As children, playing dress up with our parents’ clothes was a normal thing to do. You may remember looking into your parents’ closets and seeing a vast array of outfits to choose from, but as you grew older you found yourself throwing away any embarrassing hand-me-downs.
Thrift stores ten years ago were centers where people just got rid of clothes they didn’t want anymore, making it nearly impossible to dress fashionably on a tight budget.
But recently, it has actually become more popular for teens to wear 1940-1980’s vintage-styled clothing. High-waisted shorts or pants, which were popular until the early 90’s, have recently enjoyed a resurge of popularity over more modern hip-level and low-rise jeans.
“High waisted jeans mostly can suit someone’s figure in a way that compliments their body,” senior Jamie Olesker said on the trend.
Another thing that became trendy during the same time that vintage clothing became fashionable was thrift shopping. For people who do not want to spend a lot of money, but still want to be able to dress nicely, there’s the option of going to thrift stores such as Unique Thrift in Merrifield or Pennywise Thrift on Church Street, and finding slightly used vintage clothing pieces for a bargain price.
“I can just go to the thrift store and buy a pair of old high waisted jeans for five dollars and cut them,” said Olesker.
The vintage and hipster style includes colored tights and leggings, combat boots, headbands, crop tops and clothing with funky or indie patterns, and has now become widely favored. Luckily for fashion enthusiasts, the style is often found in thrift stores because, for years, they were out of style.
The tradition of thrifting has existed in America since the late 1800s. However, the trend skyrocketed in popularity as fashion bloggers, who are becoming more mainstream due to their accessibility on the internet, shared their ability to mix high fashion and more budget-friendly options (a trend accredited to Anna Wintour in 1988). And it seems to have an effect: between 2007 and 2012, Goodwill reported an 83% increase in their sales.
Rap artist Macklemore even wrote a song about the phenomenon titled “Thrift Shop.” The song, which won two Grammy awards this past January, encourages youth to throw superficiality of overpriced brand names out the window, and reclaims the once-negative stigma of pre-owned clothes.
“In my mind, the saying ‘one person’s trash is another’s treasure’ is something I live by,”
senior Shaheed Chambers said. “Thrift shops are a great way to find gems at a low price.”