Fashion Breakdown, Thrift Basics!

Asking what the most expensive piece of this outfit would be a big misdirection, it's actually the twenty Kandi bracelets I'm wearing (from buying many many cases of beads over the course of several years) which might be surprising! But the main pieces of this outfit, even the shoes, were all thrifted!

If I took all the accessories off this outfit, it's really simple, isn't it? Just a bright pink tank top, black pleather mini skirt, ripped pantyhose, and converse. That's scene!

And here's my best advice when it comes to thrifting, find outfit staples! Simple flexible pieces you can mix and match with accessories and over outfit parts to make new looks!

Go for colors! Brights if possible, but pastels and darks are still good, they just offer different vibes. Just a simple bright tank top can pull a look together. Graphic tees are always great options and even band shirts can be found from time to time if you look often! Fitted or stretchy tops will give you the best classic scene look, but don't be disappointed if you can only find loose tops, these can be easily DIYed to make them fitted (I'll be posting tutorials here, but you can also find them YouTube!). Never be scared to thrift tops for DIY projects, if you're worried about messing up practice on old clothes you already have but don't wear anymore, who knows you might breathe life into a shirt you'd lost interest in!

Bottoms are key staples and great options for thrifting! Pants, skirts, and shorts are often expensive, but finding them at a local thrift store often cuts that price by more than half (and can support a local business if the shops near you are small businesses!). You can find bottoms in dozens of colors and patterns, but don't shy away from plain blue jeans, or non-skinny jeans, it's all about how you style them, and you can always decorate them. Dye them, paint on them, sew or glue on patches, add pins, anything!

Shoes can be a toss-up, you might need to check several shops to find shoes in your size, but traveling around your area and exploring local stores can be a treasure trove! I've been incredibly lucky to find about four pairs of shoes in my size when thrifting, three sets of boots that I absolutely adore, and the pair of sparkly silver converse I am wearing in the pictures above! You can find some amazing gems hunting around in your local thrift shops, you wouldn't believe what people will give away. I got one pair of boots brand new for ten dollars when they were originally forty! Thrifted shoes are great to decorate, since they (usually) aren't new you don't need to worry about drawing on them, painting them, adding pins and Kandi to them! Shoes are great to thrift because they're so flexible, I wear these converse constantly, they look great with all my scene fits!

This is fairly standard advice, I've seen it on several platforms, I've given it many times myself, but that's because it's good advice! Getting a few staple items to flesh out your wardrobe is the perfect place to start building a scene look, and they need not be expensive if you know where to look!

I always suggest shopping local small businesses first, but if you can't find anything there don't feel bad to check out larger secondhand stores like Goodwill.

My last piece of advice for your thrifting adventures is make sure you wash everything before wearing it! It may have been washed before it was detonated, some shops wash things before putting them up for sale, but it's always better safe than sorry! Especially shoes. So stay safe out there! ;3