SUNDAY SPECIAL: Leigh Campbell's Guide To Thrift Shopping

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Hello, out louders, it is Jesse here for your out Loud Sunday special. You know how much I love thrift shopping. I was just talking about it this week. It is my New Year's resolution. Today's episode is one that is going to give you all the hacks. Lee Campbell, who hosts our fashion podcast Nothing to Wear, knows all the tricks when it comes to thrifting. In this episode, Lee sits down with Mea and explains to her why she needs to start thrifting. I have been yelling exactly the

Enjoy.

Whoever said orange is the new pink with seriously diserved.

Laurels for spraying groundbreaking?

Oh my god, you.

Have to do it.

You live for fashion. Hello and welcome to Nothing to Wear, the podcast that solves fashion problems and levels up your wardrobe. I'm Lee Campbell, and every week I chat to an expert who helps us to work out how to get more out of the clothes we already own and tells us exactly what is and what isn't worth adding to our wardrobe. There aren't many things that Mia Friedman and

We swap clothes.

But the one thing Mia just does not get that I love is thrift shopping. So for today's episode, I've invited Mia back onto the show to give her a little lesson on how I thrift, the best stores out there, and the sneaky bargains you can find. Before we get into the topic, what current fashion trend or trends do you find most exciting or inspired by?

It would be track suits with jackets. I'm wearing that today as we see here, So wide legged tracksuits, or actually any tracksuits. I'm really enjoying making tracksuits.

Formal doesn't feel naughty, yeah.

And it feels also very comfortable. So I'm wearing some wide legged, navy added ass tracksuit pants with three lemon yellow stripes down the side, and I'm wearing some red and pale pink added as speciales which are like like soundbos kind of. I'm wearing one of the most expensive jackets I've brought in a really long time, like a suit jacket and then a T shirt. I love it and I just feel put together but also modern, yes.

And not uniformy like the casual exactly, very cool, exactly, It's quite exciting.

So I'm finding lots of different ways to inar my trackies.

I did trackies with a kidney the other day, yes, yes.

And I've also got a tracky reference with sort of sandals, like jeweled sandals and a jacket. There's something about where trackies with the jacket, particularly if you're traveling. Agree highly recommend getting through airports. It's comfortable, but it looks smart and.

Can I get quickly ask you before we jump into it when you say a reference? Are you saving images?

Somewhere in my mind? And funnily enough, I go back to this one image. There's this woman I follow, I've sent it to you. She does a substack newsletter called Mota Veritas. Her name's Irene Kim and she's a stylist in Canada, and she's really minimal. She reminds me of you a lot actually at the moment, and she did this thing, and I've bought a lot of things that I find from her. And that idea of the jacket

Love it. Okay, so you're going to take over again.

I'm going to take over because Lee, you and I have been having a conversation off Mike for quite some time.

I forced you into this episode.

I feel like I'm very out of step with this and it's basically going to be convince me why I need to start thrifting.

Yeah, okay.

So I don't know if this is a compliment, but a lot of people when they find out that I'm an avid thrift shop I go, oh, I didn't pick that for you.

I love it.

Let's unpack that for a second.

Okay.

So I'm always surprised when I see you in something. And the other day I saw you wearing a great jumper in the office and it had a picture of bambiyond it, and I was like, that's so cool. Where is it? And you said it is Javoni and I thrifted it for sixty dollars sixty dollars, and I'm like, you got to kiss a lot of frogs. There is when you find your prints in a thrift shop. And it's not like I've never thrifted. I used to really like.

And there is a difference.

We used to there was some good vintage shops I used to like to go and look through, and particularly back in the nineties where no one had sequence anywhere, and any time you wanted to buy sequence, you had to find them in a thrift shop or in a vintage shop. But I am going to just outline my objections before you convince me otherwise. Yes, it takes a lot of time. I get hay fever. I get dispirited

Look, it's definitely not for everyone. I was in Paris late last year and randomly met up with a friend from Australia. She happened to be there and I said, let's go thrifting, and she stood in the middle of the stores and held her coffee and she was just not it. And you can't force it. You're either a thrifterer or you're not. For me, it's the thrill of the hunt. I have adhd as. Do you diagnose medicated and when you have a hyper focus?

