It's. All. Happening!

As my mostly thrifted closet hums with possibilities, getting dressed and packing are decidedly less of a chore and loads more fun. I'm sharing three outfits that kinda sorta built themselves.

I have always disliked packing for trips. This is in large part because:

• I tend to overthink it: What’s the weather going to be like? What are we going to be doing? What’s everyone else wearing? And how can I possibly get more than two complete outfits and a hair dryer with a diffuser in the gol-darn carry-on? There is more fabric involved in dressing when you are an adult woman with curves.

• And I am an emotional dresser. What I decide to wear on a given day doesn’t hinge solely on the practical. It’s also influenced by how I feel, what energy I want to project, or how much dopamine I need to get me through. So packing for some day in the future is always a bit of a challenge. How am I supposed to know what future Nichole is going to feel like wearing next Tuesday? I’m not a psychic!

People often tell me things like: “Pack light! If you really need something else when you get there, you can just buy it.” That sounds like a few different layers of privilege talking. Thrifty, curvy, emo me is always thinking, “Do you even realize how much time it takes to find things that fit this body?” And also: “I’m not paying $65 for a touristy hoodie that makes me feel like a stuffed sausage and which I’ll never wear again.”

✨But lately? Strange, magical things have been happening. After a year of reworking my wardrobe with secondhand clothes, focusing on things that fit and pieces I love, getting dressed and packing for trips has started to feel almost—almost!—effortless.

It’s possible my brain has been working on pulling outfits together subconsciously. Or maybe I have gained new psychic abilities? But I prefer to believe that the clothes in my now mostly-thrifted closets are talking to each other and hatching fun plans for me.

Either way, we (the clothes and I or my subconscious self and I) are coming up with combinations that make me feel put-together, interesting, fun, and uniquely like me—outfits I can indeed see my future self wearing, whatever the weather or mood.

As evidence, I’m submitting three recent examples. You be the judge.

Also: This one’s loaded with images, so you might want to open it in the app or your browser for the most complete and magical experience.

The vintage muumuu

First up, there’s this vintage California Dynasty muumuu.

I bought it a few months ago at Funky Finds, a fabulous vintage shop in Des Moines. It’s 100 percent cotton, and it has a single pocket (for your joint or your smokes, perhaps?), which adds to its carefree charm. And when I got ready for a friend’s business anniversary party on an early spring day, Ms. Muumuu called out to me.

It was too cold for sandals. So for warmth and whimsy, I added tights (bright red ones I’d bought on clearance ages ago and never wore) and knee-high brown boots. You couldn’t really see the tights unless the wind took my skirt or I offered you a peek, but I definitely felt that jolt of joyous color under there.

I added a belt for a little more shape and a crocheted cream-colored duster for a bit of pattern relief and a little more texture. I wished the duster were sleeveless, more like a vest, so you could still see the muumuu’s awesome balloon sleeves. But still, it worked.

Then I played with jewelry and purses and scarves: so many options, most of them thrifted. The cats helped, sort of. As a top layer, I added a vintage blue raincoat I’d picked up years before and worn maybe twice. And I was fully and happily dressed in a few minutes.

At the party, I felt like the liveliest lady in the room—except for the hostess (below, left). She was wearing a scalloped-edge red sleeveless dress (which she’d found, incidentally, while thrifting with me!) that showed off her gorgeous tattoos.

I reprised the muumuu look (above, right: different accessories, same joy!), when I hit a vintage fest with another friend in April. I figured Ms. Muumuu might like to mingle with some of her pals from the ’60s and ’70s. And, indeed, a good time was had by all.

The Chico’s jacket

Another example for your consideration: a navy, orange, and white Chico’s jacket. The colors skew a tad too preppy/sporty for my usual liking (hello, Broncos fans!). But when I tried it on in the spacious fitting rooms at EveryStep Giving Tree in Urbandale, one of my favorite thrift spots, I positively lit up. The pattern is great, and I liked its happy energy. So it had to come home with me.

When I found an orange J. Jill layering top with long sleeves and brown buttoned cuffs at Pearl Place Partners consignment shop a couple months later and added it to my closet, Bronco Chica (as I now refer to the jacket) cleared her throat.

Then I heard or thought (or thought I heard) something like: “Try it with your navy skirt or sailor pants.” The long, pleated navy skirt was perfect.

The top seemed too long, and the jacket seemed both too long and wide. But tucking in the shirt and cinching the jacket with a scarf clip did the trick.

And then it was down to the jewelry. Again: so many choices, all of them good. And I was uniquely dressed and substantially cheered in a matter of minutes. Thank you, Bronco Chica!

The one-dollar cardigan

And then there’s the cardigan I almost didn’t get.

I was running late from lunch at Main Street Cafe to a craft date with a friend in Ankeny. And I almost didn’t stop into The Loft, which is a half block away. But I ducked in super quick and found this artsy deep teal Sew in Love cardigan, which was $1, thanks to a sweetheart of a sale they were having. Natural fabric purists may scoff: It’s thin and stretchy, a blend of polyester and spandex. But the fit is great. I like the little self-scrunched three-quarter arm length. And the print—bright dapples that read alternately as a painterly floral or an abstract animal print—spoke to me.

I laundered it, added it to the closet, and frankly forgot about it until last week, when I went looking for something to wear with a white cotton gauze skirt I’d found at Hope Ministries Thrift.

