This is something i really wanted to write about because i feel like it’d be fun to go through my thought process of shopping and clothes in general . . .
Places i shop at – Thrift Stores, J Jill, The Loft, Old Navy, Walmart, really anywhere.
I’m not into spending a lot of money on my clothes. If i do splurge on a piece, it’s because i know it’s good quality and it’ll last a long time. The rest of the time, I’m a thrifty shopper. Like recently i wanted a white ribbed tank top so the first place i thought to find one was Walmart. I went to the men’s section of Walmart and found a six pack of white ribbed tank tops so i picked a size small and brought them home. I tried them on, they were perfectly fitted but way too long so i cut them on the bottom and i cut a V into the neckline of another one. Now i have all these white ribbed tank tops exactly how i wanted them and i only payed a few dollars. That’s what makes shopping fun for me; when i find something that might not be exactly what i wanted but I’m able to alter it to be exactly what i wanted. And what’s funny is that i wore one of these new tank tops with my favorite jeans (in the picture above) and had multiple people stop me to ask about my outfit. If they only knew that my tank top was from the men’s section of walmart and my jeans were thrifted a few years ago . . .
I don’t like to go to the big name brand stores just to wear the brand, if i like a piece that a popular store is selling, I’m going to try and find a similar version probably at the thrift store so i can save money and alter it to fit my body perfectly. I know some people don’t know how to sew or can’t picture in their head how to alter something when trying it on in the store so since i have this skill, I’ve been really trying to use it as often as i can and challenging myself with different alterations. It’s something really fun to me.
My hope is that people don’t get stuck on the idea of wearing clothes just for the brand or where they bought them. I want people to be creative with the pieces they buy and how they style them. Clothes should be something fun, not something that makes you stress out because of prices or because you need to fit in with the trends. Wear what makes you happy, that’s all I’m saying. The clothes i buy and alter from stores like Goodwill and Walmart make me happy but so do pieces from J Jill or The Loft.
I hope this all made sense. I just want people to feel confident and happy with what they wear and not feel like they need to spend loads of money on their wardrobe.
LILLY HOENIGER 