How To Thrift Your Holiday Outfit

Last week I set out to thrift some clothing items for the holiday season. I had ideas of what I wanted. I was looking for sparkle, for velvet and for some pop of festive colour. As a plus size shopper I got discouraged quickly as rack after rack disappointed me. Cheap polyester, lifeless designs, shapeless clothing, poor quality and nothing that felt holiday in the way I wanted it to. I was about to call it a day but convinced myself to give it one more shot. I took a minute to think of all the places I had looked. The dress department, the blouse racks, the formal section and the skirt racks were all a bust. Anything I found that looked kinda cute, was not in my size or of such poor quality, I had to pass. So I pivoted. I moved into sections of the thrift shop that felt a bit random and even off season, and that’s where the luck was had.

1. This first outfit was styled around my first thrifted find, this sparkly tank/camisole. I found it in the tank top section of the thrift shop. With a black back and pewter sequin front, I knew it would be a straightforward item to style. I paired it with a favourite pair of flowy black pants, a simple black flat, and black clutch. To give me a bit more coverage, I tied this sheer, secondhand scarf around my shoulders to add a sleeve effect. It’s a classic holiday look that I can wear year after year.
2. Colour had also been on my list. After scouring racks of cheap looking reds, and too small greens, I came across this stunning, hand knit, yellow cardigan. I passed on it at first, but the colour was too eye-catching and the knit was too soft to walk away from. I slipped it on and started to think of how I could styl ae this for a more casual holiday get together. This is what I came up with. For this outfit, I skipped the black all together. I put on my gorgeous, silk with lace camisole under the cardigan. For a pant, I opted for a slim leg, cropped pant in this rich terracotta colour. I tied in the cream colour of the camisole with a pair of leather oxfords. To add a wee bit of shine, I popped on a pair of gold hoops, and grabbed my newly thrifted, beaded bag which tied all the colours together beautifully. Who says you have to wear red or green during the holidays?
3. My final find of the day was this stunning, royal blue, velvet piece. It’s the winter dress of my dreams and feels just like I’m wearing pyjamas. And that could be because this dress is pyjamas! I found this vintage, velvet nightgown in the sleepwear section for only $7.99. It’s a one size, caftan style nightgown that I knew I could style up for a holiday look. The key was to add some shape to this piece. My stretchy, vintage, gold belt that I thrifted 5 or 6 years ago was the perfect piece. I tied in the gold with a stunning pair of long gold earrings. Since the earrings have a wee bit of orange detail (one of my favourite colours), I grabbed my 12+ year old orange leather clutch to add a pop of colour. Since I don’t do heels, I went with a classic pair of black leather loafers to finish off the look. 

Thrifting can have its challenges, especially when you have a smaller pool of items to choose from. If you too are in the size 14+ category, I know how limited our options are at the thrift stores. My best piece of advice is to think outside the shopping box. I have had luck in odd places. I have found a perfectly fitting shacket in the dress section, I always have luck with button ups and sweaters in the men’s department, I found a beautiful, on trend handbag in the homewares department, and now I’ve purchased a holiday dress from the sleepwear department. Use the departments as a guideline, but to have a more successful shopping experience, venture into all areas of the store. You never know what you may find. —Jen Pistor