Thrifting ONLY high quality clothes at the thrift store - I didn't expect this to be that hard!

[@kathyjohnson1911]

I’ve long said my “super power” is spotting high quality clothing. And this is just one of many ‘skills’ I have that has zero money-making ability. I’m not a reseller (shipping, etc, freaks me out). On the topic of Eileen Fisher, I found a 100% silk dress in perfect condition at a thrift store for $1.50!!! Fortunately, it was in my size, so I snapped it up 😊

[@brush412]

I need some of your juju lol

[@maryg.siracuse3628]

Among the reasons I love Vintage is the quality of construction. Many items were cut on the bias with French seams and attention to detail that is hard to find in contemporary clothing.

[@marylhere]

My mother was the daughter of a tailor. The quality details she said to look for can only truly be found in a. Vintage or b. Very expensive couture. Bound button holes, linings, finished seams, quality buttons etc. I have a few vintage coats that have bound button holes.

[@marylhere]

I bought an Eileen Fisher Italian linen dress second hand probably twenty years ago. It can go from the beach to the opera. Simple bias design in grey and pewter threads….the perfect vacation piece. Can be worn year round….it has made the cut for so many years. Bias cut allows for fluctuation of the body. I have gone from 4 to 14 and that dress still fits.

[@lindadorman2869]

I'm thrilled to see your focus on quality clothing. I'm much older than you (age 62) so I grew up with quality clothing...natural fabrics, design details, high level construction. I only started reselling in mid-2020 and have curated nearly 4000 items, some vintage and some newer brands but all top quality. And yes I have lots of Eileen Fisher! I refuse to buy or resell fast fashion.

[@meganvogt4042]

I love my Eileen Fisher pieces, they’re always good quality. I am glad to learn that her workers own part of the company 😎

[@KathleenIllustrated]

Yess! I love this. I’m always surprised by the workwear-focused mall brands (banana, ann Taylor, etc). In my experience, they’re pretty dang nice! I’m super inspired to try this challenge soon 🎉🎉🎉

[@doublea6252]

For about a year I have been trying to thrift only (mostly😁) quality materials..it is harder, but so much more fun!! Especially when I find out how much they were originally sold for!😲😍

[@lauravonv]

The original price always blows my mind!!

[@Chicago48]

Harder is right. The only quality clothing I find these days is with the OLDER names like Evan Picone and Leslie Fay. Those old time, USA made brands.

[@rondalantz1232]

Same here! I’ve found so many good deals! I also enjoy the process of looking. I can thrift all day.

[@riverAmazonNZ]

Surprised what you said about the tag on the last item. Detailed tags are normal here in New Zealand. (Though I don’t recall any mentioning shrinkage). Few people dry clean ordinary clothes here. I was brought up thrifting (we call it op-shopping - thrifts stores here are “opportunity shops”) and my mum taught me all the secrets of finding good clothes. I’ve always dressed well, and the eclectic nature of the finds made me develop my personal style. The flood of fast fashion in the last tens years has really overwhelmed the secondhand market 😢.

[@pastichehaus]

Your vibe is off the charts. Your eye for quality is impressive. I want to go into reselling in 2023 so I’m checking out the KZbin community and you’re one of the funnest resellers I’ve come across. #qualityclothing #takeadrink😉☺️

[@janemahan2663]

Interesting video Laura, thank you. My Mum was apprenticed to a tailor at 15. I learned about quality from an early age. She would have a conniption fit if patterns didn't match up! I miss her......

[@lauravonv]

💕💕💕

[@ginamarie5575]

This was great lol , I’m 40 now and I get it . I want quality over quantity….especially in my reselling business…..love Eileen , garnet hill and J.Jill to name a few that hold these standards….I’m letting go of fast fashion. It’s too sad how they are made 😢 great vid . ❤

[@gossipandgrigio7200]

yep, this is why I love thrifting! once you know what to look for you can find quality clothes that can last years and literally pay less than $10. and it’s better for the environment. so many pros

[@sandyfisbeck9488]

Thank you for explaining the different levels of quality.

