Using Canva to Thrift like a Pro
For the past 2 or 3 years I have been making a conscious effort to primarily purchase clothes second hand. I have been mostly successful with only a handful of times the Target clearance section took a hold of me and I could not resist. I have a million little reasons why I’m doing this but the biggest one is the fashion industry is incredibly wasteful* and there is an overwhelming amount of clothes (and things) that exist. If you can’t afford to purchase from designers that practice mindful manufacturing and sustainable methods of producing their clothing then thrifting is the next best option in my opinion. Not to mention you can find absolutely incredible, unique pieces that are not always lining the shelves of H&M or Forever 21.
*A really wonderful account to follow to learn more about how companies are wasteful is @thetrashwalker on Instagram or TikTok.
Right now I’m gearing up for a thrift day to fill holes in my closet and shape a better wardrobe for the year and I thought it would be fun to share what I do to prep for buying things I really want and will wear and not impulse buys.
First step is I go through my Pinterest boards. I have two pertaining to wardrobe: street style & apparel projects. Street style board does a couple of things. It’s where I save specific items I want like straight leg denim pants or a white button up but it’s also where I put styling ideas. So this could be pattern mixing, colors I want to have, or even just an aesthetic like 60’s mod looks or western wear. I go through and I screenshot images that are perfect for the season I am going into. I’ve found that when I’m actually shopping and I refer to my entire Pinterest board I get verrrrry overwhelmed. I don’t want to see a hundred photos of quilted coats when it’s 80 degrees outside. You could split your board into seasons but for me that has never particularly worked because some clothing items overlap all seasons.
Once I have all of my screenshot images then I upload them all into Canva (you could use photoshop but I prefer the tools in Canva for this). Once I see all the images together it’s easy for me to start noticing a theme and usually that gives me an idea to search for better terms. So for this round I realized a ton of my screenshots were images from Copenhagen fashion week. So I went into Pinterest and searched “Copenhagen fashion” and was able to find even more images that are aligning with the style I want this season. You could realize you have a ton of muted colors or pattern mixing or it’s all mini skirts with tights. Whatever the pattern is in the photos you search for it and find even more images to fine tune what pieces you want/need.
Last step is that I go through and I write notes on my mood board in Canva. These notes are usually about DIY’s I want to do to a piece or notes of what I liked about a photo so I don’t forget. Never underestimate the power of a store to completely wipe my brain clean and I forget what I like or even why I’m there. I need to literally spell out everything for myself. I want to remember I liked the plaid skirt because it will go with a top I already have in my closet or I want to get a plain, solid shirt so that I can print words on the back of it.
I also need to have limits or I will completely veer off into another world and be like it doesn’t matter that the forecast says it will be raining and freezing all next week I should buy 5 pairs of shorts.
I do the same method for my apparel projects Pinterest board. Sometimes I make multiple collages in Canva depending on how many images I’ve screenshot or if I have several events going on I need to shop for. Here are a couple more examples of collages I’ve made. I highly recommend it for a trip to curate what you’ll be wearing! I’m heading to Palm Springs for a conference in March and I needed to gather my thoughts on what I have in my closet and what I need to add.
If you make collages to thrift tag me on Instagram! I’d love to see what your dream wardrobe looks like. Happy thrifting!
