Your bible for scoring vintage finds around Raleigh
What’s old is in again. While shopping for brand-new clothing is always fun, there’s no dopamine hit quite like uncovering a coveted vintage find for mere dollars—and in this economy, that matters. Not only does vintage shopping get you a better deal—plus unique, quality clothes—there’s a plethora of ways to navigate the vast vintagescape.
eBay
Vintage resellers are an easy place to start—all the work is already done, aside from picking what you like and making sure it fits. Pro tip: Sizing was not the same 30 years ago, so when in doubt, try it on.
Because the ~curating~ part is already done for you, resellers can lean pricey. While convenience can come at a premium, many resellers are open to negotiation or offer $5 or $10 bins. For curated finds around town, try The Burrow, Pallbearer, Wolfe & Porter’s monthly markets or any Vintage Bazaar event. If you’re after furniture, head to Cheshire Cat or TrunkShow.
If those price tags hurt, save some dollars and do the digging yourself. Read: Hit the thrift store. Dorcas Thrift Shop and Goodwill are good places to start, and—when in doubt—stores that require an appointment to donate are always a good bet. Racks rarely stay organized, so look in as many sections as possible—you may find a hidden gem of a tank top in the pajamas section or an oversize vintage tee shoved between dresses.
Found a contender? Check the tags for 100% wool, cashmere, cotton, silk and leather, and note where and how the garment was manufactured. “Made in the USA” labels and union tags are rarely from this century and a good indication you’re scoring a steal.
Resale sites like Vinted, eBay and Depop serve up an unrefined blend of curated and chaotic: Some resellers sport astronomical markups, while others just want items gone—for cheap. When searching, be specific and try a couple different wordings—i.e., search for both “black leather cowboy boots size 8” and “tall black leather boots Western style.”
Before you lock it down, research the seller’s ratings, read the listing carefully (bare minimum, it’s a smoke-free household) and don’t underestimate the power of the lowball: You never know what a seller will accept. Be respectful—and mindful that it’s some people’s only source of income—but never assume the listing price is final. See if the reseller will go lower, and if not, so be it. Happy hunting!
Where the frugal—and sustainable—fashionistas are shopping locally
ICYMI, those “harmless” hauls from overseas fast-fashion brands might start getting pricier, thanks to tariffs shifting the scene for cheap China-based clothing retailers. Bargain-chic giants Shein, Temu and Amazon sellers have already started upping their prices, with some stuff spiking 377%. While rising import costs are ultimately unlikely to kill fast fashion completely, they may be a sign to hit pause on oft-unnecessary Shein hauls in lieu of scouting locally affordable fashion—a habit that will also lessen your carbon footprint and not support child labor. So, a win-win-win.
“It really is special in the sense you can find comparatively higher quality and stylish items that can compete pricewise with cheaply made fast fashion,” emphasizes Garrett Young-Wright, who co-founded the NC Vintage Bazaar alongside Aaron Wan. “And you can feel good about supporting small businesses that are often folks in your community.”
While charity shops like Dorcas Ministries, Goodwill and Pass It On have hoards of hidden treasures, if you’re not about the thrill of the chase—or if thrift store finds aren’t your jive—we played “thrift hunter” and unearthed your closet’s next staple pieces at curated secondhand retailers and affordable boutiques.
Not only is buying secondhand often easier on your wallet (hello, half-price Chanel bag!), it also denounces the controversial labor practices many fast-fashion companies use, and lessens the pollution and landfill contributions the constant manufacturing of new garments generates (the industry accounts for 2–8% of global emissions). Ethical benefits aside, who doesn’t love one-of-a-kind fashion finds? After all, there’s no better feeling than responding with, “Oh, I thrifted it!” when someone asks where you got your ’fit.
Ready to (thrift) shop till you drop? The bigger the city, the better thrifting scene, so Raleighites are in luck. Here, we feature some unique finds from local secondhand retailers.
