Though it’s inherently understood, many of us Portlanders also forget that the sky is indeed blue, and not “soul-crushing grey.” I’m seeing more and more casual bikers drag their rustpiles out of their sheds and crawl up the hill outside my house at 0.33 MPH while their legs spin at 4400 RPM.

Summer is upon us, and because of that, the scramble for new clothes is on. Because the sun makes people want to be out and about, the scramble for clothes that nobody else wears follows suit accordingly.

But, here in Portland, arguably the best city on the planet, how does one stay ahead of the trust-funded tofurky-addled curve? Easy. We’ll start with the basics:

1. Bottoms. If you’re a woman, there’s no getting around it: jeans are fucking expensive. You’re going to pay a lot for them. Summer isn’t technically the time for them, but jeans are a classic maneuver. Your best bet is to buy them secondhand, obviously, but what you’ll want to do is dye them. Since precise dye addition can never ever be accurately replicated, breaking the denim’s wash down and re-dying them can really set you apart from the rest. If you’re looking for a skirt, an A-line in the summer can be really great, as long as the color is bright and only slightly matches the rest. For you dudes out there, gaudy ’80s swim trunks are still “in,” but vintage basketball shorts are coming back strong. If you need jeans, you can get them at the bins. Vintage 501s never go out of style, and every resale shop charges too much. Dye ’em, too.
2. Tops. You could do worse than a sweet vintage t-shirt, and since thrift shops stock seemingly-exclusive one-off designs, this seems like a great deal. However, in Portland, the hip are on the prowl for such items. Wednesdays are the best days to hit up thrifts (Don’t ask me; it’s just like that, okay?). However, if the thrill of the hunt doesn’t interest you, there are two stores that stock the kind of threadbare stuff that embodies summerwear. One is Magpie on SW 9th. The other is—gasp—the American Apparel on West Burnside. They have very reasonably priced authentic vintage t-shirts now, some of them 95 percent transparent. Perfect.
3. Accessories. This will honestly make or break your look. Those goofy grandma shades are OUT; they are nearly functionless and make you look like a fifth-rate strung out Jackie O. Vintage Cazal glasses are the new thing, I’m calling it right now. Bangles are also back. Bandanas around the neck are out, and if I catch anyone wearing a keffiyeh during the summer, they’re getting shoved into traffic.

In short, the easiest way to deviate from the pack is to shop at stores less traveled, but that can get tedious and boring. If you want to not look like everyone, you have to make your own action. If this means dying stuff, so be it. Work a little. Nobody else seems to want to.