Secondhand Series: Part Two ft. Gracy
We are back with part two of our “Secondhand Series.” This multi-part interview series features some of our most stylish friends who have mastered the art of secondhand fashion.
For this edition, we are featuring our best friend Gracy. Gracy’s patience, good eye, and willingness to “get dirty” have allowed her to build out a mostly secondhand wardrobe that is certified cool girl. Keep on reading to hear how she has mastered the art of thrifting without breaking the bank.
When did you begin shopping secondhand and what inspired you?
Technically, I have been secondhand shopping my entire life. My mom loves garage sales and thrift stores. I remember we would always go to garage sales on the weekends growing up. If my mom saw a sign, we would go. And we would often stop into our local thrift stores and shop together. As a teenager, I kind of got over it because I wanted to follow the trends of high school fashion. I think I really got back into it right after college. I was living in Denver and my neighborhood had a huge Goodwill and a huge Arc, so my roommate and I would go thrifting all the time. At that time, I also had a lot of free time since I wasn’t in school, so I had more space to experiment and try things out with my style, but not that much money. Then, when I moved to Australia I continued my thrifting journey. I was hanging out with a group of girls that loved shopping and thrifting. In both Denver and Australia, I was very into this DIY music scene and was hanging out with a lot of creative people, and the way everyone dressed was also very DIY and unique, so thrift was very cool. I think one of the main reasons I started shopping secondhand is because I was able to get “new” clothes and keep up with trends. I didn’t really have any money to shop new, but thrifting allowed me to continue to develop my personal style.
What is your approach to thrifting?
I personally love a good dig. I like to go to the big thrift stores like Goodwill and Salvation Army and look through all of the sections and spend like two hours shopping. It’s exciting because I never know what I am going to find, which is the fun part! And I look at it more like a fun activity to do instead of like “I am going shopping.”
What are your top tips and tricks for finding hidden gems?
Always check the home goods section of the thrift stores. I have found some of my favorite glassware sets for 25 cents in the home goods sections.
Always look at the menswear. I personally love baggy clothes, and I would say the majority of my thrifted pants are from the men’s section. You can also find great button-down shirts and athletic wear in the men’s section.
Thrifting can be overwhelming, especially in the less curated stores. So, if you have the time, take it! And if you aren’t in the mood, then maybe just stick to one section of the store—like the shoes—so you can still potentially find something without overwhelming yourself.
Now that I am a little older and know my personal style, I have noticed that I don’t even look at clothes that are colors that I don’t wear. I know I won’t wear a pink or purple shirt, so I won’t even look at clothes that are those colors. This might be controversial, but even if I found an amazing pink vintage cashmere sweater for $4, I wouldn’t buy it because it would just end up taking up space in my closet.
Similarly, I tend to stick to sections of clothing I know I like to wear. For example, I don’t wear dresses, so I usually don’t even look at the dress section.
I always look at the material of the garment. I think you will get more wear and feel more excited about clothes that are 100% cotton or wool, rather than getting something that is made from synthetic materials. A lot of the clothes that are in the thrift stores are from fast fashion brands and I personally don’t think it’s worth it to buy something from a fast fashion brand secondhand even though it’s less expensive. You’ll feel more excited and get even more wear out of clothes that are made from nice materials.
Thrift for your friends!! If you see something really nice but maybe isn’t your size but is your friend’s size, grab it for them : )
If you have something you know you want to add to your wardrobe, like a little black cardigan, look for it because you will probably find one! Finding timeless and classic items of clothing is actually pretty easy to do secondhand.
Take pictures of outfits you like / maybe start a Pinterest board of clothes you like. This does take a bit of time, but I think this is helpful to see what pieces you are gravitating towards and then you can keep an eye out for those pieces while thrifting.
If you see something at a vintage store that you love but it’s out of your budget, take a picture of it and see if you can find it online. eBay is amazing, it has literally everything and often it is cheaper than the pieces you find IRL.
Don’t be afraid to get dirty. Going to places like the Goodwill Bins is super fun and cheap, but you have to be ready to dig through a lot of stuff.
What are some of your favorite most recent finds?