Doc Martens From ’90s grunge to early 2010s Tumblr to today, the brand’s ultra-durable platform sandals, Mary Janes and combat boots are the go-to. Soften up the edgy Doc Martens look by pairing with a babydoll dress, or welcome the nostalgia with ripped jeans and a band tee. Alexa, play “R U Mine?” by Arctic Monkeys. Shop similar finds: MODE
Sea Denim Dress A denim dress is a classic, and this quilted puffy-sleeved number is no exception. Easily dressed up or down, the versatile seasonal-transition piece is giving autumn-meets-coastal cowboy—and we’re here for it. Shop similar finds: Revolver
Vintage Windbreaker
Windbreakers suddenly feel fresh again. Play up the pragmatic piece and slip on a pair of classic white sneakers, or draw inspo from Rihanna and throw on a miniskirt and a pair of stilettos with your jacket. Shop similar finds: Unorthodox Vintage
Bottega Veneta Jodie Top Handle Bag
“People will stare—make it worth their while.” Elevate the much-needed accessory with this slouchy woven bag, big enough to carry all your things and small enough to slide on your shoulder, so you can be hands-free no matter what you’re touting. Shop similar finds: Dress
Vintage Denim
Denim is always in season—and easy to style with quite literally anything. That, paired with its durability, makes denim a fab secondhand find—NTM the worn look is de rigueur. Pro tip: Not in the mood to try on? Wrap the waistline of the pants around your neck. If the two sides meet comfortably, the pants will fit. Shop similar finds: Unorthodox Vintage
Gucci Platforms
“I’m not afraid of heights, have you seen my shoes?” Take a cue from Carrie Bradshaw and reach new heights in these New York Fashion Week-worthy yellow Gucci platforms. The sandal’s wide base makes strutting your stuff and elevating your outfit far easier than your average heel would. Shop similar finds: Dress
Reverse Raleigh breathes new life into thrifted and secondhand clothes.
“One man’s trash, that’s another man’s come up…” Manifesting Macklemore’s thrift shopping vision, Kristina Barnett thinks thrifting is, well, “#$@%ing awesome.” She could spend hours in a thrift store popping tags—to extend the metaphor, just $20 in her pocket (OK, ish)—and leave with a whole new preloved wardrobe.
While some people dig the bargain and the thrill of the hunt, others can get extremely overwhelmed at thrift stores (So. Many. Clothes.) and avoid them like the plague. Enter Reverse Raleigh, an environmentally conscious e-commerce clothing brand launched in late June by NC State grad Barnett (her degree is in fashion and textile management) and business partner Svetlana Geshtovt (who just completed NC State’s Global Luxury and Management program in Paris) in hopes of squashing that secondhand stress and making thrifting easily attainable for everyone.
How? By doing the digging for you. To stock Reverse Raleigh, Barnett and Geshtovt scour thrift stores and secondhand sites (as well as each other’s closets and friends’/customers’ closets!) for garments to repurpose or reuse as is, depending on the quality of the product and what their vision is. “We’ll go and thrift the stuff; we’ll show you how to style it; we’ll get it cleaned,” Barnett says. “You are getting upcycled clothes that someone has cared enough for to go find.”
In turn, by shopping at Reverse Raleigh, you can feel good about the products you’re purchasing because you’re “not feeding into the industry of just buying, purchasing and throwing away, which is really bad for the environment,” Barnett adds. Talk about feel-good fashion.
And that passion for sustainability—as well as supporting local businesses and the community—was another catalyst of the Reverse Raleigh brand. Barnett hopes that the shop can show people that you don’t have to buy something and immediately throw it out once it’s no longer trendy. Not to mention Macklemore’s vision of not “having the same [shirt] as six other people in the club is a hella don’t.” Hence, thrift store poppin’ tags is awesome—for your wallet, your wardrobe and the planet.
Clearly, Barnett agrees. “I can really go into any thrift store and find something,” she says. “A lot of the stuff at thrift stores is underrated. There’s some high-quality stuff that people drop off there.” To wit, Geshtovt will soon be bringing thrifted clothes back from Paris to add to Reverse Raleigh’s online store. “Oh, that Gucci—that’s hella tight.” reverseraleigh.com
“A lot of the stuff you would think were repurposed actually weren’t. These were jean shorts when Svetlana bought them—they came from her closet. They fit like a glove, and they’re super-comfy, super-stretchy. And they fit right into the other trend of the long midlength jorts that everyone’s wearing now.”
“These were black, almost knee-high boots—they’re genuine leather. I got them from a thrift store. They originally had a faux snakeskin backing on them that was coming off. They had laces up the back too. I showed them to a friend, and he said you should take the backing out, so I did. I also took the strings out, and it’s a really cool cutout on the back of the boot.”
“This dress was from my own personal closet, stayed as is. I just used to love it so much and thought maybe someone else could get some use out of it. That one was a big hit too—at the launch party people were raving about it. You can wear it in the winter with a sweater under it or without anything under it or with a T-shirt under it.”
“It’s very trendy to wear blazers with a bra top or nothing underneath, as long as you can close it. I’ve paired it several times with a tank top or a crop top or a bra top—something very simple underneath because it is a very bright pop of color, so you want to kind of pare it down with your outfit. But I love the color. It’s so vibrant and pretty, and kind of cropped too.”
“This one has been the talk of the town. Everyone loves that blazer so much. It was just upcycled—we didn’t repurpose it or anything. It’s actually a petite double XL, so it played right into the oversize blazer trend that’s happening and that will probably continue to happen.”
