Confessions of a Thriftaholic
Fast fashion? Ugh, as if! Lindsey Houlker shows us what it takes to be a true thriftaholic.
The new decade is quickly approaching and guess what that means…New Year’s Resolutions. It’s time to bring out that brand new embroidered planner that was totally screaming your name at target and list out your intentions for the new year. And while we’re all about fancy workout routines and new attempts to learn how to cook Pad Thai – the second-hand brigade is what we’ve been getting all hot and bothered for these past few months. With a new year comes a flush of people going all Marie Kondo in their apartments -- ridding their clothes in an attempt to become more aligned with their truer selves. New decade, new me – right?
While they are busy shedding their old skin, our weapons are getting ready. That’s right, it’s thrifting time baby. You know what they say…who needs a psychiatrist when you can go shopping (sustainable, of course). In honor of promoting a more circular economy, HOKU is a proud advocate for everything second-hand and vintage, because one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. But don’t worry – we know how important it is to get your hands on that one-of-a-kind vintage gem. That’s why we’ve teamed up and interviewed fellow fashionista and thriftaholic, Lindsey Houlker to learn about her story and of course, to get the inside scoop on the art of thrifting. We like to call this little number, Confessions of a Thriftaholic.
Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself? When did you first start thrifting?
It all started when I was a little kid. Growing up, my family couldn’t always afford to buy new clothes, so we had to go to thrift stores. My mom, who was raising me and my brother as a single mom, went to the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) for fashion and was always able to make me look exactly the way I wanted with very little, which was very difficult because I’ve been picky about clothes since I was young. I remember clothes shopping being almost a sport for us, we would spend hours sorting through the racks to find me something perfect, or something almost perfect that she could sew into something amazing. Ever since then I’ve loved thrifting because you can find authentic, good quality clothing and give it a new life in your wardrobe.
What are you favorite Thrifting Tips?
Always wear comfy & versatile shoes that are easy to slip off .
Check the racks outside the dressing room, cool people tend to leave their finds in there
Try to stay away from thrifted fast fashion, it never works out
BRING HEADPHONES
Bring heels in your bag just in case you’re shopping for a more upscale look, some things are ugly till the heels come on 😉
Check for un-washable stains and holes, ALWAYS
Don’t forget about the home section!!! There are some precious things in there.
Don’t limit yourself to one section, labels aren’t real and I’ve found cute pieces in both the men’s and children’s section
Don’t be discouraged by the “thrift store smell”, ONE wash cycle and it’s gone.
If you don’t know a lot about designers, try doing some research before you go. Sometimes you might breeze past $700 clothing items because you don’t recognize it. I’ve found All Saints, Helmut Lang, Dior, and Versace finds all in the thrift store.
What are some of the best places to thrift?
My favorite places to thrift are places where you wouldn’t normally think to look, you’d think that I would have found my most prized thrifted pieces in places where a lot of stylish people are, but some of the best most authentic pieces I’ve ever found are in places that are in the middle of nowhere. The things that are trendy usually don’t get a second look in places like that because there is such an abundance! Another great part about that is that when you go to stylish areas to look, you’ll be tricked thinking you found something that’s of good quality and authentic but it’s really just another trendy knock-off from H&M. You’ll notice that in middle-of-nowhere place, people are giving away all of their “old” clothes from the 80’s and 90’s because it doesn’t match their style any more or they grew out of it, or they just simply don’t know its coming back in.
Tell us about rush you get when you find a killer piece?
It feels like I won the lottery. It’s so different from when you find something cute in a store. The clothing you find in a store was made to fit your style and is usually laid out for you; they do all of the work. With the clothing you find in a thrift store, you often have to seek it out so most of the time it feels more authentic. For instance, trends from the 90’s are very in right now, if you buy something new from the store, it’s imitating that. In a thrift store, most of the time it’s actually from the 90’s and way better quality and it really does feel like wearing a trophy.
How would you describe your style and who are your favorite style icons?
I would describe my current style as how 6-year-old me would have dressed if I had full agency of what I wore back then. I can’t help it that whenever I see a plaid mini skirt, platform heels, furry bomber jackets, baby phat, lace up suede, oversized blazers, the 6-year-old in me screams at me to buy it. Honestly, If I could wear adult sized Bratz doll clothing, I would. I’m obsessed with looking like the queen bee from the 90’s- 2000, I just loved everything about the era. I feel like everything was so feminine and flattering.
Most of my style inspiration comes from clothing styles I admired as a kid, Fran Dresher from The Nanny, Cher from clueless, Rachel from Friends, Hillary from The Fresh Prince, The Spice Girls, Ahanti, even Britney Spears in her prime. As I mentioned before I really do dress how 6-year-old me would have always wanted to dress, there’s something so incredibly fun about tapping into your style inspo from when you were a kid because I get excited just like a little kid does. Following trends just to follow trends, and shopping at stores that everyone else does just for the fact that you’ll fit in is incredibly boring and lacks so much zest that I need in my life. I personally don’t care if what I’m wearing blends in or stands out as long as I love the way that I look in it.
Video Thrifting Tips: Lindsey Houlker + Elise from Clairvoyant Vintage
Words: Kiana Kanoa
Model: @lindseygabrielle1