For some time now there is been a huge trend in the blogoverse to applaud and be proud of thrift purchases. Many bloggers, including myself, proudly parade their amazing purchases at next to nothing prices. Many bloggers have added the ‘We shop secondhand first’ badge created by The Citizen Rosebud on their blogs.
It seems that we often only include the price of a new items if it was really cheap. I know I do this sometimes to show my readers that I’m not a rich, compulsory spender, but could not resist an item at a discount.
Although I applaud buying clothes at second hand stores, I think we should also not forget that it can be good to buy items at full price too.
And be proud for doing so.
For, as brilliant as some of the purchases are in thrift stores or at the sales, many of those purchases are not a success for the following reasons:
- They get worn only a few times.
- Sometimes the items not only are cheap, they look cheap as well.
- You may have sacrificed a perfect fit or bought something that is not really your style (see also how you can avoid buying mistakes in sales or thrift stores)
- Although it’s true that you are reusing clothes (and thereby helping the planet), you also keep on stuffing your wardrobe with new items, whereas it may be better for you to concentrate on fewer, better items. Many thrifters buy lots of stuff (which is still a lot of consumption) and more is not always better. Ultimately, it will be better for the planet to consume less altogether.
On the other hand buying items at full price, especially from emerging, local designers or environmentally conscious designers can have many benefits too:
- You ensure that new designers will continue to emerge with new ideas. Only if we buy their items at full price, will they be able to make a living and sustain their business.
- When you buy something full price, you make sure it’s absolutely perfect. No compromises on quality, fit and style should be made.
- Buying items full price forces you to think long and hard about your style and what message you want to give to the world with your clothes. Understanding your style better is a good thing, as it communicates the message of who you are more clearly and can give you a signature look. It may also lead to a more minimal wardrobe.
- You can still support the environment by only looking for natural fabrics or supporting ec0-friendly designers like Gustavo Lins.
Of course high price items can be a failure too and that will hurt twice as bad. But you cannot let fear of that happening, stop you from buying high priced clothes. Quality IS more important as we age. You need to be really careful with wearing cheap fabrics or outdated designs as it will just age you and look frumpy.
So I’m hoping that we will see more mentions of pride in the blogosphere of high ticket items that were a huge success. Those items that we paid big dollars for, but that have proved their worth time and time again, since you always feel and look fabulous in it.
I think buying those kind of really successful high quality items is a lot harder than buying something cheaply in a thrift store. And when you succeed in doing it and it pays off, you should scream it from the rooftops with pride. One of my goals for 2012 is to get better at this. To really shop for high quality basics that will stand the test of time. Items that will become the backbone of my wardrobe and will always be there for me when I feel that ‘I have nothing to wear’.
Of course this does not mean that you should stop shopping at thrift stores or sales, but I would say, do so in moderation and create the right balance.
As Ines de la Fressagne said in a recent interview with a Dutch newspaper: “Even if you can afford expensive clothes, you need to mix them with a t-shirt, jeans or a leather jacket. Women that buy designer clothes often forget this”.
I so agree with that. It’s all about creating the right mix. Both with your dressing and shopping.
So tell me, which high ticket items did you buy that were absolutely worth it?
Photo: pants from Theory, Brooks Brothers, Reed Krakoff and Armani.
Sylvia is 40+style’s editor-in-chief and has been helping women find their unique style since 2011. An alumni of the School of Color and Design, she is devoted to empowering women of any age to look and feel their best. Read more about Sylvia and 40+style on this page.
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I would rather buy the perfect item on sale than buy thirft store items. I’m able to find a great deal on sale but when I find the perfect item, I will have for a while, I will pay full retail. Finding navy basics here in the Southwest is almost impossible. Black rules here. When I find a perfect navy basic and in my size I buy the item.
I really want to start buying fewer pieces at a higher price rather than lots of cheaper things. My closet is stuffed right now! A anything new that goes in is going to have to be perfect!
I think that the balance you speak of is correct. We live in NYC, so the shopping options are many and we’re of an age and income so we can buy better stuff, not necessarily super high end but decent stuff. We don’t shop in thrift stores because there’s just too much cheap stuff, but we definitely shop in consignment stores. In NYC there’s a definite pecking order to them and we stick to the upper end. I never had a problem with buying anything used, clothing or otherwise.
I also buy a lot of ‘vintage’ stuff on ebay for my wife and I generally do pretty well in terms of sizing and quality. Of course not always but the failures go in the ‘ebay’ box to be re-sold later. Right now I’ve been working on a nice collection of amazing Pucci silk scarves for her Christmas present.
