If you’re like me, you’ve scoured the clearance rack at your favorite stores to find unique pieces of clothing for a reasonable price. Before quarantine, I remember celebrating finding a long suede blouse at Forever 21 that I could wear to add some Renaissance Festival vibes to my everyday wardrobe.

But these finds are few and far between–not to mention the human and environmental impact that fast fashion companies like Forever 21 have.

To my delight, I’ve found that the e-commerce marketplace Etsy actually has an incredible selection of fantasy-esque clothes! In the past, I’d always thought of Etsy as a place for smaller crafts, stationary, and jewelry rather than as a place to build a wardrobe. But I found dozens and dozens of stores with gorgeous handmade clothing items that fit my aesthetic, and they weren’t nearly as expensive as I thought they’d be!

Nowadays, Etsy is one of my favorite places to shop. While these items are more expensive than Forever 21 or the like, you’re getting clothes you wouldn’t find anywhere else, and you’re paying for the work of individual creators who don’t rely on sweatshop labor–which certainly helps me justify a higher cost.

In the coming weeks and months, I’ll be featuring individual stores, sharing my favorite products and why I love them. In the meantime, check out some of my fave bookmarked stores below:

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