[@drewrose8215]

Quality strategies: Patience in both looking and buying. Buy when you see, buy out of season and ahead of need. Enables a wonderful wardrobe, prepared for any occasion, without time/money pressure. Enjoy looking fantastic.

[@janejdough2230]

Linen blends are good as they do not wrinkle as bad.

[@pamwilson6717]

I’m a 58 year old thrifter Posher and this is a great video!!!!

[@tempestgrey4629]

I am 95% thrifted in my closet and my latest find was my best. I found the softest sweater I’ve ever had and it’s 100% wool Play from Com de Garçon light grey with black heart patch with eyeballs. Crew neck is not my favorite but this crew is a little higher and I wear over a button down as well $10. Yay me

[@katiechamberlin4194]

Currently searching resale apps for work clothes. This is super helpful! Thank you so much

[@lonthelookout]

I didnt know Eileen Fisher was employee owned. That is super cool. Definitely great quality clothing. I still buy it to resell. And my mom used to buy Fresh Produce and some of their stuff is truly hideous. It’s good that it’s good quality though since it’s not inexpensive.

[@lauravonv]

My mom is also a huge fresh produce fan. Some of the 90s/ early 00s styles from them were truly something else 😂 but yea the quality is unmatched even to this day. Wild how much production quality has changed in just 20 years.

[@marymeyer6578]

Recently picked up an Eileen Fisher, hooded coat at my Savers. God knows I don’t need another coat but the quality was so good, I couldn’t pass it up. I will get rid of two or more of my cheaply made of jackets just to keep this one.

[@safronsahara9000]

I just scored an Eileen Fisher knit skirt at a second hand store. I was geeked I found such a piece.

[@JD-yz2iz]

Thanks! I've never heard of Fresh Produce, I'm going to start looking for it for myself!

[@445Atlanta]

Jcrew is actually a clothing brand that I love. It is one of the few that actually does quality clothes that I will purchase new. But it is pretty much that only one. Everything else if typically thrifted. Don't sleep on Jcrew people!

[@Chicago48]

Ann Taylor and JCrew are two brands that I always look for to thrift. Banana Republic makes great clothing too, but for some unknown reason it's a slow selllll for me. But I have some BR pieces and love them.

[@biggy_fishy]

Can you rank brands in general? I really think supporting brands that support their employees is at the top of my list. If they are prioritizing their team it's for sure something I can get behind. If it's like Good American or whatever Kardashian brand, I just cannot support that. this was a great video! I subscribed real quick ☺️

[@gurlfriend9443]

I love Eileen Fisher so much but I didn't know that about the company. And I was a reseller for years! now I love EF even more now

[@tara1638]

I’m trying to be a lot more selective with what I’m picking up. It’s soooo hard to find the good quality items. But when you do it’s amazing! I’m such a sucker for vintage! Great video! There are definitely brands/fabrics I won’t pick up!

[@vickiemorris3660]

Love this video, need part 2 at the thrift stores. Watched the video twice already;) ❤❤❤ thrifting! Great video idea!

[@lauravonv]

Twice 🥹🥹🥹 Omg thank you! This was the motivation I needed to start filming a part two 🙌❤️

[@emcatttttt]

Your vid was randomly recommended and I’m so glad I watched! I appreciated the basic breakdown of what to look for. Also that J Crew blazer was amazing

[@genac4561]

Your hair look absolutely fantastic. I love it!

[@greeneyedmimibostian3013]

Thank you, we need more thrift

[@gail9289]

I'd like to see a video where very high-end brands are measured against your quality standards. I wonder if there is a direct correlation between cost and quality.

[@dmreddragon6]

Would be interesting to see her do this. A few years ago another cannel did this in a lot of different areas (plain white tees, jeans, leggings, etc). Seen that paying more often times did not equate to better quality.

