Seeking Inspirato with Samantha of @ThriftyBlackGirl in Charleston, South Carolina
Cut
What are your favorite kinds of cuts?
“I love oversized clothing like men’s pants, button-downs, and sweaters that I can either tie or crop to fit me. I just feel like those old hollywood actresses like Katherine Hepburn and Lauren Bacall who wore lots of menswear and wore it better than the men.”
Color
What are your favorite colors?
“My favorite color to wear is camel and charcoal grey, I love neutrals. I do feel very pretty in that burnt orange/rust and hunter green when I want a pop of color.“
Cloth
Favorite materials? Why?
“Anything breathable in the summer like cotton or linen. In the winter I wear a lot of natural fibers like cashmere, wool, and cotton. I really like to stick with natural fibers for environmental reasons and because they are a little more durable.”
Comfort
What do you feel most comfortable in, while feeling Clothing Confident, and why?
“A pair of jeans and a good white t-shirt in the summer with some cute sandals. The same combo but switch the tee for an oversized sweater. I think this is just a classic combo. Everyone wears it and yet it looks completely different on each individual.”
Having Great Style Doesn't Need To Cost A Lot
As you know, I have a fondness for thrifting and thrifters.
Thrifting is an activity I discuss often, sometimes in reference to Collection36, other times it has come in Seeking Inspirato interviews (like Sadie’s).
Today I introduce you to a lady who has turned thrifting into an opportunity to teach people about the essentials of style.
Meet Samantha, the persona behind @ThriftyBlackGirl.
I’ve found my thrifting match in her. Her Instagram profile reads:
"Styling secondhand & affordable fashion💛
💰 shouldn't stop great style 😍”
For Samantha, thrifting is about authenticity and affordability, two values I highlight throughout the Seeking Inspirato series. Too often, cost-prohibitive thinking stops women from developing their Dynamic Personal Style (e.g. “But, I can’t afford to dress as I’d like”).
The thrift approach allows you to develop your authentic style without breaking the bank.
When I’m getting dressed I strive to appear as unique as my spirit—ideally for less than $10.
When Samantha and I met up at Huriyali in Charleston, our first conversation was a catalog of what we had on—thrifted or not? We went through our outfits, item by item and compared notes—both where the piece was found and for how much.
That’s when you know you’ve found a fellow thrifter—discussing price goes from gauche to dignified. Samantha’s finds blew mine out of the water.
Her look:
Jeans and Blazer: Thrifted 50¢
Top: H&M $12
Shoes: Cole Hahn via Nordstrom's Rack $20
Watch: Gift
Necklace and bracelet matching set: Garage Sale $9
Earrings: Thrifted $2
Bag: Thrifted $3
Jeans and a blazer for 50 cents, y’all! Save your pennies.
The Beginnings of @ThriftyBlackGirl
In 2018, Instagram was just entering that phase where bloggers would flaunt designer pieces to onlookers and mention where to buy the same items, for a price.
For Samantha, that lifestyle simply wasn’t going to work.
“I was like I can’t afford that. At the time I was making $30,000 a year, and I was like I can’t afford any of this stuff, but I still love fashion.”
For Samatha, a non-profit professional, economizing is essential, but so is how she presents herself. Her work often has her speaking to donors with deep pockets, so she’s got to be able to move in those circles.
Samantha knew how to show up looking fabulous while on a budget, a skill she knew other people wanted to learn more about.
So she took what she knew about fashion and thrifting and put the two together to create @ThrifyBlackGirl. She wants to show girls that style doesn’t have to come with a high price tag. You can look fabulous on a dime (or in Samatha’s case, 5 dimes).
She has fun content like Thrift Hauls and Thrifty Thursday to show her followers what a thrifted wardrobe looks like. She is chic, real, and absolutely adorable.
As with many of our stories to Clothing Confidence, there was a time when Samantha’s relationship with clothing wasn’t so rosey.
We All Have A Rose
“My relationship with clothes has been really up and down. I didn’t get into fashion until I went to college. I grew up in the emo era so I was a teenager in the late 2000s—everything was black, from Hot Topic, chains and studs, fake tattoos and I had really stringy straight hair. When I went to college I was like, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore.’”
What’s more, Samantha shot up like a beanstalk at a very young age and found herself wearing size 0 adult women's clothing while her elementary school friends were still wearing Limited Too.
