The Thrift List

This weekend I was determined go thrift shopping.

I really wanted some old jeans that I could turn into "boyfriend" jeans. My problem with shopping is that I always forget exactly what I need to be looking for when I get there. So I'll be shopping for these jeans, let's say, and I'll find some that are the right brand, the right size, the right "slouch," so I buy them. But I didn't even consider the width of the leg.

What I ended up buying were a great $2 pair that looked sort of like this. The problem, as I'm sure many of you have already guessed, is that these cannot be rolled up without looking sloppy. And they have to be rolled up, as I have the shortest legs in history.

They were also non-spandex, as the blog post I read recommended. (Go to it, I've recently discovered The Refined Woman and I'm all over it.) Apparently (since I have not worn a pair of non-spandex jeans in about 15 years), non-spandex doesn't work for me. My thick thighs and hips just need some give, man. The pair I bought were turned into cutoff shorts and they aren't very comfortable, so they'll probably end up in the garbage eventually. C'est la vie.

Obviously I need a little help.

So I wrote a list. It's the easiest and yet smartest thing in the world, and if, like me, you get a little too excited when you find something you like, you should do it too. A list of things I want to thrift, with conditions, quickly built by browsing Lookbook. Stuff like "white button up shirt, light fabric, small collar, feminine cut."

And it worked out beautifully.

I didn't find the jeans I was looking for, and I think that boyfriend jeans might be one of those styles that "just doesn't work for me." I did, however, find this great 70% cotton, 30% bamboo (who knew?) island-y buttoned blouse, this cute polka-dotted skirt with secret shorts underneath, a jean vest and a brown belt.

(That jean vest might be the subject of a future post as I try to figure out how to wear it.)

Building a list before clothes shopping is now mandatory for me. Do you have anything that keeps you on target while shopping? Let me know--I'm sure I could use it.