When Ryan expressed an interest in a personal styling session with me at Goodwill Akron, I was both excited and a little nervous because he was my first male client. I soon realized that many of the thrifting tips I teach women apply to men: arrive with a plan, have a budget in mind, and keep an open mind.
Ryan is a professional by day and musician by night. He wanted to be able to find items at Goodwill that could easily transition from the office to the stage. When he mentioned this to me, I surely thought this would be an impossible task, but after gaining a better understanding of Ryan’s personal style, I had a pretty clear idea of what he had in mind.
To give you an idea of the celebrities that inspire Ryan’s style, think of the artist Tom Waits and Metallica’s lead singer, James Hetfield. I kept these visuals and his $80 max budget in mind as I shopped, and looked for versatile pieces like blazers, vests, ties, and button downs that he can wear both to work and concerts.
After grabbing a cart full of button down shirts, I made my way toward the graphic t-shirts for a vintage inspired print Ryan can wear on the weekends or on stage. Goodwill has a rather large selection of t-shirts organized by color so keeping in mind that Ryan wanted to add a little more color to his wardrobe, I headed for the blue and red section to cut back on time.
The great thing about Ryan is that he’s open to accessories: mainly ties and hats. We found six ties – both new and vintage styles that he can wear a dozen different ways.
Although we had a few disappointing moments when our favorite chocolate brown corduroy blazer and Gap chambray shirt didn’t fit, we were thrilled when we found a Dillard’s brand blazer, the perfect vintage inspired graphic tee, and a comfy casual knit sweater that Ryan said made him feel as though he should wear it to a coffee shop (hence this silly picture with a coffee drink).
Overall, we stayed well below Ryan’s $80 budget. In under an hour and with a total of $35, Ryan went home with:
- two blazers
- two vests
- a knit shirt
- two button downs shirts
- one t-shirt
- six ties
Happy Thrifting!