The last day of #SecondhandSeptember has me in a reflective mood.
I started seriously secondhand shopping in the early 90s, because I was skint, had debts and couldn’t afford to buy new.
The find that sticks with me from that period was an M&S navy calf-length wool coat with a fake fur collar.
£5 was a lot back then, but that coat kept me cosy on so many dark winter commutes. Huddled on the exposed train station platform, feeling like I was wearing a blanket, yet smart enough for work.
I cleared the debts and forgot about secondhand shopping. I got a promotion that brought me more money, but also needed a business wardrobe of suits and so on. Next and Dorothy Perkins got my money for years.
A chance find of a Desigual t-shirt in an online outlet store in the early 00s introduced me to clothes I really liked. Apart from their price tags. And then not long after I was walking by my local BHF shop when I spotted what just had to be a Desigual t in the window. For £2.99.
That was my hook back into secondhand shopping.
I’d also reached a point where I had enough (too many) clothes, so didn’t need specific things other than keeping the work wardrobe refreshed.
I left the corporate world in March, cleared out most of the business wear, and have been working to build a wardrobe filled only with things I love to wear.
There’s no rush: I can wait for the serendipitous discoveries that are part of the joy of secondhand shopping. It’ll be #SecondhandFirst for me.
@shezza_t I worry about the impact that fast fashion has on secondhand shopping. A lot of clothing doesn’t seem to last as long now, because it’s being made to a lower price point. If it doesn’t last for the first owner, it’s not going to make it to the second owner. People are buying for quantity of clothing now and not so much the quality!
Though I exist in combat shorts, and band/software company t-shirts, so I’m probably not qualified to even think about fashion 🙂
@seanddotmedotuk @mo @shezza_t I dunno about anyone else but it brought this to my mind... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dULOjT9GYdQ
@OpinionatedGeek @mo @shezza_t Yes, laziness and seeing clothes shopping as a "task" rather than an "activity" may increase the longevity of my clothing, I guess.
@seanddotmedotuk @mo @shezza_t Heh, it wasn't the laziness, or the grump at other people, it was just the old dressing gown and not worrying what others thought that reminded me of that video.
@OpinionatedGeek @mo @shezza_t Ahhh! Now in my M&S trousers and t-shirt and about to head out for a Thai lunch!
@seanddotmedotuk Totally! I hold on to the clothes I love until they’re worn out, often through a couple of repairs.
I’ve just hung up a load of washing that had a t-shirt in it bought on my first trip to Barcelona in 2004. And I still have and wear the Ghostbusters tee I bought when the original film came out.
@mo It’s a valid point. My last charity shop visit was also the first time I ever noticed multiple Shein items on the rails. I like being able to buy quality brands at secondhand prices, and their fast fashion items didn’t feel like they’d hold up to long term wear.
As a mainly jeans and tops person, I think all types of clothes can be built both to last and feel comfy :)
@mo @shezza_t Similarly, most of my clothes are closer to being a decade old than being new. (Currently in a dressing gown that is over two decades old)
Can this now be spun as being eco-friendly rather than scruffy?