Whatever your fashion style, you can find the most gorgeous garments in your local thrift shop! Sometimes you will even find genuine "vintage" items (20 years old or older), but you can always find garments, shoes, and accessories that are "Almost Vintage." I remember many times going out for the day, and getting so many compliments on my outfit. And it was so much fun to say, "The whole outfit only cost $7.50, including the shoes, purse, and earrings!" Well, that was a few years ago, and you probably can't put together a complete outfit for $7.50, but you certainly can bring home something that is "new to you" for a fraction of the cost of shopping at your local mall.
And the selection of online vintage and thrift shops online is growing by the day! Of course, there are some people who are still a bit uncomfortable with shopping in their local thrift shop because we have had a cultural bias against "used clothing" for so long . . . . but with the economy in recession, and the proliferation of so much stuff all around us, that notion is quickly becoming a thing of the past. When you walk through a thrift shop, you will find all kinds of things, from items that really should have been tossed out in the trash, to absolutely gorgeous, nearly new, some with tags still on items that have barely or never even been used. 
Our society has been in a mindset of "more is better" for so long, that there is now a backlog of "stuff" in just about everyone's home that was purchased for one purpose or another, long forgotten, and now it has been stashed in the backs of closets, on shelves in garages, and in Space Bags under every bed in the house! Too much, too much, too much . . . . so what are we going to do with it now??? Seems that some of us are getting weary of wading through all of the stuff just to get through a day. Maybe it really isn't true that "he who dies with the most toys, wins." Maybe he or she just dies, and then other people are left to figure out what to do with all the toys. And they usually all fight over all that stuff, because for some reason we all still believe that we just don't have enough stuff. Will we ever?
So, as one aspect of our collective objective to be more eco-friendly, "green," and conscious of how we treat the world around us, I suggest that we all take another look at the benefits and advantages of thrift shopping. Whether you are searching for a beautiful vintage dress from the 1920s to add to your collection; or whether you are looking to add one more pair of turn-of-the-century shoes to your display of period garments; or if you are looking for a dress to wear to your cousin's wedding next month . . . . . check out your local thrift shop! 
One of my goals with this little corner of the blogging community is to introduce you to the vast array of options that are available online for shopping for vintage or "Almost Vintage" items. One of the best sites I've found is Etsy, where there are the most wonderful shops that sell incredibly gorgeous true "vintage" items, often at great prices. Here are a couple of shops that I would recommend: Retro Threadz where you will find a great selection of very fashionable garments and gorgeous shoes! And then there is Resource Clothing with a sweet collection of timeless classics. Another Etsy shop that I recently discovered is The Rare Bird, where you will discover more gorgeous garments, shoes, and accessories for the frugal fashionista. 
So, what ever you are looking for to recession-proof your wardrobe, check your local thrift shops and visit a few of the wonderful online shops to find everything you need . . . . at a price you can afford. Also, please visit my shop at http://www.gossamerwingsstudio.bonanzle.com/ to see my "Almost Vintage" collection of Renaissance Boutique garments, shoes and accessories. 
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