Thrift stores .. we call them 2nd hand shops or charity shops.
I love them! In Ireland we have the usual 2nd hand goods stores, but we also have stores that stock vintage clothes. The latter are good because it saves you time .. browsing through kitsch and random stuff.
I like them for several reasons, the items there aren't stocked in large quantity .. they are more so one off finds? So when I browse lol I feel like a seeker, a treasure hunter!? The clothing items may be pre-worn, but they were possibly pre-loved? They are still sold on in wearable good condition and the payment goes towards helping a charity. I'm a follower of 'recycle-reuse-redefine'. It's important to me to recycle, plus I enjoy adapting items and making them my own .... I don't want to look akin to anyone else per say? Individual taste and representing Me, that's my objective.
I do buy the odd item from 'gothic clothing' sellers, but if I'm honest I find the majority of items overpriced - considering their make up, design, material quality etc ..
So much so that I've recently enrolled on a night class at a nearby college - Dressmaking
Probs be me and a lot of grannies? But fuck it, old folks know some cool shit, and hopefully I'll learn more about adapting clothing in regards to resizing, redesigning and possibly the skill to make my own?
Fashion is cyclical .. pretty much it's all been done before, alternated, inspired a rejuvenation. Better to be your own muse, wear what IS you, what suits you in cut, style & colour. That's your base, body shapes differ, very few of us are mannequins .. well, I'm not!