Fashion, Frugality and Sustainability: Where I Shop!
If you were to shop in my closet you would find a mixture of designers. You will find a dress from Prada, a top by Victoria Beckham and multiple Theory tops, sweaters and jeans. My Burberry tops, wraps and a raincoat hang proudly beside my Nicole Miller little black dress and BCBG Max Azria black wool coat. My shoes range from Uggs to Manolo Blahnik to fuzzy bear slippers. Now, if you’re a follower of mine, you know I’m all about the frugal life and budgeting and living below your means. So how can I be advocating for high-end designers with their associated high prices? Because the majority of the items in my closet were purchased second hand through sites like ThredUP, at a FRACTION of the cost of purchasing new.
You: “Whaaaaaaat.”
Me: “Right?!”
Purchasing higher-end used clothing allows me to not only save money, but also makes me feel good about choosing more sustainable clothing options instead of ‘fast fashion’. I cherry pick pieces for my capsule wardrobe which add value and contribute to my overall style.
“Why would I shop anywhere else? ”
The Capsule Wardrobe
I have long been a believer in the capsule wardrobe (also known as minimalist or Parisian wardrobe). The concept of the capsule wardrobe is that you have a limited number of items in your closet that all work interchangeably, allowing you to mix and match outfits numerous times with a small number of pieces. There is no “set” rule for how many pieces should be in your capsule wardrobe; everyone is totally unique and different. Actually, my personal capsule wardrobe has changed at least 3 times in the last 3 years due to pregnancy, being a new mom and now finally being my normal weight and level of activity. My capsule wardrobe reflects my personality and my style. I choose pieces that are timeless (to me!) featuring straight lines, with fabrics that hang properly on my smaller frame and are easy to care for and maintain.
ThredUP and An Organized Life: Perfect Fit.
When ThredUP approached me to take part in their #secondhandfirst campaign, I was chuffed (as my Husband and English friends would say), super excited (as I would say). I was beyond honored to be asked to be included in a campaign with a company that I already loved and shopped. Today I’m sharing my user experience when shopping the site, the process of purchasing, my enjoyment of the box opening and my overall thoughts on the company.
Shop, click, buy, arrive... DANCE!
The ThredUP website is incredibly easy to maneuver. One of the main things I liked is that immediately the program asks for your personal measurements. That way, everything is filtered for you automatically. Once you input your measurements (shirts, pants, shoes etc.) the website will provide you with the options they have available in your size. This made my shopping experience so much more efficient and is definitely one feature I enjoyed the most! I loved that ThredUP offers you designer pieces as well as more conventional items, so it really does cater to any budget. I was able to easily access the designer database and find items that would become staples in my wardrobe. The description they add for each piece of clothing is extremely helpful, and will inform you if a piece is authentic, and the quality and the wear of the item is also included in the description. The prices of the pieces are BEYOND what I anticipated. My Burberry top was estimated retail of $450.00 and I purchased it for $90.99. I have never encountered such reasonably priced high-end designer clothing!
The checkout was straight forward and simple. If you were a new user to ThredUP, they were also offering an additional 40% off your purchase which I thought was an amazing offer!
The arrival of my polka dot box was eagerly anticipated. ThredUP sends out an email with tracking information as soon as it’s available, and (because I am me) I tracked it constantly just to see how much longer I would have to wait!
They have kids’ clothes. What!? Yes. This was a huge game changer for us. For a long time, I relied on the kindness of my beautiful friend Lena to pass me her hand-me-down clothes from her daughter. At one point, Amelia’s closet consisted entirely of Lena’s used clothing, and we absolutely loved it! I see no reason to purchase new clothing for Amelia at full price. Not only will she grow out of it in (literally) a month it also just doesn’t seem sustainable to me. (Side note: when Amelia is older and can make her own decisions it will be entirely up to her on what she wants to purchase for herself!). With ThredUP I’m able to quickly purchase great quality clothing for Amelia very reasonably. Like $1.99!! Game changer, and I no longer have to pester one of my closest friends to purge her daughter’s closet constantly (Sorry Lena) (love you).
Will I Shop Here Again?
The question is, why would I shop anywhere else?
ThredUP has become my go-to website for clothing for me and my daughter. From designer pieces for myself, to every day clothing (with the tags still on!!!) for my daughter, this site has solidified second-hand only purchasing in my mind. From a very positive user experience, plus filtered pieces of clothing in my size, and massive savings from the estimated retail price and finally prompt delivery, ThredUP puts a check mark in all of my “must have” boxes. Personalized, frugal, positive, high quality and quick.
Now if they only sold men’s clothing......
