But what if you have, say $20 and a couple of hours to kill?
Get thee to a Goodwill or similar and prepare to put in a couple of well-worth-it hours hunting for treasures. I've been at it for years and, in the spirit of solidarity, I offer the following tips and tricks to the ranks of displaced mall-shoppers who may find the world o' thrifting completely bewildering and/or "like, totally icky."
1. Get over your squeamishness. Seriously. Hands and clothing can be washed. Unless there are CDC workers roaming the aisles of Goodwill in HAZMAT suits, you have nothing to worry about. That said, I never buy the following items secondhand: underwear, bathing suits, socks, workout wear or anything that can't be thoroughly laundered or dry-cleaned. This includes hats and purses. Purses, in particular, can carry loads and loads of microscopic creepy-crawlies.
2. Take your time. Clothing is usually organized by type and size, and perhaps roughly by style, but you're going to have to look more carefully than you would in a retail store.
3. Thrift stores in more affluent areas tend to have a greater selection of name-brand women's clothing in small sizes (we're talking ridonkulously small sizes. Double-zero? Seriously? Maybe Andy Warhol was right).
4. Do. Not. Buy. It. Just. Because. It's Cheap. Dropping $50.00 on a pile of clothing that "almost fits" or that you'll "find somewhere to wear" isn't worth it. Be picky. Be critical. Buy things that are well-made and fit not only your body but your wardrobe and lifestyle.
5. If you're long and lean, thrift stores aren't the best places to find close-fitting t-shirts. Repeated washings tend to make t-shirts shrink up and stretch out. If you're petite and curvy, however, this will work to your advantage.
6. Go ahead and be a name-brand snob! A $5.00 Xhilaration top at Goodwill isn't as good a deal as a $6.00 top by, say, Ann Taylor Loft. The latter is usually better-made and will last longer.
7. Clothing that fits well always looks to be of better quality. Unless you really will have an item altered (and can do so at a price that doesn't break your budget) skip it. Small fitting annoyances become big fitting annoyances of the sort that relegate an item to back-of-the-closet, I'll-have-it-altered-someday oblivion.
8. Here's a tip that will cut your shopping time dramatically. Know your size and your proportions, and develop a couple of measuring tricks to "pre-screen" an item before you bother trying it on. I have trouble finding things that fit me under the arms. When in doubt, I measure along an item's underarm seam with my hand. If the distance is greater than the distance between the tip of my middle finger and tip of my thumb, I know the thing won't fit. Even if it fits everywhere else, that's a pain-in-the-neck area to have altered. For me, it's not worth it.
9. In that spirit, be realistic about alterations. Hemming can be done inexpensively, but altering, say, the shoulders of a blazer? Not so much.
10. Do allow yourself to be a little bit adventurous. A great-fitting item in a flattering cut and color is a good deal if it allows you to add a bit of fun to your wardrobe (provided, of course, that you get down with your adventurous self and actually wear the thing). Okay, so you've never worn a halter top, but if it looks amazing on you, is a color that brightens your day and is a measly five bucks, then go for it, sister!
Additional tips and feedback are always welcome.
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