Blog: Crossroads Style

Sporty chic style seems effortless when it’s done right. It’s a trend we’ve included in our current selling guide, and one that can be pulled together with pieces like your favorite leggings and a perfectly-oversized blazer.

Although you don’t need many pieces to achieve the look, you can mix them together for countless outfits. Here are 7 that caught our eye.

1. Monochrome

Go for one color to make dressing easy and to increase the chic factor. This works exceptionally well with black pieces.

2. Top it Off with a Cap

Throw on a cap to shake the business feel from your button-downs and structured handbags.

3. With a Unitard

Start with a great sport basic like a unitard and simply layer from there. This look has hints of another trend we love: ballet fashion.

4. Add a Sweatshirt

Layer a sweatshirt under a long trench or wool coat, and you’ve added a touch of polish to a comfy piece.

5. Start with a Sports Tee

Sports shirts have great fits, so pair them with your ‘fit.

6. Mix it Up with a Crop Top

Swap out a blouse or t-shirt with a crop top to easily add a sporty vibe.

7. Bring in a Bomber

An oversized bomber over sleek leggings or bike shorts makes for a great contrast.

Try a sporty chic style look this spring, and stop into any of our store locations if you’re looking for fun pieces to build it. Even better, benefit from your recent spring clean by bringing in your pre-loved clothing to sell for cash or store credit.

As part of our Staff Style Spotlight series, meet Maddie, a Lead Cashier at Crossroads. We asked Chicago employees to bring their style and star in our latest photoshoot wearing their Crossroads finds. Read about Maddie’s personal style, favorite Crossroads finds, and favorite thing about working at Crossroads.

Tell us about your favorite Crossroads find.

This is a tough one. I’d have to say my black Buffalo chunky sneakers. I always get compliments on them. Or my saddle shoe Dr. Martens. I can’t pick…

What are you dying to see come into your Crossroads store?

Right now I’d love a nice chunky pair of rainboots. Ankle-high preferably.

What are your favorite spring trends?

Pastels or anything crochet!

How would you describe your personal style?

My personal style is boho chic/mid-1960s, with inspiration from Audry Hepburn.

What is your favorite thing about working at Crossroads?

My coworkers. We are really like a family. I have so many great laughs with them. It makes going to work so joyful.

Top tips for selling at Crossroads?

Ask questions! Look at our selling guide as inspiration more than trying to find an exact item for each thing listed.

Thanks for the Staff Style Spotlight, Maddie! As a Lead Cashier, Maddie has the exciting job of creating an aesthetically appealing environment that welcomes all customers, assisting customers throughout the store, and handling all sales-related tasks. Does this sound like something you would be interested in? Join our team! Check out our Careers page to learn more about working at Crossroads.

Celeste of @_celestemunoz has a go-to Instagram feed to follow for fashion inspiration, especially if you love seeing looks that incorporate secondhand finds. We reached out to ask more about her personal style and how she started shopping for secondhand fashion. Read on to learn more about Celeste.

Hi, Celeste! Please tell us a little about yourself.

Hi! I am 27 and have been living in New York City for 9 years. I work in fashion merchandising and do social media and content creation on the side. An avid coffee drinker and thrifter, I’m also obsessed with hot yoga and pilates.

It’s great that you incorporate secondhand fashion into your wardrobe. Tell us how you started thrifting.

I have been into thrifting since I was a kid! I always loved vintage and was obsessed with the history of fashion trends. It may have started when I began watching That 70s Show. It inspired me so much in middle school and lead me to start learning about what garment details were telling signs of the decades they were made in. Now, my POV on thrifting has changed into wanting to consume less fast fashion and knowing that since trends are cyclical, you can always thrift the original piece instead of buying it at Zara. Often times vintage is better quality anyway.

What was your best secondhand fashion find ever?

SO MANY! My favorites are my Burberry Trench Coat ($35) and my Gold Metallic Jean Paul Gaultier Skirt ($10).

You’re fresh off the heels of NYFW. What were your personal highlights?

