Winter Shopping: How I Get Luxury Sweaters For Next to Nothing By Thrifting Strategically

Because winter is either here for some of us or very much on the way for others, now seems like a great time to talk about my favorite cold weather garment: the sweater. I love sweaters. In my endeavor to make my wardrobe into nothing but items that make me feel elegant and put together, I have moved pretty much entirely away from hoodies and sweatshirts and worn sweaters almost exclusively. Overall, I have found this transition to be an easy one. The first necessity to making the switch, I discovered, is having a sizeable collection with varying weights so I can reach for one no matter how chilly the weather. Living in Las Vegas, I don't find myself in need of the heaviest of sweaters more than a dozen days or so out of the year, but there are some mornings at school drop off when the wind chill is in the twenties that I definitely want to have a thick, cozy sweater to reach for. The second necessity for my sweater wardrobe is fiber content. If I can grab a luxuriously soft one hundred percent cashmere turtleneck from my closet, I am going to feel immeasurably better about my outfit than I would in anything else.

Nanette Lepore 100% cashmere sweater with scalloped mock neck and pearl button cuffs, $7.23

As I discussed in part two of my inaugural post, I prefer to wear only clothing made of natural fibers (with a few exceptions). In no other garment do these materials make as big a difference to me as with sweaters. Sweaters have a number of potential problems that can add up to a whole lot of discomfort if things go awry. First, consider the itch factor. Acrylic fibers and cheap wools come in variations that will cause skin irritation no matter how many layers you put between your body and the sweater. Second, they can cause overheating easily. Synthetic fibers such as polyester, nylon, and acrylic not only trap heat against the body and make one feel sticky because they aren't breathable, they also retain odors. It's important to note that many synthetic fabrics are created from plastics and plastic byproducts, which it probably goes without saying are made to be sold very inexpensively and without a lot of concern for personal comfort. Getting sweaty and smelly while also feeling super itchy is not my cup of tea.

Banana Republic cotton, silk, and cashmere blend cardigan, $8.99

Of course the issue of cost arises. Sure it's great to have a wardrobe of luxurious sweaters, but luxury is expensive and not everyone wants to plunk down a few hundred dollars for cashmere no matter how amazing it may feel. Cashmere sweaters can actually range up into the thousands for the most high quality brands, which would be incredible to own, but I can't see myself ever forking over that kind of cash even if I had limitless disposable income. Every sweater I own consists of natural fibers on the higher end of the luxury scale from silk to merino to cashmere and aside from two pieces in my collection, I did not pay more than $10 for any of them. I do understand that not everyone has immediate access to the best thrifting opportunities. Often smaller towns have poorer selections due to varying circumstances, but I will try to address that as I go. (One caveat I want to quickly address is that of laundering. Many people are under the impression that these fabrics require either dry cleaning or laborious handwashing. I can tell you that I hand wash every sweater I buy [except my one cotton sweater which goes in the washing machine] and my process is very simple and takes about 5 minutes of hands on time at most and is super inexpensive--I can make a mini blog post about my process later.)

Talbots 3/4 sleeve 100% cashmere sweater, $8.24

My first and best tip for obtaining the best quality sweaters (and everything else for that matter), is to frequent thrift stores in or adjacent to the wealthiest parts of your town. More affluent people tend to buy more expensive clothes and then eventually donate those higher end items to whatever thrift stores are nearest to their houses. Thus, shopping these places will yield a higher proportion of quality items. It also helps immeasurably if your town hosts a good number of higher end stores because people need to be able to access these places to buy from them and then donate their wares for you to benefit! By higher end, I am referring mostly to stores like Banana Republic, J Crew, Talbots, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, etc. Most of the time, in my experience, anything higher end than that, say Kate Spade or Marc Jacobs, does not turn up with enough regularity to count. Sometimes handbags pop up, but almost never clothing, although I did score a silk Tory Burch blouse last week, so never say never. When it comes to fabrics such as silk and cashmere, though, the discussion of which brands to look out for tends to become moot because any brand making garments with those fabrics is going to be a more expensive brand regardless. The big fast fashion names (H&M, Forever 21, Old Navy, Shein) just don't make clothes with those fibers because it's cost prohibitive to do so, and fast fashion is all about keeping things as cheap as possible. BUT back to the matter at hand. If your town has neither a sizeable enough affluent area nor a good variety of higher end stores, you may find yourself in a thrifting dead zone with nothing but cheap fast fashion available in the secondhand market. If this sounds like your situation, and you are in fact dedicated to learning the ropes of thrifting, consider traveling to the nearest large town and checking out their options, or swing by a few secondhand stores when you're passing through to see what may be on offer. Once you find the thrifting sweet spot for your region, you should be set.

