How to Find the Perfect Fit: Thrift Store Clothes Sizing Tips

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Thrift stores don’t always have dressing rooms to try things on. Even if they do have a dressing room…it can kind of be frustrating to find out things don’t fit. Personally, I never try things on at the thrift store – I’m pretty good at being able to tell right away whether something is going to fit me or not. If you’d like to develop this amazing skill to find clothes that fit without trying them on {and really, it is a mad skill!} – I’ve put together this list of thrift store clothes sizing tips for you.

Here are some ways to win at finding the right size: My Best Thrift Store Clothes Sizing Tips & Tricks:

Tip #1: Shop the Bigger Sizes

Vintage and older clothes tend to be smaller than what current sizes are. For example, if you’re normally a size 8, you may actually need a size 12. Depending how the thrift store you are shopping at organizes their inventory, you’ll likely need to look at the sizes slightly bigger than what you’re used to.

Tip #2: Look at the Cut & Know What Works for You

Everybody has different body shapes. Different cuts are going to look better on you than others. Don’t judge an outfit just because it looks good on a hanger. Pay attention to things like shoulder width, waist width, chest width and length.

Tip #3: Consider if Modifications Could Be Made

Alterations aren’t always worth it, but if you’re in love with a piece, it may be a solution for you! For example, maybe you find a skirt you love, but it’s just a little too long – you may be able to hem it so it’s the length you need.

Tip #4: Give it the Shoulder Test

The shoulder test is to hold up a pair of pants or dress at the waist and see if it goes from shoulder to shoulder. If there’s a lot of extra fabric, it’s probably going to be entirely too big…if there’s not enough fabric it’s probably way too small.

Tip #5: Bring a fabric measuring tape with you.

Before you leave for the thrift store, take accurate measurements of your body. This will help you know what sizes will fit you. Then, while looking at clothes, measure them. This is pretty accurate almost all the time because who can argue with math? The trick here is knowing how to accurately measure clothes. If you’re not sure on how to do this the right way, there are a lot of of YouTube videos that can show you how to do this.

While there’s absolutely no fool proof way to know whether something will fit – this does help quite a bit! Very rarely do I try something on at home with disappointment.

Do you have any other thrift store shopping clothes sizing tips you’d like to share? I’d love to hear them in the comments below!