Thrifting A Fall Wardrobe

The first signs of fall are here — no, not the changing color of the leaves of the cooling of the temperatures (it’s been stinking hot here)! I’m talking about the changeover of clothing in my favorite thrift shops.

I look forward to the end-of season sales because all of the summer clothing is discounted for clear-out, but even more so because that means the “new” fall clothing is going to be filling the racks soon. I hit three of my favorite stores, and thought you might want to come along for the ride and hear a little bit of my thought process while I shop.

First stop was the Second Look Newtown Thrift Shop in Newtown, Pennsylvania. This thrift shop supports the non-profit Bucks County Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (BCABVI), an organization that provides support and services for people with blindness or other visual impairment. The store is a joy to shop in because it’s very nicely organized. Clothing are separated by type (pants, tops, dresses, etc.) and then further organized by color. My only tiny criticism is that all sizes are mixed together, so you might pounce on something lovely only to find that it’s not your size.

So, let’s see what I brought into the dressing room. Keep in my mind that my plaid skirt wasn’t the best basic to wear while trying on other things!

First, because I have an admitted jacket obsession, I started there. I liked the shape of the gray hoodie above, but it was just a little too snug for comfort, so I left it. I saw this darling Kensie coat but decided it was just too young for me. Two other shoppers also pulled it out, sighed, and put it back for the same reason.

One thrifting tip is to just make sure to inspect the items carefully. This gray sweater jacket looked nice at first glance but, upon closer inspection …

just had too much fuzzing and pilling. Even in the nicest of thrifts (which this one is), you’re going to find garment flaws. However, don’t be too quick to reject either. While this sweater was just too fuzzy, a sweater with a few small pulls can be quickly put right with a very inexpensive sweater shaver.

I found this one at a yard sale for a quarter. You can buy them pretty cheaply on Amazon as well.

Don’t mind the wild hair in the upcoming photos … pulling clothes on and off is hard on the ‘do!

I did buy this basic navy blue jacket because, well, hoodie! You can never have too many.

I got this sweater into the dressing room, thought “what was I thinking?” and never tried it on!

Loved the thought of this long, heavy, warm snuggly sweater but the buttons gapped and I felt like a polar bear, so no go.

This next sweater I hemmed and hawed over. I liked the stripes, loved the feel of it on me but, let’s face it, I’m … uh … vertically challenged and this is a long sweater. But in the end, it came home with me. I think it will look good with slim black pants and maybe a bright top underneath. We’ll see if I actually wear it!

I like the look of a sweater that’s longer in back than in front, so this white one made it into my bag. I’m cold all winter long, so I love to wear things over other things. This is a nice thin knit that will add a nice small layer of warmth.

A black and white checked August Silk cardigan was a “yes”, since it will layer nicely over a lot of basic colored tops or tees.

But a blue and white nordic-type print sweater was too boxy and, so, a “no”.

Rounding up the sweaters, an Anne Klein geometric print sweater did come home with me. Comparing this with the sweater above, they’re the same basic shape so I can’t really explain why this one made the cut while the other didn’t, except maybe that the darker color didn’t make such a boxy appearance to my view.

And it’s not fall thrifting without a vest. I really liked this animal print fleece Susan Graver zip front vest. I love to wear a vest on those days when I’m going to be indoors at the mall or other venue and don’t want to carry around a coat.

This post is getting rather long, so I’ll break it down and do the tops I found in another post. I’ll also show how I use my Instagram feed to guide some of my buying decisions.

A few “what I’ve been wearing lately” photos. While it’s been fun doing fall thrifting, it’s been stinking hot in New Jersey! First, a pair of thrifted denim capris and a cold-shoulder top. Remind me to tell a funny story about the capris!

Getting in our last walks on the boardwalk. My purse and sandals were thrifted.

And a colorful outfit on a sunny day (top thrifted, shorts from Poshmark).

Thank you for joining me on my frugal fashion journey! Please follow me here, on Bloglovin’, Instagram and Facebook. Check out the linkups I participate in on the sidebar to the right. And please feel free to comment — I’d love to know what you think!