Thrift store treasures that save will money on your cosplays

I am a huge fan of the thrift store, I think it’s a fun place to go on a Saturday afternoon and a fantastic place to hunt for cosplay supplies! You can pick up a lot of essentials on the cheap IF you know what to look for. Saving money, saving the environment, it’s probably worth your time.

The first section you’ll want to visit is shoes! Cosplay shoes don’t need to be able to endure the same kind of abuse that your everyday shoes will need to endure, so it’s okay if they’re already worn in! I would even consider it to be a bonus, few things are worse than being on your feet all day in a pair of shoes that are not broken in. Leather and vinyl are really easy to paint, so you don’t even need to worry about finding something in the same colour, just grab a pair that is a similar shape. It’s also a lot less stressful to modify a pair of shoes that you spent $10 on than ones you spent $60 on. I purchased the boots I wear with my Sailor Moon cosplay at the thrift store for about $12, I used an acrylic leather paint on them, and then I super-glued a strip of white leather to the top to give them their iconic shape.

After you have combed the shoe section you will want to head over to where they keep the bedding, curtains, and tablecloths. This is where most thrift stores keep any fabric that comes in, but you may also want to look through the bedsheets curtains and tablecloths that they’ve got too. You’re probably thinking “used bedding? gross!” but hear me out! Cosplay often has us making abnormal articles of clothing, so if you plan on making a mock-up so that you can play around with the shapes of your garments before you start cutting into your good fabric, make one out of some thrift store bedsheets! They’re cheap and come in large pieces, just make sure you wash them first. Curtains and Tablecloths are a great source of fancier-looking fabrics that also usually come in large enough pieces to work with. I made my Violet Evergarden Dress out of white curtains from the thrift store.

If you get lucky enough that your thrift store has a selection of fabric, there are a few specific things I would recommend checking for. It’s pretty rare that you’ll find exactly the thing you need that day among the thrift store’s selection of fabrics, but there are a few things that future you will be happy you had the foresight to grab. I always pick up any liner fabrics that I find as well as anything that is a large piece of a solid colour. Usually, you’re getting them for $1-$3 / meter, so you can save a lot of money if you do end up using it. I got the Liner fabric that I used on a set of state alchemist uniforms for Riza Hawkeye and Roy Mustang cosplays at the thrift store, as well as the red satin that I used for the bows on my Sailor Moon cosplay, as long as you’re grabbing basics, you’ll probably find a use for them.

Another thing to keep your eyes open for are bags of buttons and other sewing supplies. Often they’ll bundle this stuff up in baggies and sell it in lots for a few dollars. It’s a great way to pick up things like buttons spools of thread and snaps. This one time I was in the thrift store and my husband found this antique wooden sewing box that was taped shut. It was the kind with a bunch of shallow layers that fold out on hinges, and he really wanted it for his leatherworking supplies, and it was only $10. So we bought it, we took it home, opened it up, and there were so many goodies inside! Zippers, buttons, snaps, spools of thread, even elastics and velcro, I estimated it to be over $200 worth of supplies. It’s been a year and I have barely made a dent in them, there must have been over twenty untouched spools of thread!

Thrift stores also often have old sewing patterns that they usually sell for around $2, if you’re just looking for patterns for basic pieces these can be worth rifling through. I have purchased a handful, that I haven’t actually gotten to use yet, but I have one for a men’s vest that I intend to incorporate into something for my husband soon.

Now for the clothing section! I don’t always have as much luck here as the other sections, but if you’re looking for a basic garment like a white button-up, they will have you covered. Jackets are usually worth looking through as well. If you’re confident in your ability to modify clothing you can really expand your options as well. I have also heard of people taking clothing they found at the thrift store apart and using it as pattern pieces to make the same piece of clothing in a different colour, but I’ve never actually tried it myself. I got my tie, sweater-vest and a white button-up for my Maka Albarn cosplay in the regular clothing section of a thrift store. I also got the faux leather jacket that I wear for Black Canary at the same thrift store!

Last but not least, be sure to check housewares for crafting tools! I have seen old sewing machines and sewing tables there, I have bought an iron there before. I have bought old silver platters from the kitchen section and cut them up to make faux belt buckles and military decorations. Ultimately the limit is your imagination.

Have you found anything really great at the thrift store for your cosplays before?? I would love to hear about it! I am always looking for ideas for cool stuff to repurpose cor cosplays, and it is a big bonus if I can get it from the thrift shop!