Naturally, I thought I would celebrate with a trip to my favourite Value Village - the one on Hastings, for those in Vancouver. You can head over to my Instagram Stories right now to follow along during my thrifting trip there. You'll see some of the awesome finds I came across, as well as some thrifting tips along the way.
It's actually been a while since I've been thrifting. In the meantime, I've been compiling quite a big bag of donations: clothes and even some mugs and glasses that we just don't have space for. The best part of taking those into Value Village finally? A discount on my shopping trip! Woohoo!
- A Wilfred Chevalier jacket (I paid: $19.99, but it's worth: $225)
- A Mustard Seed dress (I paid: $13.49)
- A Forever 21 trench (I paid: $17.99)
- A Zara ruffle top (I paid: $8.49)
- A pair of shearling lined boots (I paid:$13.99)
I'm sure you can tell by the breakdown above that my most valuable find was the Wilfred Chevalier jacket. It's funny because I've literally only shopped at Artizia once in my life, but living in Vancouver, it's basically impossible not to be familiar with their clothes. I've seen these Chevalier jackets re-sold on Facebook selling groups enough times to know I'd found something pretty coveted. And when I went to run my hands along the fabric, I could see why. It definitely has a heavy, silky texture to it that you just can't help but love. And it hands beautifully when on. The one I found it juuuuust a tad small (it's a size 2, and I think a 4 would be a bit roomier on me), but I think it'll be fine, as it has some stretch to it.
But my favourite find of the day goes to the stunning red pleated Mustard Seed dress I ended up finding by a stroke of luck. I just happened to see the voluminous skirt peeking out from a rack, and even though the rack was labelled as size 9/10 dresses (and I'm usually a 6), I gravitated towards it to pull it off the rack. Right away, I could tell it was definitely not a size 9 or 10. And when I saw the Mustard Seed label, with a size 'Medium' on the tag, I had a real good feel it was going to fit like a glove. That's the trouble with clothes that are labelled as 'Medium' - every brand sizes their clothing differently, and that makes it extra hard when staff are trying to find out what rack to put an item on. So that's why I always recommend checking other racks outside of your usual size, just so you don't miss out on an item that could be your size.
As I mentioned above, I try not to go into a thrift store with any expectations, but I did tell myself to try and come home with some fall items, instead of more summer stuff. Which is why I'm pretty proud I ended up snagging that Forever 21 trench and the shearling boots! Definitely not summer items. I know the trench isn't some some fancy brand, but I like how the trench drapes, and I could use a trench in grey. And the boots caught my eye because the heel was fairly low and thick, so they'll be easy to walk in, even in the snow this winter. Look at me, thinking two seasons ahead!!
There were also lots of great brands I came across that didn't make the cut for me, but it was exciting to find them nonetheless. Like a pair of Rock and Republic ankle boots, a LaFayette 148 skirt which looked to be valued at about $300, a cute Calvin Klein dress, and I was also happy to see that Simons clothes are starting to trickle into the store (after the first West Coast store opened in North Vancouver a couple years ago).
All in all, a successful thrifting trip! And the best part of all? My shopping left no mark on the environment! I created no demand for new clothes to be made, and yet I have a bunch of 'new' clothes that I'm exciting to add to my wardrobe. Did I mention everything I took home only totalled $80?? Not bad at all!
I'd love to hear your best thrifted finds, and your best thrifting tips! Feel free to share in the comments below :)
Happy Thrifting! xo
~ Britta
Thanks to Value Village for providing a gift card to support my Thrift Shop Day shopping spree!
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