Although the current nice weather can’t be fully trusted until further notice, the past couple of weeks have provided lovely blue skies and temps in the positive (sprinkled in with snow here and there, but that’s beside the point). Spring is officially en route, and it has me craving a little wardrobe refresh! I always like to hit the thrift store before shopping for anything new because 1. I save money this way, 2. It’s the more sustainable option, and 3. It allows me to find “one-of-a-kind” items.
Thrifting is always hit and miss; you never know what you will (or won’t) find. For this thrift shopping trip, I was on a mission to find spring items that my wardrobe lacked, as well as keep an eye out for spring 2024 fashion trends.
Here’s how it went.
Is it really a spring thrift trip if you don’t pick up a vintage trench coat? The price on this one was a little steep (just over $40), but still more affordable than buying something similar new.
100% cashmere for $15? Yes, please. Although this Lord & Taylor cardigan doesn’t have much hanger appeal, it was an immediate grab the second I spotted it. It’s the perfect neutral colour and feels soft and lightweight, great for transitioning into the spring season. I can’t wait to style it draped over my shoulders.
When it comes to pleated skirts, American Apparel is the OG. So naturally, when I saw this red American Apparel pleated skirt, it went straight into my cart. It’s no secret that red is the colour of the moment, and pleated skirts are a major spring staple. It’s a win-win.
Again, the hanger appeal really isn’t there. But most thrift store change rooms still aren’t open (rolls eyes), so this will have to do for now. If a trench coat and a button-up shirt were to mix, it would be this shirt (which happens to be from COS)! As a huge fan of staple basics, it’s needless to say, this shirt was a must-have.
At first glance, this cardigan doesn’t scream “spring”; however, textured, 3D design elements are a major trend at the moment, so I’m going to make an exception. With a white flowy skirt or some cream-coloured jeans, it could totally be styled to wear in the spring.
One of my favourite labels to find while thrifting is Ralph Lauren. I love the brand, but it can be quite pricey at retail, so I resort to thrifting! Unfortunately, this skirt wasn’t my size. Still, I had to take a picture and show it anyway because it’s just so cute for spring.
In case you didn’t get the memo, large bags and totes are the bags of choice for this year. L.L. Bean’s Boat and Tote, in particular, remains to be a fan favourite. I was shocked when I saw one (in the colour of the season, nonetheless) at the thrift store!
Never leave the thrift before checking the leather section! You can’t go wrong with a leather jacket in the springtime and this style is so on-trend right now, too!
Conclusion:
Overall, I’d say this shopping trip for thrifting spring fashion was a success. However, I didn’t find many items in fresh spring colours that I’m longing to add to my wardrobe or any denim items, which I also had on my wish list. But that’s just how it goes! There’s always next time.
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Love heading over to your local Goodwill to score some fab finds? Now, you can do so without leaving your home with GoodwillFinds.
The recently launched online thrift shop has a ton of apparel for women, men, and kids, jewellery, electronics, home, books, and more!
According to The Associated Press, there are around 100,000 second-hand items on the GoodwillFinds site, which makes for a great shopping experience.
Browsing the racks at thrift stores is not only an excellent way to find one-of-a-kind pieces but also to minimize your own use of fast fashion.
But of course, you do have to have the time to head over to those stores to shop, so GoodwillFinds makes it totally accessible to everyone.
Before you make a purchase beware that you still have to pay shipping fees.
The site curates its inventory from donated goods at its physical storefronts across Canada.
As of right now, you can’t donate your items directly to GoodwillFinds, you have to bring your pile to Goodwill stores still. The company does plan to offer an online donation service in the future.
Will you be shopping at GoodwillFinds? If you have any questions, be sure to check out the FAQ page.
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If you’re looking to shop the latest trends, I always recommend trying the thrift first. Most clothing trends are directly pulled from the past, meaning someone else’s trash (or previous clothing donations), can now become your treasure! I decided to challenge myself with the goal of finding current 2022 fashion trends I’ve been loving during a trip to Value Village.
Before I hit the racks, I made a list of what exactly to keep my eye out for. I think it’s always a good idea to have a thrift wish-list, so you don’t accidentally miss something just because it wasn’t at the forefront of your mind. Making a list makes the process more intentional and less all over the place because we all know thrifting can be overwhelming. That being said, even though I had a general list, I always go in with an open mind for more. You never know what you may come across!
Some of the general trends and specific pieces I was looking out for at Value Village were: mini skirts, lingerie style clothing, vests, ballet core pieces, coastal grandmother clothing (linen, button-ups, etc), cargo bottoms, beaded bags, clogs, and silk scarves… you get the point. Of course, I didn’t find everything on my wish list, but I am pretty stoked with what I did end up finding!
