Do you buy used clothes?

[Karl_K]

Karl, I think it's great to buy recycled clothing! I am a big advocate of reduce, reuse, recycle. I think as long as the "ick" factor can be avoided (as far as things being "gently" ) we could all get behind it.

Once it is washed what is the difference if I wore it or someone else did?
I just looked in my closet and every shirt in there except for 4 was from a resale shop and they were gifts except my wedding shirt which was bought new because I couldn't find a white dress shirt at the time.
I can never seem to find pants in the right size but find shirts often and buy them even if I don't need them right away.
Mostly what we buy is books. 59c paperbacks and $1 hardcover.

 

[AGBF]

Yep! I adore vintage clothing: a lot of it is better made than contemporary clothing, and a lot of it is better suited for my body type, too. And, well ... once you're in the vintage store, even if you're there for the 1950s circle skirts, if you spot a Nanette Lepore dress for 20 bucks, it can be hard to resist ....

Dry cleaning solves everything, dude. Come to the dark side! We have designer goods.

We are kindred spirits...except that I do not know who Nanette Lepore is. I grew up getting my "dress up" dresses from a thrift shop (not that I was allowed to squander our limited money on many of them!!!). It was the height of wonder to be able to get a fairy princess ball gown of tulle from the local thrift shop and add it to my box of "dress up" clothes that my friends and I would use! In my hippie days I found many treaures in the thrift shops: old lacy blouses; silk blouses; just wonderful things! More recently I started to notice Giesswein coats and Lilly Pulitzer dresses!

Deb/AGBF

 

[Circe]

I think one of the things that I'm finding really interesting in this thread is the degree to which class and/or personal history influence attitudes towards thrifting or vintage. I grew up poor, but my folks would have been HORRIFIED at the notion of used clothing (I don't think they ever so much as accepted hand-me-down baby clothes), and I was an only child, so I never had any negative associations of thrifted clothes as being somehow tainted, or reminders of my status. And when I finally started thrifting, it was on a trip to London with my best friend in my mid-twenties as a broke grad student ... so it felt oddly glamorous, almost, to hunt through racks and stacks of things, and come up with treasure! Some of the things I've found, a la LGK's list, include:

- a Victorian velvet capelet
- a raw silk circle skirt in the most beautiful shades of blue and violet
- a heavy plum silk cheongsam that's actually cut for a curvy figure
- a Diane von Furstenburg lace wrap, NWT
- a crimson brocade chinoiserie suit from J. Peterman that fits like a dream and never fails to get compliments
- red Doc Marten-style Chloe platform boots (in Paris, 'natch)
- a hand-sewn asymmetrical plum wool dress with the most beautiful buttons (also in Paris)
- and, like LGK, a warm curly lambswool coat and matching wrap! Good lord, those things are warm.

With the exception of the boots and the coat, nothing on that list cost me more than 20 bucks. DEEPLY satisfying ... and, hey, more money for bling!

 

[suchende]

depends. What is the interview for?

 

[Bella_mezzo]

YEP-all the time, Goodwill, ebay, vintage shops, clothing swamps or garage sales...I pretty much only buy clothes are are on major sale (like more than 50% off) at retailers (and usually that retailer would be marshalls/tjmaxx etc

I will buy used shoes but am pretty picky about them. Definitely underwear/bras/socks I buy new.

 

[partgypsy]

I used to mostly wear thrift, and also still buy clothes for my kids, though you can definitely not trust the size on the clothes, hold it up to you. Upside is the price (cheap!). Downside is that you often have to spend much more time finding the particular item you are looking for. Nowadays I rarely buy my regular clothes, because I just don't have the time so buy most of my clothes off the internet at a couple stores I know their sizing.

For what you are looking for, it may be worth checking out consignment shops. Often there are ones that specialize in fancier or business clothes. There will be less to wade through but the items there are in great shape.
In my town there is a thrift shop in my area that is run by the local university professor's wives. There are often great quality dressier items there as well, but often an older styling (some of it vintage) if that does not bother you. I wish I was more adventursome/had more closet space because some stuff that shows up there is great.

