Rachel Comey Steer jeans
No6 Clogs
Lauren Manoogian Alpaca sweater | sold out
I wore this on Monday, when it was sunny and in the mid-50’s. Today, it is about 12 degrees, so I will not be leaving the house LOL. Honestly, though, I have worn this sweater the last three days also at home, because it’s nice and warm. Contrary to what I’ve read about alpaca though, it is definitely pilling under the arms, and where the sleeves rub against the body of the sweater.
That doesn’t really bother me though, I don’t mind pilling, and I will just use my Lily brush to brush them away. Speaking of that, I got a couple of Organic by John Patrick sweaters into Slowre with quite a bit of pilling, and I feel great about reselling them. I brushed the pills off gently, and priced them accordingly, but they are great sweaters and have tons of life left.
I also wrote on Slowre’s instagram account about “flawed” items that I accept and resell. Like this Lina Renell cashmere sweater that has a VERY SMALL hole at the shoulder. It is a relatively easy repair, should the buyer wish to repair it, or not. I have a sweater with a hole in it, and a cashmere scarf with LOTS of holes, and I kind of enjoy leaving the holes as is. For some character 🙂
I like my clothes, bags and shoes to look WORN now. Not falling apart, but there’s nothing wrong with having clothes that look like you actually WEAR them, sweaters that are pilling, linen that’s wrinkled. There’s a story behind clothes like that. Interest.
I try to resell mostly items that are in excellent pre-loved condition – with no flaws or many signs of wear – but I don’t feel right about not giving certain other items a chance to have a new home. I would buy any of those items in a heartbeat if I needed them. In fact, I was/am SOOOOO tempted by the Organic sweaters, but try not to keep things that come through slowre for myself….
How do you feel about buying pre-loved items that are in less than perfect condition?
Pilling has never really bothered me, I just saw it as a thing that happens. I don’t I’ve ever owned a knit top that hasn’t pilled in some way. I also don’t mind a teensy hole, but I think what I do mind is stains. Stains just look unsightly to me. I really really hate those mysterious oily spot stains that my clothes sometimes get – probably from the washer or dryer? – they just ruin a top for me.
I can’t really handle wrinkled linen though. It looks fine on other people, but I’m convinced that I look like Queen Frump when wearing linen. I’ve never been able to find any linen pieces that I like the look of on me, and I’ve even sewn some of my own pieces with nicer quality linen.
I will never get rid of anything cashmere – I literally wear it into a ground. A hole or two is okay for everyday wear but I demote others to house and bed wear. It’s pretty luscious to lounge in cashmere at home, after all!
i totally agree…my old inhabit cashmere cardigan that’s too big and bulky makes the most amazing robe 🙂
oh, i agree with you on stains. oil stains specifically, i don’t seem to mind others that much. but i’m getting better about that too…if i love the item, and it has a barely noticeable stain on it, i’ll wear it anyway.
with linen, i just love it, so can’t care how wrinkled i look 😉 that said, mid-weight linen, like my elizabeth suzann harper tunic and sunja link dress do NOT wrinkle like the super-lightweight, thin handkerchief linen by eileen fisher.
Agree with other commenters about stains, but if it’s smallish and not a giant eyesore I can get over it because, well, shit happens lol. In general as long as something is priced accordingly I think flaws and wear are fine. Nothing stays new forever. It’s just that someone ELSE is the one that wore the thing first.
Yes. Get that too! 😉 I used to really dislike “used” clothes because I didn’t like the idea of wearing anything anyone else had worn, but once I found pieces I wanted I didn’t care lol
I love this attitude!! I’m actually wearing my favorite pants right now, which have teeny little bleach spatters on them. I wouldn’t wear them to the office, if I had an office job, but they are fine for almost anything else. Shoes in particular have a real sweet spot when they’re all broken-in and molded to your foot. 100% cotton jeans, too. I have one sweater that feels too ratty to wear outside of the house, between pills and pinholes and pulled threads, but it was cheap to begin with, so I knew what I was getting into. I also have vintage knitwear that wears like iron, so I guess it all balances out.
I’ve bought a lot of used clothes over the past 4 months and it doesn’t bother me at all. (It’s the only way I can afford Yohji Yamamoto and designers of his ilk.) I actually have a post to write up this weekend about a hole in one of the items I got recently that I patched up!
I think holes are easier to deal with than stains. You can get creative with how you mend your clothes and stains… just stay there.
Mystery oil stains:
Do you use laundry pods? They can cause those stains, as can detergent residue. Rub a little Blue Dawn on the stain and wash normally.
I love buying secondhand because I can buy better things for less AND because it’s almost always an ethical and sustainable clothing option. I have had a good bit of luck with Poshmark. Haven’t tried ThredUp. I peruse Slowre often!
Agree with other posters that it’s a question of how much wear and whether the item’s price is appropriate. I don’t care about natural-fiber pilling, but stains and some holes are less appealing from a buying standpoint. I’m wearing an Everlane cashmere sweater that I packed up last pregnancy and rediscovered this fall with about four tiny moth holes. Sewed up three and couldn’t find the fourth until I wore it to work today! (Inconspicuous and near wrist cuff.) I’ll fix it soon.
I prefer secondhand if I can find it, because it’s usually the only way I’ll afford the brands and types of materials I lust after! Pretty much all of my ES items are pre-owned and it wasn’t until a post you did a few months ago that I realized that almost all of my items are pre-owned and found on Instagram, the Goodwill or vintage shops. I’ll buy things with rips, stains, pilling — only so long as I know how to get the stain out or make the necessary repairs. One of my shopping resolutions this year is to aim to buy less-than-perfect items and challenge myself to learn how to repair. I actually just bought a pair of FLAX linen pants on Ebay for $12 with the elastic stretched out, and I plan to have my grandmother show me how to replace the elastic in those pants. If I can do it, I’ll also repair the elastic on a pair of silk cropped wide leg pants I found at the Goodwill for $3. The way I see it, I’m getting the silhouettes of ES Linen Tilda’s and ES Florences for a total of $15, along with my own learning on how to care for my clothing. AND it’s a sustainable option. Win-win-win!
I don’t use the pods, I use All Free&Clear in the washer, and nothing in the dryer. I don’t like dryer sheets so I don’t ever use them. My husband uses them though. I think my issue is probably just an old washer and dryer that are in desperate need of a deep clean. 🙂 Thanks though!
I think about how much I actually wear the clothes I donate, and I probably only wear them a few times! So a second-hand clothing piece doesn’t really bother me since I think most people don’t wear them all that much before donating. Shoes however…unless they are in really pristine condition I’m a little grossed out by used shoes.
I started purchasing clothes off of eBay regularly about 5 years ago with good success. It works best for brands I know well or if the item’s dimensions are clearly listed (also a reflection of a good seller). Often times the items are barely, if at all, worn. I can sew and tailor my own clothes so that helps, but I rarely do anything beyond hemming or altering shoulder straps.
I remove pills as that just happens. It’s also pretty easy to pull snagged threads on knitwear through to the inside of the garment and then they are barely noticeable.
For stains and nice clothing, I’ve had really good luck with Laundress products. Their stain remover really does work well. I also use it to keep whites bright. I use both their delicates and wool detergent regularly, but sparingly as they are spendy. Regarding oily spots others have mentioned, I think a lot do come from the washer/dryer and they really bother to wear out of the house. We have really hard water and no softener so I usually add some vinegar to the wash water. I also don’t use dryer sheets, just some wool dryer balls. This has helped a lot.