My 3 Favorite Thrift Finds Ever
I've been thrifting for a while, before we all started calling it thrifting. I have my mother to thank for this obsession with treasure hunting. Speaking of my momma, when thrifting went through its big popularity boom in like 2012ish when Jenn Im was still hitting up Goodwill all the time, I texted her to say "thrift shopping is cool now" to which she said, "So are you cool now?" The answer, which she knew, was no. She was just dragging me.
Anyway, the point is that I've been thrifting since I was a kid, and over the years I've collected a ridiculous amount of clothing. Some pieces have stayed with me. Others have made their way back to donation piles, and a certain few have made it to this list! Here are my top three favorite thrift finds of all time. These are pieces I still own, still love, and still wear all the time.
1. Harry Potter Denim Jacket (5 years old)
This is a bit of a cheat answer, because I didn't thrift this. My aunt thrifted it for me. She found it at a Savers in Oregon and held on to it until I moved there. She got it for something ridiculous like $2, which is nothing short of... magical (hehe). My favorite part about this jacket is that it's inconspicuous. It looks like an everyday denim jacket. People asking if my jacket says Harry Potter, and then me turning around to show them the giant Hogwarts crest on the back is the best feeling in the world. I grew up reading Harry Potter, and the same Aunt that gave me this jacket used to buy me the new books when they came out. All kinds of sentiment and style wrapped into this one piece. It might be my favorite thrift find of all time, and I didn't even thrift it myself.
2. Dooney & Bourke Bag (1.5 years old)
Fun fact. I used to work at a Goodwill boutique where we sold a lot of these old school Dooney bags. I always loved the look of them, and knew they'd be able to withstand my absolutely reckless treatment of handbags. We typically priced them at around $40 (remember, it's a Goodwill "boutique," not a regular Goodwill. Things were way more expensive). I was always waiting for the perfect one to come through and stay on the sales floor long enough for me, as an employee, to be able to buy it (we could only purchase things two weeks old or older). Of course the ones in great condition sold quickly, and I just never got around to buying one. That is until a trip to Australia when my friends and I spent a day hitting up the op shops. We walked into one store, were quickly told that the store would be closing in 20 minutes, and that everything in the store was half off. Well guess what I found in those 20 minutes? It was originally priced at $60, so it cost me $30 Australian dollars, meaning even less than what it would have cost me at Goodwill even with my employee discount. It was in perfect condition, and just such a satisfying purchase after having been looking for this bag for a few years.
3. Moto-Sweater (7 years old)
I found this sweater at a Goodwill in Kapolei, Hawaii right after I graduated from high school, and it's still going strong. Like the HP denim jacket, it is a staple piece with something interesting about it. The gray color and the texture of it are very grandma, but the zipper detail and the moto-jacket cut of it make it a little more edgy. This is another thing that goes with everything, and it also goes with every climate. I wear it here in Hawaii as outerwear, and I wore it a lot in Oregon as a layering piece under a jacket for the winter. It's originally from Gap, is pretty thick and sturdy. It's survived many coffee spills, and is still going strong. This is another piece I'll probably have forever.
There you have it! Unsurprisingly, they're all pretty basic, timeless pieces. They withstand the coming and going of the trends enough so that I've held on to them and will hold on to them for years. Do you have any all time favorite thrift finds?