Top Tips: Thrift Shopping 101

Finally! After getting a lot of requests to post about my UKAY UKAY collection, I'm finally sharing with everyone my tips and how I spend for my stylish vice featuring THRIFT SHOPPING as part of my celebration of reaching 20k followers on Instagram - @iamericcua. Yay! Thank you!

As we all know, the style has been rapidly evolving for us millennials and therefore sometimes spending too much on buying clothes puts guilt in our wallets. Hahaha! Not to mention those IN styles for today and OUT tomorrow.

After all the posts I've read from other girls about what they wear and alike, (don't worry boys) here's my guy version of what I wear for some of your guys' reference. In this blog post, I've added some aesthetic to my photos using a casual and daily location we often pass by every day (Hello Manila peeps). So, sit back, relax, and read!

Here's what I usually do to get dibs on my fave styles at the thrift shop:

BEFORE SHOPPING:

1. Get yourself some inspo. Try challenging yourself by pirating a style you've got from somewhere. But don't forget that an original style has always been iconic.
2. Create a budget plan. For me, the main purpose of visiting thrift shops is to save. So bringing any amount above PHP 1000 is too much not unless you're taking home more than 4 trench coats or planning to get half of a rack from the store.
3. Wear comfy clothes. Seriously, thrift shops are normally simple and not cozy (not to mention the smell and shopping environment -not all). It will be a big help to wear easy-to-undress clothes because fitting a bunch of clothes at the store is quite challenging (trust me).

DURING SHOPPING:

1. Trial and error - Simply looking at that bomber jacket and deciding it's nice is not advisable but not until you try to wear it and see yourself in the mirror. Some clothes look nice but not when you wear them and vice versa.
2. Be creative - This is like doing a school project. Don't just limit yourself based on what you see. Try mixing and matching, color coordinating, and pattern playing. Remember, fitting is free.
3.  Patience is a virtue.  Fitting 10 shirts and ending up only buying 2 is normal. I highly advise to pool all the clothes you picked first so that you'll enter the fitting room once. This will save your energy and of course, avoid long queues in fitting rooms just in case you'll keep on going back only to fit a shirt.
4. Worry not about expensive thrift shops. If you find a shop that appears to be a bit costly for preloved clothes, I suggest not visiting them during "New Arrival" because this is when they put high prices on the clothes. Visiting them when they are "On Sale" is advisable but the thing is, clothes are much more uncategorized and it's quite challenging to look for a good one since they were already picked out by others, but if you're patient, then you'll probably get a good one.
5. Don't forget to BARGAIN. One more thing I like about thrift shopping, they don't have this SRP and therefore bargaining at the cashier doesn't make one weird. From PHP 130, get your pick at PHP 100 only! (Wink at the cashier girl if needed boys)

AFTER SHOPPING:

1. Wash them CAREFULLY and SEPARATELY. We don't know what's the history of the clothes we get from thrift shops and therefore we have to give extra attention when washing them.
2. Wear them. What's the point of buying it if you'll not wear it?
3. Take a photo of them. Sometimes, all those clothes need is an aesthetic owner so that we can get the full potential of those clothes. (Wow, so deep)
4.  Post about it. Don't be afraid to let someone know that you're wise because you've got that 
5. 
   
6. ripped jeans for only PHP 100
7. Share tips with your friends.  Don't forget to tell your friends how to get dibs on their fave style at thrift shops.

So, here is the list!

ONE

(Polo:  ₱50 | Pullover:  ₱60 | Pants: ₱40 | = ₱150)

TWO

(Polo Jacket:  ₱60 | Shirt:  ₱20 | Pants: ₱100 | = ₱180)

THREE

(Jacket:  ₱80 | Pants: ₱35 | = ₱115)

FOUR

(Shirt:  ₱80 | Sport Pants: ₱100 | = ₱180)

FIVE

(Pullover:  ₱60 | Pants: ₱80 | = ₱140)

SIX

(Reversible Jacket:  ₱80 | Shirt:  ₱50 | Pants: ₱100 | = ₱230)

SEVEN

(Polo:  ₱80 | Pants: ₱40 | = ₱120)

EIGHT

(Shirt:  ₱60 | Pants: ₱100 | = ₱160)

NINE

(Polo:  ₱80 | Shirt:  ₱60 | Pants: ₱40 | = ₱180)

Here are my top thrift shopping places:

📍Thrift shops near LRT Monumento station

📍 Thrift shops along Karuhatan and Maysan Road in Valenzuela City

Getting yourself an OOTD nowadays is not difficult. All you have to do is to think outside the box and be creative!

Thank you for reaching this part fam! If you want to ask something, just feel free to comment down below. And if you have a thrift shop suggestion, share it with others by commenting as well. Adios!

Shooting Location:

📍 Sta. Cruz, Manila

📍 Manila Chinatown

Photography by: Jan Gonzales