We live in a small town, and the nearest mall is 45 minutes from where I am. So to get there is a mission. But we have a couple of great thrift stores in town. Goodwill is huge and my favorite for jeans.
Gloria Vanderbilt jeans have always fitted me well and I make a bee line for the jeans racks when I get there. And usually I score. My latest pair, that fit like a glove, looked like they had never been worn. They are denim stretch, that darker streaky color. We all know you can dress ‘em up – or down. I love to wear mine with my Ugg boots (ok so I didn’t get these at a thrift store, unless Costco fits that category!) but I don’t think anybody ever part with Uggs.
Another way to expand your wardrobe without spending money is to have a clothes swap, or a “Naked Lady Party.” If you have never been to one, or heard about them, you are in for a treat. A group of friends will get together, bringing their extra clothes out of their closets. Whether they don’t fit any more, you are tired of them, whatever, it doesn’t matter.
All the guests get to check out the goods as they arrive and then draw a number to determine who goes first, second etc. By that time, most have picked out the things they like and have surreptitiously tried to make them less conspicuous until their turn. Then the person who got the first number chooses and so on, until everyone has pretty much taken what they want.
Everyone wins, you clean out your closet, you get a new wardrobe and the balance that is left can go to the thrift store! And it’s a lot of fun, especially when you run across a friend in the future who is wearing – and looking good in – one of your discarded pieces of clothing.