U-K-A-Y!

I just remembered why I wanted to create a blog in the first place... to show my love for anything thrifted! :) (or what we call "ukay" or "ukay-ukay"). I'm not sure how this word was first used to describe thrifting. I guess it's because you literally have to 'dig' and sift through all the clothes in a thrift shop, "dig" = hukay (Tagalog) = ukay :D Anyway, thrift shopping is not for everyone. I even didn't 'dig' the thrifting habit in the beginning but gradually, I became a fan. Where else can you find the rejects of other people (and take note, most are really rarely used) and it becomes another person's most treasured items :D Others may have issues with hygiene but you have to have a keen eye (and nose) to actually know what is worth keeping or not. I'm not an expert but I can say that my years of experience in thrift shopping taught me a lot about it.


In the spirit of thrift shopping, here are information that we may want to remember about it (in my opinion):

U - Uniqueness: since the items came from other places, there is a high possibility that you're the only one who has that particular outfit in your area (hopefully :p) So if you want to be truly unique, thrift shopping is the way to go.

K - Knowledge: better be armed with info before doing thrift shopping --- where's the best place to go thrift shopping, when will they have new stocks available (I've noticed from the thrift shops I've been to that they're pretty consistent about when they release new items), what's worth buying or not (missing button is fine but a hole or a stain is not worth it at all)

A- Admiration: you should have at least an admiration for thrift shopping to really appreciate it. You can't enjoy thrift shopping if your mindset is not open enough to the possibility of getting dirty or not finding anything you like. Finding items there is more of a luck, so it's best to be flexible.

Y - Youthfulness: You'll find more and more younger people doing thrift shopping for fun... and they really do find amazing items :D Youthfulness also means some of the clothes you'll find are the trendy items that were already rejected by other people (mostly clothes from Hong Kong, Japan and Korea) because "it was so last season". Nevertheless, it's still a very nice item and you can't care less if it's not on trend anymore :)

Since, I've been talking about thrift shopping, it's only logical that my items for the day are some of my clothes that I bought from thrift shops (and I continue to wear them, by the way). Sorry for the crappy pics, I was a bit in a hurry when I took these pics:

My favorite dress so far... love the color and print (it comes with a belt which I forgot to include in the pic)

HOLLYWOOD! I love the quirky print... it even has Marilyn Monroe in it :)

Another one of my favorite dresses. The print is so summery and vibrant. It is sort of a classic 50s style.

This is made of chiffon and is an excellent swimsuit topper

So the next time you see a thrift shop, dare to explore what's in it. You might just end up having a great time! :)

XOXO