10 Genius Tips for Mastering Secondhand Shopping
1. Call the stores you are interested in to find out when they are planning to put out new stock. That way you can time your visit to make sure you get the best selection possible.
2. Come with a list of things you are looking for, but don't live and die by it. Sometimes something truly wonderful that you never knew you wanted or needed will just appear, and you want to make sure you are open to that.
3. Do a loop around the entire store and grab everything that catches your eye, even if you are not sure about it. Don't think. Just do! There is no extra stock in the back. What's on the floor is what they have. So if you see a great piece, just grab it, even if you feel like it might not fit, or you don't know where or how you will wear it. Now is not the time for scrutinizing your every decision. If you don't grab it when you have the chance, someone else could spot the same piece and snatch it out from under you. You can edit through your selection later.
4. Wear a neutral outfit that is easy-on and easy-off to make things in the dressing room as pain-free as possible. That means no button-down shirts or lace-up shoes, which will only make it that much harder to change quickly. Also, stick to wearing separates instead of a dress. That way, you can try on pieces with clothes you already own and know fit you, instead of having to go find some skirt you don't actually like just so you can try on the top you're interested in.
5. Don't be fooled by fake designer labels. Buy something because you like it. Not because it has a fancy label in it. The whole fake labels thing isn't really an issue when you are shopping at overstock stores like TJ Maxx or Marshalls or at most thrift stores, but you need to be on your guard when shopping at vintage and consignment shops. The fact is, it is easy for someone to take an old dress, sew a fake designer label in it, and then charge 10 times what it's actually worth. It's up to you to examine the details and finishings, and figure out if you are getting the real deal or a fake. If you have doubts about a garment's authenticity, trust your gut.
This is also true when shopping online. A site like The Real Real is a wonderful, trustworthy resource for secondhand designer goods, but eBay and Etsy can be harder to navigate. Just be cautious.
6. Stick to pieces with clean lines and classic shapes if you don't want to look dated. Even when you are shopping for vintage clothes, you probably don't want to look like you just stepped out of another era. The more streamlined the piece is, the more modern it will look and the easier it will be for you to integrate it into your existing wardrobe.
7. Never buy anything with a stain on it. You will never get the damned thing out. No matter how hard you try. Never ever.
8. If you plan to haggle or ask for any kind of a discount, make sure you are super nice to the staff from the moment you enter the store, flea market, or wherever else you are shopping. If there are multiple salespeople, pick one and try to get a dialogue going — smile, say hello, ask how they are doing. Then, before you head to the counter, make a point of hanging up the pieces you are not buying so she or he doesn't have to do it later her or himself. It's little things like these that can make all the difference when it comes time to settle on a price.
9. Don't be afraid to take something to the tailor to get it just right. Just make sure you know the difference between what can be fixed and what cannot. And be honest with yourself about how much work you are actually willing to put into it. Hey, sometimes secondhand clothes and accessories need a little extra TLC to look their best, but if you are already getting a deal, that extra work can be totally worth it.
Easy Fixes:
Basic tailoring, like bringing up the hem, shortening the sleeves, bringing in the waist, or tapering a skirt. These don't cost much, and can be completed by a professional in a day or two.
Sewing up rips along a seam. Again, the tailor already has a line to follow, so the repair should be a breeze.
Medium Fixes:
Replacing buttons, zippers, and other hardware. This is pretty easy for a tailor to do too, but you will probably need to find this new hardware yourself first and that may be more work than you are really willing to do. That said, replacing the hardware is a great way to update a vintage piece and is often well worth the effort.
Resoling or mending shoes. It's totally doable, but you need a good cobbler, so if you don't have someone you trust, best just to forget about it.
Rips in the fabric, not along a seam. They are easy to fix but nearly impossible to hide 100 percent, so you need to decide before you buy whether you are OK with seeing the little line that gets left over after the repair is made.
Hard Fixes:
Mending damaged embellishments. This requires a lot of supplies, time, and expertise, which means it is going to cost a lot. Not to mention it will be up to you to find the exact materials needed to make the repair, which could be impossible.
Tailoring heavily structured pieces like blazers. Taking in the shoulders on a blazer or jacket is a major operation. It's doable, but it is a lot of work. Any place on a garment where multiple seams come together is going to be harder to adjust and cost you more money.
Replacing a lining. It's doable, but it's sort of like creating a whole new coat and sewing it into an existing coat, so it's not going to be easy or cheap.
Impossible Fixes:
Making something bigger that is too tight. Most clothes don't have the extra fabric required to let them out more than a tiny bit. Best to limit yourself to pieces that fit the widest parts of your body (hips, bust, and shoulders) and then have them taken in where needed.
Repairing cracked leather or fur. Once leather starts to crack, there is no way to get it back. It's just too dried out. If you find a piece you like, check to make sure the leather is intact and then make sure you moisturize it thoroughly before you start wearing it, and it will last you for years to come.
10. Whatever you buy, make sure you clean it immediately. Drop it off at the dry cleaner on your way home or pop it into the laundry machine the second you walk through the door. Don't wait. You don't know where it has been.
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