Dagg & Stacey Ripley Pullover | secondhand, via SLOWRE
Rag & Bone/JEAN capri jeans | secondhand, from a friend
Birkenstock Arizona sandals
Admonish custom leather bag
I’ve never really been good at secondhand shopping. We never did it growing up, which is how a lot of people get their “thrifting” skills I think. We shopped at Loehmann’s, TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, and Jacobsen’s on sale, so we were definitely sale/discount shoppers, although my mother believed in sticking with brands that worked for her and buying those at a discount when possible, but full-price if necessary. Her brand was always Liz Claiborne petites. Mine is, of course, James Perse.
When my friends in Austin and I had our vintage/secondhand pop-up shop, I tried my hand at thrifting and secondhand shopping, sometimes doing well at the moment, but after all my closet clean-out iterations, I have 0 of the items I “thrifted” or bought secondhand left. Zero. And I always found the whole process to be really overwhelming and not fun at all.
So now that I have SLOWRE, I’m not so much shopping secondhand as having it delivered to me! I actually make it a point to not purchase things that come through for the shop because I don’t see that as fair, somehow, but this Dagg & Stacey top has a minor stain on it that wouldn’t come out, so I couldn’t sell it, and bought it for myself. It’s usually reserved for at home wear, but yesterday I ended up wearing it to run a couple of errands.
Part of what I’m trying to create with SLOWRE is a curated shopping experience, one that I would personally feel comfortable shopping – somewhere I don’t have to work so hard to find just the right thing. I don’t mind the hunt, because I love not knowing what treasure I’m going to find, but it has to be at the right place – I don’t like to sort through too much crap to find the good stuff. I don’t want to be the next Poshmark or The Real Real, I just want to be SLOWRE: a marketplace for pre-loved, thoughtfully created, more responsible clothing, shoes & accessories for women.
Do you shop secondhand? How often? How does it turn out for you? is most of your wardrobe secondhand? Do you then sell secondhand as well? (if you’re looking to unload any more thoughtfully produced clothing, shoes or accessories, please do consider SLOWRE for your consignment needs!!)
I love thrift stores & estate sales (not so much online – I’ve never bought clothing on ebay etc) I started when I was young – not from my mom, really, but from friends. I go through phases – sometimes I’m actively looking and other times it’s a “well, I was in the neighborhood” decision. I love to thrift shop when I travel as style is so regional and I like to find different things. Some of the items I’ve kept the longest have come from thrifting or estate sales (pristine cream cashmere trench coat circa 1967? Check!) but I wouldn’t say a large portion of my wardrobe is thrifted. It’s also been a good option when losing (or, sadly, gaining) weight to get me through. Black pants, a couple cardigans & tees and I can make it through a work week (I have LOTS of scarves 😉
I love thrifting — both buying and selling. I will always try to get something second-hand first, and will buy new if I absolutely have to — Cashmere is usually the thing I ALWAYS buy secondhand though (or at least try to). I have some great Goodwill and Vintage shop finds, but I do tend to get in more trouble with impulse purchases that way, too…
I really dig that top! I wish I could thrift shop, but I just can’t. Really, there are two reasons. First, I’m a hella lazy shopper. Digging and sifting through a million things to MAYBE find one good thing is not fun for me. Second, just like in regular stores, there is a much smaller plus size selection than straight sizes. So there’s even less of a chance of finding anything good. I stick to shopping online and in a few stores. I embrace my lazy shopping ways!
I’ll do ebay for certain pieces by brands that I know will fit me, but that’s as far as my thrifting impulse goes. I tend to wear them a LOT if they are things I’ve really been searching for. But I’ve made some bad buys, too. I’m like Cathy…I just don’t have the patience to sift through the bad stuff to get to the good, nor do I have easy access to a shop that I can hit regularly.
I love the way that top looks on you. What’s the fabric?
cotton/poly blend, it’s a good lightweight fleece 🙂
I’ve had much better luck with buying second hand items in a physical store than online. My current wardrobe includes three pairs of jeans, five tops and two pairs of shoes that are all second hand. They’re all worn often except for the shoes (both of which were bought online, hmmm).
I started thrifting about five years ago when I was losing significant weight and it was the only way to afford work clothes while dropping sizes regularly over 16 months. I continue to thrift from time to time, less out of necessity now than for the thrill of occasionally snagging an amazing deal, as sometimes happens. I don’t buy second hand pants due to the squidge factor, shoes mostly the same (except picked up a pair of pristine Robert Clergerie with box for $25 last month!). Have definitely made some misbuys, but I wear regularly a number of favorite thrifted jackets, dresses, skirts, and coats. Have sold some clothes at consignment shops. I wish thrift/consignment shops had even a short return policy but in my area no returns are the norm. I’m wary of online clothes shopping. I prefer to feel the fabric, and see how a garment fits me. But I have been tempted to buy at Slowre and may bite the bullet one of these days!
I buy and sell secondhand. I’ve sold on posh and on eBay. Jeans are great when I’m experiencing weight transition (in the process of losing weight or have gained unintentionally), BF styles better than skinnies. Skinnies generally need to be bought full price. I know generally which brands and styles work for me. I’m much more discriminating now when buying secondhand on posh as there are no returns. People are buying outlet than listing the comparable price as the retail and trying to sell high. That’s not a deal especially if it ends up not fitting properly. I prefer to buy from people like me, those who buy at dept or brand stores and who are now just cleaning their closet out. Not someone who shops at outlets and is trying to make a profit from that. Buying online successfully means knowing all your measurements and the measurements of the garment (shoulder to shoulder, waistband, front rise, back rise, shoulder seam to wrist, underarm to underarm, etc) and how much stretch is in the fabric. Vintage isn’t that great in Hawaii but I see amazing things on the mainland, rarely in my size. So I think if I lived on the mainland I’d buy more from vintage shops and dealers.