the art of thrifting

 

another thrifted find. i know, you must be wondering where i shop. and might be thinking that i just walk in the vintage shop already filled with awesome stuff. i wish! thrifting takes patience and needs a bit of learning. 

i started out at 12 years old and that was before people and fashion magazines labeled thrifting as cool. before, it was a taboo of some sort. we can't talk about it. as a child, we'd go thrifting at one of the local markets in our province every summer -- where people can't see us! haha! and where most of the cool stuff are. the market is stuffy and the clothes are on bamboo racks and platforms. you'd have to literally rummage through the clothes. mind you, it was super dusty! but the finds are worth it -- vintage tees and cute dresses at only P5 - P50 (that's $0.10 to $1) each. it was always something we looked forward to. 

in college, we'd wake up really early on sundays and go to our local market in Cebu. ukay-ukay (vintage) vendors would all lay their tables and hang their racks everywhere on the streets -- this is from thursday evening to sunday. this became our sunday habit. the market is sometimes smelly and muddy, full of sweaty people and noisy. since i was in college, i'd scour for vintage and graphic tees, denim shorts and skirts, long-sleeved shirts and dresses. the prices ranged from P10 - P80 ($0.20 to $1.60). we soon realized though that we were buying more 'could be' stuff -- stuff that needs altering, fixing or snipping. we'd soon have piles on our sewing machine -- waiting to be altered. 

we've long let go of our sunday habit and just shop at the nearby vintage stores -- air-conditioned and the clothes are properly organized and on hangers. the prices are a bit more expensive than the street kinds at P50 - P200 ($1 to $4) but we don't have to bear the sweat, smell and grind of the market. not too much alterations are needed too. and i personally have learned something, before buying anything, i need to picture if the item is something i can wear over and over. if it's just a 'could be' or a 'i could possibly' item, it's off of my list. now i can't wait for the weekend -- new stuff at our nearby vintage store!

ps. my dad does the alterations to our dresses. he shortens them, trims the waist, alters our flare jeans to skinnies..LOL. his grandma taught him how to sew. love you dad!

striped dress - thrifted

red flats with chain detail - celine

black leather bag - lil' sister's

thin black belt - props

long watch necklace - hk gift shop

gold bangles - from india

layered beaded bracelet - from a friend at P80