Reuse, Recycle, Restyle

The next time that you need to find something to spice up your wardrobe, take a moment and consider the ways in which your shopping for clothing could have an impact on the environment.  When you are out looking for some new clothes, maybe you could consider buying some old clothes instead that would turn out to be new to you. Shopping at thrift stores or consignments shops can be a great way for you to reduce the impact that you have on the environment as well as saving money in the process. In a society that is producer and consumer driven, there is a lot of manufactured packing waste that comes along with anything that we purchase, not to mention the items that we buy that eventually end up in the trash as waste when we no longer have use for them. Whenever you won’t be wearing that t-shirt or those jeans, or that bridesmaid dress from what’s-her-name’s wedding, or those high heels from prom anymore, why not donate them to a local thrift store? Not only will you be keeping them from going to a landfill, you will also be giving someone else the chance to reuse them and restyle those items for themselves.

When you shop at a thrift store, you are definitely going to find some different and unique items that you would not find in your standard clothing shops. While not everything that you will come across is guaranteed to be in style at the moment (or maybe it never was in style to begin with), you always have the chance of finding that perfect vintage item or something that would have cost five times as much in the original store. Plus, what you are buying will be entirely unique to you and there will be a very slim chance of that awkward moment when you find yourself wearing the exact same thing as someone else.

If you go to shop at a consignment store instead, you may pay a little more for the items than you would at a thrift shop, but you have more of a chance to find what you are looking for. Different consignment shops target various age groups and styles, so you can shop based on what you are personally looking for. In most cases, the clothing that you are purchasing will be gently used and carry brand names, costing much less than it would have been at the original retailer. Another benefit of consignment shops is the fact that they will pay you for the clothes you no longer need that you bring in for them to sell!

So the next time that you go out shopping for clothes, stop for a moment and think about where you will be shopping. Why not take a chance and head over to a thrift or consignment shop? You can help the earth and your style at the same time!