Banana Republic 100% fine merino wool sweater with scalloped neckline, $9.79 (I also got an identical sweater in navy on the same trip to the thrift store at the same price)

After you walk into your preferred thrift store the issue of focusing in on what you actually want becomes the next challenge. I have heard from more people than I can count that they can't thrift because it's simply too overwhelming. I agree that the apparent chaos that results from racks and racks of clothes that don't match each other as they do in mall stores does take some time to get used to. When I first started thrifting in earnest I would just grab whatever I liked the look of in my size and I ended up with a fairly disjointed and incoherent wardrobe as a result. However, most of these problems can be mitigated by strategizing ahead of time about what exactly you want from your thrift store trip. Right now, since it's nearly winter and I want to wear cooler weather clothes, the sweater racks are my number one priority every time I walk into the thrift store and these areas are where I spend the bulk of my time. Additionally, at my stores, they have a category of racks for "long sleeve knit" tops. Because sweaters are knitted tops, I often find lighter weight ones in those racks, so make sure you are aware of all the categories in your store and what garments make up those categories. I go through every sweater (and knitted top) in my size range and pass by anything that has an undesirable fiber composition. For me, the acceptable fabrics are cashmere, silk, and merino (one of the softest and most breathable sheeps wool). After checking the content, I evaluate for style. I gravitate toward crewneck and turtleneck sweaters with the occasional mock neck thrown in--I find that these styles work best with my vintage inspired wardrobe and experience has taught me that if I buy anything else, I am unlikely to wear it. So I don't buy it. When you have amassed however many garments pass your initial fabric and style test, it is imperative that you try on each piece for fit and check well for holes, stains, and other imperfections. You must be ruthless with each of these steps because otherwise you run the risk of taking an ill-fitting and stained garment home that you will never wear because it's stained and doesn't fit you.

Closeup detail of scalloped neckline from the above sweater

Finally, when you (hopefully) have a beautiful cashmere sweater or two that fit you well and embody your personal style, it will be time to pay. I have heard so many people complain in the last few years that secondhand prices have skyrocketed, costing nearly as much as comparable items in regular stores. This fact may be true for people buying Old Navy and Forever 21 garments, which are already priced incredibly cheap in-store, but it is almost universally untrue when looking at luxury fabrics. If you can find a one hundred percent cashmere sweater at Banana Republic or Nordstrom for the typical $11.99 price tag I see in the thrift store, I suggest you buy out their entire stock, outfit yourself in as many sweaters as you can stand, and then open up a Poshmark closet for the rest. Thrift stores do not typically differentiate between luxury and synthetic fibers, looking only at brand names and then pricing accordingly, whatever that means to them. Sure I can get an acrylic Shein sweater for $11.99, but why would I when I can get something so much more luxurious for the same price? Thrift stores don't seem to understand (or don't care) that some fabrics are simply worth more than others and a discerning shopper will win against the house every time if they employ a smart strategy such as the one I've outlined here. Additionally, most places offer different discounts depending on the day, which can really add up in savings if you utilize them. For instance, my regular place has 50% off on Mondays and 25% on Thursdays. I usually go on Thursday because that extra 25% off on Monday brings out ALL the resellers and other assorted people I'd rather not deal with en masse. Senior citizen discounts are often on offer on specific days and my chain gives a 20% off coupon with every donation as well. With all of these tools to rely on, I absolutely never pay full price at the thrift store, and neither should you. However, even if I did choose to pay full price. a cashmere sweater in excellent condition for $12 is a bargain and would be so even at $40.

I have really only embodied this philosophy regarding natural and luxury fabrics since the summer and I already have amassed a sizable collection of beautiful sweaters. Sometimes I am romanced by a really great brand or especially nice feeling cashmere into buying a piece that is not my style, and I regret it every time. I cannot stress enough the importance of identifying what you love and what you will wear and then sticking to it no matter how enticing something outside your parameters might appear. You may not find a garment every time you go to the thrift store, but if you go regularly (I go one to two times a week) you will find great things and build your fantasy wardrobe at a fraction of the cost of buying new. It just takes time, patience, and a little know how. You may even find that it becomes like a sport to you and inspires you to create fun challenges for yourself. For instance, two weeks ago I made a goal to would find the perfect pink cashmere sweater, and I found not one, but two (one of them is pictured above) and I wear them regularly. This post has barely scratched the surface of the different methods and approaches to thrifting, but should serve as a great basis on which you can build an amazing thrifted wardrobe. I will be back with more tips and strategies in my next thrifting post. Questions? Post them in the comments, on Instagram, or Facebook!

Next week I plan to discuss some more holiday sewing and how I am working my holiday makes into some new traditions. Until then, here's a little sneak peak of a garment I'll be discussing.