I found these very cool vintage 90s men’s Gap pleated khaki pants at the Salvation Army in Brooklyn. I had a pair just like them from Ralph Lauren on my “watchlist” on eBay, so that was exciting! I also got these very cute pinstripe capris for $10 on Depop. My friend Kimmi and I went to the Goodwill Bins in East LA and I found this little vintage green apron with white trim and I found Kimmi these perfectly baggy vintage Levi 501s that would probably have been sold for like $150 at a vintage store.
Oh, and this one isn’t recent, but I think one of my fave thrift finds ever: a pair of vintage Gucci loafers for $60 on eBay!
What's your favorite online secondhand marketplace and your favorite secondhand brick & mortar store?
Okay, I love eBay. eBay is amazing. I think it’s a bit harder to shop than some of the other online marketplaces like Depop or Poshmark because you have to know what you are looking for. It doesn’t have as clear of an algorithm that is going to show you new listings, but it has everything. I think the best way to tackle eBay is to be specific. So, if you want a vintage jean jacket then you can look on eBay. Also, sometimes if I see something I like at a vintage store or on Depop I will search for it on eBay because it is usually cheaper and sometimes they have more sizes or different colors!
I honestly love Goodwill and Salvation Army, but there are a lot of more curated vintage stores that I do like as well and it is nice to get inspo from the curated stores. Lara Koleji in NYC is a go-to for designer vintage and the prices are pretty good. I used to also really like Chickee’s in Williamsburg, but I think they are now called Sorbara’s. Kalimera in Williamsburg—they do a lot of sourcing from Italy and also sell a lot of stuff on their Instagram stories. Tokio7 in the East Village of NYC is also a cool consignment store. And finally, Seven Wonders Collective has a few stores in New York that carry a bunch of different vintage sellers, but I usually only look because I find that the prices are very high. These are all like vintage designer thrift stores. I think for a real thrift store, I really love a Salvos.
How has living in NYC influenced your style and approach to thrifting?
I think living in NYC has influenced me to wear less color lol. I think for the last few years I have really found my personal style, which living here has totally influenced because there are so many people who have amazing clothes and dress so well. But, you can really get away with anything. I have found that I really like being comfortable. I am a baggy jeans and t-shirt/hoodie kind of girl, but I think New York has allowed me to play into that and make it still feel feminine by either adding a bunch of accessories or wearing a girly shoe like a ballet flat.
To be honest, I personally think that the thrifting in NYC isn’t that great. I had so much more fun thrifting in Colorado and Australia than I do here. I think NYC is a bit overpriced and too curated. Don’t get me wrong, it has amazing designer vintage stores, but I don’t think most people are able to spend $200 on a vintage shirt. One thing I love about thrifting is being surprised by the hunt.
^^Same question above but for Australia!
Oh yeah, I think Australia had a huge impact on my style. I feel like I was surrounded by so many young, excited, creative people who just wanted to have fun and make things. I spent most of my time in Byron Bay, which is such an interesting place. It’s a small surf town with a lot of history, money, and tourism, but it also draws in these amazing young creative people. So, the style was like beach, punk, artist or like angelic boho I guess (haha). Everyone would be wearing their jeans, Doc Martens, and a friend’s band tee to the beach or no shoes and a crocheted flowy dress. And then when I lived in Melbourne everyone wore black so maybe that’s really when I stopped wearing color.
I think one really cool thing about Australia is that it’s isolated, so to me it really felt like everyone was a lot more conscious of their impact and supportive of their communities. I think every person I knew in Australia thrifted their clothes and supported local designers. I think for sustainability purposes and also probably because of the grungy culture and that it was way cheaper. I was also hanging out a lot with my friend Brittaney who is an actual shopaholic thrift queen so I think we stopped at every thrift store we saw. And this was so fun and really allowed me to try different styles and explore my own personal style.
In your opinion, what items are best purchased brand new?
Socks and underwear haha. No, but actually, I think I can justify buying things brand new if I really love them or if I can’t find something similar thrifting. Also, I love a good plain white T-shirt and I think finding that thrifting is hard.
Any other thoughts you'd like to share?
I know it can seem overwhelming but you can find really cool things thrifting 🙂. And my mom would laugh at me right now for saying this, but make sure you hit the garage sales! And remember to be patient and you’ll find cool stuff that you didn’t even know existed!