Official Site of Secondhand Wardrobe Week, February 26 – March 3, 2012

March 3, 2012: Go shopping at a charity thrift store and you’re sure to find everyday clothing such as tee shirts and jeans. But you never know what other spectacular items may be waiting for you as you sort through the stacks.

March 2, 2012: Most people think of stores that sell new clothing as being cleaner than the thrifts. In this video, I read what I think is a hilarious quote about cleanliness at regular retail stores. The quote was originally posted as a comment on a terrific blog by Sally McGraw that’s called Already Pretty. You can read the quote in it’s entirety here.

March 1, 2012: Conventionally produced clothing can be terrible for the environment. When you shop the charity thrifts, your money goes towards, well, charity, instead of the clothing manufacturers who engage in unethical practices. In this video, I mention hormone disruptors. You can read more about them and also take a look at Greenpeace International’s press release about the study mentioned in this video.

February 29, 2012: One of the great mysteries of the clothing industry is why so many garments that could easily be washed at home have a “dry clean only” tag in them. Learn how to save your money and your clothing by ignoring those tags.

February 28, 2012: A stigma about buying and wearing previously worn clothing persists even in these tough economic times. The clothing industry has a lot to gain if we continue to believe that thrift stores are nasty places that sell terrible clothing.

February 27, 2012: Thrift stores sell such a broad mix of quality and style that shoppers are challenged to combine items in unique, interesting ways.

February 26, 2012: Actresses Zooey Deschanel and Diane Keaton, supermodel Kate Moss, costume designer Patricia Field, and celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe all credit the thrifts for helping them to create their famous sense of style.

The thrifts are packed with jeans. If you’re new to thrifting, one easy way to get started is to look for a great used pair.

For more inforamtion about the problems with conventionally grown cotton click here and here to read more about formaldehyde.

Thrift stores can smell like a combination of musty basement, mothballs and who-knows-what else. I personally find the scent of regular retail manipulation to be far less appealing.

Learn more about fragrance and marketing at scentmarketing.org, scentair.com, or just enter “scent marketing” into your search engine and see what pops up.

In this video, I weigh in on department store neatness vs. thrift store messiness.