Thrift store queen Tauri Howard could give Macklemore a run for his money.

The junior psychology major’s love of thrift shops began as a child, when she went on her first thrifting spree with her aunt in Brooklyn. Howard had always looked up to her aunt, not just for being an accomplished painter, but for being a thrifty fashionista, and she soon became enamored with finding unusual pieces of clothing for a fraction of the original price.

Since that first adventure in Brooklyn, Howard has now visited more than 35 thrift shops around the country. Even though cities are filled with trendy vintage shops, Howard said nothing beats the not-so-glamorous Amvets Thrift Store in Buffalo, New York. She described the warehouse as an opportunity to find something rare in an unlikely place.

“You know how they say it takes a village to raise a child? It took a village to put this outfit together,” Howard said, pointing to pieces and explaining their various origins.

Howard does not limit thrifting to shopping in stores. She received some of her favorite pieces by borrowing from friends, swapping with strangers and even nabbing her ex-boyfriend’s mom’s fanny pack.

Howard took her love for swapping clothes to the next level when she joined the Syracuse University chapter of the national organization Style Lottery last year. Style Lottery’s goal is to bring everyone’s different tastes together through donations and clothing drives, Howard said.

“It’s women helping women,” she said.

And Style Lottery doesn’t just help people share styles. They also promote sustainability by encouraging people to donate and share clothing instead of getting new things.

Style Lottery is all about keeping an open mind, which is also essential when it comes to thrifting, Howard said. She values being in charge of her own image without posters of celebrities telling her how to look or what to wear and advises everyone to explore thrift shop style.

“There’s a difference between fashion and style,” Howard said. “Fashion is more about status, but style is sharing your creativity. For me, that’s what you get from thrift stores.”

ghhughes@syr.edu

Published on February 8, 2016 at 12:01 am

Contact: ghhughes@syr.edu