I don’t think it’s a secret that shopping secondhand something that I’m a big fan of!

It’s because of it that I’ve been able to find so many unique and awesome finds, both at the local consignment shops and online.

When it was time to update my fall wardrobe, the first place I looked was at secondhand retailers.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably say it a bunch more:

I think that shopping secondhand is a great way to break up with fast fashion and to shop slowly in a way that is more budget and environmentally friendly.

But, as much as I advocate for secondhand fashion, sometimes the idea of secondhand shopping is a little unsettling.

I feel like their prevalence and the growing number of them make it easy for people to justify buying a lot of clothing. Sending stuff into the secondhand market makes them think they’re doing something good when they clean out their closet and donate it.

To quote Erin Boyle of Reading My Tea Leaves:

There are far more clothes produced and disposed of than can be reasonably and responsibly reused. And from clothing that breaks down and pollutes our oceans, to containers full of cast-offs disrupting local markets, thinking about what happens to our clothing after it leaves our closets can get overwhelming, fast.

It’s because of this that I have changed the way that I shop.

Instead of heading out with no plan, I now look through the items that I currently have in my wardrobe before I attempt to buy something, no matter if it is a new item or a secondhand one.

If there is some item that I think would be a good addition to my closet, for fall or any other season, I try to find it secondhand.

First, in local secondhand shops and secondly, through online secondhand retailers. See this post and this post for tips to shop local and online secondhand shops.

If the item cannot be procured by either of these means, I for it through an ethical retailer.

Using Secondhand Shopping to Get the Items on My “Thrift List”

When I think of an item that I would like to add to my wardrobe, I add it to a “thrift list”. This is a running list of items that I keep in a note on my phone. And because it’s on my phone, I always have it with me if I end up at a thrift shop.

I’ll usually focus on this list more at the beginning of each season. By this point I have pinned outfits that I like and I can figure out what items I’m missing.

Some of the steps that I take are:

1. I remove past season items from my current wardrobe and put them away for next year.

2. I look at what I currently own and then add the things that I would like to have for the upcoming season to a thrift list.

In this case, I identified the following items:

– White tee for going under sweaters

– Button up blouse

– Cashmere sweater

– Camel colored sweater, preferably a cardigan

– Tan, low-heeled boots to replace my old ones which were falling apart

– White sneakers, preferable Veja

– Parka

– Cream cardigan to replace the one that I had shrunk

– Sailor pants, preferably Jesse Kamm, preferably skin tone 34 color

3. I scoured my local consignment shops for the above listed items a few times a week. Some of the items I was able to secure.

4. For the items that I was unable to find, I started looking at online secondhand retailers.

There was only 2 items that I couldn’t find from a secondhand online retailer. I did purchase one of them from an ethical maker but that was all my budget allowed.

Items I Found

Here are the items from my list that I was able to locate by shopping secondhand using my thrift list as a guideline:

1. White tee for going under sweaters

I found this tee at the local consignment shop. Although I had been looking for an all white tee, this one immediately caught my eye and felt like it would be a better fit.

I grew up by the ocean, in an area where there are lots of whale sightings, so this one immediately made me think of my birth place.

I also liked that it had a little more visual interest than a plain white tee. And the color scheme is black and white so it pairs nicely with the other items in my wardrobe.

Lesson learned: keep an open mind. Switching your game plan isn’t always a bad thing.

2. Button up blouse

This is not your traditional button up, but I am not your traditional button up kinda gal.

I always feel like an imposter in a crisp white button up shirt.

Like a little girl playing dress up in her mother’s closet. Or like I’m trying to look put together, but failing at the same time, if that makes sense.

So when I came across this blouse with its flowy sleeves, concealed buttons and nice draped fit, I immediately stopped and pulled it from the rack.

The color is such more saturated that I am used to but I decided to give it a try and loved both the fit and color. My favorite way to wear it is knotted in front.

Lesson learned: try it on, even if you don’t think you’re going to like it. You might be surprised.

3. Cashmere sweater

I had envisioned myself getting a crewneck cashmere sweater for the season. But things didn’t really go that way.

On one of my most recent trips to the consignment shop, I came across this lambswool cardigan.

I’m totally a detail oriented person, so I ended up loving this with it’s cute shirt-like collar and dainty pearlesque buttons.