“When I was younger I stopped wearing kids’ clothing when I was in the 5th grade. I’ve been the same height since I was in middle school. I had a size 7.5 foot, and I was wearing a 0 in women’s because I couldn’t fit into the kids’ anymore.”
The saying ‘give it time’ has never had a more appropriate application.
Samantha grew into her body, left high school and its associated trends, and met Rose, her thrifting savior.
Rose showed Samantha how to thrift, but more than that, offered a viewpoint on style that Samantha hadn’t seen before.
She opened Samantha’s eyes to what style and personal self-expression could look like.
Have you had someone in your life who dresses in a beautiful way? Who inspired you to search for your own self-expression through clothing? These are powerful people!
(By the way, email me their info so I can talk to them for the Seeking Inspirato series 😉).
“I had started thrifting when I was in college, and I actually learned this from a girl who was my roommate who grew up with six other kids. They were homeschooled, and she was like ‘this is how I learned to be stylish.’ She was very fabulous, like Audrey Hepburn. I love the way Rose dressed. She introduced me to thrifting. She was like ‘oh yeah you can go to this place and get designer t-shirts for like 50 cents,’ and I was like, ‘wait, what?’’’
Oh how I love an “aaha” moment. It’s a beautiful thing to learn that style doesn't have to be expensive, and to know that the brands you love don’t have to cost full price.
Welcome to the world of second-hand.
Samantha dove head first into thrift, learning everything she could from Rose and eventually translating it to @ThriftyBlackGirl.
“I wanted to take all of the stuff [Rose] taught me and carry that on and show other girls that you can be fabulous for less. Fashion can be affordable, fashion can be sustainable.”
… all while being authentic.
Thrifting Is Authentic In Nature
When you thrift, you have abundant options to choose from, which is often why thrifters have the most eclectic wardrobes. And because there isn’t a mannequin for a thrifter to replicate, copycat styling can’t happen. What you select off the teeming thrift store rack is your personalized, authentic expression of style.
Hence why Samantha is as one-of-a-kind as she appears.
A non-uniform, motley combination of pieces is what makes a Dynamic Personal Style. They are the sum of the individual pieces that speak to you. They are the pieces you love, independent of who designed them.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m pro-designer. Listen, designers work hard to create new ideas that influence style. And I think designer pieces work best when incorporated into a mixed outfit, containing pieces from your mom and a thrift store. (Maybe you got the designer piece from a thrift store!?)
Wearing designer pieces head to toe doesn’t take much creativity or style. It just takes money.
Paris Hilton, the mother of all ‘label hoes’.
Pluck Paris Hilton from a 2008 People Magazine and put her on the streets of LA wearing that same look today and people will note, yes ‘iconic’, but also, not timeless. The pieces yell the name-brand-obsessed era and decade they were a part of.
Thrifting Is “IN”
“Thrifting—I’m really glad it’s becoming a thing … Because when I was growing up being like this was not cool. Being poor and being not able to get all the things that were amazing. Now, you can swing both ways. You can be, as my mother calls it, a ‘label hoe’ and get all the designers—Fendi and all your far fetched stuff. Or, you could be a vintage and thrift queen and go and surprise people with how low you bought your outfit and still look amazing.”
Coming of age during a time when being “cool” meant wearing designer or name-brand pieces made looking on-trend difficult if you didn’t have the cash to buy the pieces.
That’s why Samantha is happy that everyone has embraced the thrifting trend because it means kids like her can be accepted not for wearing the latest Juicy sweatpant combination, but for their style.
Though Samantha thinks the designer craze is coming back, and I agree, (but has it ever really gone away?). Think about the designer slides, Rihanna’s Fendi line, Yeezys.
“We were growing up in an age, and I think it’s starting to happen again, when the label craze was happening. There was a time when you could tell what type of jean someone was wearing based on the pocket.”
Remember? True Religion? Citizens of Humanity? 7 Jeans?
I certainly definitely gave into this phase. I remember scoring a pair of Hudson branded jeans for a discounted price at Barney’s and thinking I was the luckiest girl around.
Of course, upon reflection, Samantha and I realize how fleeting these looks are today. Pluck Paris Hilton from a 2008 People Magazine and put her on the streets of LA wearing that same look today and people will note, yes ‘iconic’, but also, not timeless. The pieces yell the name-brand-obsessed era and decade they were a part of.
My hope for the youth is that they pave their own style path. Clothing Confidence isn’t about being accepted by the popular kids in your class. It’s about loving the way you show up.
