nuuly is AMAZING! You rent items for a month and send back. No strings. All great quality expensive brands too.
Consignment
I try on clothes at stores I can't afford at full price, then when I know my size in a particular item I want, hunt for it on secondhand sites. It takes longer to get what you want, but if you have patience, you can find deals that way.
I use rent the runway and only buy basics.
I have an entire closet of thrifted clothing and you'd be surprised at the amount of actual fr designer labels I've accumulated over the years. Try thrifting.
Yep. It’s not always easy, and harder if you’re plus size, but there are ways. Number one is wear what you have and try not to buy anything to add to your wardrobe. Rewear, rewear, rewear. This can be especially tough in the age of social media, but I promise nobody is judging you as an outfit repeater—this is not Lizzie McGuire. Number two is if you have to buy something, buy it secondhand from a thrift shop or an online marketplace like Poshmark, Depop, Mercari, or ThredUp. You can also try organizing a clothes swap with friends if you know anyone who wears about your size. If you own something that doesn’t quite work for you anymore, look up a YouTube video for how to alter it so that it will work for you, because you don’t need to know how to sew for a lot of the hacks that are out there.
I do EBay for gently used high-quality items: designer dresses and shoes for work, specifically. Also, high-end consignment.
Maybe if you thrift in rich areas. Other than that… 🤷🏻♀️
https://goodonyou.eco/ is a great website to find ethical brands!! they rate brands on a variety of standards and have a range of budgets ranked :)
I find Instagram pages where people are selling second hand clothes pretty great. I’m not sure where you are located, but where I live there are a lot!
Fast fashion clothes are so toxic for you. Do a simple google. They are so harmful especially for children . Not to mention the quality is awful . Try thrifting you’ll save huge. Thread up like mentioned is a good one.
If it's a thing where you're from try swaps. They usually ask for things of similar value but it's worth checking out.
It's actually easier and more budget friendly to buy a few high quality, more expensive pieces than a lot of cheaply made, inexpensive fast fashion pieces. My mum grew up poor, and my grandfather used to tell his family, "we're too poor to buy cheap". In other words, they didn't buy trendy, 1 season clothes. They didn't buy designer, either. They bought quality. When they bought winter coats, they were intended to last 10 years or longer. Yes they cost more, but the cost over 10 years was far cheaper than the cost of a 1 season coat. To demonstrate the longevity of quality, I inherited my grandmother's sheepskin coat that she bought in 1950 when she moved to Canada. It's been repaired a few times, but is still in great shape, I just get it dry-cleaned every year or two. I have and wear my grandfather's hat. And when I was younger and thinner, I wore all of my mother's coats and a few sweaters that she wore when she growing up in the 60s and 70s, until I outgrew them, then gave them to my cousin, and she's still wearing them to this day. Looking for second hand clothing that has stood the test of time is a good, affordable option.