My favorite way to wear it is tucked into pants (like a shirt) right now.

I actually found it in the large section and I highly suspect that it was shrunken at some point in its life.

Lesson learned: always check outside your normal size.

4. Camel colored sweater, preferably a cardigan

It took me a little while to find the perfect fall cardigan, but my perseverance paid off.

I found this gorgeous, like new, grandpa cardigan and it was love at first sight. The color was just right and the weight and warmth of the sweater is perfect for fall.

I can see me wearing this for cozy evening walks or just hanging out on my deck, with a good book and a blanket on my lap.

Lesson learned: sometimes you have to wait to find the perfect thing.

5. Tan, low-heeled boots

Not exactly the item that I was looking for in terms of color, but I do really like the richness of the brown and the point at which the top of the boot hits me at my ankle.

And the heel height, can’t forget that.

I am thinking of including these in my next clothing challenge to see if I really like them and if they can be an integral part of my fall/winter wardrobe.

They don’t tick all of the boxes for me and I worry that I may have settled after spending all last year looking for a sustainable replacement for my favorite tan booties.

Lesson learned: sometimes when you’re shopping secondhand, the right items doesn’t come along and you have to try the next best thing.

6. White sneakers, preferable Veja

I love how outfits with white sneakers look on other people when I see them or see outfit pictures with white sneakers. I decided that I would get a pair this fall after thinking about it over the summer.

Veja shoes are not exorbitantly overpriced, but I wasn’t certain that I wanted to spend over $100 to try them out.

Whenever I want to try something specific that’s a little pricier but I don’t want to spend that much, I turn to eBay or another secondhand online retailer.

I found these velcro Vejas for less than half the price of new ones. They already have a worn in feel which for me is good because I tend to baby new items, sometimes a little too much. I don’t feel precious over these, which I like.

Lesson learned: a “perfect for you” item doesn’t have to be in perfect condition.

7. Parka

I have a grey sweater jacket that I’ve had for about 5 winters. It’s mostly great, except that it doesn’t have a collar.

The zipper ends at the base of the throat and that’s been fine, but I wanted something a little warmer and cocoon-like, and honestly, in black.

I wasn’t definitely looking for this coat when I came across it at the consignment shop but it felt like fate. It has a wonderful tall collar and the closures are actually snap closures so I feel like it is more versatile.

Lesson learned: sometimes things show up when you least expect them to.

Items I Bought New

8. Cream cardigan to replace the one that I had shrunk

Back at the end of August, I had found a beautiful cream wool cardigan at the consignment shop.

It was in brand new condition, had beautiful wood buttons. At the time, I had jokingly stated that it filled my Babaa cardigan want nicely.

I loved that sweater and I took it on our Scotland/Ireland trip at the beginning of September.

It felt special. until we got home from our trip. In a state of jet lag and trying to get all of the trip laundry done, I accidentally put it in the washer.

You can probably guess what happened!? My young daughter now has a new sweater is what happened.

I took this as a sign that I should just go ahead and order the Babaa cardigan that I had wanted. Since I had been able to save some money over the summer for a special purchase, I was able to use these funds.

I joked after the fact that maybe I subconsciously shrunk the other cardigan. But I promise I didn’t.

Lesson learned: sometimes things work them out in the end.

Item I didn’t Find

There was one item that managed to elude me and that I am still on the hunt for:

9. Jesse Kamm Sailor Pants

I’ve been wanting Jesse Kamm sailor pants for a while. At first, I wanted the dark American denim ones. But now I’d rather have the cotton canvas ones, especially this color.

After spending weeks perusing eBay, Poshmark and theRealReal, I have been unable to find a secondhand pair.

And honestly, their regular price of $395 is above my budget. So I’ll wait, or I’ll save, or the want will pass. We’ll see what happens first.

Lesson learned: you won’t always find everything on your list. And that’s ok.

So, that is how shopping secondhand helped me tick things off my thrift list.

I think it’s important to make informed, conscious decisions about our clothing purchases.

Really looking at the things we currently own and then making a list for the ones that we’d like to have to supplement our wardrobe is a great, less stressful way to shop.

And shopping secondhand first is a great way to fill the gaps in a budget and environmentally friendlier way.

How do you pick your new season items? Do you have a special process that you follow to fill gaps?

Until next time,

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