Take a look at what I found while thrifting current fashion trends!
Shoulder Bags
I always check the purse section first. This time I had my eye out for beaded purses, shoulder bags, and canvas tote bags. I had no luck finding anything beaded, but the other two bags I found totally made up for it. Shoulder bags are definitely having a moment right now! Even when they aren’t specifically “trending”, you can never go wrong with a classic shoulder bag. I came across the one pictured above while searching the purse section at Value Village because I thought the shape was really cool. I turned it around to its front and saw the word “Gucci” stamped on the front of it! I have no doubt that it was a knock-off, but still, a pretty cool find nonetheless.
Tote Bags
The simplest bag trend is taking the world by storm. The classic tote bag. People are ditching structured work bags for relaxed canvas tote bags! They’re just so effortlessly cool. I’ve had my eye out for one at the thrift for a while and coincidentally this time, I found one! It’s branded with Sperry, which gives it that nautical vibe everyone seems to be loving right now, too.
Vests
I’ve been seeing tailored vests everywhere lately! It’s the perfect piece to bring you from summer to fall too, being that it can be worn buttoned-up as a top, or layered over a shirt. This is a clothing item you can almost always find at the thrift! Both in the men’s and women’s sections depending on the overall vibe you’re striving for. The one I found was from women’s, and I liked how it had a satin back, making it a little more relaxed and less stiff than a typical menswear tailored vest.
Lingerie Tops
Another thing I’ve been seeing literally everywhere is lingerie-style tops and corsets worn as going-out tops! Don’t skip out on the lingerie section at VV, there are tons of great finds! I found a pink tank with the prettiest feminine details, that I actually ended up purchasing for myself. I think it would be super cute paired with a simple pair of jeans! I also found more of a lingerie-style top, also in pink (another trend in itself #BarbieCore), that would make for such an adorable going-out-in-the-town top!
Mini Skirts
The thrift has many mini skirts to go around and in a large variety of styles! I checked two trends off my list with this cargo-style mini-skirt I found! It’s actually a skort which makes it even cooler in my humble opinion. This piece of clothing single-handedly fills all of my late-90s and early-2000s style dreams.
Coastal Grandmother
I can’t get enough of the “Coastal Grandmother” trend, made popular on TikTok by creator Lex Nicoleta, and the thrift is the absolute perfect place to shop for it! When I was looking for clothing within the coastal grandmother theme, I pictured any clothing I may see chic grandma at the beach or gardening in, elevated it by picturing said grandmother in The Hamptons. Linen, breezy pants, neutral colours, loose button-ups… you get the vibe. The pieces I found reminiscent of this trend were a pair of white linen loose-fitting pants with a waist-tie and a short-sleeved button-up shirt (which may have also come home with me).
Baby Tees
Baby Tees are something that has been popular for quite a while now and remains relevant today! They’re really not difficult at all to find at any thrift store! I found this cute pastel striped baby-tee with a lettuce hem in the Women’s Tee-Shirt section. It’s such an easy piece to style in a multitude of ways. Bonus Tip: Depending on your clothing size, you may even be able to get away with finding your perfect baby-tee in the kid’s section!
Heels
The last thing I looked at was shoes, and there were tons of cute and trendy shoe options! If you’re a little wary of getting shoes at the thrift I recommend trying out a shoe sanitizing spray and then you’re pretty much set. One of the shoe trends I was looking out for were clogs, as I’ve been seeing them styled more and more. Although I didn’t find actual clogs, I did find a style inspired by them. I also found an adorable pair of black heels with a toe-ring detail, which is super trendy right now!
The bottom line is, I would say this thrift trip exceeded my expectations! Even though I didn’t check everything off of my list, I was impressed with how many current trends I could actually find within the walls of my local Value Village. If you’re looking to test out some current fashion trends, I hope you feel inspired to try thrifting some for a sustainable, not to mention, affordable alternative!
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Thrifters unite! Value Village announced its opening of two downtown stores, but with a slight twist.
These shops aren’t the typical Value Villages that we’re used to, instead, they’ll be called Value Village Boutiques.
The alleged reason for these boutique stores is to allow the company to expand into smaller neighbourhoods and really cater to the people who live in them. This also means placing a larger focus and more detailed selection process for men’s and women’s apparel, footwear, and accessories.
A spokesperson has said to Curiosity that the pricing will still be consistent with what you would find at original Value Villages, but people on social media think that it will eventually become a pricier spot for the curated pieces.