[@liene4619]

I really liked this video! Could you make it into a series? The clothes could be sorted in quality tiers - like when you said, there were some good pieces at the thrift but they weren't top of the line, so that's why you didn't get them. I think it would still be valuable for people to see the difference between levels (if we can call it that :D). Either way, super interesting - looking forward to seeing more videos like this! :)

[@Elizabeth-if7pw]

I have seen some nice pieces on eBay if you don't have good thrift stores in your area. I live in Indiana and my favorite is going to stores in the Indianapolis/Carmel/ Noblesville area. I also like to visit the goodwills in Michigan! I've found some beautiful winter coats up there

[@lisadavis4279]

The term for matching stripes and checks is called "pattern matching". Its a big one for both clothing and furniture with regards to textiles. I try to give a shout out to many of the brands that you mentioned, which many people avoid because they are considered fast fashion. What people don't know is that they are also some of the more sustainable brands. I am speaking about H&M, Gap, Athleta, Banana Republic, J.Crew, Eileen Fisher, Nike, Timberland, Walmart and Target. This is not true, however, of Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, and Free People. Material is also important from a sustainability perspective. Materials like wool, cotton, linen lyocell, and modal are not only natural, but also degrade naturally into the environment. Plastics take hundreds of years to degrade. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@lisadavis4279]

I forgot to add COS and Old Navy to that list. COS is an H&M brand and Old Navy is a Gap/Athleta/Banana Republic brand.

[@lonthelookout]

I thrifted a Walmart sweater (George) for myself for $5 and it was a wool blend. I didnt even know Walmart would use wool. Honestly kind of annoyed because I can’t put it in the dryer even though it’s from Walmart.

[@karenkelly961]

I agree with you about J Crew. I wish more people appreciated it, and I know it is saturated, but it is still very well made! Also, Fresh Produce! I hope what happens with the new owners is not what happened with Peck & Peck. I don't know if people realize how great a brand Peck & Peck was at one time. Vintage Peck & Peck is amazing, but it is hard to sell because many buyers believe the old stuff is like today's Peck & Peck, which is not terrible, but it is not the Peck & Peck of the 60s-70s.

[@lauravonv]

I didn’t know that about Peck & Peck! Thank you! I’m going to keep an eye out now for some vintage items. I’d love to come across that now. 💕

[@Chicago48]

Good video! I agree about Eileen Fisher. If more co's had an ESOP you would have less disgruntled employees. Are you listening Starbucks??? Inside tags are becoming harder and harder to read and I wonder if it's intentional. I've found tags that were black background and teeny tiny white fonts.

[@miekeeerkens1001]

H&M has a premium line. That's probably what that sweater was.

[@atlantadeb7139]

Thanks for this informative, entertaining video! It's my first of yours and not sure how I happened on it, but I'm glad I did. I didn't take a drink after all those quality words, but I did Like, Comment and Subscribe as you suggested. So I'll be watching you!! 😎

[@electricmushyy]

J.crew is definitely surprising me lately, also Ralph Lauren 😊 btw you have a great sense of humor 😂 Got me with the yoke Haha

[@beachcitiesthrifting777]

Thank you for all this information! Very important as I am a new thrifter & flipper. Subbed to you and will watch to learn MORE....Thank you!!!

[@commontags]

Quality, Quality, Quality......Love Eileen!! Love good mall brand items! Great video, very informative!

[@leslychavez8343]

Fresh Produce sells great for me. Not for much but more than $5 for sure. Doesn't take more than a week to sell.

[@lauravonv]

That gives me hope!! 😅 Love that turn around time!

[@jessmarie143]

agreed! eileen fisher will always be that girl. her how i built this interview is really good as well.

[@LottieSue]

I like to search for clothing if it has a print, it is also on the back.

[@pamwilson6717]

This!!!!!! I WILL thrift it if it’s quality so someone will enjoy it even if I don’t make tons of $!

[@marylhere]

You can tell poor construction by how the sleeves lie. If the pieces are not cut on the bias (remember those arrows in Home Ec?) they will bunch up when you move. Fast fashion is notorious for just using every single inch of fabric…that’s why some garments feel like they’re fighting you or cutting off your circulation. I’ve known sleeves to be sewn on backwards….the cuffs gave it away.