I went to the I Like You after party, which was SO FUN! So many tiktokers were there, and the street style was so cool.

Spring is on the horizon! Which spring trends are you most excited about?

I am so excited for the return of bohemian style in a modern way. I’ve been super inspired by crochet paired back to tailored pieces, or voluminous silhouettes in linen-like materials.

Thank you, Celeste, for taking the time to tell us more about your personal style, and what spring trends you’re looking forward to.

As part of our Staff Style Spotlight series, meet Anusha, a Sales Associate at Crossroads. We asked Chicago employees to bring their style and star in our latest photoshoot wearing their Crossroads finds. Read about Anusha’s personal style, favorite Crossroads finds, and favorite thing about working at Crossroads.

Tell us about your favorite Crossroads find.

I found just the perfect vintage flared suede pants with a wide studded and tooled belt in the most complimentary tan ever; truly my favorite pair.

What are you dying to see come into your Crossroads store?

I hope to encounter some fun Roberto Cavalli pieces to make my wardrobe more playful and psychedelic.

What are your favorite spring trends?

I adore wedge sandals, knit tanks, caps, and dresses, pointelle, ruffles, ruching, high-low skirts, patterned stockings, denim sets, and varied sleeve-length layering.

How would you describe your personal style?

My style is a love letter to all I hold dear, from the ‘60s all the way to the ‘90s, through the synergy of other art forms, I can genuinely harness the practice of balance and explore the scales of gender. My clairvoyance comes through the way I amber eras giving way to nostalgic release, the most potent way to be present.

What is your favorite thing about working at Crossroads?

Crossroads is a safe space to host all our introspective journeys and foster sustainable cycles through our expression. Everyone visiting day to day manifests all they seek in what they can find and provide both to and from the community. To witness and aid in this appreciation for balance is blissful.

Top tips for selling at Crossroads?

Buying is a fluid yet reliable process as long as you remain integral to what you bring to us. With seasons, trends, and so many locations you will always find a time and place where your style will mesh. The whole process is for anyone and we are more than eager to tell you how it works so don’t fret about your first time, we’re here for you!

Thanks for the Staff Style Spotlight, Anusha! As a Sales Associate, Anusha assists customers on the sales floor, monitors the fitting rooms, and processes new merchandise for the floor all while providing great customer service. Does this sound like something you would be interested in? Join our team! Check out our Careers page to learn more about working at Crossroads.

Secondhand fashion shopping is one of our favorite activities, and the perks are pretty impressive.

First, the beneficial impact of buying secondhand is well-known. Whenever possible, we like to give an existing fashion piece a longer life rather than buying a new one.

Second, it’s undeniably fun. We compare it to a treasure hunt because you’ll never know what you’ll find on the racks. At Crossroads stores, for example, we buy clothing from the public all day every day, so our inventory is different every time you visit.

Finally, you can find really good clothing and accessories. Here are some of those perks:

Finding Designer Pieces at Discount

We’d wear this secondhand Gucci belt with everything.

Gucci Belt, $275

Shopping Unique Pieces

No cookie cutter fashion here: you’ll find pieces as unique as your personal style.

Psychic Outlaw Jacket, $55

Loewe Paula’s Ibiza Flamenco Knot Bag, $550

Getting The Pieces You Missed Last Time Around

Missed the last fashion collaboration when everything sold out? Not to worry – you’ll eventually find it secondhand.

Alexander Wang x H&M, $32.50

Finding Nostalgic Pieces

This is a major treasure hunt find, finding a piece you owned years ago, or a tee to a concert you once saw.

Assorted T-Shirts, prices vary.

Getting Sporty

If you love a sports team, you can increase your gameday picks by thrifting for pieces.

Buying Like-New Pieces Way Below Retail

You read that right. Even like-new pieces are discounted at secondhand, sometimes to only a third of their original retail price.

Nike Air Jordans, $95

What are you waiting for? Add some secondhand shopping to your weekend plans and get your hands on your “new” clothing favorites.