MACY ELENI WANTS YOU TO DROP FAST FASHION & START THRIFTING INSTEAD
As much as we love a cheap dress to throw on for a night out on the town, fast fashion is terrible for the planet. Macy Eleni started off thrifting out of necessity but found her passion for fashion and sustainability through hitting local thrift shops with her mom growing up.
Today, this thrift queen takes her supporters on daily trips all over Cali to search for high fashion finds that don’t break the bank. If you want to learn more about the key to thrifting on a budget, keep reading to learn Macy’s story!
Growing up your family thrifted out of necessity and now you do it to help others and express yourself creatively. What tips did you learn from thrifting back in the day that you still apply now?
Seeing an item for what it can be vs. what it is hanging on the rack in front of you. I started thrifting because I desperately wanted to recreate what I couldn’t yet afford, and my local thrift store gave me permission and space to do just that.
In 2010 there were these frayed cut off denim shorts, with studded back pockets that seemingly “everyone” had and while I couldn’t walk into Urban Outfitters and buy myself a pair, I could shimmy into Salvation Army and purchase some 80s Calvin Klein mom jeans to cut off myself, distress, and attack with a pack of studs from Etsy.
I’ve also always thrifted by the mantra “you have to give the good to get the good”, meaning before you hit the thrift, give your closet a little peak and donate what no longer speaks to you…the thrift gods will reward you for it!
You’ve spoken about how thrifting is your superpower. When did you first start thrifting and what tips do you have for a first time thriftier?
I started seriously thrifting most of my clothing in high school and I learned so much during those early years about how the thrift world works, and the community driven etiquette practiced by secondhand shoppers.
For example, always remove your clothing from the hangers before you make your way up to the cashier! I always tell people new to thrifting, to go as often as they can and just really start getting acquainted with the racks and the flow of their local spots.
Like any skill, the more you go and practice, the better you will become! And a big one for those really trying to step away from fast fashion but are a tad lost on where to begin, I recommend searching up the brands you already love and wear in the virtual thrift world. That way you can still purchase what you’re accustomed to and comfortable in, without having to support more new garments being made.
You’ve built a huge community of fashion lovers on TikTok with almost half a million supporters. When did you first start making videos on TikTok and when did you realize you found your niche?
I started my TikTok in 2020 during the first lockdown, but I’d been posting on YouTube long before that! Making “thrift with me” videos and vlogs about my mental health and eating disorder recovery.
I’ve struggled with depression and anxiety since I was a little kid, and the thrift store has always been my happiest place to go and just be one with the clothes and other thrifters.
Those first few videos I posted on TikTok, sharing my thrift finds, digging through estate sales, and opening up about why I shop this way, had my comments and DMs flooded with others either equally obsessed with stories so similar to mine or just truly intrigued by the Dior I was fishing out of someone’s grandma’s underwear drawer. I’d always felt like such a fashion outsider and finding my community on TikTok felt like home.
What are some of your favorite thrift stores and flea markets in LA?
When it comes to real ass thrift stores around LA it’s all about the Valley! Of course there are fabulous spots like Magma Vintage in Chinatown, the fleas sprinkled around Silverlake, Los Feliz, Frogtown, Melrose, as well as the countless secondhand shops down Magnolia Blvd in Burbank.
But if you’re looking for a true thrift excursion, with heavy fluorescent lighting, staples used to attach the price tags, and racks on racks for days, get your booty over to the Valley and plug in Goodwill, Hope of The Valley, Super Thrift, etc. and get your hunt on!
You create budget friendly versions of runway looks that can be seen on the latest celebrities- what have been some of your favorite recreations to date?
All my Bella Hadid recreations, she is someone who plays such a huge role in inspiring trends, which of course, then trickles down into what fast fashion brands start churning out.
When in reality so much of what she wears is vintage or something that can absolutely be found in your local thrift store. It’s less about finding a “dupe” and more so about finding pieces that ring true to the OG inspo image but also feel aligned with your own personal style and what you may already have in your closet.
Who is your favorite vintage designer?
I’m always frantically on the hunt for vintage Cavalli pants! They are one the most fun, sexy, and fabulous items to pull over your booty and I’ve scored them anywhere from Valley Value Center for six bucks to Poshmark and eBay for around $50. I also love searching for vintage Betsey Johnson, Gucci, and early 2000s Dior.
You have a YouTube channel “Blazed and Glazed” where you provide longer videos on your thrifting content that can’t be captured on TikTok. Talk to us about your YouTube channel and how it differs from your TikTok community.