 

[AGBF]

I used to mostly wear thrift, and also still buy clothes for my kids, though you can definitely not trust the size on the clothes, hold it up to you. Upside is the price (cheap!).

My father buys all his clothing (except underwear) in the local thrift shop. He bragged all his life that he only wore Brooks Brothers suits (true). He was often stopped by wealthy people in town and asked if he had been to this event or that (some country club or yachting event) because of a T-shirt he wore, but he would explain that he had not. His family knew that he just knew where to shop! He especially liked the, "bag sales". At the end of the summer when the thrift shop was getting rid of its inventory, one could get everything one could stuff into a paper bag for $1.00. Since the shop was run by our local Congregational Church, with affluent members, the clothes were (and are) pretty nice!

Deb/AGBF


(edited for spelling and typos)

 

[partgypsy]

I think one of the things that I'm finding really interesting in this thread is the degree to which class and/or personal history influence attitudes towards thrifting or vintage. I grew up poor, but my folks would have been HORRIFIED at the notion of used clothing (I don't think they ever so much as accepted hand-me-down baby clothes), and I was an only child, so I never had any negative associations of thrifted clothes as being somehow tainted, or reminders of my status. And when I finally started thrifting, it was on a trip to London with my best friend in my mid-twenties as a broke grad student ... so it felt oddly glamorous, almost, to hunt through racks and stacks of things, and come up with treasure! Some of the things I've found, a la LGK's list, include:

- a Victorian velvet capelet
- a raw silk circle skirt in the most beautiful shades of blue and violet
- a heavy plum silk cheongsam that's actually cut for a curvy figure
- a Diane von Furstenburg lace wrap, NWT
- a crimson brocade chinoiserie suit from J. Peterman that fits like a dream and never fails to get compliments
- red Doc Marten-style Chloe platform boots (in Paris, 'natch)
- a hand-sewn asymmetrical plum wool dress with the most beautiful buttons (also in Paris)
- and, like LGK, a warm curly lambswool coat and matching wrap! Good lord, those things are warm.

With the exception of the boots and the coat, nothing on that list cost me more than 20 bucks. DEEPLY satisfying ... and, hey, more money for bling!

Circe I think it is interesting about associations with thrift. My mother did not grow up well off to say the least and she has a very negative association with it. For Christmas or her birthday she asked for only 1 gift, a camel hair coat. My grandmother gave her one from a thrift store that was obviously used and a guy's coat. She was terribly disappointed but wore it anyways as that was the only coat she had. She hated that she could not get the clothes other classmates had but only what could be found at thrift stores or somehow sewn or refashioned by my grandmother. In contrast for myself thrift does not have a negative connotation or perhaps it was a little bit of rebellion to wear clothes from them as my mother would not set foot in resale stores and I'm impressed by people who can sew their own clothes. There is this picture of my mother and my sister and I all wearing matching dresses with this beautiful pattern, and we also have a photo album covered in the same fabric and when I pointed out how cool that was, my mom just laughed.

 

[rhbgirl24]

Yup, I have bought pre owned clothes. Sometimes you find stuff with tags still right on it! Always new shoes, underwear so on tho!

 

[Miss Sparkly]

depends. What is the interview for?

Internal audit and fraud prevention

 

[D&T]

yes I purchased some maternity clothes since so many are expensive especially dressier/business new maternity clothing. I usually have at least one nice black suit (with a skirt) to keep as a staple. You never know when you'll need it next-

 

[LGK]

I think one of the things that I'm finding really interesting in this thread is the degree to which class and/or personal history influence attitudes towards thrifting or vintage. I grew up poor, but my folks would have been HORRIFIED at the notion of used clothing (I don't think they ever so much as accepted hand-me-down baby clothes), and I was an only child, so I never had any negative associations of thrifted clothes as being somehow tainted, or reminders of my status. And when I finally started thrifting, it was on a trip to London with my best friend in my mid-twenties as a broke grad student ... so it felt oddly glamorous, almost, to hunt through racks and stacks of things, and come up with treasure! Some of the things I've found, a la LGK's list, include:

