In the lead-up to National Day 2024, danamic. is spotlighting the lives of Singaporeans with unique perspectives. This is the story of Nicole Chin, also known as chinchilla.vintage.
Thrifting has become a favourite pastime among Singaporean youths. As a society, we definitely have come a long way, fashion-wise. Everyone is more invested in their style, and we’ve made significant progress. But no one is more vocal about their love for thrifting and fashion than Nicole Chin, known online as chinchilla.vintage. For the past few years, she has been sharing thrifting and fashion tips on her platform, cultivating a big-sister persona on social media as she shares her finds and hacks for all to learn.
I had the pleasure of having a one-on-one lesson with Nicole as she talked us through her personal thrifting journey and styling tips and tricks. I love shopping just as much as the next person, so it’s my civic duty to share with you what went down in our tell-all with Nicole! But beware: you might be overcome with the itch to go out and shop when you’re done with this article. After all, who can resist the allure of great clothes at even greater prices?
Nicole’s Thrifting Journey
Before thrift stores became a thing, flea markets were all the rage. “There used to be this flea market at SCAPE every Saturday, and people who didn’t have a lot of money like myself would go there on the weekends. I would shop at these stores and try to get something that I hoped was still in trend that someone didn’t want anymore, but for a much lower price,” Nicole shared.
And while everyone started thrifting in 2020, Nicole has been at it since she was a teenager. “I didn’t start secondhand fashion purely because I was trying to be sustainable or anything. It was because when I was in secondary school. I really didn’t have enough money or the budget to go and shop. And back then, we didn’t have cheap shops like Taobao or Shein. So, I had a very limited budget, and I started off by wearing a lot of hand-me-down clothes from my cousin and my parents,” Nicole said, crediting this as her introduction to wearing second-hand clothes.
Because she wore hand-me-downs, she had to be creative in styling them to fit the aesthetic of the time and in a way her friends would accept. She managed to stay fashionable while staying within her budget—a great feat for someone like me, who looks at an overflowing closet and still can’t find anything to wear.
But thrifting hasn’t always been the cool hobby we all know it to be today. Nicole shared that she had to embrace and push past a stigma associated with wearing secondhand clothing.
“When I used to wear second-hand clothes, people would ask me, ‘Are you poor?’ But at the end of the day, I had to focus on my own motivations: saving money, being fashionable and dressing for myself, and not so much for the validation of others.” Nicole candidly added.
Everyone can agree that having the confidence to dress for yourself doesn’t come easy. I, for one, still look at my outfit before leaving the house and go crazy wondering if other people will like it. There’s enough anxiety that comes with dressing for yourself, let alone the stigma that Nicole had to face. The candour with which she spoke floored me and deepened my admiration for her.
Understanding Nicole’s history with thrifting and fashion really puts her content and platform into perspective. Many influencers create similar content, but what sets Nicole apart from them is her bubbly personality and willingness to share her hacks and finds with her audience.
That openness – which many people lack – is something I love about Nicole. Singapore’s newfound affection for fashion and thrifting has turned sour in recent years; an increase in our fashion sense comes with increased judgment. People have become reluctant to share the places they shop, and there is an air of snobbiness when it comes to style. However, Nicole’s platform and wholesome attitude towards sharing have given people a safe space to learn and elevate their styles.
When asked about how she influences others to explore second-hand fashion, she said, “With my videos, I want to make thrifting seem more fun, accessible and not so scary so that people will just take that first step. Because sometimes (people) find that it’s very overwhelming. My role is to just give recommendations based on what their needs are.”
Now, not only has Nicole left a mark on the fashion community, but it has also left a mark on her. Her platform has allowed her to work on some super cool projects that she was gushing over. One, in particular, being Vintagewknd’s Trashion Week. She shared her experience picking up trash in style, saying, “So we make picking trash cool. We brought littering to people’s attention, but we also showed how we’re picking up trash but we’re also wearing trash.” How commendable and innovative.
Nicole’s Thrifting Tips
Having been exposed to the world of thrifting for almost 14 years, Nicole has picked up a few tricks that have helped her navigate those clothing bins and avalanches of accessories more effectively. She shared, “Usually, before I go thrifting, I kind of have a list, or at least some options in my mind, of what I’m looking for that day. By establishing what I’m looking for, it helps me to be a lot less overwhelmed when I’m going to a thrift store because there’s so many options, there’s so many piles.”
That day, when we met at SSVP Shop for our interview, Nicole was looking for a dress to wear for her tea ceremony. “So, rather than spending like $1,000 on a brand new custom cheongsam, why don’t I just go to the thrift store and find one? Because most brides wear their tea ceremony dress once in their life, and then they just donate it at the end of the day,” she said.
I was initially sceptical of her chances of finding a dress suitable for her tea ceremony at a thrift store. All the stores I frequented never seemed to sell anything as specific as a tea ceremony dress. However, Nicole dispelled my doubts as she shared that each thrift store in Singapore has its own speciality.
