If you’ve been following along for a while now you know that I’m pretty obsessed with thrifting. I would say about 70% of my wardrobe is thrifted & it’s one of my favourite pastimes (dangerous, but could be worse, right?). I’ve teamed up with my go-to thrifting store Guys Frenchy’s to take you all on a little thrifting trip to my home location - but they have stores all across Atlantic Canada too! I’m going to share with you guys my tips for finding the best pieces & what I typically look for when I thrift ! I’ve also styled six looks from my most recent trip below, you can honestly get your entire wardrobe here & I always find pieces that are on trend & that there are only one of, which I love.
Alwayssss check the men’s section
This is ALWAYS the first rack I head to when I walk through the door. I usually start at the XS but usually sort through all the way to the L or XL, even if they don’t fit, these sizes are perfect to knot up or cut into a cropped graphic tee which I’ve been noticing everywhere lately. I also always find shirts for Justin there too. I head over to the men’s sweaters next, honestly I’ve gotten some of my favourite sweaters here, I swear there can’t be enough men shopping lol, I aways score the best pieces! I have a funny obsession with embossed or logo’d crew necks, like the one below. Justin and I joke that we are collecting all 50 US States lol, they are just so comfy and I actually wear them all the time.
Denim & Linen Blend Drawstring Pants & Chunky Grey Knit-Both from Guy’s Frenchys
Tips for scoring pants
Always check the denim and pant racks. At our home store, they are two seperate sections, so check both!! I went many years only checking the denim side, and it’s still haunting me. Lol. Sometime things like denim & just pants in general can seem like a daunting section at a thrift shop, but at Guy’s Frenchys they always have them hung and do such a great job sizing them too! I away find unexpected pairs in the pants section like these wide-leg linen blend ones. I am pretty much obsessed with linen, I just feel like it’s so easy to wear, comfy but always stylish. I love that the hem on this is a little distressed & they are so baggy & casual- these would be perfect for travelling too (like sweatpants but dressier). I paired them here with a chunky wool knit also from Guy’s Frenchys that I got last year but you can wear these with a little tee tied up in the warmer weather too. I also found two pairs of Aritzia leather leggings in this section before, which has to be one of my best finds to date- they retail for 138.00 normally!!
Mustard Tee & American Apparel Black Button Fly Denim-Both from Guy’s Frenchys
Risk it
Always try on dresses- even if they look too short. This one may be for my short girls out there but really can apply to everyone. I always think dresses look soooo short but usually once I have them on they are the perfect length. Some of my absolute FAVOURITE dresses I’ve gotten here, even for the most formal occasions. Guy’s Frenchys always has a huge selection of dresses, but I can USUALLY narrow it down to the perfect one. (or more LOL) -That’s also the best part of shpping at Guy’s Frenchys, the prices, hellooo! $3.75 for dresses! That was the case with this velvet dress below, such a perfect date night dress, even though it’s velvet I totally brought it to Hawaii with us.
Forever 21 Velvet Dress- Guy’s Frenchys
What to look for in knits
Look for Chunky Knits. One type of item where it ALWAYS pays to thrift is knits- they just don’t make quality knits like they used to, without a supppppper expensive price tag that is. I always find the best thrifted chunky knits at Guy’s Frenchys, especially this time of year. You can usually tell if it’s vintage by the cool stitched labels & great thick handmade quality. I usually wear longer knits layered over a long tee & leather leggings or cropped ones with high waisted denim & boots. These will be the pieces that will seriously last you forever!
Zara Skirt & Crochet Top - Both from Guy’s Frenchys
Don’t skip the bins
Don’t skip the bins. For some people the bins of clothing may be daunting but DON’T SKIP THEM, I promise! I don’t think any true Guy’s Frenchys trip is complete without digging through the bins for last minute finds. I found this entire outfit above in the ladies skirt & tops bins, not only does it match perfectly which I love, but it’s such a cute vacation outfit. That is another amazing thing about Guy’s Frenchys, if you are going on a trip I find they usually have great options for warmer season wear most of the year!
Grey Embossed Crew Neck Sweater + Ripped Denim-Both from Guy’s Frenchys
Bonus tip
Go often!! It’s unrealistic to think you’re going to find your dream piece the one and only time of year you stop in. For me, there are great days, and ok days, but honestly most of the time I do leave with 5-6 items. Lol. But my point is, you need to check back often! They get new clothing in every single day. I usually get there once a week to once every two weeks even if I only have 10 minutes!
I hope these tips have helped you guys & encouraged you to check out my favourite thrift store and to thrift or shop vintage when you can instead of always buying new. It’s better for your bank account, your wardrobe & the environment!! Someone told me on Instagram that their goal for 2019 was to only shop second hand clothing for the entire year! I love this idea, and maybe we should all put ourselves up to the challenge?!
xx
Allie
This post is partnered with Guy’s Frenchys