- Incoming Democratic Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri has taken to Twitter to open up about what she describes as the "expensive" reality of dressing the part to serve on Capitol Hill.
- Bush tweeted on Tuesday that she's building her congressional wardrobe using thrifted clothes, which inspired other lawmakers to share their affordable fashion tips.
- Fashion designer Christian Siriano even chimed in, offering to help Bush with her congressional wardrobe in some capacity.
- Bush has since shared videos of her thrifted finds and pictures that show her sifting through clothing racks.
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Incoming Democratic Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri has detailed on Twitter what she describes as the "expensive" reality of dressing the part to serve on Capitol Hill — and how she's building her congressional wardrobe with thrifted finds.
The newly elected representative, who is undergoing orientation as a freshman member of the 117th Congress, is documenting her shopping expeditions for her supporters and followers on social media. On November 11, she shared a series of videos of thrifted pieces she's found.
One day earlier, Bush tweeted about her decision to build her congressional wardrobe using thrifted fashion. Her message garnered attention from fellow lawmakers and political candidates, who offered advice for how they style themselves on a budget.
"The reality of being a regular person going to Congress is that it's really expensive to get the business clothes I need for the Hill," Bush tweeted. "So I'm going thrift shopping tomorrow. Should I do a fashion show?"
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was one of many lawmakers to offer guidance to Bush. Ocasio-Cortez suggested practicing "patience" and creating a "capsule wardrobe," or seasonal collections of easily interchangeable pieces.
Ocasio-Cortez has been vocal about thrifting and using clothing rental services to build her own Capitol Hill wardrobe, and about the reality that many lawmakers and political figures are loaned higher-end clothes for magazine photo shoots and media appearances.
Pam Keith, who ran in the 2020 election as a Democratic nominee to represent Florida's 18th district, seemed to echo Ocasio-Cortez's tip to lean on rental services. Keith said she uses Rent the Runway to add variety to her wardrobe.
Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan told Bush that she gets "the most compliments" on her thrifted outfits.
Bush's tweet and Tlaib's response caught the attention of a New Zealand lawmaker, Marama Davidson, who said that she wore a thrifted suit on the nation's election night.
Democratic Rep. Grace Meng of New York shared a recommendation with Bush for a Washington, DC-based consignment shop.
Fashion designer and former "Project Runway" winner Christian Siriano also chimed in, telling Bush he is "happy to help."
Like Bush and many of her congressional colleagues, shoppers — particularly Gen-Z consumers, according to a report from the online thrifting company ThredUp — are gradually leaning into thrifting and rental services as a more sustainable and oftentimes budget-friendly way of building a wardrobe.
ThredUp's 2020 report predicts that the resale market will nearly double in size, and be worth more than the fast fashion industry, by 2029.
Bush wrote on Twitter on Wednesday that she didn't want to show off all of her thrifted clothes so as not to spoil the outfits she'll wear starting in January at the start of her term. But until then, it seems she'll continue to show off her shopping journey to show that "Thrifted IS congressional."
Representatives for Christian Siriano did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
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