I’ve been wearing (and loving) long tops or dresses over flowy bottoms of late, leaning into the comfy, artsy, layered style known as lagenlook. So I grabbed a mustard Universal Threads cotton T-shirt dress I’d found on the half-off sale at StateMint West Des Moines and pulled it on right over the skirt.

The natural fabrics and colors felt nice together, but the dress was too long. So I tucked it inside the skirt’s wide elastic waist, just enough to take it up about four inches. And, when I sidled up to the clothing rack in my laundry room looking for something else to brighten it up, the $1 cardigan called out: “Ooh, me! Pick me!”

I’d entirely missed the mustardy-olive and white bits in its print, and I think they’re what ultimately tied the whole look together.

I added gold-tone jewelry (including a macaroni-style elastic costume necklace I thrifted two years ago and just love) and gladiator sandals (thrifted in January). Et voilà! It even matched my glasses.

So you know: I wasn’t going anywhere fancy that day. I could have worn jeans or leggings and a workout top, like most people running errands. But emo me felt like getting dressed. I needed the dopamine boost that comes from wearing a dash of bright color or some little bit of whimsy.

And maybe all the folks who got a look at me that day did, too. While I shopped for groceries and hit a garage sale and an estate sale, total strangers gave me smiles, nods, and verbal kudus. I brushed a stray hair from my dollar cardigan and whispered to her: “Thanks, Doll!”

I’m curious: Are your thrifty finds conspiring together to help you get dressed? Have you had any happy outfit surprises? Or is the struggle still real? Join me over in the subscriber chat to share what’s working (or not working) for you.

You’re still here? Yay! Top-secret tips for you!

Thanks, friend, for reading all the way to the end. I’m sending you all the good vibes and closet magic I can muster and hoping the preloved pieces in your wardrobe are getting friendly with each other and conjuring fun ensembles for you, too.

I’ve also got some bonus thrift news for you and a few top-secret tips:

✨ If you’re in the Des Moines area:

• Wanna shop my closet? Over the past year, I’ve purchased more cute, good quality, curve-friendly preloved clothes than I have room or need for, so I’m planning a popup of my own soon. Paid subscribers to this newsletter will get early access to shop my finds (sized generous medium to 4X) locally, as well as first dibs on a few curated, dopamine-boosting outfits that I’ll be offering online. Be sure to upgrade to a paid subscription if you haven’t yet, and watch your email for deets. More to come!

• Expanded thick-thrift hours: XO, the metro’s only exclusively curvy women’s clothing outlet and thrift shop, has expanded its hours to match those of its sister store, plus-size boutique Harlow + James. Both are now open from 10 am to at least 6 pm Tuesdays-Saturdays and until 8 pm on Thursday nights. The lovely ladies behind both Valley Junction stores also are doing some fun things at 411 Maple Street, the space next door to XO. They’re hosting popups there for booth renters who were displaced by the recent closing of The Painted Tree. P.S. Tell the fellas: XO is also planning a Big & Tall Men’s Event (featuring new and gently used menswear up to size 5X) next weekend.

• A second Clothes Mentor: Resale store Clothes Mentor, which launched its first Iowa franchise over a year ago in Ankeny, is opening a second location in the metro, this time in Urbandale. And the folks there are currently seeking gently used women’s clothes (all sizes), shoes, and accessories to help stock the new store. They offer cash upfront (or store credit) for gently used goods.

• Disappearing dressing rooms: The Hope Ministries Thrift Store on Merle Hay Road has, sadly, converted its dressing rooms to craft closets and merchandise display space. I learned this the hard way when I filled a cart before heading to the area where the dressing rooms used to be. I was like: “Umm, am I at the wrong store or in some parallel universe?” So you can’t try on clothes there now unless you pull ‘em on over your existing clothes out in the open. But a clerk told me they also now allow clothing exchanges with tags and receipt within seven days of purchase, despite the all-sales-final messaging on the tags. So you can try things on at home at least.

✨ Wherever you live and thrift:

• Don’t forget to check the PJ section! More and more, nestled among the nightclothes, I’m spotting pieces that work as lounge sets, camisoles, or kimono-style third pieces. Sometimes true daywear is misclassified (and wildly underpriced) as pajamas, too. I recently found some new-with-tag designer organic linen pants among the PJ bottoms at a St. Vincent de Paul thrift store. Score!

Until next time, stay thrifty and uniquely you.

XOXO,

Nichole

P.S. Thanks so much for reading The Thick-Thrift Diaries, which is featured in the current print issue of Flea Market In Style and (thanks to you!) has made Substack’s leaderboard of “rising” fashion and beauty newsletters. To keep the good vibes going (and to help me keep thrifting and styling and saving the planet, one outfit at a time), kindly do one or more of these magical things:

✨ Like, comment on, or share this post.

✨ Recommend The Thick-Thrift Diaries to friends who might like it.

✨ Buy me a latte—aka upgrade to a paid subscription—if you can. Smart local clothes thrifting can save you thousands of dollars a year. I share my best insights to help you find (and style and care for) preloved clothes that fit your unique body for about the cost of a latte a month. Simply click the button above to upgrade to paid, and you’ll get:

• my thriftiest tips and insights at least twice a month

• uninterrupted access to the subscriber chat and the full archive, including every installment of The Thick Thrifter’s Guide to Finding Preloved Clothes in Your Size

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• and, of course, all the best thrifting mojo! ✨