Thrift shopping is a Pacific Northwest pastime, but those of us born here often learn later that not everyone wants to wear secondhand fashion.
For Jagger Blaec, her experience on the other side of the country was the opposite. The freelance journalist and event producer grew up in Monroe, Conn., where she honed her curatorial senses browsing estate sales, and noticed more shoppers went after antiques over clothes.
“Connecticut did not like vintage [fashion] in 2010—we would clean up,” Blaec says. “We would go flip it in Brooklyn and at Manhattan Vintage.”
When Blaec’s partner wanted to move to Portland in 2015, Thrift City’s reputation helped convince her the left coast move would be a good idea. She sold off the collection she’d built up back east and started fresh with her own business, Red Jasper Vintage, focused on finding curated wears for plus-sized bodies. At first, Blaec didn’t immediately prioritize plus-size pieces for fear customers who needed those sizes wouldn’t find her. It took her time to make connections before Blaec could realize Red Jasper Vintage’s full potential.
Blaec turned to reselling full time after burning out on her corporate day job and social media marketing work. She is also a freelance journalist, with bylines in publications like The Washington Post, Vice and Willamette Week. She learned the ropes of professional reselling through trial and error. Clerks at shops like Psychic Sister shared with Blaec signs to watch out for as she hunted down her first deals, like how garments may require more than one wash cycle to be rack-ready again.
“I had to start soaking [clothes], and you have to soak it in all these different chemicals, and if you do that, I promise you, your water will be brown and yellow,” Blaec says. “You can wash it once, but you’re not going to get out 80 years of grime, or however old it is. We call it ‘Goodwill rash’—you just put it on and just start getting a rash.”
Blaec’s favorite time periods are the 1950s to ‘70s, especially mod style. She also enjoys ‘90s and ‘00s fashions, which are more popular and on trend with her West Coast customers. But no matter what era she’s feeling, Blaec says she can always find something fantastic for fat and plus-size shoppers that goes beyond the typical offerings. In the annoyingly arbitrary sizing world, Blaec’s femme styles have sizes up to 24, and masc-coded styles for 60-inch waists. She advises her shoppers to know their measurements, carry measuring tape, and not be afraid to try on outfits.
“As a fat person who loves to shop and loves fashion, whenever I go to a thrift store and they go, ‘Oh, don’t worry, we have a plus-size section!’ it’s usually caftans and muumuus,” Blaec says. “It’s never sexy, always ugly and hideous, and I love to dress provocatively. Just because you’re fat doesn’t mean that you can’t be hot. "
Though she doesn’t have a full-time brick-and-mortar shop, Blaec rents space at Cascade Union for Red Jasper Vintage’s archive. She also registers for different pop-ups at events like Mississippi Street Fair, the gender-inclusive Halfday Market, the Thriftapalooza expo and Multnomah County’s annual summertime Garage Sale Day.
“My favorite part is seeing strangers come into my booth, not knowing anything about me, and finding something,” she says. “It took so long to get to this point. I like a lot of different looks, and even though I specialize in plus size, I was really scared that the buyer wouldn’t be there because I hadn’t met them yet.”
Working with vintage clothing has turned Blaec into a budding fashion historian. She explains what was going on in society during different decades based on the hidden gems she uncovers.
“Back in the day, everyone made their own clothes and wore them until they were done, so for fat people, there were less available, so you don’t see as many of those true vintage, rare pieces,” Blaec says. “But luckily, ‘90s and Y2K are so popular right now, and that’s when plus-size fashion was really in its innovation. It starts in the late ‘80s, and then in Y2K I see a lot of apple bottoms and urban cuts, and that’s what I tend to be drawn to, and those were curvier communities with bigger sizing, so everyone’s happy.”
30somethingvintage
Selling alongside me IRL at Cascade and online, she sources on-trend high-quality vintage (mostly natural fibers) that offers a range of size and gender inclusive too. Like me and many others on this list, she’s a muumuu-free zone. instagram.com/30somethingvintage. 30somethingvintage can be found at Cascade Union, The Market Downstairs at Hollywood Vintage and tigersden vintage.
Psychic Sister
This was the very first vintage shop in Portland I visited that went above a size 12. The owner is also a curvy queer goddess who makes sure to keep the racks stocked for all genders, regular sizes and plus sizes, including true and antique or rare handmade vintage styles and accessories. 1829 NE Alberta St., Suite C (entry on 19th Avenue), 971-420-2962, psychic-sister.com. Noon–6 pm daily.
Dyke Whimsy
One of my faves for nonbinary and queer styles, which are a bit harder to find in curated shops. You can find a lot of excellent jackets and slacks in all sizes as well. Dyke Whimsy at Hello Sunshine Art & Vintage, 3022 E Burnside St., 503-568-1832, instagram.com/dykewhimsy. 11 am–7 pm Thursday–Monday.
Adieu Adieu
I’m obsessed with this Portland-based seller I came across at Halfday Market who does a lot of high-femme pieces that not only offer chic choices for both straight sizes and bigger bodies, but she also specializes in working with pregnant fashion folks on how to style their changing, growing bodies using thrifted and sustainable pieces. Adieu Adieu at the market downstairs at Hollywood Vintage, 2757 NE Pacific St., 503-233-1890, instagram.com/adieu.adieuvintage. 11 am–6 pm daily.
SHOP: Red Jasper Vintage at Cascade Union, 805 N Killingsworth St., redjaspervintage.com. Noon–6 pm Sunday–Wednesday, 11 am–7 pm Thursday–Saturday.
