Secondhand travel wardrobe
I love thrift stores. So much in fact, that I started an Instagram thrift shop called Thrifting with Nina. (Decided to stick with my “brand”). I love going to thrift stores and finding amazing secondhand clothing and household goods. I find too much to keep for myself, so I decided to sell some on Instagram. It’s been such a fun way for me to spread the secondhand love. On our last trip to Europe, I decided to see how many outfits I could create using thrifted items. Turns out, it’s real easy!
In the past, I would do a lot of shopping before my trips because I wanted to have new, fun items to wear. Also, we do assorted activities that may require certain outfits or shoes. This can be costly, and sometimes, it’s a “wear one time” type of purchase. Since I’ve been trying to be more conscious of the costly and detrimental influence of fast fashion, I have been shopping secondhand as much as possible.
Last year, I decided I would only buy secondhand. I made it through one year, and what I learned was that if I can’t find it at Goodwill, I don’t need it. And if I really want it, I have to check to see if I can thrift something that will work before purchasing. This has really cut down on needless spending and falling into the fast fashion trap. I now have sticker shock at regular stores, and their marketing sticks out like a sore thumb. These fast fashion stores know what they’re doing, and I’ll be damned if I let them seduce me into buying stuff I don’t need.
I saw a poster at Ohio Thrift that said this: “If you can’t find what you’re looking for, look for something else.” I loved that! We are such suckers for thinking we have to have certain things, when something else that’s better will do the trick!
So, what sort of outfits did I create with thrifted items? Well, a lot. And here are some of them. Plus, Jared got in on the action, too!
Secondhand travel wardrobe pieces
His shirt and my dress were both thrifted. I used this cotton dress (which was brand new with the tags on it) as a cover-up for my bathing suit.
His bathing suit. It’s a very expensive brand that I found at Volunteers of America for less than $4.
I found a great sheer bathing suit cover-up from Ohio Thrift for $2. It was perfect for lounging by the water. It was also very lightweight, which made it a great travel piece.
I found this windbreaker with the tags still on from only last season. Perfect color, lightweight, and made it a great option for hiking.
I’m really big on grandpa jeans. If you think I’m the only one, think again. Apparently it’s the 2019 trend to watch! I love a good pair of classic high-waisted vintage Levi jeans with a frayed edge. Please never go out of style!
Since the temps were so high on this trip, I opted to bring two jean skirts in lieu of my typical multiple denim jeans. This skirt I found at Volunteers of America. I have seen so many just like this for a lot more than what I paid!
Entire secondhand outfits
I brought the black pants (which are frayed on the ends), and this shirt from a store called Second Chance in Grandview. I also bought this hat at Ohio Thrift. The hat was stained yellow and I just soaked it in a hot water and bleach solution for 30 minutes and voila: a brand new looking hat!
This dress was brand new Banana Republic dress with the tags still on it. Looked to me as if it was from late 90s to early 00s. Which is great, because those styles are now back! The dress is made so well, and was very comfortable!
Here is a back view. I thought it was a great dress for walking the streets of Venice.
The shirt is actually very long, but I tucked it in. I made this cutoff Levi shorts with some grandpa jeans from Volunteers of America. I got really into cutting jean shorts for people in the summer through Thrifting with Nina. I’m obsessed.
The shirt and shorts were thrifted from Volunteers of America.
As you can see, the sky is the limit on what you can find at the thrift store. You don’t have to pay a lot of money to create good, quality travel wardrobes.
How about you? Do you thrift?
