National Secondhand Wardrobe Day is on August 25

National Secondhand Wardrobe Day is on August 25 and a day to celebrate recycled and repurposed clothing. You heard that right. It is a day set aside to celebrate wearing someone else's hand-me-down. How wacky can that be. Not really.

With the economic downturn, attitudes have changed about buying and wearing preowned clothing. More and more people are visiting thrift stores and specialty resale stores to stretch their budget. Fashion come and go, and the amount of out-of-fashion clothing find their way to donation centers or to the landfill. Buying from resale stores is a way of being eco-friendly by wearing sustainable fashion. It is also a way to make a difference in your community by supporting a good cause - like the helping to find a cure for cancer.

Celebrate Secondhand Wardrobe Day by donating your gently used clothes or wearing something that has been repurposed.

The American Cancer Society Discovery Shop is a chain of resale stores in California supporting the fight against cancer through the sales of quality gently used clothings and accessories, antiques, artwork, furniture, and home goods. I bring my pre-owned clothes and accessories to the Discovery Shop in my neighborhood twice a year. Not only is the donation tax-deductible, but it is my way of giving back to the community and making a difference in the fight against cancer.

Walking into a Discovery shop is an adventure in itself as there is always some treasure waiting to be found, whether these are designer clothes, career or casual wardrobe, or a 19th century Victorian rectangular piano. I have stumbled upon a set of Satsuma dinnerware service for 12 and some amazing finds in this specialty shop. A lot of folks donate goods to the Discovery Shops for the tax write-off and to support a good cause.

Looking through this rack of color-coded blouses and tops, one can find designer brands for $3-5 range. Even deep discount stores cannot offer such a good deal as this.

This rack of beige and light khaki dress pants looked barely used or new. Most are name brands, some fully lined , cleaned and pressed at the outstanding price of $5. There was a separate rack of jeans from $3-5 which cannot be beat. You will never buy jeans at the mall again after stopping by here.

The peach wide-brimmed hat had a price tag of $20 which was on the high end relative to the other hats. The peek-a-boo brim was not meant to provide shade from the sun but more to make a fashion statement. It is definitely a unique and one-of-a-kind hat that is waiting for the right person to snatch it off the display table.

A timeless fashion element

So what did I discover in the Discovery Shop? I found this harlequinn print knit jacket in black and gold fo $16. I threw it over my own gold tank top and accessorized it with a tasseled black and gold beaded necklace. Who would have ever guessed how this ensemble just came together.

I always believed in the philosophy that it is not where you buy, but what you buy that matters.

Just around the kitty corner of the store were two racks of ethnic clothes filled with colorful salwar kameez, beaded tunics, colorful beaded skirts and tops. The hand-beaded chiffon tunic was at an unbelievable price of $5. It would have made a fabulous summer with its airy and gauzy material.

Where I work, we celebrate Diversity Day once a year where the melting pot of different cultures in the workforce share their food, fashion, and dances. This shop would be the perfect place to scour for that perfect outfit, whether it is a Indian salwar kameez, or a Mandarin silk top.

What do you think about buying and wearing second-hand clothes?