thrift store finds: may 2018

May was a pretty great month all around, but especially for thrifting. We went on our vacation where their local thrift stores were more hit than miss. But I also struck gold at my local thrift stores— which is where my biggest hauls came from. I know it probably seems that with the amount of time I spend talking about thrifting, I’d have a pretty large wardrobe, but it’s quite the opposite. I’ve talked before about how I’ve donated much of my clothing that wasn’t doing it for me anymore. I can be a huge hoarder if given the chance, so I’m really aware of how much I own and wear. And keep in mind that thrifting isn’t all about the clothing. I find a lot of housewares at thrift stores— from vintage mugs, to decor, and furniture. Many times I’ll call a particular trip successful and not have a single article of clothing with me. It’s only been recently that I’ve begun purposing my trips for building up my wardrobe.

Even though we’re now in June, I can’t stay away from transition pieces and straight up winter gear. I sort of let myself get away with it in the summer because I moved here without a single piece for autumn or winter. Save for a once-used winter coat, I was completely unprepared for temperatures under 75 degrees (aka, a Texas winter). I hope this serves as justification as to why I have long sleeves in a May thrift finds post. I didn’t get all winter and fall gear though. I did manage to find things for summer that are (gasp!) colorful and not warm neutrals!

No idea what my face is doing, but I really like the photo anyway? LOL

The thing I’m most excited for this month is denim. I have one pair of jeans that I wear regularly. I was getting really down about the fact that I basically just change my top every time we go out. I really don’t have a good reason for not having more than one pair of jeans, but I’m over the moon about the fact that I didn’t find just one, but FOUR new pairs. Three of which are mom jeans, which I’m not embarrassed at all to admit that I’ve been really into lately. I also found this really neat pair of PANTS in a color that I’ve never before been comfortable enough to wear.

My go-to trend of the moment are button-down shirts that are tied at the waist, can you tell? I know the tops are all over the place in terms of season and style. I was looking for things I could wear in the upcoming warm weather, but you can’t really decide what you’ll find when you go thrift shopping. You just have to roll with what you get (hence I was pretty successful with long sleeved clothing-- most which wasn't even photographed because it's way too hot out to even pretend to be comfy in it). Aside from the long sleeves, I’ve been finding some pretty cool tops that I can totally see in an Urban Outfitters or Brandy Melville store.

My favorite thing about this shirt are how all the different yellow tones mix together.

Even though I’ve been thrifting for years now, I never considered shoes from the thrift store as a viable option. It wasn’t until I started watching some of my favorite YouTubers finding shoes while thrifting that the realization hit. I got these brown boots a week before leaving for DC and while there, discovered that they’re waterproof. In most of the later photos in those posts, you’ll see I wore them for the last few days of our trip (click here for part 1 of our trip and here for part 2). I also found these mules that are from the Naturalizer (so you know they’re suuuuper comfy). Funny story: I’d actually found a pair of the mules right next to the brown leather boots, but they were a size too small so I left them behind. Two days ago I went to different thrift store and lo and behold, there they were. Those exact mules in great condition and in my size!

If you recognize this as a photo from our DC trip, you're absolutely right.

If you’re new to thrifting, I’d recommend starting with leather goods like belts and bags. It’s really common to find these items in great condition (leather usually wears really well), and it trains your eye to catch things that appeal to you while looking at a sea of other things.

Because I was so focused on my wardrobe this month (and out of state for a week), I didn’t get too much for the apartment. Of the misc. items I did get, a compartmentalized wicker organizer was the biggest winner. Our coffee table is perpetually messy and even Andrew exclaimed at how much we needed it. No more digging around the couch to find a lost remote! Other things included this old time-y picture frame and more woodland creature decor. I’m a sucker for anything critter related.