When I look at seasonal trend reports, I do so not to search for exact items I want to buy, but for thrifting and styling ideas. So I decided to share six trends I’ve noticed that should be pretty easy to find at thrift stores.

Saturated Separates

Yigal Azrouel, Karen Walker, Yigal Azrouel, Alberta Ferretti
Though finding bright-colored pants in your size might be challenging (it hasn’t stopped me from trying), saturated tops and blazers are generally pretty easy to come by in thrift stores. Boxy double-breasted blazers especially shouldn’t be difficult to hunt down.
Leather Skirts

Max Azria, Marc Jacobs, Junya Watanabe, Max Azria
Leather skirts (and pants) are one of those things that are not easy to pull off, so they seem to end up in thrift stores a lot. Which is lucky for you, because leather skirts are going strong this fall. The pencil skirt variety is easiest to find secondhand, though A-lines (and pants, and even blouses) are popular on the runway, as well.

Capes

Zero + Maria Cornejo, Karen Walker, Lanvin, Rag & Bone
Sometimes confused with ponchos, their slouchier, knit cousins, capes can make any outfit look more elegant. I’m so glad that capes are still trending this year, because I’ve got a couple of thrifted versions in my closet that I’ve been dying to wear. If you scour the coat section, especially early in the season, you just might get lucky.

Plaid

Rag & Bone, Theyskens’ Theory, Karen Walker, Chris Benz
Whether you go the Scottish heritage or the grunge route, plaid is back, baby. I kind of love the Theyskens’ Theory look with the red pants (also see Saturated Separates), maybe because it taps into my Pacific Northwest grunge-era nostalgia. Plaid skirts are a pretty sure secondhand bet, as are plaid suit separates.
Animal Print

Marc by Marc Jacobs, Chloé, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Junya Watanabe
Snakeskin is supposedly the new leopard, but I don’t think leopard print is really going anywhere. Look for both at thrift stores, especially in the form of accessories and silky old-lady blouses. Or if you come across a giant leopard-print fur coat, by all means buy it and wear it for an Abominable-Snowman-goes-to-the-jungle look.
Polkadots

Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg
My personal obsession with polkadots notwithstanding, spots are predicted to be a big trend this year due to their liberal designer usage. The majority of my own polkadot collection has come from thrift stores (or projects), so happy hunting!

All photos are from Style.com.