Blind Fashion Series: Part One

This will be a series written by Sarah Favro, a loyal customer of Second Look services and boutique and who will be sharing her experience with you as a blind woman styling herself with secondhand finds! Stay tuned for more pictures and videos to come!

From Sarah:

Hello! I am so excited Sarah invited me to be a guest for this week’s blog so I can share my styling makeover story with you. I started this fabulous journey with Sarah last fall. I had recently reached my weight loss goal – shout out to Weight Watchers for that – and wanted to celebrate that with a new look. Sarah had just joined our Goodwill team and I had heard how great she always looked, and that everything she wore she got at Goodwill! Despite working for the organization for over 16 years, my Goodwill experiences hadn’t always been very successful. I would find clothing, think it was fabulous because it was less expensive, and then never wear it because it didn’t look or feel right, and donate it back. Thanks to Sarah and Second Look, that’s not the case anymore!

I do need to share that I am not the typical Second Look client. I do love sustainable fashion and getting a Thrift Box full of fabulous clothing picked out just for me, but what sets me apart is that I am blind. What I want to share is that despite this, I can feel and look fabulous and what to share with you all how!

After hearing there was this Goodwill fashionista in my office, I randomly emailed Sarah one day and asked if she ever did any personal shopping. I had no idea about Second Look at the time and the services she provided. I just wanted some help shopping. You see, I tended to wear my clothing way too big and definitely didn’t have any type of defined style. My style, if you could call it that, tended to be the opinion of whomever I was shopping with or what I thought looked good based on how it felt. If something was fitted, I thought it was too small, and hence, the over-sized, frumpy look. Shopping trips were few and far between because of transportation challenges and on-line shopping presented challenges as well. Oh, and forget about the money I spent on clothing - just ridiculous!

Sarah and I met to go over my style profile. That was funny because I didn’t know what to tell her. My style was frumpy and definitely not trendy. We started with a shopping trip to the S. Clinton Avenue store at lunchtime. I walked out with a bag full of great clothing for less than $30! It was Sarah’s inaugural shopping experience with someone who was blind, but we made it work using our combined experiences. It felt great putting items back that didn’t fit me well. I did this rarely up until then because I would buy all I could to maximize my shopping trips. Time and time again I would buy something just because I was in a store and didn’t know when I would go shopping again, even if it wasn’t the best choice for me. But now I know what to look for and the best items to shop for.

Since that first day last October, I have defined my style, cleaned out my closet with Sarah, purchased Thrift Boxes, shopped Sarah’s store, and found some amazing items on my own at Goodwill! I still, and always will, need someone sighted with me when shopping, however, I am the one driving the ship now and feel more comfortable and confident then ever. Stay tuned for more on how I shop and put together my look in the next part of my series!

Here are some of my recent looks, all with the help of Second Look! (and yes one of the days Sarah and I dressed similarly in our thrifted dresses without knowing it!)

Thrifting Tip: Don't Trust The Size!

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One of my favorite things in the world is saying “thanks it’s thrifted!” The thing that people don’t realize though is even if it wasn’t, what really matters is how you feel in it and how your confidence grows as a result. No one knows what the label says inside, or what size it is (or year it was made). It’s about you, and how you feel in it.

The amount of times that I’ve found something not in my typical size at Goodwill and have rocked it regardless is countless - and often times the tag may say L or XL but it’s designed a few years ago and therefore the sizing is different than today’s standard (which is crazy on it’s own!) I’ve come to learn that all bets are off at the thrift store with this - and for some that can prove daunting. But that’s where Second Look comes in ;-) We do the hard work for you and find the best of the best looks irregardless of sizing, year, or designer. Take for example this cardigan. It’s from Chico’s, size 1, made in the 90’s. Because I love a good duster I instantly snatched it up - it’s a bit larger in the arms and may be longer than normal, but it had the feel I wanted and will pair perfectly for the fall. See below how I recently styled it:

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The oversized look is “in” regardless, so why not keep your options open when hitting the racks? A 6 ten years ago isn’t the same 6 you’ll see today - so keep your options open and your eyes peeled - and score some amazing vintage and newer finds.

Again - no one but you knows the size, the designer or the year - and no one needs to ;-)

If you’re looking to learn more about how Second Look can shop for you and take out the heavy lifting, just check out the Services tab. I’ll be waiting ;-)

XOXO -

Sarah