Luxury in the least likely places
$8 cashmere and everything else I've bought on ThredUp recently. Plus, seven tips for navigating the site.
Over the past six months, I’ve shipped around 100 pounds of clothing, bags and shoes to The RealReal and ThredUp.1
Some big life changes—becoming a mom; starting a job at a company where I feel freer to express myself—led me to re-evaluate my wardrobe and realize that much of it wasn’t working for me anymore.
To keep a long story short, I ended up with a slew of credits on The RealReal and ThredUp, some of which I cashed out on and others I’ve used to rebuild based on my lifestyle, preferences and evolving understanding of my personal style.
And, let me tell you: I wasn’t prepared for the goldmine ThredUp can be if you know what to look for. We’re talking linen, silk and cashmere for under $10, and ATP Atelier sandals for $36.
ThredUp’s inventory is constantly turning over, so instead of including links to finds, I’m going to share what I’ve bought and how to find similar items for yourself.
What I bought
1 Massimo Dutti knit top ($14) | 2 Vince satin camisole ($13) | 3 Chico’s satin jacket ($13) | 4 AMO Sabine jeans ($20) | 5 Cole Haan York flats ($22) | 6 Eileen Fisher organic linen t-shirt ($9) | 7 Everlane cashmere shirt ($8) | 8 Eileen Fisher satin blouse ($6) | 9 COS satin blouse ($14) | 10 Everlane cotton-merino vest ($32) | 11 ATP Atelier Melitto sandals ($36)
ThredUp bills itself as the world’s largest thrift store, and I’m buying it (literally). Each of the items I purchased cost well under $50 and reflect my three style words: relaxed, minimalist, polished. I prefer bold jewelry as my accent, so when shopping on ThredUp I look for clean lines and high-quality fabrics (e.g., satin, silk, cashmere and linen).
The above doesn’t even cover everything I found: there was also a brown satin duster ($11), a funnel-neck trench coat ($9), a silk-jersey long-sleeved t-shirt ($15), flowy black pants ($11), and a black satin muscle tank ($14), among others.
There were also duds, such as the Vince trousers in a different color than was listed, and a pair of white Eileen Fisher linen shorts that gave me Na-Nin vibes in the photos, but felt more Tommy Bahama IRL. But the ladies at my local thrift meet-up were happy to take them off my hands.
Let’s go to the (virtual) mall
When shopping, I seek luxury in terms of fabric and fit, not the label. There’s nothing like slipping into a pair of satin pants at the end of a long day, and for me, they happen to be thrifted Vince or Eileen Fisher, not The Row. I’ve found better quality in secondhand J. Jill linen than I have from retail-price Jenni Kayne.
I make this point because my first tip is: abandon your brand loyalty and lean into searches by fabric, cut and what I think of as ‘upscale mall brands.’ On this last point, these are labels like Eileen Fisher, J. Jill, Vince, Garnet Hill, Chico’s, Massimo Dutti, Theory, J. Crew, Banana Republic, and COS. Throw in a little vintage with brands like Liz Claiborne (see
’s post about their shorts) and Donna Karan New York and you’re golden.Shopping these brands has been my sweet spot on ThredUp. My second tip is to use the site’s fabric filter to refine further: 100% linen, 100% cashmere, and so forth.2 Ditto to cut (e.g., wide leg) and color. Note that shoes and bags can be tricky, as they often don’t have material clearly labeled so will be listed as ‘material unknown.’ If it’s a brand I’m familiar with, I will reverse-image search it to confirm the material content.
Tip #3: sort from highest to lowest if you’re looking for high-end brands, but get them for less by filtering by discount (e.g., 60% off). ThredUp seems to perpetually be running some sort of discount promo, especially for first-time users or those who have let their account go dormant. Most of my recent scores came from waiting out their next promo.
If your selected item isn’t discounted and you’re worried it might sell out, tip #4: you can save a few bucks and get free shipping by finding it on ThredUp’s eBay store (just make sure you don’t have it added to your cart on ThredUp’s website, as that automatically hides the eBay listing to avoid duplicate purchases). Speaking of: ThredUp has an ‘auto-buy’ feature that lets you nab an item when it drops from another shopper’s cart—a helpful feature when the cart timer is two hours long.
Tip #5: filtering by ‘brand: unbranded’ can net you some fun vintage finds, especially in the accessories category. Just be prepared to treat this as a wild card item, or reverse-image search if you need more details before buying.
Tip #6: I always take advantage of ThredUp’s bundle shipping, which lets you shop throughout the week to save on delivery fees and reduce the carbon emissions of shipping multiple packages.
Is anyone else noticing for the first time the mannequin head in the top left of this still?
I typically like to set aside a couple of hours in the evening to thoroughly comb through ThredUp, as it can easily become a rabbit hole. If you’re uncertain where to begin, tip #7: start with their ‘most favorited’ section filtered down to your size and color preferences.
A final note: if you’re dissatisfied with your purchase, in many cases ThredUp offers returns or price adjustments, although I personally prefer to pay it forward by bringing my not-quite-right items to my town’s aforementioned thrift meet-up.
Happy thrifting and let me know what you find!
This surprises most people except my husband, who helped me lug most of it to the post office.
I’m baffled that The RealReal still doesn’t let you filter this way.
Fabric > Labels forever <3!! This was super helpful as ThredUp is one of the secondhand sites that most overwhelms me when it comes to digging for treasures!
This post couldn’t be more on brand—reframing ThreadUp as an online Goodwill and the search method you prescribed was an epiphany that turned this lifelong ThreadUp seller into a ThreadUp shopping sleuth. Godspeed to all.