Value Village Boutique will open the first location at 639 Queen Street West on July 7 and then the second will be located at 394 Bloor Street West, with an opening date still pending.
Send us a DM on Instagram if you’re excited about this new concept or if you don’t think it’ll be worth the hype.
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The nature of thrifting is always hit or miss, however where you’re thrifting can totally affect your success rate. If you’re someone who’s new to the world of thrifting, it can be challenging to find your favourite locations, especially when it comes to Value Village. As you get comfortable with thrifting, you’ll soon find your go-to spots where you seem to have the most luck. Some locations are more organized than others, and some are just over-crowded, and seem to always be picked over. There are pros and cons of a quiet Value Village just as much as a busy one — it’s all about preference, but we’re here to help you experiment to help you find your top spots. We know that thrifting at Value Village requires some patience, but opting to shop there over chain stores or even curated thrift stores will definitely help you save.
Here are the best Value Village locations to shop at in the GTA.
70 Bristol Rd E, Mississauga
This Mississauga Value Village is a huge location with a great selection. It’s one of the more organized Value Village’s which always makes it easier to sift through the racks, especially if you’re a thrifting newbie!
2030 Appleby Line, Burlington
This Value Village is located in Burlington, about an hour away from Toronto and it’s known to be super clean and organized! It’s also rarely busy, which is always nice. It has a great selection of various types of clothing, so regardless of your style, there’s something at this Value Village for everybody.
1525 Victoria Park Ave
This Scarborough Value Village is a favourite for many. It’s known to have a great selection of name brands and high-end finds but obviously, there are no guarantees when it comes to thrifting. However, a lot of people have had a good record of success at this location, plus, it’s one of Value Village’s larger locations, so there’s more to go around.
10620 Yonge St, Richmond Hill
This gem of a Value Village is located in Richmond Hill and has a large selection with tons of variety across all genres — not just limited to apparel. This spot is also known to be very clean and tidy, which seems to be a running trend in the best Value Villages!
50 Horseshoe Crescent, Hamilton
This GTA Value Village is a little bit off to the sides in the suburbs, which is a general thrifting life hack! Some of the best Value Village locations are hidden in smaller cities, or hidden in the suburbs because in general, they are picked over less. Let’s face it, thrifting isn’t a secret anymore and people are quick to grab the good finds, so sometimes searching through a lesser-known Value Village is worth it!
924 Queen St E, Toronto
Although this location is on the smaller side, that doesn’t mean you can’t score. This VV tends to be busier, but that just means it’s constantly rotating inventory. Another great thing about this one is that it’s in such a prime area of the city, which means people are constantly donating here. This location has a great jewelry selection in particular, which is a great tip for those of you looking to build your jewelry collection! Value Village is a great way to get more with your budget. Pro tip: there are often quality pieces behind the glass at the front.
1319 Bloor St W, Toronto
This Toronto Value Village located on Bloor Street West has a great reputation for its great selection! While this location is on the busier side, folks say there’s a quick turnaround with clothing constantly coming out on the floor as fast as it leaves. So, if you don’t mind a little competition from savvy thrifters, check out this Value Village location!
45 Woodbine Downs Blvd, Toronto
This Value Village is located in the Etobicoke area and is another one totally worth checking out. People say the prices at this location are on point as well and there’s also a great selection — what more could you want in a thrift store? This location also has a ton of inventory and is quite organized for the amount of inventory, as well.
530 Fennell Ave E, Hamilton
This Hamilton Value Village is a large location with tons to go around! Every department at this VV is almost always fully stocked, so if you’re looking to go on a bit of a shopping spree this one may be worth checking out.
1030 Wilson Ave, North York
This GTA Value Village in North York is a VV location with a huge selection, and it’s not limited to just clothing! Always remember Value Village also carries books, movies, video games, furniture, and more. This spot is super spacious which always makes it easier to sift through and spot those rare thrift finds we are all keeping an eye out for.
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Watching Keeping Up With The Kardashians is totally a guilty pleasure of mine and Kim Kardashian West is without a doubt one of the most influential celebrities in the world. Love her or hate her, people love to know what she’s doing as well as what she’s wearing. After doing some deep searching through Kim’s Instagram, a constant trend I noticed throughout it is athleisure. She is the queen of making cozy look stylish and as I went through her IG, I saved some of my favourite looks she’s worn and I ended up with a fully stocked album. Then I headed over to of my local Value Village to try and recreate some of the outfits.
Keep reading to see how it went trying to thrift for Kim Kardashian-inspired outfits!
Outfit #1:
The first outfit I tried recreating was Kim wearing leather pants, a brown top, and a shearling leather jacket.
