I love thrifting and have been doing it for years. More often than not, thrifting leads you to rare finds and hidden gems no one else is likely to have. You can even score name brands and sometimes luxury brands, if you happen to shop on the right day. I almost always walk away with something special.
As much as I enjoy finding pieces that are ready to wear, the real thrill is discovering something unusual that I can transform into a unique, one-of-a-kind garment. That’s what I love most about thrifting.
Below is a piece I up-cycled from a thrifted camo jacket I found at Goodwill. I paid about $6 for it, and it was in immaculate condition, barely worn, if at all.
The jacket was a great find, but it fit a bit snug. Still, I bought it knowing I could turn it into something special. My inspiration was a Valentino embroidered jacket I’ve seen online selling for thousands of dollars. I decided to recreate the look for a fraction of the price.
I purchased a quarter yard of faux fur at the craft store and butterfly patches from Amazon.
Here’s a breakdown of the cost:
-
Thrifted jacket: $6
-
Faux fur: $3
-
Patch set: $6
-
Fabric glue and glitter polish: already had them, but if you don’t, fabric glue runs about $3–5 and glitter polish $2–3
So overall, about $15 without glue and polish, or roughly $20 with them, still far less than a designer version costing thousands.
To create the look, I used the jacket collar as a guide to cut the faux fur, leaving about a half-inch allowance to fold and glue into place. I glued the butterfly patches wherever they felt visually balanced, and finally, I added touches of gold glitter polish around some of the camo shapes for a subtle pop of shine.
