Wow, you perfectly articulated lots of my feelings about shopping second hand. The thrill of unique pieces and the "pass" I give myself because it's less expensive and slightly more sustainable to buy a resale garment. It's a double edged sword for sure, something I've been doing way too much of these days.
It's a blessing/curse to have knowledge of fabrics, construction, quality, etc. I often jump on a piece I really don't need at all but wind up thinking I "have" to buy because most clothes (even from higher end brands) are made so poorly these days and I need to buy this or that because "I'll never find quality like this again". I often give a deep sigh of wistfulness when I see beautiful fabrics, linings, finishes and deep skirt hems that can be let out (I'm tall).
Agree it's a double-edged sword to be able to spot quality or good design -- I've definitely had to restrain myself from buying a vintage trench coat for no reason other than it was so nicely made and seemed made for me size-wise. I think this is what I appreciate about all the content out there telling you to develop your personal style; it's actually a useful shopping filter!
I love this post and can greatly relate to both the joys and the pitfalls of second hand shopping. I've been over-doing it recently, I've accumulated so many nice pieces, and I now have to stop myself from going to the shops as often as I have. Just this week I found three (!) Miyake tops and I wanted to buy them all, and it was so hard to walk away. But I did.
I love your new Dries jacket -- what a treasure. And the beaded bag is lovely, too. It will bring an interesting texture to every outfit.
Good on you! I think it is easy for me to walk away from relatively "normal" things like a nice jumper but it must be so hard to walk away from truly one of a kind things, even if one already has a closet full of already amazing pieces. I've been trying to play "dress-up" with my clothes more, just to keep finding freshness and interest in things I already have.
Your little tailored waistcoat rings my bell ! I’ve looked for one for years without luck. My platonic version is white cotton, textured pique in front, muslin at the back, with a tailored lapel, maybe part of a stylish gent’s summer ensemble in the Belle Epoque. I’ll find a beauty from time to time, but irreparably torn or stained or both. It’s the first thing (only thing really) I’ll look for on the men’s rack in a good vintage shop. How do you plan to wear yours ?
I’m more successful with other stuff - furniture (most of ours is either old or made-to-order), books and other media, even my diamonds are old ! I buy used clothes across all price points and ages - charity shops, designer consignment, auctions, early 20th century, last year’s high street. If I’m being completely honest, I especially enjoy the shopping aspect - truffling through a lot of stuff (many great shops are controlled chaos inventory-wise), comparing and selecting, feeding my interest in style, history, materials, finishes and so on, all the while being kept in check by the very high bar for any actual buying (great product in good-enough condition in the right size and at the right price).
I’ve never bought online though - too hard to gauge condition and fit - and the whole business of shipping used garments to and fro seems to negate the benefit recycling what’s already in place locally.
Annoyingly I found that the armholes of the waistcoat are a little small for some of my sleeved tops so I’m not able to wear it until the weather warms up, when I can wear it on its own as a top; it looks good with some trousers, or open over a sleeveless dress. (I may eventually alter the armholes to make a bit of room.) I love that it’s double-breasted -- a little fussier than what I normally wear but it works!
I much prefer shopping in person too; shopping online is more like an additional resource when I’m looking for a very specific piece, and I’d like to keep it as a back up plan rather than my go-to.
Wow, you perfectly articulated lots of my feelings about shopping second hand. The thrill of unique pieces and the "pass" I give myself because it's less expensive and slightly more sustainable to buy a resale garment. It's a double edged sword for sure, something I've been doing way too much of these days.
It's a blessing/curse to have knowledge of fabrics, construction, quality, etc. I often jump on a piece I really don't need at all but wind up thinking I "have" to buy because most clothes (even from higher end brands) are made so poorly these days and I need to buy this or that because "I'll never find quality like this again". I often give a deep sigh of wistfulness when I see beautiful fabrics, linings, finishes and deep skirt hems that can be let out (I'm tall).
Agree it's a double-edged sword to be able to spot quality or good design -- I've definitely had to restrain myself from buying a vintage trench coat for no reason other than it was so nicely made and seemed made for me size-wise. I think this is what I appreciate about all the content out there telling you to develop your personal style; it's actually a useful shopping filter!
I love this post and can greatly relate to both the joys and the pitfalls of second hand shopping. I've been over-doing it recently, I've accumulated so many nice pieces, and I now have to stop myself from going to the shops as often as I have. Just this week I found three (!) Miyake tops and I wanted to buy them all, and it was so hard to walk away. But I did.
I love your new Dries jacket -- what a treasure. And the beaded bag is lovely, too. It will bring an interesting texture to every outfit.
Good on you! I think it is easy for me to walk away from relatively "normal" things like a nice jumper but it must be so hard to walk away from truly one of a kind things, even if one already has a closet full of already amazing pieces. I've been trying to play "dress-up" with my clothes more, just to keep finding freshness and interest in things I already have.
Your little tailored waistcoat rings my bell ! I’ve looked for one for years without luck. My platonic version is white cotton, textured pique in front, muslin at the back, with a tailored lapel, maybe part of a stylish gent’s summer ensemble in the Belle Epoque. I’ll find a beauty from time to time, but irreparably torn or stained or both. It’s the first thing (only thing really) I’ll look for on the men’s rack in a good vintage shop. How do you plan to wear yours ?
I’m more successful with other stuff - furniture (most of ours is either old or made-to-order), books and other media, even my diamonds are old ! I buy used clothes across all price points and ages - charity shops, designer consignment, auctions, early 20th century, last year’s high street. If I’m being completely honest, I especially enjoy the shopping aspect - truffling through a lot of stuff (many great shops are controlled chaos inventory-wise), comparing and selecting, feeding my interest in style, history, materials, finishes and so on, all the while being kept in check by the very high bar for any actual buying (great product in good-enough condition in the right size and at the right price).
I’ve never bought online though - too hard to gauge condition and fit - and the whole business of shipping used garments to and fro seems to negate the benefit recycling what’s already in place locally.
Annoyingly I found that the armholes of the waistcoat are a little small for some of my sleeved tops so I’m not able to wear it until the weather warms up, when I can wear it on its own as a top; it looks good with some trousers, or open over a sleeveless dress. (I may eventually alter the armholes to make a bit of room.) I love that it’s double-breasted -- a little fussier than what I normally wear but it works!
I much prefer shopping in person too; shopping online is more like an additional resource when I’m looking for a very specific piece, and I’d like to keep it as a back up plan rather than my go-to.