Yes.

What I like about it is I can't have other thoughts because I'm going ooh, oh, oh oh, and so it's kind of meditative for me. It's a type of therapy because if I'm just walking through a nicely styled store, I start thinking about my son's swimming. But at thrifting you have to concentrate so hard. So that's why I personally love it. I've always been like that with homewares, and the thing is it's just growing at a rapid rate,

Say, which is wonderful news because we know that fast fashion is a massive problem with landfill. The idea of buying cheap shit every single week and wearing something different all the time. This upcycling, recycling, that's great and.

Look to be honest, a lot of it depending where you're going, and I'll break down the categorism. I mean, a lot of it is fast fashion that's in there. A lot of it is really cheap, nasty stuff. Some of it's great fast fashion that you might then give a second life. So it depends on how you look at it. But of course cost of living, crisis, circular economy, you are saving something from landfilm, helping the planet a little bit.

Last time I spoke to you on the show, you mentioned a second Handzara skirt, which I thought was interesting because you would normally think about thrifting, or some people would looking for designer labels like Ladies Scallon Theater or a Zimmermann or something that's more of an exy label, not something that.

Was totally last fashion.

I think sometimes a great twenty dollars aar a skirt that you know was eighty nine ninety five probably three months ago. To me, that's still a really good bargain. I think Sarah of the high Street chain stores is pretty decent quality in that it's going to be okay for you to then repurchase that. There's a lot of ancho. There's a lot of you know, really really affordable stuff in these stores as well. Again a lot of searching,

So where do you go because aren't the good places all shopped out?

Yeah? Look in Sydney, Pennington Vinnie's is great, but you literally need to know when the drop is and it's very expensive because it's in Sydney's eastern suburb.

How do those stores work? Is there like a central place that distributes out to all the different stores.

Yeah, it depends on the store.

And also generally there's a central place, but people still drop directly to store. So you've got your Vinis and your Red Cross and your Lifeline stores. This is in Sydney specifically, but there are ones around the country. And actually I'd love everyone to jump into the group and recommend great thrifting in their city or their town.

So it depends.

I find the vinis that are kind of a bit randomly in weird suburbs, or you happen to be somewhere that you're not normally can be great again hidden miss. You can't go in expecting to find a specific item or hoping to find just one thing. You might find nothing or three things. In Sydney there's chain called U Turn. They have about six stores. There's one in Bondo Junction, one out of Rozelle.

They have a really great famous one in punch Bowl.

That's right.

Yeah. Both my teenagers, boy and a girl thrift and they go thrifting with their friends.

Oh it's so much fun, big thing, even with the boys.

I love that. Yeah.

I took Rich to U Turn and he's quite a thrift of it. He was overwhelmed. So you've got to be in the right mood. Savers just open to New South Wales. Savers are in pretty much every other state. It's out at Hoxton Park. I haven't been yet, but that's a ginormous warehouse of fashion, homewhere, toys, everything.

I love your face.

I'm just feeling overwhelmed. And the amount of time that it would take.

Yes, it does.

You have to set aside a few hours and look, other thing's clean. This is the thing mostly I mean, I think if you are going to donate to a thrift store, you need to think would I give this to marry my friend?

Yeah?

If you're like ooh, then don't donate it. Unfortunately, it's probably going to end up in landfill. But these places are in undated, they don't need more. So unless it's good quality, in decent condition, you know, not covered in stains or whatever, don't donate it because no one's going to buy it.

I want to ask about the changing body shapes. I mean, I know that when you're talking about vintage clothes, so clothes that are from the sixties, seventies, eighties, the cuts of things are usually a bit different totally. How do you well?

That's it.

So there's thrifting, which is kind of like your affordable stuff, but then there's vintage shopping, which again is probably more expensive. You've got your in Sydney. I've got a zoom pouring dolly up vintage sees, flashback blue spinach.

That's a whole different mindset.

When I'm thrifting and something is eight dollars, fifteen dollars, twenty dollars, I'm going in thinking can I alter it?

Or can I wear it over size.