“I’ve explored quite a number of places in Singapore already. And each store has a speciality. The reason why I like coming to SSVP is because they have a very nice selection of evening gowns and ethnic wear.” In fact, before we started the interview, she had already found a contender hidden deep in the store – talk about talent.
Like everyone else, I also had a phase where I used to visit thrift stores and sift through racks to find new clothes. But I had to initiate the breakup after the sobering realisation that the clothes looked much better on the rack than they did on me. If you have had similar experiences but aren’t ready to call the relationship off, Nicole has a piece of advice for you: “When you’re thrifting, especially if you’re a beginner, you can just try to thrift something that you already wear normally. That way, it’s not very hard to incorporate it into your wardrobe.”
She continued, “I think people have this mindset of thrifted pieces needing to be over-the-top and statement, right? But you can just start off with a crop top or a pair of jeans or a nice off-the-shoulder top.” So simple yet so effective.
Nicole also shared that it’s important to be realistic with your purchases. “My tip is to always find something that you’re comfortable with because at the end of the day, if you’re not comfortable in it, even if you look good, you’re going to feel like crap the whole day,” she said.
She also brought up an interesting conversation surrounding overconsumption, saying, “At the end of the day, I also have to think, even if this is a high-quality item and it’s a statement piece, how often am I going to be wearing it? Because when I first started thrifting, I used to thrift super cool, one-of-a-kind pieces, and then I realised that I didn’t really have anywhere to wear them, especially in Singapore. What’s the point of buying something like that and it’s just going to collect dust in my wardrobe?”
While thrifting is a fun hobby, many people forget that it’s also a sustainable way to shop. This was actually one of the reasons why I stopped thrifting. I would wear pieces once or twice and exile them in the corner of my closet where they never saw the light of day again. It’s important to shop responsibly, even when you’re thrifting.
Nicole’s Styling Tips
In the words of John Galliano, “The joy of dressing is an art.” After all that hard work diving into clothing bins and rummaging through racks, you’ve finally found pieces to take home. But how do you style them to give them more personality? Nicole being the fashion guru she is, let us into all her little styling secrets.
She started by saying, “It’s really about your accessories. On days I want to look more put together, I’ll add on a necklace and some statement earrings, and maybe an interesting bag and an interesting belt, and then I’ll match my bag to my shoes. So, that’s a very easy way to bring or elevate a simple outfit.” It didn’t go unnoticed by me that she was wearing an entirely red outfit and spicing it up with gold jewellery – so she knew what she was talking about.
Thrifting was Nicole’s gateway to finding her personal style too. So, if you’re going through an experimental phase and struggling to find clothes that fit your new aesthetic, might we suggest visiting your nearest thrift store?
“I had a phase when I was younger. I was influenced by trends when I first started really going into fashion. It was kind of the Tumblr era so it was very glitter, sequins, stockings and stuff – so I was very influenced by that. I found out that I love wearing colour, different textures and styling different pieces together.” Nicole said.
She added, “And then I got a full-time job, now I’m a corporate girl. So, I started to wear more basic and neutrals. It was only because of COVID and working from home when I started experimenting with all my thrifted pieces and try to style it in a different way. That really influenced how I dress right now because that validated my personal style and what I like to wear. That kind of built the person I am today.”
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve spent a considerable chunk of my paycheck on blogshops trying to find clothes to fit a new style I was trying, just for me to hate it when it arrived. Who said style experimentation had to be difficult and expensive? Nicole is living proof that you can stay true to your aesthetic and stay within budget.
Being the style icon that she is, we had to ask her what she thinks the next big trend will be – what we, as consumers, will be looking out for when we’re shopping. Nicole confidently said in true thrift-loving fashion, “I think sustainability is going to be a big part of future fashion collections. Now, brands are recognising that – especially Gen Z – you’re really here to be living on this earth, and you don’t want it to become desolate when you’re 50, 60 years old, right?” I couldn’t have said it better myself.
She went on by saying, “People are more and more aware of fast fashion or the amount of waste that’s being generated, and if a brand is not being ethical or is using bad labour practices, It’s really a big part of someone’s decision-making. They are recognising that consumers are placing a greater importance on this. So, hopefully, there are more brands that will really do it properly and keep it affordable for the mass market to buy. Hopefully, it becomes a greater priority for brands across the board.”
Check out Nicole’s Socials
And just like that, you’ve had a masterclass on thrifting and styling – courtesy of Nicole. If there’s anything you should take away from this, it is to thrift responsibly, dress for yourself and just have fun with your clothes – it’s never that serious!
If you’re ever in a fashion slump or you’re looking for a new place to shop, make sure to check out Nicole’s TikTok Page and her Instagram. You’ll step into a fashion paradise and never have to worry about not having anything to wear again!
Photos by Eshani NJ of the DANAMIC Team.
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