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Thousands of tourists flock Santa Monica every year to enjoy the pretty beach, go on a solar-powered ferris wheel ride on the pier, and of course, shop. But while most shoppers head straight to the mostly-chain stores on Third Street Promenade and Main Street, Santa Monica's home to a bevy of pre-loved fashion stores that offer cute, eco-friendly shopping opportunities for every budget.
So, here's a walking guide to pre-loved fashion shopping in Santa Monica. Shop for everything from high-end designer dresses to bargain sweatpants -- all while keeping clothes out of the landfill, avoiding the big carbon footprint created by new clothes, and saving money.
In fact, you could even make money on this shopping trip, since my guide begins with the high-end consignment shops where you can sell back designer clothes, moves on to fashion=-forward thrift stores that'll take mid-range brands off your hands, and ends at a Goodwill, where you can donate what no store would buy.
Plus, the two-mile route can be covered on foot, so you can travel carbon-emissions free and get some exercise, too. Grab that
bag of no-longer-wanted clothes from your closet, and begin your eco-fashion journey on Wilshire Blvd. by taking the Metro Rapid 704 (exit 26th St.) or Big Blue Bus 2 (exit 24th st.).
First stop: Fashion Therapy (2305 Wilshire Blvd.), just a couple blocks or less away from the bus stop.
Fashion Therapy's a friendly, pink-themed consignment store with lots of gorgeous luxury designer pieces to pick from. Some of the newer, very high-end pieces will cost in the thousands of dollars, but many items are much more affordable, like the blue Betsy Johnson party dress below, on sale for $127.
Make sure you check out the sale rack before you leave! Prices go all the way down to $20 for a Max Studio shirt.
Then walk a few blocks west to get to Great Labels (1126 Wilshire Blvd.), my favorite consignment shop.
Great Labels is where I've had the most luck finding gently worn, classic designer pieces that I can wear forever -- like a military-style Diane Von Furstenberg three-quarter-sleeve shirt I probably wear too often. Right now, 100% of the proceeds from the bargain rack goes to support the Haitian earthquake relief.
The next stop's The Address Boutique (1116 Wilshire Blvd.), which is less than a block away.
This consignment store seems to be geared to women about my mom's age, with styles that often look a bit dated to me. If you love high-fashion brand names but not the styles on recent runways, this may be a good stop for you. More modern pieces can still be found here if you dig through the racks, like the chic, pretty white dress above.
Of course, consignment shopping isn't always cheap, though a lot cheaper than brand-new high-fashion shopping. If you're a real frugalista who would never pay hundreds of dollars for fashion, then you might just want to start at our fourth stop: The American Cancer Society Discovery Shop (920 Wilshire Blvd.).
This is one do-gooder thrift store with fashion sense. I found new-looking Prada heels (above) for sale at just $35, and a pair of beribboned Manolos for $65. Run by volunteers who are mostly older women, this Discovery Shop also has a decidedly less fashionable $2 bargain rack -- but the store's small and well organized, which makes browsing quite pleasant compared to most Goodwill stores. There are also men's and kids' sections to browse through.
Now, we're moving on to the mid-range fashion retail stores. Turn the corner on to 4th