Is it worth eyeing things that you have to alter.

If you're thrifting depends on what it is, and it depends on your personality.

I have, and how much your alterations going to cost.

Yeah, rule of thumb, I try not to because I just haven't generally in these thrift stores. It's last week Sara, well, last year Zara. So it's still current shapes, current trends, current when I say current from the last five years.

So what about online? Are there any good sites or accounts to follow for secondhand fashion on the lie?

Yes, so you've got your Facebook marketplace. Of course, you've got eBay. A lot of people who are into fashion will upload and sell things on deepop which is basically just a marketplace that takes a small commission and then people just buy it and you post it and you can chat on the forum.

I know some people here at Muma Mea who actually have a little bit of a side hustle selling things on deepot. That's good to Yeah, you can. You can make some good money. Again, it takes a little bit of time, yes, but you know, out of twenty things she's put on, just made about one thousand dollars.

Wow.

Yeah.

See.

And if it's just sitting in your ordrobe, you need to be realistic with the price. Just because you've paid eight hundred dollars for address and warre it to a winning once, someone doesn't want to pay seven hundred dollars probably, so you have to be really realistic and be willing to let it go. What about those Facebook groups there used to be like a recycled spell Facebook group.

They're still there, Zimmerman Wine.

Scant on Theadore.

So if you're really devout to a specific brand, there's Country Road, there's Richery.

You can jump into Facebook and fine, then.

Buy swap cell Page is an amazing overseas designer and TV too, and I'm in that group on Facebook.

How do they work? Does someone just go I've got this jacket? Oh?

No, It depends on the group.

So Tibby, there's a shared spreadsheet and you upload your location, your size, the condition images and yeah, it's wow.

It can really depend But there's the.

Kind of bargains can you get on those sort of groups.

Again, it depends on people's perception. So some people will sell things so cheap and I'm like, is this fake? And then some people will sell things for a ridiculous price. But maybe they'd saved up so much money for that and now they need money burned. Yes, I nearly was. So I've got my favorite pair of Basic sandals that are on their very last legs. So I joined the Basic bi swop cell and I posted a photo. I said, does anyone have these in the white? But I'll take

If it sounds too good to be true, be very careful.

Always use PayPal if you were shopping online, well for anything, but for secondhand goods where you're dealing with another an individual, because you can dispute a transaction.

So what about this, dear collective.

I've not pers actually have a long time ago.

There's a lot of ones overseas because that, of course, you know, the US and the UK and Europe have huge market. There's also a fantastic one, of course, I thought in the name. I think it's called a luxury Dubai and it's a lot of secondhand designer from Dubai. I bought a pair of shoes from there. Actually I bought my fortieth birthday Bataga Vanetta shoes that I purchased there were secondhand, practically brand new, sold them again straight away, basically didn't cost me a cent.

There's a great woman in Australia called Rachel. She has an online boutique doing this called acac ac. Y Acey and my designer. If I've got stuff that's like a bit designer, like Scanon or whatever, Zimmerman, I'll sell through her great and that's great. She's all online too.

And they take the headache out of it and that. Sometimes I've got a pile of things that for me were too much money or too good to donate. I definitely donate a lot, but then I just feel guilty because they're sitting there.

I'm not wearing them.

So if you can make a bit of money back, that's also the circular economy, so.

Quick top tips for thrift shopping.

Okay, if you're going to try things on leggings and a tank, so you can just chuck it on over because the change rooms are always a bit weird. Check fabrication. That's not to say you can't buy synthetics, but you just know what you're working with, so if there's a stain, you might be able to get it out. If it's white and cotton, can you bleach it?

So am I avoiding synthetics?

Well?

It depends.

So I bought a great Zimmerman dress the other week that had just a teeny tiny little bit of tan underneath, and it was a ray On and because of the fantastic episode we've done with Nicolbyneithen Hines. I knew I had a cool great stain remover and I got that stain out.

Okay, so under arm stains and that didn't make you just go yucky.

Well, I knew it was like a thousand dollars in them dress passed. Yeah, you know what, I'll use it for wrapping paper. I'll turn the fabric into the skirt.

