an affordable wardrobe with thredup.

This post is sponsored by thredUP, a secondhand shopping website selling like-new clothes.

I’ve said it before: When it comes to clothes, I’m mostly a terrible secondhand shopper. Despite knowing the relative environmental and financial benefits to be reaped from buying secondhand, I balk at most traditional secondhand clothes shopping experiences. They bring to mind overcrowded racks, whiffs of cigarette smoke lingering on polyester, the omnipresence of fellow shoppers hoping to swoop in and lay claim to anything truly special hidden among the hangers. I can browse through old linens and homewares all day, but present me with a stuffed rack of clothes and I’m likely to just pass altogether.

Still, on the road to growing an ethical wardrobe, buying secondhand is a very good place to start. It keeps clothes that have already been made on bodies and out of landfills. thredUP is an online secondhand marketplace committed to making that even easier.

Folks who are interested can sign up to gain access to thredUP’s vast inventory where brands are listed for up to 90% off their original retail rate. The best part? thredUP’s inventory is fully searchable from the comfort of home. While there’s a wide range of brands available on thredUP, for me, one of the nicest things about being able to browse their inventory is the chance to look for special pieces from designer brands that might otherwise be a real splurge. I used the company’s search tools to look for brands whose quality or ethos I admire. Being able to also narrow my search by selecting my size and color preferences made quick work of wading through virtual piles of options. (Some fifteen thousand new items are added to the inventory daily!)

For this partnership, I ended up finding four examples of items from designer brands available for small fractions of what I would otherwise have spent. Indeed, on the four items that I selected through thredUP, the combined savings was a whopping $690. Staggering on all fronts.

Everything from thredUP arrived like-new and neatly wrapped in tissue (and shipped in a Sustainable Forestry Initiative box!). thredUP clothes are triple-checked to ensure high quality before shipping out. As for shipping, it’s free on qualified orders and for any items that turn out not to be right, thredUP makes returns easy.

Here’s what I ended up finding:

This (breast-feeding friendly) cotton A.P.C. shirt dress retailed originally for $248, but I found it on thredUP for $48.99. It arrived in beautiful condition and bearing A.P.C.’s signature exemplary construction. (It even includes a 100% cotton removable slip that I’m very excited about).

This pair of gingham shorts was a little bit of an uncharacteristic choice for me, but they’re also beautifully made by A.P.C. from a gorgeous linen and cotton blend. At $36 instead of $165, I felt a lot more comfortable taking the risk to add a little something extra summery to my wardrobe.
100% silk pants from A Piece Apart were the next investment piece that I was able to find at a tremendous discount—$64.99 instead of $295. They’re super soft and comfortable without looking like full-on pajamas.

Finally, like last time, I took the opportunity to see if there were any silk camisoles that could work well in my rotation. This one from Canadian brand Wilfred retails for $179, but I was able to find it for just $36.99.
If you’re interested in giving them a try, thredUP is offering the first 100 people an extra 40% off with the code RMTL40! (Applies to new US customers only. Redeemable online only. Discount up to $50). 

This post was sponsored by thredUP. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support this blog.