- a Victorian velvet capelet
- a raw silk circle skirt in the most beautiful shades of blue and violet
- a heavy plum silk cheongsam that's actually cut for a curvy figure
- a Diane von Furstenburg lace wrap, NWT
- a crimson brocade chinoiserie suit from J. Peterman that fits like a dream and never fails to get compliments
- red Doc Marten-style Chloe platform boots (in Paris, 'natch)
- a hand-sewn asymmetrical plum wool dress with the most beautiful buttons (also in Paris)
- and, like LGK, a warm curly lambswool coat and matching wrap! Good lord, those things are warm.

With the exception of the boots and the coat, nothing on that list cost me more than 20 bucks. DEEPLY satisfying ... and, hey, more money for bling!

Oh man. Those are some scores! I love those truly Victorian capelets. (I have one that I need to lose a cup size to wear again, bah.) I adore how '50s clothes are cut for women with curves. Those boots sound kick @ss; I bet teh fabric on the crimson brocade suit is drop dead gorgeous.

Aren't those lambswool coats the bees knees? I love how most are bracelet-length sleeves, which are great for showing off, um, bracelets! I'm sure they were about a zillion dollars new, and now you can buy them for so little. Vintage clothing is usually a great deal IMO- so much cheaper than new usually.

I don't really know how I ended up loving vintage clothing so much- I never owned new clothes growing up- I may have been an only child but we were super, super poor. And I did get teased a lot for wearing something that, say, the neighborhood kids recognized as a hand-me-down from someone else i the neighborhood. Clearly I got over it! My mom always buys new, now that she remarried and *can*- but she still gets covetous over some of my vintage/2nd hand finds; I thought she was going to steal that silk velvet blazer right off me the other day

 

[Haven]

I LOVE buying used clothes! There's something so much fun in the hunt for a really good find in a thrift store. Some of my favorite pieces are items I found while thrifting, and they are always much more interesting than the pieces I buy new.

I'd say my wardrobe is 20% thrift store finds and 80% new clothes. I don't see anything icky about it at all. I clean everything before I wear it, after all.

When I was in high school it was very in to find clothes in thrift stores. Then I became a costume major in college and Le Shoppe in Champaign, Illinois became the best local source for costumes that we weren't building in the shop. Oh, how I miss those long days of going through every last item in Le Shoppe! I found my favorite pair of pants there, they're handmade out of upholstery fabric, very sixties, and they only cost me $13. I still wear them to this day, nearly a decade later. They're better quality than any other pair of pants I've ever owned.

 

[suchende]

depends. What is the interview for?

Internal audit and fraud prevention

If it is just an intra-office formality, I would just get a blazer in a neutral color and wear it with a skirt or slacks and plain blouse. I haven't found used clothes to always be the mis economical: at outlet stores, I regularly score clearance blazers for $10-30. When you take into account that first dry clean, I think I am as well off or better.

 

[tigian]

Yes, I have a couple consignment shops that I make a point to visit once a season. I've gotten some great designer things that I wouldn't have paid full price for. Some things are even perfectly tailored for me...saving me even more money.

 

[April20]

I love to shop at the GW and the Junior League Thrift store. I've found such great stuff over the years and mint or near mint condition. It doesn't bother me at all to buy used/vintage clothes, though I do draw the line at shoes, underwear and bras. Now that skeeves me out.

 

[minmin001]

there are quite some new with tag clothes at goodwill stores etc~

 

[innerkitten]

Sometimes. I buy a lot of new stuff on sale too. I love stocking up. I'm kind of thrifty. I buy some things used but it has to be in really good shape. My mother is the thrift shop queen. She has been thrift shopping for years. She finds the best stuff.

 

[shihtzulover]

I'll occasionally buy a used shirt if I see one that I really love. Other than that, I'm not really interested.

Also, I've found that if I wait for a big sale, I can usually get new clothes for the same as (or just slightly more than) what I spend for any used clothing.

