Appreciation! Painfully Hip

Thrifting is not for everyone. Some people get skeeved out sorting through racks upon racks of fashion rejects, sweatshirts that were given out for free at bar mitzvahs, and clothes that were donated because their original owners are now dead. I am not one of those people, and neither is Amber Mortensen, the creator of PainfullyHip.com.

Amber started the site to ward off boredom while working for a sound studio for film and television in Vancouver, BC. She picked up and moved to Sacramento where she freelanced for News & Review, owned her own graphic design business, and occasionally hit the catwalk, modeling for local fashion shows. Now Amber can be found anywhere and everywhere. She has been traveling to her heart’s content, stopping every now and then to sing and strum her ukulele or rummage through the racks in the most fantastic of vintage stores.

Since then, fellow posters, such as Diana and Eve, have joined Amber and together they have helped Painfully Hip live up to its namesake. The site features topics such as thrift star of the day, which allows readers to send in photos of their own adorable outfits, as well as posts about new trends they are loving, and tips from the experts about how to make the most of your thrifting experience. There is even an interview with the always gorgeous Watson Twins who happen to be avid thrifters as well. Who knew?

For those of you who have felt the thrill of finding a designer bag with a $6 price tag attached to it, this site is for you. And it’s for you, holding up that blazer you found in the little boy’s section, thinking, “I can do something with this.” And it’s most definitely for you, wearing your parent’s old clothes from the 60’s and striking a painfully hip pose.

Beauty is pain, so read up.

*Special thanks to Amy Newhall for our thrifting adventures in Westcott and for showing me this site.