I started thrift shopping for clothes when I was in Sayulita two winters ago, I find that it is difficult to really remember just what the climate is like when you are trying to pack in January or February and its cold and rainy outside. Not only is it cold and rainy, but also grey, grey, and more grey in the Pacific Northwest in the winter. Oh, and it gets dark very early, on a rainy day it will be dark by 4:30.

a scarf that i knit on vacation. the colours of the ocean

So, you show up at your casita, unpack and realize that you are actually missing some pizzazz in your holiday wardrobe. This is partly because of how cold it is at home but, also because when you are in Mexico, the Caribbean or parts of Europe it is all about looking pretty, feminine and well…sexy.  Coming from Thetis Island, or even metropolitan Vancouver, I am never quite prepared for latin culture, the color, the short tight show everything way of dressing.  So, there I was in Sayulita wondering what I could buy that would be fun and slightly more holiday looking. I drifted through the shops and decided I did not want to spent lots of money on a new dress. There are several different kinds of new when you shop in a small town with a large gringo population. There is the tourist shops with low priced, run of the mill dresses/outfits all made in China or somewhere similar. There are also the shops that local women shop in; the styles are quite short, tight, glittery and sexy. In the larger centers there is also the big box Walmart stores which are soul sucking. Then, there are the one of a kind shops with beautiful designs and very large price tags. The later, at least recognizes  the designer of these beautiful clothes but often the price is just too high for me. So, what does a girl do????  She looks for a thrift store where she can flip through many styles of dresses and pick out a few for the trip.  One of the upsides to shopping this way in a small town is that the women who sell clothes this way are industrious and resourceful and they keep the money. It is also a great opportunity to try out different styles or a color you might not normally wear.