Rules of Thrift Shopping.

If you don't know this already, I LOVE to thrift shop. Growing up, I have always been a history guru, and spent much time shopping in antique stores, and learning to APPRECIATE antiques, vintage, and history. I was the definition of "girl" growing up. I'd wear dresses every day, thought I was a princess, and always had some form of curl, braid, and bow in my hair. In present, I'm dating an incredibly talented musician, and we spent a lot of time in the metal/hardcore scene, which has added a bit of a edge to my style. I can't fit my style into a specific category, heck I'm not sure if I even have style, it just describes: me. Thrifting is a huge part of my style, because it allows me to find pieces that are perfect for me, pieces that no one else has, pieces that have a history attached to them, pieces that I can completely make my own. I get a lot of questions about thrifting. "Where do you go?" "What do you look for?" "How much was that??" "Can I come with you?" So I decided to post some of my personal guidelines or "rules" for thrift shopping.

1. Goodwill is not a thrift store.  Aside from there occasional half of everything sales, and days when I feel like wasting four hours of my life digging through there racks, I don't shop at goodwill. Honestly, Goodwill is a little pricy for me, (wow, you know its bad when Goodwill is too expensive) but I say that because There is much more out there. Goodwill's are huge, and not very organized. I'm a bust gal, and spending hours flipping through hangers gets really boring to me, and when I get bored, I'm over it. Done. Ready to go to Starbucks, or home, but most likely Starbucks. Have I found some cool stuff at Goodwill before? Yes. But, it's definitely not my first pick. Also, I thrift shop to find cool, vintage, unique pieces. Goodwill I feel tries really hard to display more modern, slightly outdated clothes, rather than more vintage pieces, mainly because the crowd they are most attracting is looking for bargains on current styled clothing, which is great if that is what you're looking for, but I want the old stuff.

2. Undies are a no no. Remember above when I mentioned loving that fact that the clothes I bought already had a history attached to them? Well that statement is just as true for undergarments, and I don't know about you, but that is a history that should be left alone. I'm really picky about where I buy my underwear to begin with, and buying used is completely out of the question. Just don't go there y'all.

3. Think outside the box. It may be a oversized t-shirt, or a giant pair of mom jeans, but do you see potential? High-waisted jeans/shorts are in right now. Cut off tanks and crop tops are also in. Can this item be a DIY project? Those are double the fun! Don't be afraid of a little scissor action or needle and thread, it can be totally worth it, and way cheaper than buying it retail. Plus, we know they did the exact same thing.

4. Shoes? Shoes are a iffy right now for me. I have always said I wouldn't buy shoes used, which I mean really, it is a little gross. Just because feet are gross, and you can't really wash shoes like you can clothes. Maybe if I came across something incredible like some cool lace up boots, I might change my mind, but for now the rule sticks, NO shoes!

5. Wash before you wear. We all know that "smell" thrift stores have. Musty, dusty, grandmas perfume, weird smell. Always wash your purchases before you wear them, and I wash mine separate from my other clothes. Just to be safe. Maybe I'm a little too cautious, I blame my mother.

6. Venture out! Like I said, Goodwill isn't a thrift store, there are so many neat stores, don't be afraid to check them out. Are they in the ghetto? Probably. But you'll find the cool stuff there. If you're really into vintage, go to antique malls, get out the phone book and look for shops near you. Grab some friends, and make a day out of it! It's fun I promise.

If you live in the DFW area, here are some of my favorite spots!

1. Thrift Town, Fort Worth
2. Lula B's East, Deep Ellum Dallas
3. McCart Thrift, Fort Worth
4. Gypsy Cowgirl, Burleson