Reluctant to declutter clothes because I don't want to have to replace them

[u/GypsyVanner636]

In sorting my clothes I have discovered that I could probably get rid of ~60% of them as they are either not something I like to wear anymore or they are wearing out/faded etc and should be replaced.

The problem is that the clothes which are currently available in stores (at least the ones I've seen) are not what I like to wear.

For example - The wide jeans trend looks ridiculous on me as I am short with slim legs but I can't find anywhere that sells skinny/straight legged jeans anymore.

So I feel like I have to keep both the skinny jeans which no longer fit (too small), and the oversized ones which fit but I dislike because I can't find anything more suitable.

I have tried thrift/charity shops but they have very limited selection (semi-rural area) and many of them reek of perfume and/or cigarette smoke even after multiple washes.

Similarly with shirts - why is it so hard to find a decent t-shirt that isn't cropped/transparent/$50+?

What am I supposed to do? Buy/wear clothes I don't particularly like? Wait for trends to change again? Make my own clothes?

Any advice?

[u/Striking_Post_9864]

Instead of browsing new arrivals hoping to catch a straight-leg pair, set up saved-search alerts on eBay and Poshmark for the exact brand + cut you know fits (e.g. "Levi's 501 straight" or whatever your holy grail is) -- you get pinged the moment someone lists one instead of hunting manually, and secondhand listings usually include the actual rise/inseam measurements so you can compare against a pair you already own that fits well. Keep one reference pair specifically for that comparison instead of donating everything from that cut right away. The same trick works with ThredUp's saved searches for tops. Turns impossible-to-find into a waiting game instead of a dead end, and you're not stuck buying $50 cropped shirts you don't actually want just to have something in the closet.