[@ThirdEyeThrifter]

Great info and fun video ! Thanks !! 😊

[@annebeck2208]

The BEST way to learn quality clothing is to go to high end stores and look and feel (with clean hands) the fabric. Grab some fabric and scrunch it in your hand it should be hard to scrunch and try to spring out of your hand. When you find that, look at all the details outside and inside. Then go to a thriftstore and try to find those same qualities...even if you don't buy them. You will also notice that junk brands have horrible fabric along with everything else....stop buying from those fake brands: it is always going to "look" better than it is!! Try to remember that cheating customers is considered smart business in some countries, and some eras. (In the US at the turn of the century, traveling salesmen taught each other ways to cheat customers...it was "buyer beware") not to mention all the slave labor and horrors of fast fashion.

[@ladettea1qaanderson908]

I only purchase quality clothing for myself. I hear you tubers complaining about fast fashion and I agree. But what I don’t hear is anyone addressing the cruelty to animals that is presently being used to create the “finer” fabrics. Such as angora, cashmere, silk, etc. Do you know how these materials are extracted from natures creatures?

[@jeannetempest9127]

And? Yes, people know. We humans used animal produced clothing for thousands of years as what it suits us the most. A sheep needs to cut their hair as too much hair in summer can actually make them sick from infections. Sheeps for examžle are trimmed once a year, it is not painful and its a win win situation to both a sheep and people. As for silk yes, silk can be a bit cruel because silkworms are killed if you go chinese way, in India silk is made without killing silkworms. I personally kill all insects amd some people have phobia for them. I buy most natural fabrics second hand, even leather ones. It is way more ethical than to produce sinthetic clothes that does not last long and goes into landhill

[@kellygarland63]

I’ll never understand why people do Temu hauls of clothing. Yes, you may have saved some money. 0 chance you’ll still be able to wear those items a year later. Most end up in landfills. I’d rather thrift or save for a quality piece I’ll use for years. I’m much more picky the older I get. Don’t even want to think about how many cheap items I’ve added to landfills in my early years.

[@phyllisz2897]

better brand usually has better quality， J Crew and Banana Republic back in early 2000s are very luxurious clothing , a simply shirt costs like $100 , the price now is more friendly 🤣

[@PickingVegasandBeyond]

The reason you had a hard time finding quality clothing is because there are a ton of resellers here who only resell clothing and most of them are at the thrift stores every single day. I know because I used to be at the thrift stores 7 days a week sometimes multiple times a day and I found a ton of insane items.

[@adivabrithall]

QC is the new Black 💣

[@lonthelookout]

You There’s Something About Mary hair 🤣 a 30+ age reference

[@lauravonv]

🤣🤣🤣

[@CFTreeMossPlants]

Great video!!!!

[@sharonwilliamson7101]

It might be the angle of the camera, but your throat looks like it might be enlarged. Have you had your thyroid checked?

[@lauravonv]

Hi! Yes, thankfully it came back as a benign thyroid nodule. Just waiting now to check my thyroid levels and see an endo. Thank you so much for checking though 💕💕 Just talked about how important that is in my last video 😊🤗

[@sharonwilliamson7101]

@@lauravonv I am glad you had it checked. I had a benign tumor removed years ago plus half of my thyroid. I know have to take meds for hypothyroidism. This was the first video of yours that I watched. :)

[@JRspeaking]

I love Eileen Fisher, but the hi-lo hems on all her clothes are just getting annoying.

[@kimatronxx]

JCrew, banana republic, Ann Taylor at a certain time period were very quality clothing. I look for older pieces because of their material and construction. I just don't resell them for a ridiculous mark up 🫤

[@ConserveMore]

I bought a high quality wool sweater from jcrew in 1991 for $88 that would undoubtedly cost $300 now.

[@bjbt-nk1lw]

The poly-cotton blend i encounter pills a lot. I have never encountered any that didn't pill. For context the poly-cotton blend I experience are 75 cotton: 25 poly, 70;30, 60:40, 50;50, 55:45, 45:55. Most men clothes are mainly cotton, if its a cotton-poly blend. The only blend i like are: linen-cotton, wool-silk, and cotton/modal-elastane if a t-shirt or legging. I have become to detest any poly blends.

[@_Francois1]

@francoisnewyork