Thrift or pass? Here's What I Found this Weekend for World Cup Outfits.
With time and thrifting logistics not on my side, I set off this weekend to a Buffalo Exchange and a Goodwill outside Boston
My favorite part about thrifting is that you never know what you’re going to find. You parse through endless crammed clothing racks in hope of discovering a hidden gem you didn’t expect. It requires a bit of style imagination, and you’re usually better off not looking for something specific.
However, the World Cup is fast approaching, and specific items is exactly what I need to style my looks. With time and thrifting logistics not on my side, I set off this weekend to a Buffalo Exchange and a Goodwill outside Boston.
Such an occasion called for honoring the Boy Scouts by being prepared, so I made a thrift wishlist to stay on target. I had my eyes peeled for anything orange, sporty — specifically retro Adidas or Nike — or western since I’m going to Texas for Netherlands group stage games.
Check out the 15 items I was looking for:
The two stops, surprisingly, had multiple items from my wishlist. But the question remained: Were they worth thrifting or was I better off passing?
Western hats:
A cowgirl hat made my thrift wishlist in hopes of ironing a Netherlands soccer patch on the front. Buffalo Exchange had three, but they weren’t the color or style I was looking for, and the zebra pattern was a bit too much to work with.
I’ll have to keep my eyes peeled for either an orange or a straw cowgirl hat.
The “Hold your horses” hat also caught my eye for either me or my partner. It was cute and perfectly on theme. What I didn’t like about it? The price. The hat was new with tags and was selling for $16.
Sure that might be a normal price for a hat, but this is thrifting.
What really sold it as a no, was the hat was on Amazon for $24.99. While the thrifting price was cheaper, the hat wasn’t a nice enough brand to deserve that high of a second-hand retail price.
Plus, we would probably only get a few uses out of it. While there are a few items I’ll be getting for the World Cup specifically, I want to stick to the ones on my wishlist to be sure they’re worth it.
My choice:
Pass and keep looking
Western buckle heels:
Thrifting requires looking in every nook and cranny — including crouching down uncomfortably to see what’s in the dark back row of the bottom shoe shelf. And thank goodness I did because these shoes summoned a mental “Eek!” of excitement.
Not only were they cute and on theme with a western buckle, but they were new with tags, had a cushioned sole, and looked even cuter on.
I’ve been looking for heels without a back strap for a while now, but every pair I’ve tried either slips off or creates an aggressive clunk and snap sound while walking.
While these wouldn’t be World Cup game shoes, I do have at least one nice dinner in Texas where I could pair these with a dress.
One wear wouldn’t be reason enough to get them, so luckily, I loved them enough that I would wear them on plenty of other occasions. Think black slack capris or jeans and a cute top on a summer night.
My choice:
Thrift with a happy dance
Adidas capris:
Adidas pants or shorts were the No. 1 item I was hoping to thrift because let’s be real: no Adidas is better than retro Adidas.
I specifically had an image of black capris with the three stripes down the leg on my wishlist. So when my boyfriend pulled these out of the depths of a rack that stressed even me too much to sort through, I was immediately infected with the thrifting giddiness.
What were the odds?!
I took them right into the dressing room …
Just to be let down.
What I saw in the mirror did not match my vision.
They were a little loose in the waist and required tightly tying the strings, taking away from the relaxed athletic look.
The actual material of the pants did nothing flattering for my thighs. They weren’t tight enough to shape around my quads nicely or loose enough for a wide-leg look.
Everything just looked meh.
My boyfriend and I both agreed that the bottom of the pants should have either gotten narrower or wider to create better proportions.
This was definitely the hardest hit of the day.
My choice:
Pass and keep looking
Western disc belts:
My vision is a long white skirt with a western disc belt overlayed. And in what felt like a sign for my thrifting luck that day, I found three as soon as I walked in the door.
While I loved the turquoise in the black belt, I am more likely going to be wearing browns in Texas. Plus, the buckle on the brown belt screamed cowgirl. I also preferred its oval discs, which gave it a sleeker look.
Once again though, I did not like the price.
The belt was listed for $22.50, but a quick reverse image search on Amazon showed the exact belt on sale for $16. Even without the sale, the belt was cheaper on Amazon than Buffalo Exchange’s price tag.
My choice:
Pass but may get it off Amazon
Orange skirt
I snagged this orange tennis skirt off the Goodwill rack so fast. It was my size and it perfectly matched the new Netherlands World Cup jersey (which looks more neon in person).
It was to my devastation that I discovered it was actually a Lands End bathing suit skirt bottom when I went to try it on over my leggings.
Could it pass as a tennis skirt? Maybe. I mean, it fooled me. But I really didn’t want to deal with the uncomfortable bathing suit lining as opposed to undershorts.
My boyfriend suggested I wear it to the beach on the day the Netherlands play since we’ll be down the shore for a week, but I already have an orange bathing suit I could wear.
For me, this skirt was only a yes if I could wear it with a jersey.
My choice:
Pass and hope it ends up in the right section
Spain soccer scarf
As we were in line waiting to check out, I spotted a scarf that had to be either a Gryffindor or a soccer scarf. As much as we love Mr. Potter, it was especially exciting to see it was a Spain soccer scarf, perfect for the World Cup.
While I will be attending Netherlands games and rooting for them, my favorite national team is Spain, and I will be cheering them on all the way to the end.
I already have an España scarf to rep, however, so I like to think of this as a thrift wink that sends extra luck to the team.
In the meantime, may some other fan find this gem in time for June’s games.
My choice:
Pass and leave for someone else to find
Western heeled boots
These heeled black western boots were gorgeous, and they looked even better on. I’m in love with pointed toe boots at the moment, and unlike many I’ve tried on, these didn’t slouch and were slim on the calfs.
They would look great with a denim skirt and a black top or an orange and black Netherlands jersey.
You won’t be seeing me in this look, however, since they were too snug on my feet despite being my size.
My choice:
Pass, devastatingly
With 45 days until the World Cup, where should I try my thrifting luck at next?
LOVED this. Felt like I was scanning the racks right along with you. (Also your idea to incorporate mini "thrift or pass?" polls with the items in question? GENIUS!). Also gotta say that belt pricing was criminal, but I never would have thought to reverse image search for price to confirm my suspicisions. Going to keep this in mind next time I'm thrifting!!