Thrifted Denim Shorts

I, like most people, have a hard time finding shorts for the summer time that I like both the style of and the fit. These past couple weeks I’ve hit the jackpot with cute denim shorts that I am excited to style for the summer.

Spoiler: These are my favorites out of them all. I love the dark wash and length, plus they’re Levi’s! I usually don’t have very much luck at Plato’s Closet but I found these for $10.

I also purchased these from Plato’s Closet. I love the cut of American Apparel and have always wanted to purchase a pair of jeans or shorts and was lucky to find these for only $6! I’m not quite sure how I want to style these yet…maybe with a more plain graphic tee?

These are not everyone’s cup of tea but I personally like the bermudas or longer shorts trend for the summer. These are actually men’s shorts, I like that they are have a looser/ more baggy fit. I am excited to style these Guess ones that I got from the Goodwill bins last summer.

These are the perfect staple short for the summer. I think that the medium wash matches pretty much any top. I bought these off of a friend for $10 and I think she cut them from jeans which doesn’t bother me because I like the distressed look at the hem.

What I Got for $15 at Goodwill

I love Goodwill. This week, I picked up a few items from Goodwill and thought that I’d share what I found and how I would style them:

As I mentioned in my previous post, I love looking through the pants section. I came across these striped pants and thought that they would be great for the spring and summer. They were marked $5; however, each week a different colored tag is the half-off color so I got these for $2.50! I paired them with my next item: a plain bright orange t shirt. I thought that the color was perfect for the summer and I really like the look of tying the front into a knot. This shirt was $4 but again the half-off color, making it $2!

I have been wanting to try out the neon trend so I picked up this Ralph Lauren t shirt for $3.50. I didn’t like the original length so I cropped it by just cutting off a couple inches with some fabric scissors. I paired it with some denim and I really like the look of neon with denim.

Lastly, I picked up with floral peplum tank originally from American Eagle. I thought that it was a great casual top for the summer and paired it with some denim overalls. It was $7.

5 Ways To Style a T Shirt

One of the easiest items to thrift is a t shirt: I love oversize graphic tees which is what kind of shirt I have styled in this post. The best place to find these are in the men’s section of your local thrift store. I picked mine up from the Goodwill bins for around a dollar.

1) Mom jeans: Lots of people think that if you wear a looser fitting top then your pants should be more form fitting or vice versa. I love baggier jeans and wearing them with loose graphic tees, which gives you a trendy 90’s vibe and an easy, go to outfit!

Buying jeans retail can be very expensive, especially if you’re searching for a trendy cut, like a mom jean. The thrift store has lots of these…The best place to look is in the men’s section which offers a high waist and baggier leg. They also have a lot of name brands that are popular right now like Levi’s and Wrangler.

2) Biker shorts: I love biker shorts and I pretty much only wear them with oversized t shirts. They are so comfortable and create an effortless summer outfit.

I bought these biker shorts from Goodwill last summer after searching high and low for the perfect pair. If you are having a hard time finding a pair check the activewear bottoms and intimates.

3) Patterned Pants: I love cool pants/ bottoms because I think they are more interesting than a patterned top. Patterned pants may not be everyone’s cup of tea, so a good place to start is one with more neutral colors and a simple pattern.

I bought these from Goodwill for around $10. One of my favorite sections of the thrift store is the pants section.

4) Skirt: I really like the look of the oversize t shirt tucked into a more form fitting skirt (especially a denim one).

I personally don’t wear many skirts but I love the look and style of denim ones. This particular one is originally from Banana Republic but I picked it up from Goodwill for around $8. The thrift store always has a wide variety of skirts.

5) Jumpsuit: This style also would work really well with a cute summer dress. I love to layer because I think it looks like you put a lot of thought/ effort into your outfit and you can get more wear out of pieces that you might not wear by themselves very much. Layering tops looks best when the top layer is more low cut so you can see the base more.

This is my personal favorite out of the five. This is the only piece that I did not thrift; I bought it from Target last summer.

I’m wearing my sketcher shape-ups with all of these outfits. I love the whole ‘dad shoe’ trend. I really like the silhouette of the shoes and I think they pair well with any outfit. I purchased mine from Goodwill for $15.

My Favorite Thrifters

Sharing my some of my fellow thrifters from YouTube

This is Alexa. She loves to thrift Harley Davidson t shirts and denim.

This is Melissa. I started watching Melissa’s videos around 2 years ago and fell in love with her style. She is a successful reseller and has a great eye for fun and trendy pieces. Melissa isn’t afraid of bright colors or making a bold statement.

This is Ashley. Watching her videos will make you feel like you’ve made another hilarious, honest, and genuine friend.

This is Haley. She knows how to style sweatpants and make them look fashionable (something that I am still trying to figure out).

This is Sarah. Sarah’s style is very similar to mine and her videos always make me want to go thrifting.

Why thrift?

I have been buying clothing second-hand clothing pretty much since I’ve had my own money to spend. I love clothes and in eighth grade one of my friend’s family took me to Goodwill for the first time and I’ve been hooked ever since!

I love to shop and one of my favorite things about thrifting is searching for cool pieces that nobody else has. I can spend hours in one thrift store, going through every rack. Ever since I’ve started thrifting, I’ve found shopping at retail stores boring. There’s also such a large array of items that there’s something for everybody. Trends tend to repeat themselves and a lot of trendy items from stores like Forever 21 that are replicas of 80s and 90s fashion can be found in thrift stores right now for less than half the price and are authentically from those time periods.

Thrifting is sustainable meaning that many retail companies export labor to countries like Bangladesh and Cambodia where working conditions are unsafe and workers are severely underpaid. These factories also pollute the air we breathe and often dump toxic chemicals in these countries water supplies, making citizens ill and affecting the ecosystem. Thrifting is a way to give clothing new life, without contributing money to a company that participates in these practices. We have gotten to a point where there is literally too much clothing in circulation and lots of perfectly wearable clothing are being tossed into landfills. Many thrift stores are part of non-profit organizations and the money you spend goes toward helping others.

My mom and I go thrifting together usually once a week. We both love clothes and it’s a great way for us to spend time together. I’ve also introduced many of my friends to thrift shopping and it’s a lot of fun to compare finds and get each other’s opinions.

Overall, thrifting is one of my favorite past times and I am excited to be sharing it with you.