7 Essential Spring '25 Fashion Trends I Thrifted, According to Vogue
Butter yellow, bubble hems, skirts-over-pants, animal prints, sporty outerwear, new business codes, fancy flats.
I’m a firm believer that a $50 outfit from the thrift store can absolutely crush a $5,000 designer outfit. Not always, it comes down to who is styling and wearing it, but it definitely happens. That’s why fashion can be bought, but style is in your DNA. You either have it or you don’t. Or you hire someone who has it to style you and make it seem like you’re more stylish than you are.
Side note: Who remembers when celebrities didn’t use stylists and showed up to every red carpet in whatever they felt like? The good old days of hits, misses, and style so personal it couldn’t be copied.
I’m not a huge trend follower. After decades of honing my personal style, I know what looks good on me (tight dresses, baggy jeans, oversized blazers—to name a few) and pretty much stick to what works. However, if I’m in the mood to be trendy, there’s only one place I go: the thrift shop.
Since trends are here one minute and potentially gone the next, there’s no way I’m going to spend real money on them. Besides, sometimes I just feel like trying out a trend with no large financial commitment. For example: bubble hems. Previously, I would have said there was no way in Matthieu’s Chanel I’d be caught dead in anything with a bubble hem. Why? I’m chalking it up to bad fashion as a middle schooler in a dress more bubbly than a millionaire martini at Delilah. (Which costs more than most of the thrifted items I’m going to talk about.)
However, when browsing the endless racks at 2nd Street in Sherman Oaks, I came across a dress that instantly caught my eye: a butter-yellow bubble hem dress with spaghetti straps that tie at the shoulders. It killed two trends with one flounce and for $20, it was a garment I could get behind. Or get into.
I did a little research for Spring 2025 trends on Vogue’s website and picked out seven I thought I’d wear. And perhaps keep wearing after the season is over. Leather, business codes, and animal prints have been in my wardrobe forever, but skirts-over-pants and flats haven’t made an appearance since I was in my teens. Let’s see if they stick around.
Ps. When it comes to pricing, I’m only going to list the cost of the “trendy” items I thrifted. Not that I’m trying to be coy. Some pieces I’ve had for ages and honestly can’t remember how much they cost. But if you know anything about me and secondhand shopping, you’ll know that the things I buy are usually less than $20 so keep that in mind. Also, every single garment, shoe, accessory in this post is a good ol’ thrift store find.
7 Essential Spring '25 Fashion Trends I Thrifted, According to Vogue
Animal prints
According to Vogue Business, animal prints are here to stay. And aren’t they always? I can’t think of a time when they’ve truly been out. Tacky, yes. Off trend? No. Leopard print has been at the forefront of fashion for literally decades. It’s been a constant in my wardrobe since I was a baby on the beach in a leopard bathing suit with the cutest little cutouts. This dress is by Publik, which, according to their website, “is ethically and sustainably made with love in Los Angeles, California.”
Details:
Leopard mini dress, Goodwill, $9
Butter yellow
If you’d asked me before the Spring 2025 trends were announced if I’d wear yellow I would have raised my upper lip in disgust. But then again, I’d have been thinking of something like neon or highlighter yellow. No. Way. But butter yellow? Sign me up. It’s so soft, so sweet, so delicious I could just spread it on a piece of Dave’s Killer Bread and eat it for breakfast. This leather vest is from a brand called Yoki New York and I found some other older pieces on Poshmark.
Details:
Leather zip-up vest, Goodwill, $10
Black miniskirt, The Council Shop
Dior logo-print saddlebag, Reformation Vintage
Sporty outerwear + leather weather
A moto jacket had been on my thrifting wish list for eons. I’d rarely come across one at all, let alone one that could be a contender for my (limited) closet space. That story changed on a rainy afternoon when my MIL asked me to take her thrifting. I’d been meaning to check out 2nd Street on Melrose forever and felt like it was the perfect time to go. Well, I am thrilled that we did. She spotted this jacket for me and as I followed her through the racks to take a peek at her find, I tried not to let my hopes get too high. After all, I’d had no luck in the moto department thus far. I put it on and that was that. I’m glad it was under $200 and a semi-seamless decision to splurge.
Details:
Scorpion moto jacket, 2nd Street, $179
Musier Paris dress, Goodwill
Skirts-over-pants
Technically the trend is skirts over pants, but I really just wanted a chance to wear this floral-print strapless dress I found at The Council Shop. I never thought I’d be caught dead wearing a dress (or a skirt) over pants after middle school, but here we are. Although this particular outfit has only been seen by my bedroom walls and my dog, I’ll definitely be wearing it out soon. Maybe brunch with girlfriends? Afternoon cocktails? Tacos at The Hideaway?
Details:
Floral-print strapless dress, The Council Shop, $10
White dead stock Levi’s jeans, Rose Bowl Flea
Strappy Calvin Klein sandals, Angel View Thrift
New business codes
For more years than I’d like to count, blazers have been a staple in my wardrobe. I remember in high school, my Fashion Studies teacher gave me one of her old blazers: an oversized women’s style with broad shoulders and a juicy watermelon hue. Unfortunately, I later on went through a phase where I thought pink was puke-inducing and I gave it away. What a shame. My MIL actually found this one for me when we were shopping at Goodwill in Sherman Oaks. I was instantly sold.
Details:
Faux leather blazer, Goodwill, $15
Leather skirt, Goodwill, $5
Bubble hems
Flounce-worthy and frivolous, bubble hems are just the thing to float you closer to your dreams! Or at least you can imagine. And if you’re a writer like me, you probably have a very vivid imagination. Yet my wildest imagination didn’t expect to see me in a bubble hem for the remainder of my lifetime. However, when I saw this dress, it caught my attention in a way that I couldn’t resist. It doesn’t hurt that it’s also super comfortable. I could see myself wearing it with sneakers when I’m out with my kids and then with strappy sandals for martinis once they’ve gone to bed.
Details:
Spaghetti strap bubble hem dress, 2nd Street, $20
Fancy flats
Okay so maybe these aren’t totally flat. But it’s about as flat as I go. I haven’t worn flats since I was in high school. However, these definitely count as fancy in my books. And they’re leopard. It’s a two-in-one trend and I love that for my hard-working wardrobe.
Details:
Leopard-print slingbacks, Goodwill, $15
Chocolate top & trousers, Angel View Thrift
And what’s the best accessory to accompany each of these trendy thrift store finds? A good book. Shop my chick lit novel The Manhattan Mishap and my short story collection Thirteen Emotions via my bookstore, Amazon, Bookshop, and wherever books are sold online.
Finally, here are the thrifted trends on Instagram:
—MMM
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