I started my first ever YouTube channel under the name “Fashionoutsider09” in 2010, when I was 17 years old and fell head over heels in love with the platform. I am a serious YouTube girl, it’s always on in the background of anything I’m doing and in those earlier days of the platform, I felt so inspired, that I had to pick up my flip cam and start creating myself.
I took a break from it during college but was sucked right back in when I moved to LA. At that time, I had made the decision to commit to recovery from an eating disorder I’d been battling most of my life and started sharing about it bit by bit on my channel.
It felt so freeing to just talk about it out loud, this “taboo” thing that I had kept secret for so many years. Fast forward to 2019, I started Blazed and Glazed, to share my stunning secondhand finds …but more importantly to remind people how incredibly fabulous and more than enough they are just by being themselves.
My own body image was always so tied up in my relationship with clothing and fashion and my recovery really changed that for me. It shifted the way I saw clothing and I wanted people to come to my channel to be reminded that you don’t need to have a lot of money or have the newest “trendy piece” or hell anything new at all, to be stylish or “belong”.
On Blazed and Glazed you just have to be YOU and we’ll celebrate that together! I also love diving deeper into my thrift trips; you get smaller clips on TikTok, but YouTube is where my audience can get to know me, my little family, and the behind the scenes of everything I’m working on more.
You can also get a peek at ancient footage of me making my very first EVER “thrift with me” video, with heavy ass eyeliner and some serious myspace hair (one of the only videos that still lives on my first channel!).
In the world of fast fashion, what brands do you recommend that practice great sustainability?
I personally love brands that work with deadstock fabrics and pieces that already exist to create new and fresh items. My wardrobe is 99% pre-loved but the other 1% is filled with hottie items from small sustainable/upcycle brands like OGBFF, Blondita, Adriana Sahar, KkCo, GiGi LA, HotHead. As for bigger brands, I’m obsessed with the Coach ReLoved program and their newer brand Coachtopia. I also love Colina Estrada and Stella McCartney.
You’ve wanted to show your brand on television and share your content with a bigger audience. What would this vision look like if you could have everything you wanted?
Me and a crew in a big ass bus, traveling to secondhand spots across the country. I want to play a role in reinventing fashion entertainment and continue to use used clothing as my vessel for storytelling. The thrift community is so vast, diverse, and truly full of the coolest people I have ever met in my life. Along with the clothing we’re all saving from the grave deserve the center stage in fashion and I will bring that to your TV screens one day, just you wait!
What are some of your favorite fashion trends right now?
Things that are forever trending in my universe – hot y2k graphic tees with silly little sayings, vintage Juicy Couture and Lucky Brand track pants, kitten heel flip flops, and slouchy beat-up Balenciaga City bags (HOT TIP: look for these babies on Poshmark!)
As Galore readers prepare for festivals and concerts this summer, what are your must have items that could go with any outfit?
When it comes to festival season, I personally feel my hottest and most confident when I’m comfortable. I don’t want to be fussing around with my outfit too much, so I’ll opt for a comfy base and lean into secondhand accessories to spice it up. Big y2k shield sunnies, vintage Frye boots, old leather moto jacket to toss on at night, and definitely a side of animal print somewhere in the mix.
What’s next for Macy Eleni?
My first book, Second Chances: The Ultimate Guide to Thrifting, Sustainable Style, and Expressing Your Most Authentic Self, will be out this September, which feels incredibly insane to finally say.
It’s a mega dream come true for a Dayton, Ohio raised girl with big ass dreams and something I wrote feverishly about in my gratuity booty journal aka my manifestation notebook for years before my editor ever found me online. I was born to create this book and I cannot wait for thrift lovers, newbies, and skeptics alike to hold it in their hot little hands!
What can readers expect to take away from this book?
Everything and anything they have ever wanted to know about the secondhand shopping universe. It’s Style Rookie meets Teen Vogue Fashion Handbook meets everything your thrift loving heart could ever desire.
If there has ever been something you’ve wanted me to expand on more on my social platforms, it’s in this book. How to shop estate sales, thrift manifesting your dream finds, keeping a wardrobe circular, and interviews with some incredible voices who can speak to thrifting beyond just a straight size as well as how important used clothing can be in aiding true self-expression. I wanted to create a shopping bible for those overlooked by most in the fashion industry…my people!!!
TEAM CREDITS:
Feature Editor: Taylor Winter Wilson (@taylorwinter)
Photographer: Kevin Hernandez (@oddkevin)
Makeup: Dennese Rodriguez (@denneserodriguez)
Stylist: Macy Eleni- outfit pulled from: Voulez Vous (@voulezvous)
Photoshoot Assistant: Lexy Harris (@toadcherry)
