WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN LOOKING AT WHAT’S WHAT
1. Shoes- Shoes either fit or they don’t they are not like clothes where there is more wiggle room for the most part. Another aspect to shoes is to remember these are worn on people’s feet. The material gets stretched to a particular person’s foot. And some people feel the need to donate there 5 years old, worn everyday used bedroom slippers. (?) Avoid these even if they have a giant yellow Big Bird on the toe. THEY ARE GROSS! Look for shoes with very little to no wear. If there is damage to the heel even on a really cool vintage pair avoid them unless you are some expert shoe repairer. The cost to have the heels fixed by a professional shoe repair will far out weight the value of the shoe.
2. Outerwear- Outerwear can be pretty expensive to buy new. That is one reason people hold onto coats and jackets longer .You will often be able to find vintage outerwear pieces, whether it be a cool, 50’s wool coat, a vintage fur, a Forecaster raincoat or any number of different styles. Coats seem to stay longer in the hallway closets than a lot of other attire before they end up donated. Take note!! Off season coats are an excellent bargaining item. Ask the clerk or manager if they can do any better on the price. They aren’t going to move any leather jackets, puffers or furs, in July. They go for it every time!
3. Bags/ Handbags- Bags are an interesting section. There are a ton of crappie made handbags. For me I need a nice quality, generally leather bag. So I find that handbags are a real hit or miss area. Also women will hang on to, much like outerwear, well made bags for a long time, though that doesn’t mean that they don’t show up at thrift stores. You just have to search a little harder. You may also be able to find a cool bag someone picked up overseas at Moroccan market.
4.Sweaters- If you don’t live in a climate that gets cold enough for sweaters skip this.
Things to look for when going through the sweater section:
Pilling- the little balls of sweater fabric that shoes up in areas were the sweater rubs like the underarms or other parts. A little pilling is OK but lots of it is sign that the sweater is made from synthetic fiber. Always check the tag if there is one and go for wool, wool blends, cashmere, cotton and other natural materials.
Pulls- Especially in heavy knits. These are almost impossible to hide and will lead to fraying. If they are small you might be able to weave it back through with little effort or disguise it with a brooch or decorative detail.
Stains- Some sweater are dry clean only so if you find one that is really awesome it may be worth it to try to have it removed professionally. But if you think you can’t get it out yourself pass on it.
5. Pants/Jeans- Good dress pants and or jeans can retail for $50 and go up in price from there so they are worth making the effort of finding a pair at a thrift store. Things to avoid:
Ripped seams (unless you think you can mend them)·
Stains- If the item is really worth it and it only cost a few bucks have a go at removal.
Holes-On jeans look at the cuffs often people wear jeans that are too long and they drag on the ground. Who cares if you find a pair of designer jeans if the cuffs are all ripped up and holey!!
Crotch- wear- Yeah, I said it and it's true. If you have thighs that touch such as myself the crotch area will wear out and become worn even if the rest of the pant is fine. Yes it is depressing but look out for this when you're looking in the pants section. I gonna go do my Thigh Master now and weep.........
6.Tops (Long sleeve, short sleeve, buttoned down whatever.)Look for:
Missing buttons- If a button is missing on the cuff you can probably get away with it, but if it is on the front you would have to find a match or replace all of the buttons so they match. Get out that handy sewing kit from the Best Western!!
Pit Stains- "Raise your hand if your Sure!"Oh so lovely and attractive aren't they. People sweat and due to that especially on whites you can find those lovely yellowish circles in the pit area. Newsflash! They don’t come out even with bleach!! AVOID, AVOID, AVOID and move on. Send me message or comment if you have some technique to remove these I like to have that info.
7. Brick Brack- Brick brack is all the glassware, old kitchen utensils, silk-like flower arrangements, baskets, plaster wall clowns, beautiful unicorn paintings done on mirrors that somebody won at the local carnival and all that OTHER tchotchke-ish stuff.
Look for:Chips on glassware. It may not matter but on that Fenton Vaseline glass hobnail vase it’s ruins the value. But if you want the Shabby Chic look who cares? Ask yourself this question. Is this going to be worth all the elbow grease it’s going to need to look good? If your answer is “No.” save your quarter. (I will go further into Brick Brack in a future posting.)
8. Furniture- There is all kinds of furniture from futons to butterfly chairs to solid wood dining room tables and love seats. If you are handy and can repair a wobbly leg or fix up a solid piece you can do very well. If the furniture is a sofa or chair that is upholstered take a good wiff....... strong odors such a smoke or pet odors can be difficult to remove. If the piece is stained you can always try to get it out or if it is a nice useful shape, purchase an inexpensive slip cover and viola! New-like chair!!!!!!!!!!