You know, so my clothes are so stained anyway.

Yeah, but also smell that if a synthetic fabric has that body o to smell, you're not getting that out.

Forget it.

Check zips, buttons and for rips, because sometimes if you just check a jacket on but you don't do it up, and then you realize it doesn't do up, you get hay fever. I always take hand sanitizer. And this is just because you're rifling through a lot of things. Not to say that they're dirty or not worth it, but you just feel a bit yeppy. Take your time if you can go open mind it. I took a friend

They're my tips.

What about special occasion things, Oh, particularly like dresses.

For black times, secondhand dresses either irl or online. I will never pay hundreds of dollars for a dressed to wed or a wedding anymore. That's you know, first hand. I just don't wear it again, or I wear it, you know, I feel guilty. So that's a really good way to do that. Thrift stores probably more so those circular economy, higher end places. You know, there's one near me called What We Wore that I've sold quite a few things in, and she's that middle ground she's also online.

She's your Beckon Bridge. It's fancy stuff.

But also that medium and you can get something for ninety bucks.

What are some of the things you found? What are your best buys?

Oh my gosh, well what if I'm head to toe thrifted today? So I've got a black niitt on that's kind of got a sheene.

See it's really annoying because, like I know, I can't buy.

That, No you can't. I'm worry Ever, I've.

Thought of buying that for thrift. It's like a chunky, cable knit jumper.

I'm wearing some Jimmy Chew flats that were thirty dollars. I just want re salt.

I'm wearing like a mustard colored tapered like balloon jean. What are we calling those barrel jean? So again, if there's a trend that you want to try but you don't want to go to real stores. These were eight dollars. This is not my size, but I fell in love, so I bought it for grace. It's an eight hundred dollar Rixo dress that was ten dollars.

No, yeah, where did you find these?

I found this one at U turn These the shoes are at Vinnie's. So look, it is a labor of love, and I think also it's a bit Murphy's or if you go in hoping for something fabulous, you won't find anything.

I feel like this is fun because I feel like now I get it. It can be a hobby.

It's a hobby. It's my hobby. People read. I don't watch TV. I do read.

But also, you know, I have a five year old, and for so long I was like, I'm going to go to the supermarket for my time away, and my husband play sports, he goes to the gym.

I go thrifting for an hour. Yeah, it's my little hobby.

I might spend eighty dollars not going up to Westfield and spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars. And it's just a bit of mindfulness in a very strange way.

I'm really into this. Okay, you've inspired me anything. I should avoid completely buying thrifting.

Just if it's stained, make sure you think you can get it out. I unfortunately bought the most amazing pair of faux leather wide legged pants and they had a stain on them. And then I got them home and I messaged n colbynithen Heinz the fabric Oracle and she said, that's basically just plastic. All you can try is dishroshing liquid and it didn't work. I mean they're eight bucks, but now I know faux leather. They were a light cream faux leather with a darker stain. Can't get out

Or is it just really cheap? Yes for a designer brand.

Exactly will you wear them? Although Grace our producer, I went to Uturn with her. I had to take her and I left a pair of many shoes and you think about.

Them every day, do you every single Did they look like?

How much did they cost?

The reason I left them behind because they were a tan so it kind of looked like an extension of my foot.

Yeah, but like a coof. They were a cool loafer and they were nineteen dollars.

Good discipline though. Yep, someone else will fall in love with us.

That's what they did, because I went back shortly after and it was gone.

Well, well done, You've inspired me. I'm going to turn thrifting into my new hubby and I will report back that.

You don't Thanks so much for listening to Nothing to Wear. Don't forget.

There's a wonderful newsletter that goes with this podcast. There's a link in the show notes to subscribe to that and it's free. And if you loved this episode and you're looking for ways to update your wardrobe without breaking the bank, you can listen to a wonderful episode we did on the new season's looks that you're already owning your wardrobe.

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This episode was produced by Grace Rooveray, with audio production by Lew Hill. This podcast is powered by our subscribers. If you believe in independent women's media and want to support us, a subscription to Mumma Mia costs less than the price of a coffee each month. There's a link in the show notes, and a big thank you to all our current subscribers.