It’s about finding the pieces, unique to you, and putting together a look you love.
Learning that lesson young will allow you to translate that mindset from classroom to boardroom.
Thrifting Tips
Like Samantha, I believe you can love the way you show up in the world on a budget.
To help you get started, Samantha has shared some of her favorite thrifting tips.
“Always know what you want when you go in there because it gets overwhelming.”
With many unique options comes decision fatigue. But also, don’t be too specific.
“I always tell people don’t be so specific. I think the number one thrifted item right now is vintage Levis 501—well, you may not find those!”
Maybe instead of “1950s blush circle dress” go for “vintage-style dress in a shade of pink.”
When you’re shopping, have an item or two in mind, but don’t be so specific that you limit yourself. If you’re looking for 501 Levis, so is everyone else.
Also, try going to the men’s section. Everyone crowds around the women’s clothing, but the men’s has untapped potential. All of the oversized looks are there (slacks, blazers, button-downs, plaid, etc.).
Plus, Samantha mentioned that oftentimes the men’s clothing is cheaper than the women’s clothing.
A few more thrifting tips:
Call ahead to make sure the thrift store is operating with normal business hours during COVID-19. I’ve found some to be closed when Google My Business says they’re open.
Just get a cart on the way in, your arms and shoulders will thank you.
Wear workout clothing that are tight to the body (long sleeved shirt, sports bra, leggings, etc) so that you can throw things on over your clothing. During COVID-19, many dressing rooms are closed so you may have to find a mirror (sometimes in the home goods section) to make sure the piece fits. Sometimes I’ll set up my camera on selfie and place it on something about eye-height to see how the piece looks on me if I can’t find a mirror.
Check the store’s return policy. If you’re having trouble trying things on, go ahead and buy them to try on at home if you can return them later.
Use Sadie’s “feel” technique: while you move efficiently through the racks, feel for cotton or silk, fabrics that are breathable and high-end respectively. Avoid polyester and other synthetic fabrics that simultaneously make you sweat and trap odors. There are always exceptions of course. Sometimes that polyester print is just too irresistible to pass up.
“Even since quarantine my style has changed. My comfortable tank top, the jeans, and I may put on some heels and a blazer to look nice but for the most part it's a t-shirt and jeans. Nice loungewear. I’m getting really into the sweater vest trend.”
Samantha’s Inspiration May Inspire You
“I love looking at old pictures”
A Different World Love everything Whitley Gilbert wears
Old Hollywood black actors - Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, and Eartha Kitt are big inspirations
Lovecraft Country - Leti’s clothes, “I want all of her 1950s fabulous outfits.”
Samatha has a PRETTY big range! She sees them all as connected, though. From Black Hollywood to the 90s.
“I feel like some of those take from the others, the 90s took a lot of their stuff from the 70s, the 80s took a lot of their stuff from the 50s. They’re playing off of eachother.”
Her favorite decade?
“It’s the 70s. I love all the crochet. I think a lot of people associate hippie culture with the 60s, but it’s actually the 70s. The Summer of Love was in 69, and then it went from there. The 60s is very mod, Austin Powers but also Twiggy and the Beatles. All the bohemian stuff comes in the 70s, the flared pants, the earthy tones … ”
Accounts to Follow For More Inspiration
Epilogue: Wedding Bells
At the time I met with Samantha, she was just a month into her engagement with her partner of six years. I asked her, of course, if she was going to thrift her dress, and her answer cracks me up so much:
“I am not going to thrift the dress because I’m like, ‘Why is this wedding dress in the thrift store? Did they die, and no one took it? Did they get divorced? Did they get hate whoever they got married to in it, and they just chucked it?’”
Basically, WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS WEDDING DRESS? WHAT’S THE STORY WITH IT?
That makes me laugh. Even thrifters have limits.
Charleston Thrift Store Recommendations
Closet Case: Address: 1801 Reynolds Ave unit b, North Charleston, SC 29405
“I got a Ralph Lauren sweatshirt there for like $4.”
The Naked Lady Society - You bring clothes, spread them on the table, everyone goes at it. Check out their Facebook for upcoming events.
5300 Rivers Ave STE 2 North Charleston, SC 29406
4650 Ladson Rd Summerville, SC 29485
Salvation Army: 6209 Rivers Ave, North Charleston, SC 29406 | Wednesday 50% off clothing, Saturdays are $0.50 clothing