 

[Clairitek]

I LOVE consignment shops. There's actually a high end one in my town where (if I wanted to) I could buy Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci, Escada, Versace, etc. They also have Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo, and Manolo Blahnik shoes... amongst many more affordable brands. If I were so inclined to wear those brands I would definitely go there first to find something affordable. There are also a lot of other nice consignment shops around this area. At one of these places I recently bought a silk scarf, leather handbag, Tahari trench coat, and Tahari silk blouse for a song. The trench and blouse were items I would not have purchased full price or even on a sale at a department store. Clearly I have no issues with used clothing!

Coincidentally, I am wearing my $5 Goodwill jeans as I write this post! I actually have several pairs of Goodwill jeans that I buy to wear into the lab where I work with clothing-ruining chemicals.

 

[LibbyLA]

I don't wear expensive clothes to start with (jeans or crops and cotton-knit long- or short-sleeved tops to work most of the time), but my used clothes buying is for the opposite reason most of you do it. I spend over half my weekends a year working in the forest so I buy used long-sleeved shirts and pants (jeans when I can find them, but I snagged a great pair of black law enforcement/EMT style pants with enough pockets to make a kangaroo happy) to wear on the weekends. I don't mind if I get grease, paint, or bleach on them or rip them. Got several fleece tops, sweatshirts, and jackets to keep at the camp, as well.

I also bought a bunch of men's cotton shirts in assorted blue plaids and stripes which I'm turning into a large lap quilt.

Years ago, I found a custom-made cream silk dinner jacket that I used as a blazer for awhile.

liz

 

[erinl]

I love the idea of thrift stores but I find that most of them cause me to have an allergy attack-- there is always a musty smell. I live in Chicago and village discount is a wall of mildew when I walk in. I have donated tons of stuff and just the process of walking in and giving them by stuff messes up my allergies. If it is high end enough that it doesn't smell, then the clothes there are more expensive than what I spend for new!

I also am incredibly irritated when i walk into a store and they are selling a used target shirt for 5 dollars. That is not a bargain in my opinion!

 

[sonnyjane]

Just an FYI, this thread is 2 years old. It was brought to the surface by a spammer posting a link to a clothing site, but that post was reported and deleted.

 

[monarch64]

Just an FYI, this thread is 2 years old. It was brought to the surface by a spammer posting a link to a clothing site, but that post was reported and deleted.

Glad you brought that up; I reported the spam post last night and it was taken care of really fast! I thought about posting what you just did but I fell asleep.

We could talk about that Macklemore song now, I guess?

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

I LOVE buying used clothes! There's something so much fun in the hunt for a really good find in a thrift store. Some of my favorite pieces are items I found while thrifting, and they are always much more interesting than the pieces I buy new.

I'd say my wardrobe is 20% thrift store finds and 80% new clothes. I don't see anything icky about it at all. I clean everything before I wear it, after all.

When I was in high school it was very in to find clothes in thrift stores. Then I became a costume major in college and Le Shoppe in Champaign, Illinois became the best local source for costumes that we weren't building in the shop. Oh, how I miss those long days of going through every last item in Le Shoppe! I found my favorite pair of pants there, they're handmade out of upholstery fabric, very sixties, and they only cost me $13. I still wear them to this day, nearly a decade later. They're better quality than any other pair of pants I've ever owned.

Make that 30% and we're the same. Plus, I started in HS and was a very hippie kid, so I LOVED getting my fun bells and ridiculous shirts from there! Why pay more when you can find used/vintage for less?

 

[minousbijoux]

It doesn't really matter, I suppose, how old this thread is, as its still applicable and probably always will be!

I think it really depends on where you live and what is offered. I know that going to thrift shops and so forth around where I live is a complete waste of time for me, but when I visit family in Vermont, there are fabulous thrift stores in Burlington Vermont that I frequent. Still you have to have patience and I think the key is not looking for any particular thing, but being willing to buy something you really like if it is a great buy and adding it to your roster.