The big Euro fashion houses are incredibly profitable so when buying new we have no
compunction in waiting for a sale. Right now in NYC all the big brands are 30-40% off so why not?
I think it’s also important, as someone mentioned above, to not only support some new designers, but also to consider country of origin and the workers who make things. My wife has some nice pieces from St. Johns, formerly made mostly in the USA. The other day we saw a ‘sale’ sign on their 5th Avenue boutique, so we went in. Well well, everything is now made in China. I don’t specifically have a problem with ‘made in China’, and I understand that the economics of a $9 Target Tshirt indicate that it will have to be made in China, but I do have a problem with a $2000 dress made in China. I won’t support that kind of corporate greed. No, if it’s extremely high priced, I expect that it will be made in a country by workers with decent salary and benefits.
But every once in a while I’ll pay full price. It might only happen to me once a year, but bang, something will just grab me in a store window and be so outrageously beautiful that I’ll just have to buy it. Last time that happened was a pair of Prada Flame shoes. Gorgeous!
You make a lot of good points Denton. I also feel that when I pay full price and it’s expensive, the price needs to be justified. I’m not so much interested in branding, but I do care for good fabric and how it’s made. Even the bigger brands have high priced items that are poorly made or of synthetic materials. Like you I have no qualms about waiting for the sale for the bigger brands either. I wish there were consigment shops here, both for my discarded things to have a home and to shop. It’s definetely a business opportunity here!
You make such an essential point, Sylvia- part of sustainable living AND ethical shopping is to make good INVESTMENTS in your shopping choices, and buying new well made and by well paid garment workers often (almost always!) is a GREAT choice. Fast fashion has a price and that is cheap clothes made to throw away almost immediately and by sweatshops. I would much prefer people pay more for items chosen to last years in their closets than trendy trash. My way is to SHOP SECOND HAND FIRST, leaving room to make wise purchases and that can include buying brand new if I can’t source a needed item via thrifting or consignment shops.
The bottom line for for me is sustainability and that MUST include new items.
Thanks for your input Bella. Yes, I agree, but it’s a challenge. I’m still tempted by clothes from places like Zara and I’m tempted by trends. I would not dare spending a lot of money on very trendy items. But yes, it is a goal to buy more long lasting items of good quality. Time will tell if I succeed. It’s hard to shop second hand here. Not many options…
Yes this was a post to think about. Also about the comments. I am lucky enough to be able to buy clothes at full price. Not high market designer stuff like Burberry, but still good quality. And I hardly buy in the sale. By that time I have “fallen” for so many things in the new season, my money is spent. Like f.i. now. I am skinned because I could’t resist a lot of things. Sale can sometimes have nice things, but the really really nice things were spotted by everybody and are gone. I love the quality of good stuff, but I do realize that I am lucky to have to money to afford it. Thriftshop finds are an addition, just for fun and I am careful that it fits and is really nice. Otherwise I will leave it.
Also I agree that if we want designers to keep on designing and shops to sell clothes, we need to reward them with a decent income, otherwise they will go bust.
Perhaps you should also find a better balance Greetje. Buy some nice things full price but then wait for the sales. I have gotten better at waiting and that has paid of also with acquisition of some high quality pieces.
Patience is not a virtue I possess. Besides, I would be too afraid they will not have my size left in the sales. And if I really like it, I want it, an attitude mostly attributed to the generation after me haha.
This article gave me a lot to think about – as did the reader responses. 🙂 I have never shopped thrift stores but mostly because I wear such a small size and it is not easy to find anywhere – including retail stores. Online shopping has given me many more options and I think for a while I went a bit too far the other way – buying too much just because I suddenly could! But Sylvia has taught me to think my purchases through carefully and to ask important questions – do I really need this, can I wear it with items I already own, does it fill a need? I have a better idea of what I should shop for and how much use I will get out of any one piece so that has made me a smarter shopper. But it also reinforces my paying full price when I find something I love as I can not take the chance of my size selling out (it is a fact that retailers order more of the middle sizes and less of the sizes on either side of that in clothing and shoes). Another side to this is, I live in a very fashionable neighborhood and it used to be a big thrill for me to be the first to wear a certain look – I had metallic snakeskin gladiators 5 years ago, I had the first pair of over the knee boots, the first ” hot pink” Pantone color of the year Kate Spade bag several seasons back. At the time that made me feel good but I have outgrown it and now I care if an item fits well and if I can really use it. I still have fun with clothes but in a more evolved way. I respect that everyone has a different viewpoint on this though. Our lifestyles and our bodies and even our friends influence how we look at this issue.
