1Moore Shop - My Thrifting Guidelines

Hey everyone,

Update on the heat: do not stand directly underneath the sun. The heat is brutal. "It'S a DrY HeAt!" Dry heat or not, I'm cooking out here. I'm still surviving, but slowly turning into a prune.

I haven't had the chance to talk about the store I created via Instagram and other social media platforms here on my blog yet. I want to tell you all what I've really been interested in with clothes and shoes, and some of the items I have been either listing for sale or keeping for myself. So, my main focus for finding items recently has been revolving around vintage-wear. I personally am not a huge fan of new-age clothing right now and I don't think many people are. For example, Forever 21, newer sportswear brands, Pacsun, etc. Even though a lot of these brands are now noticing that vintage is definitely "in" and are remaking vintage designs on new articles of clothing, it's not the same. When I find a piece that I know is vintage, the age gives a different meaning; it has a story. My favorite thing to find right now has been vintage T-shirts with a year of production on them. Although some of my shirts don't have the production year on them (that's not the only thing I'll wear) it's always a nice addition to the piece. I have a San Francisco 49ers NFL t-shirt from 1991, displaying 1991 copyright date on the shirt, and I love thinking about the history that a t-shirt might’ve went through at that age. With a shirt being 28-years old, older than I am, anything could've happened in that shirt, and I love the nostalgia that comes with vintage clothing. It honestly makes me appreciate the pieces I have more than ever. There's a tight niche for people interested in vintage-wear and have the knowledge to go along with it, and unfortunately, none of my close friends are really into it as much as I am. A lot of them do support what I do with my store, but don't show the same interest in the items as I do, which is fine. I love spotting individuals in thrift stores dressed in something similar to what I might wear, and I know they're probably searching for the same type of items that I’m looking for. Recently I've gone out of my way to talk to people that seem like they're interests are similar to mine to see if they either have found anything good in the store that day, or ask what were some of the more exciting pieces they've found while thrifting in general. It's honestly motivating when I hear that someone found something rare that I've really been looking for and it's assuring that I know at least someone's found items that could potentially be in my collection. Talking with individuals in person about thrifting also gives me the opportunity to talk about my store and even my blog. In a sense, I'm doing a little networking, but let's not call it that.

My collection is growing like crazy recently, and it's unfortunate because I don't have my own place at the moment and I know I'll have to haul all of the pieces, personal or not, to wherever I'll be moving next. I've been trying to cut back on my buying to be honest for the sole reason of I'm trying to move and don't want to lug everything from place to place, but the thrill of the hunt is why I continue to buy items, and I truly love searching for vintaged pieces. It's become more of a hobby than a side-job for me. One of my main goals right now with this shop is just to see people wear the pieces I've collected and handed down. Knowing that I was able to find something that not only I loved, but someone else did, is pretty amazing. Any time that a shipment goes out, I like to leave a handwritten note happily thanking them for their purchase and letting the customer know what they got was truly an awesome and unique piece because in most cases, they are. Of course they are. They were picked by me. 😉

When it comes to my searching technique there are a few key things that I look for when running through the racks (shout out to 21 Savage) at any thrift store. The first and easiest thing to see is the tag from the piece. In most cases, shirts, pants, jackets, etc., are all hung up by a hanger or a hanger with clips to display the "top" of the piece (like most clothing stores). The tags are the easiest way to check where the t-shirt was made and who made the shirt. At this point in my thrifting career, I know a lot of the tags that are most likely vintage. A clear indication on the tag is that it was made in the USA. Tag examples are Hanes, Fruit of the Loom, Screen Stars, Textile Prints, and there are some others as well that are clearly vintage. Whether it's a screen-print or not, if it has any tag like the ones I listed and was made in the US, I'm taking a look. Another feature I look for is the stitching on the shirt. Nowadays, newer shirts are sewn together with two lines of stitching. It makes sense; the more stitching, the long the shirt lasts. This doesn't mean that the quality of the shirt is better though. With clothing manufacturing growing more and more, the quality for items become less and less. This is another reason why vintage is just all-around better. The quality of vintage isn't comparable to new age clothing. The early stages of clothing manufacturing in the '70s and '80s or so were focused more on the quality versus the quantity. All these big-name clothing manufacturers now just care how about how much of an item is going out and not how much work really goes into the quality. A lot of people look down on thrifting clothing knowing that someone else most likely wore the piece before them; throw it in the washer, use some hot water, and you're golden. That's my look on reused clothes. The moral of the story is, buy vintage and you will A) have better quality pieces, B) be eco-friendlier, and C) look a whole lot cooler. If you have any questions or concerns about vintage or just want to share with me some of your favorite pieces, feel free to drop a comment here or you can always direct message me on my personal Instagram, @djmoore7, or my store Instagram, @1Mooreshop. I love talking vintage and seeing what people find so don't be afraid to reach out!

Here's the link for my gallery: https://www.instagram.com/1mooreshop/

As far as music goes right now, The Doors have still been on heavy rotation. I don’t know why, but I’m so intrigued by their music and the story of Jim Morrison. The album I’ve been really enjoying lately is Morrison Hotel. Just the flair and passion Morrison has on this album from start to finish is so unique and his words are so true to his story. I’m no Doors super fan, but I’m slowly becoming one. Check out their discography before Morrison died and let me know your thoughts.