Buying items second hand is a great way to save money. Unless, you’re like me who drops $300 op shopping in one day making it not the best financial move that it is supposed to be. Whoops. Here’s my thrift clothing haul!
FYI: All prices are in AUD.
Corporate Wear
With all of us slowly going back into the office, work wear is making a comeback. I know many of us dislike corporate outfits but I for one love them. They always make me feel like a “real” adult. Also, I’ve also moved industries from construction to finance which has meant I need more professional outfits. However, business outfits are tough to shop for. They tend to be very expensive and let’s be honest, a bit ugly so it’s hard to find a balance between trendy and professional. This is what I purchased.
Grey Suit: This is the quintessential “boss lady” suit. It’s 60% wool, Italian-made, fits very well and I paid $30. This outfit had me channelling CEO energy. They say dress for the job you want, not for the job you have – right?
Black shirt: The silk-style shirt you see peeking out in both suits is part of the haul, also. It was $12.
Blue Suit: A more trendy option in comparison to the first one. This is a Zara suit and I paid $25. It’s a bit more chill so I can see myself wearing this regularly to work, especially with white sneakers.
White blazer: Before moving to Sydney, I never wore white. However it’s been growing on me lately. This white blazer is a wardrobe staple. $15, made in Turkey – I am on the hunt for a pair of off-white pants to build a chic white suit.
Cream blazer: Here’s another Zara piece. $15, made in Spain, with some really nice buttons. I love Zara work clothes because they’re on the trendy side, such as the puff shoulders on this one. I would wear this outside the office, too!
Grey dress: This was one of my favourite pieces of the haul, for one reason – the fit! Whoever designed this dress knows what a female body looks like. My pet peeve is when women’s clothes are made with no shape, like who is this being designed for? A bookcase? Anyway. This dress was $25 and made in Australia which I love. The 100% cotton make up will make it perfect for warmer days.
And, that’s all the corporate wear I purchased in this thrift clothing haul! Corporate clothes are not cheap so to get two full suits, two blazers, a dress and a blouse for $122 is incredible. All the clothes were in great condition with no stains. The only adjustment I need to make is in the grey suit where the pants are a touch too long. But, that’s an easy fix I can do on my own with some sewing.
Regular Wear
Let’s move to non-work clothes. To be honest, I have way too many regular clothes and have no reason to buy more. Did I still buy more? Yup.
Suede jacket: I am not yet in the income bracket to purchase brand-new suede so when I see suede in an op shop, I buy it! I paid $50 which is pretty expensive for a thrift piece but being 100% suede, and in great condition I felt it was worth it. Also, the jacket online has an original price of $399 (now on sale for $240) which means I got it for 80% cheaper than buying new. Not bad!
Tip: Try to avoid buying dirty second-hand suede. It is hard and expensive to clean!
Leather(?) jacket: So, there isn’t anything too special about this jacket. I am not sure if it is real leather or where it’s made but I LOVED how it fit on me. For $25, it’s a good deal.
Silk shirt: Like suede, I don’t make enough money to buy brand-new silk clothes. I also feel kind of sad when I think of the cute little silk worms working so hard for us to say “I have nothing to wear”. So, I love finding silk at op shops! This shirt is 20% silk which makes it a bit luxurious. I paid $18.
Handbag: I was so surprised to find this Marc Jacobs handbag at the op shop! Marc Jacobs handbags range from $500 – $1k and I only paid $40 for this bad boy. And, it was in excellent condition!
I believe the reason it was donated is due to it needing a repair. The leather that holds the large strap has come undone, however I can easily fix it on my own with some hand sewing.
There you go, that’s my latest thrift clothing haul! I did buy a few more pieces such as skirts but they were a bit boring so I only kept the highlights.
Why I love thrifting
I love a good thrift clothing haul because you can have your cake, eat it too and…not get fat! You can shop regularly without killing the planet or hurting your wallet. Here are my reasons for why op shopping is the best:
Saving money: The most obvious one, buying second hand is much cheaper than buying new. If I bought all these items new, I’d be looking to spend around $1500 instead of $300. Let’s say I buy $300 of clothes twice a year. That means over 10 years I paid $6,000. But, If I bought them new it would be $30,000 over 10 years. That’s $24,000 saved on just clothes. Imagine if you added up buying second hand furniture in there, too!
Higher-quality: While thrifting, you can get high-quality pieces for fast fashion prices. You can get well-made clothes with materials such as wool, cashmere, suede, leather, linen and silk that you normally wouldn’t buy. And trust me, once you start wearing nicer clothes it is hard to wear fast fashion polyester ones. I especially dislike how hot I get in polyester but it doesn’t keep you warm! Also, fit. Cheap clothes make my body look a lot worse than it actually is, focusing on all the wrong places. Well-fitted and well-made clothes make me feel so much more confident!
Fashion fashion sucks: From not paying workers living wages to contributing to 10% of the world’s carbon emissions, the whole fast fashion industry isn’t great. So, we shouldn’t buy fast fashion and sustainable brands instead, right? Well, no – not for me. Sustainable brands are so expensive. I want to do my part for the planet but I am a regular person on a regular salary. So, buying second hand is perfect! I get to do my part in the fight against fast fashion without spending my monthly income on a coat.
My Best Thrifting Tips
If you struggle to find great pieces second-hand shopping, you can read up on my best tips here:
Thank you for making it to the end of the article! If you enjoyed it and want more, here are some cool pieces I have scored at the op shop:
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