Good to read that my site has helped you become a smarter shopper Suzanne!
I have never bought something second hand. And I am not going too. I always liked good quality, and paid for it, because I think in the end an expensive buy is a cheap buy. Because of the fit and the good material you can wear them for years. It all changed because I can not work anymore, so very few money to spend, therefore I buy things for instance at H&M, never in my hole life I would have thought to buy there. What I like about expensive things is that most of the time it is a natural product, like wool, cotton, linnen or silk, and that in comparison to cloth from cheaper brands they have always acrylic , polyester or other synthetic mixtures. So to be able to buy something from a better brand I have to wait for sales.
Yes, as you know I look out for natural fabrics too….
What a great post! I am in my late forties and saw a picture of myself this past summer in an inexpensive top and it made me cringe. I decided then to only wear quality items that flatter me – and do my best to disconnect the money aspect. I have several great purchases including a pair of BCBG Max Azria black pants (that feel luxurious!) and an Anthropologie sweater that I get comments on each time I wear it. I bought the sweater while looking for a “basic” and decided I’d rather have something a little more exotic. I do have to plan more now, but I don’t have to hunt through my closet as though shopping through racks and racks of retail items! Getting dressed is simpler and I look better. Thanks for starting the discussion.
I love looking through Anthropologie, and always want to buy something but never do. I guess the quest toward Boho is made in baby steps. 🙂
Thanks for your feedback Nancy. It sounds like you have found what works for you!
I usually try to find clothing items on sale but I have never shopped in second-hand or thrift stores. Having worked in the clothing sales industry in the past, I know that the mark-up from wholesale to retail is always extremely high. Keeping that in mind, I usually look for a sale, although I do occasionally pay full price.
Thanks for the feedback Kathy!
I am not a huge thrifter. We don’t have any good consignment or thift shops where I live. I would really rather pay full price for a lovely item I know I am going to wear a lot. I never pick up anything from a thrift store unless it’s something that truly amazes me, otherwise it’s just as wasteful as spending full price for an item. Unless something gets used it doesn’t matter what you paid for it.
Yes, very true!
Oh, I’m so glad you posted this. I was starting to think I was alone in the clothes-buying world. I am NOT a “thrifter”. I can’t stand the idea of wearing someone’s leftovers and I detest hunting and pecking to find something good. The stores are usually a mess with things on wire hangars (EEK!), and who knows what has been washed, or who wore it. Grant it, I have taken some nice things to thrift stores to donate (a few with tags still on) that I purchased in a retail store and just didn’t work out, so I know there can be good finds in thrift stores. However, I just can’t bring myself to be a shopper there. I have a very small wardrobe (very small closet!) and always focus on what I need and quality pieces. I do try to wait for sales, but often, my size disappears (especially in shoes). So, I am one of those suckers who enjoys a little retail therapy now and then. 🙂
It sounds like you are doing exactly as I advocate Rita, although I’m all for doing a mix of buying full price and thrifting too. I very much admire those who know what they like and can maintain a minimal wardrobe. I still like my variety, but definitely am more on the less is more side…
High priced is a relative term… What I consider high priced someone else may scoff at. For example my Rachel Zoe trench coat that I bought in two colors at $79.00 each was high for my standards and compared to the $39.00 one I already owned….
Yes that is very true Tracey. Perhaps I should just say full retail price then.
I totally agree with “You may have sacrificed a perfect fit or bought something that is not really your style.” I got caught up in this. I get so excited when I find something that actually fits after looking in the store for hours that I practically feel I “need” to buy it so the trip hasn’t been a waste of time, even if it wouldn’t be something I would purchase if it weren’t a thrift store item. Also I find myself saying, “for $7 I’d be stupid not to get it”. In fact that’s not true.
I will shell out some decent $ for a designer that I meet personally that I know has sewn that item. They often include the price of slight alterations.
I don’t believe in paying full price at regular stores. I try to hold out till a sale comes along. I know people that have worked their whole lives in the fashion industry and refuse to ever pay retail on anything. They say that is for suckers basically.
As you mentioned balance is key.
I liked the post.
Bisous
Suzanne
http://bisous.typepad.com/bisous/
suckers… that is a bit harsh. I still think it’s worth it sometimes. When you know you have found something perfect for you. I like a good bargain like any other, but when you find the perfect item, it’s better not to risk it and wait for the sales.
Sylvia, perfectly said! I, for one would much rather save my money and buy a new, perfectly made, beautiful handbag than have two or three from a thrift store. Same goes for a pair of jeans and a coat.