1. Shoes- Shoes either fit or they don’t they are not like clothes where there is more wiggle room for the most part. Another aspect to shoes is to remember these are worn on people’s feet. The material gets stretched to a particular person’s foot. And some people feel the need to donate there 5 years old, worn everyday used bedroom slippers. (?) Avoid these even if they have a giant yellow Big Bird on the toe. THEY ARE GROSS! Look for shoes with very little to no wear. If there is damage to the heel even on a really cool vintage pair avoid them unless you are some expert shoe repairer. The cost to have the heels fixed by a professional shoe repair will far out weight the value of the shoe.
2. Outerwear- Outerwear can be pretty expensive to buy new. That is one reason people hold onto coats and jackets longer .You will often be able to find vintage outerwear pieces, whether it be a cool, 50’s wool coat, a vintage fur, a Forecaster raincoat or any number of different styles. Coats seem to stay longer in the hallway closets than a lot of other attire before they end up donated. Take note!! Off season coats are an excellent bargaining item. Ask the clerk or manager if they can do any better on the price. They aren’t going to move any leather jackets, puffers or furs, in July. They go for it every time!
3. Bags/ Handbags- Bags are an interesting section. There are a ton of crappie made handbags. For me I need a nice quality, generally leather bag. So I find that handbags are a real hit or miss area. Also women will hang on to, much like outerwear, well made bags for a long time, though that doesn’t mean that they don’t show up at thrift stores. You just have to search a little harder. You may also be able to find a cool bag someone picked up overseas at Moroccan market.
4.Sweaters- If you don’t live in a climate that gets cold enough for sweaters skip this.
Things to look for when going through the sweater section:
Pilling- the little balls of sweater fabric that shoes up in areas were the sweater rubs like the underarms or other parts. A little pilling is OK but lots of it is sign that the sweater is made from synthetic fiber. Always check the tag if there is one and go for wool, wool blends, cashmere, cotton and other natural materials.
Pulls- Especially in heavy knits. These are almost impossible to hide and will lead to fraying. If they are small you might be able to weave it back through with little effort or disguise it with a brooch or decorative detail.
Stains- Some sweater are dry clean only so if you find one that is really awesome it may be worth it to try to have it removed professionally. But if you think you can’t get it out yourself pass on it.
5. Pants/Jeans- Good dress pants and or jeans can retail for $50 and go up in price from there so they are worth making the effort of finding a pair at a thrift store. Things to avoid:
Ripped seams (unless you think you can mend them)·
Stains- If the item is really worth it and it only cost a few bucks have a go at removal.
Holes-On jeans look at the cuffs often people wear jeans that are too long and they drag on the ground. Who cares if you find a pair of designer jeans if the cuffs are all ripped up and holey!!
Crotch- wear- Yeah, I said it and it's true. If you have thighs that touch such as myself the crotch area will wear out and become worn even if the rest of the pant is fine. Yes it is depressing but look out for this when you're looking in the pants section. I gonna go do my Thigh Master now and weep.........
6.Tops (Long sleeve, short sleeve, buttoned down whatever.)Look for:
Missing buttons- If a button is missing on the cuff you can probably get away with it, but if it is on the front you would have to find a match or replace all of the buttons so they match. Get out that handy sewing kit from the Best Western!!
Pit Stains- "Raise your hand if your Sure!"Oh so lovely and attractive aren't they. People sweat and due to that especially on whites you can find those lovely yellowish circles in the pit area. Newsflash! They don’t come out even with bleach!! AVOID, AVOID, AVOID and move on. Send me message or comment if you have some technique to remove these I like to have that info.
7. Brick Brack- Brick brack is all the glassware, old kitchen utensils, silk-like flower arrangements, baskets, plaster wall clowns, beautiful unicorn paintings done on mirrors that somebody won at the local carnival and all that OTHER tchotchke-ish stuff.
Look for:Chips on glassware. It may not matter but on that Fenton Vaseline glass hobnail vase it’s ruins the value. But if you want the Shabby Chic look who cares? Ask yourself this question. Is this going to be worth all the elbow grease it’s going to need to look good? If your answer is “No.” save your quarter. (I will go further into Brick Brack in a future posting.)
8. Furniture- There is all kinds of furniture from futons to butterfly chairs to solid wood dining room tables and love seats. If you are handy and can repair a wobbly leg or fix up a solid piece you can do very well. If the furniture is a sofa or chair that is upholstered take a good wiff....... strong odors such a smoke or pet odors can be difficult to remove. If the piece is stained you can always try to get it out or if it is a nice useful shape, purchase an inexpensive slip cover and viola! New-like chair!!!!!!!!!!