I found a pair of leather pants in my size, which was great, however they aren’t the style I was aiming for. These ones are skinny and low-waisted, which I didn’t love but I did end up finding an oversized leather jacket, which actually did a good job at hiding the waist-line anyway.
I loved this oversized leather jacket but the only thing it was missing was the shearling! I ended up finding a green long-sleeved shirt, which I was okay with because it’s still within the neutral colour family.
Overall, I’m pretty happy with how this one turned out even though it definitely isn’t the exact vibe, but I think it got the Gist of it.
Outfit #2:
The next look is Kim wearing a grey-on-grey sweatsuit which could be so basic, but she somehow makes it look so cool and fresh. I found a pair of light grey sweatpants that I found in the men’s section and teamed it with a matching sweatshirt.
I actually flipped the band from the sweatshirt up to make it look more cropped and more similar to the one Kim is wearing (which to me, it looks like she may have done the same thing).
This look is definitely simple, but I think the key to it looking so put-together is the slicked back hair she’s wearing, it adds an element of chic to it.
Outfit #3:
For my next look, I used the same grey sweatshirt, which is ironic because it looks like she’s wearing the exact same sweatshirt she was wearing in the last look, too.
In this outfit, Kim is wearing green splash-pants with elastics at the bottom and while I ended up finding a pair of similar pants, mine unfortunately didn’t have elastic at the ankles which ended up changing the whole vibe of the look.
I did found a green bomber with an orange lining in the men’s section which was an extremely lucky find! The main difference is that the bomber she’s wearing is cropped, and the one I found is more oversized.
To finish off this outfit, I found a pair of sneakers which don’t look too different from the ones KKW is wearing. Overall, I don’t hate this look but I didn’t love it either as there were a few style differences in the pieces I found which ended up changing the overall look.
Outfit #4:
For this outfit on Kim, I recreated it with some pieces I had found from the previous looks like the same grey sweatpants, as well as the green bomber from the last look. Kim is seen here wearing a low-cut button V-neck top, a camo jacket, and stiletto booties.
She seems to be wearing what looks to be an all grey or all white outfit so I decided to go with grey because that is what I was working with!
I found a grey button V-neck which was a pretty close match, but I couldn’t find a camo jacket so I just used the same green bomber as before! For the shoes I used a pair of pointed stiletto booties to throw the whole look together.
Outfit #5:
For the last look I was inspired by this iconic look she wore alongside her momager, Kris Jenner.
I absolutely love the simplicity and chicness of this look so just had to try to recreate it at the thrift store. The closest colour I could find to the neutral colour she’s wearing is, surprise surprise, grey. I managed to find a grey pair of high-waisted leggings and teamed them with a grey sports bra. Kim appears to be wearing a tube top, but I had no luck finding one so I went with a sports bra which is a close second.
However, the main attraction in this outfit is definitely the long leather trench she’s wearing and I was lucky enough to find a similar one! Although hers was a bit longer, this the the longest one I could find. I paired the look with a pair of “barely-there” heels, to mimic the clear heels she’s wearing.
To finish off the look, I threw on a pair of fierce black shades.
Overall, I’m happy with the looks I put together but I’m not going to lie, this thrift store trip felt pretty hit and miss and sometimes that’s just the way it goes when thrifting. It was definitely a challenge finding Kim Kardashian inspired outfits at Value Village as it took me a good couple of hours to put the looks I found together! I will say though that it really inspired me to jump outside my typical style comfort zone, which is always a good experience.
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Thrift shopping isn’t for everyone. Second-hand clothing often means weird smells and rooting through racks and racks to find a gem. But what if we told you that at one Toronto thrift shop everything in-store is a gem?
Just Thrift is not your average thrift shop; it’s a massive designer haven located at 53 Orfus Rd. in Toronto. The space stands at 10,000 square feet and is full of apparel, footwear and accessories for the entire family, carefully curated with designer and top name brands. Their selection is refreshed daily and features labels like Tod’s, Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Dolce & Gabbana, Celine, Alexander Wang, Kate Spade, and Prada, to name a few, all for a fraction of the retail price tags, marked down 50-90%.
*Editor’s Note: an earlier version of this article stated that Just Thrift buys clothing from the public every Monday and Tuesday. For the rest of this season, the store is being very selective of what they are purchasing. They are making exceptions for special luxury items for their Showcase, but will not be purchasing in high volumes. It’s best to call ahead if you’re looking to sell your clothing.
Take a peek at some of the things they have offered right in-store:
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Brand New, available this Saturday Sept 29. For more info you will need to come in on Saturday.
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