First, a sidenote. (I know, sidenotes aren’t supposed to come first, but I was wearing my slippers backward yesterday and didn’t notice for three hours, so I am rolling with the backward theme.)
Am I the only person who remembers a sitcom in the ’80s called “Rags to Riches?” Because it was my super mega favorite show. I remember when it came on, I would go put on my ratty old nightgown to watch it. I liked to get in the spirit.
The show’s premise: Rich man adopts five poor girls to live with him. So yeah, basically “Annie” on crack.Now that my little flashback is over, here is something useful.
One of Boulder’s best consignment shops is Rags (formerly Rags to Riches, and I still call it that for melancholic purposes). My friend, Jenelle, exclusively shops at Rags. Not like she is committed to that consignment store. Like she is committed to that store, period; she doesn’t shop anywhere else. Not new, not consigned, not nothing. Not even Urban. (It’s OK to gasp.) 

Rags has a few tips on consigning your cast-offs:
1. Consign items that are still in the current fashion rotation. Ponchos from your 1999 spring trip to Mexico will not fly.
2. Don’t waste your time trying to consign items that have tears, rips, missing buttons or broken zippers.
3. Make sure your items are clean. (Seriously, don’t be disgusting. People who bring in filthy clothes and expect someone to want to buy them are the same folks to go to the hair salon with stinky hair, who don’t wipe their personal splatters off the public toilet seat and who put their burrito in the company shared microwave and don’t tend to the bean overflow. Who are you people? I want to meet you so I can give you a dirty look, or something.)

Tips to buying consignment clothing:
1. Stop in often. Consignment stores are constantly rotating inventory.  Every day could bring a new surprise. This is a good excuse to shop often and more often.
2. Know what looks best on you. Don’t waste your time or money on a piece that might be the right price but a wrong cut for you. It will never leave your closet and will be back in the sack after the next closet clean up.
3. Find a great seamstress/tailor.  It is easy to change the length of sleeves or pants and make the fit truly custom. 
As a 5-foot-tall almost-adult, this is especially crucial. I recommend Lai’s Alterations in Boulder. I swear by them. I recommend them to everyone I know. I cherish Lai’s and will probably send them a Christmas card this year, and I also might invite them to Christmas dinner and ask them to marry me. Yes, all of them. Everyone who works there.