Thrifting the Hamptons — LVIS Now Open for Spring 2023

After a short—but still entirely too long—hiatus to restock for the Spring and Summer, everyone’s favorite Village Improvement Society in East Hampton (i.e., LVIS) is now open for Spring 2023!

Thrifting is the most exclusive way to shop. The Hamptons are home to some of the most sought-after brands in fashion and furnishing. Sure, you can find these items at the store…or you could check out one of the Hamptons’ many thrift stores and discover the vintage, out-of-print things that were once for sale new. This ecosystem is ripe for your advantage. 

To illustrate the Hamptons’ thrift ecosystem, take a pair of designer pants I purchased (on sale) for $8 at LVIS. Someone about the same size as me purchased these pants new in East Hampton. Perhaps they outgrew the pants or the style; either way, they were donated to a thrift store. After being washed and folded, there they were, 90% less than retail cost and ready for me!

I grew up thrifting, picking, and yardsaling. I can sense a good deal like a dog can an oncoming storm. Saturday mornings my mom—a veteran deal-finder from Detroit—and I would cruise around looking for those handmade signs, waypoints to an oasis of savings, and no-longer-needed stuff. When scanning for a good yard sale, remember the old adage: the worse the sign, the better the finds!

Uniqueness is its own brand of exclusivity. Shopping at a retail store, no matter how exclusive or limited the release, the items could belong to anyone. Imagine discovering that you and your best friend now have the same Balenciaga bag—tre démodée! 

Sure, it takes time and patience to leaf through a rack of used shirts, but somewhere between a stained “Race for the Cure 1999” tee shirt and a used 8XL tank top could be your new(ish) conversation-starting party shirt. You could meet the future love of your life because they just had to know, “where did you get that ‘fit.” What a sweet meet-cute story!

Standing out can be scary, but being unique looks so good on you! Trust me, when everyone around you is wearing white linen—like an ocean of wallpaper—you, in pastel (perhaps even a primary!) color will appear as a work of art. Styles are cyclical and what was once new is now old, but old is the new new!

There are so many styles you can’t find at TJ’s or Gucci or even Satori. Remember Members Only? Those jackets are iconic…and so can you! Where else but a yard sale or thrift store are you going to find a “Can’t Stand the Heat, Get out of the Kitchen” Big Dog t-shirt? Be that big dog again.

I’m protective of my spots though, so I shouldn’t even be writing this. In fact, have you heard of Tanger Outlets? Just kidding…