The Second Hand Salvation
It's a hunt, but it's worth it. My tip: physically go there and do it. Here's why.
When the Hot or Cool Institute did its calculations about the amount of new clothes we could afford to buy a year, they were opaque about whether that number included second hand. They only said a minimum of 20% of your wardrobe should be second hand, meaning they are all for the circular economy.
Rule of 5: How It Works. For those new to this community, here is a brief description about what it is and how you can get involved
It’s just, they explained afterwards, they didn’t want to encourage the continuation of rampant consumption - if we all cut our new purchases to 5 and went crazy on Vestiaire and The Real Real, well, things wouldn’t change much. Lauren Indvik, fashion editor of the Financial Times called it: when she joined the Rule of Five in February, she said she was going to allow herself 5 new and 4 second hand pieces.
And thank God for that. Because while I have managed to limit my new purchases this year to two pieces (so far), I suddenly needed a hat. And a pair of flat shoes. I am off to Ibiza for the summer, and hats are health and safety out there. In previous years I have picked up cheap €25 ones but surprise surprise they never last long - squished, lost, discarded. Because they felt disposable, they were. And although an old pair of flip flops is going to come in useful, running around on a fashion shop floor (I co-run a store at Six Senses Ibiza), I need something comfortable but also smart. The biodegradable Ibiza shoe brand Of Origin was my fix two years ago, but they timed out at the end of last summer - stretched and frayed they were ready for compost. Time to pull out the 4 second hand Get Out Of Jail Free cards.
I started shopping online. First stop was HEWI, where there is a wealth of knock down designer goods bought by over zealous shoppers - many still with the price tags on. It seems crazy all this stuff was bought with so little care it wasn’t even worn once. I spent several hours (tab open on my browser all day) filling up my basket. Several times over. It was dangerous - I could have bought so much. But how could I know if the hat would fit me? There’s no returns on second hand.
Vestiaire was the same but actually very quickly I got bored of the hunt when all the pictures are so crap and there is just so much of it to wade through. I went to Reluxe Fashion where stylist Clare Richardson has a tighter edit, but - no hats.
I realised that I was going to have to go to a physical shop, to try something on. Only then could my choice be considered and careful. Which taught me a lesson I had long suspected - ecom has been so responsible for fuelling our over consumption. It’s just too easy to shop too much online, not to mention the carbon footprint of ill thought out returns. I’m not sure I can recommend online shopping at all as a sustainable practise.
But a well curated charity store is a rare thing, especially if you are looking for something very specific - a chic fedora you can wear all day. I’m lucky I live in London, and a quick shout out on the Substack thread revealed that Crisis, Archway and Mary’s Living and Giving, Highgate were two treasure troves.
But I had a meeting in Chelsea, and I remembered from my 90s days down there (when I wasn’t in Joseph Brompton Cross or falling out of Poo Na Na), that Sign of the Times was a doozy. Located just off the Kings Road, it was bought from the founder by Antonia Timpany just before the pandemic. Lockdown forced her online, but did not dent the wealth of beautiful clothes her Chelsea clientele turn in. Open again, her store is still teeming with treasures.
Less of this product still has the label in - many of the clothes look as if they have been worn a few times, but not beyond a season. And then there are some exquisite pieces from years back - Comme des Garçons, old Celine, Ghost. It was like walking through fashion history. And there is an impressive stock of Chanel and Hermes handbags if you fancy taking your chance on an investment, (although Antonia tells me Birkins are not as popular as they once were - everyone is after the Kelly these days). The prices aren’t cheap - this is the luxury end of the second hand market - but a lot cheaper than they would be new.
Oh the joy of allowing myself in a shop again! I gathered armfuls of clothes (there was a good haul of Ulla Johnson which is very Ibiza friendly) and had a ball in the tiny changing room trying it all on. I could have bought four or five pieces, and really wrestled with this outfit:
But I was good. I realised I had already bought a white shirt this year. How many white tops does a girl need? And I already have a leopard print Ulla Johnson skirt - do I really need another? But this one was so nice… but no. We can’t afford to make those choices these days. It was heartbreaking leaving it behind.
Amazingly, for such a small store, there was a hat. And amazingly, it fitted me. It was a no brainer: a Maison Michel bottle green panama. To save me burning my nose, and I’m going to wear it all summer. It was pricey (£100) which is a lot for second hand, but this means it is certainly not disposable.
I walked out of the store with a high I haven’t experienced in so long. Giddy from shopping and the thrill of the (almost) new! I called my husband in the middle of an important meeting because I had to tell someone all about it. I don’t think he understood. But I did. The thrill of the chase! Of finding what you need and it’s just as beautiful as you imagined it!
The shoes I was less lucky on, so I trotted off to the plane in an old pair of Acne block heel sandals, wondering if they would do the job. But that’s the next bulletin.
What’s your second hand tips? Any stores you can recommend? And do you think I’m right about shopping online?
Until the next time,
Tiff
In my Its Not Sustainable Substack this week I will be discussing over consumption, and how the UN and the EU have woken up to the problem. Out Tuesday: sign up here to get the stack.
If you would like updates on the progress of this Rule of 5 campaign, my coping strategies, successes and failures, you can subscribe here.
This is a really good column, the online shopping thing is bizarre, I never got used to people buying loads and sending it back. I never understood the epic kerfuffle, easier to go to a shop, a shop with a fantastic edit by a buyer with fantastic style. Buying second hand on line though can be super rewarding, or perhaps I am just a junkie for that x
I use Vinted. I sell lots on there and have bought as much as I can for the children and one of my 4 allowed pieces on there. It is shocking how many items still have labels or are declared as being worn for only a few hrs or a few times. No one appreciates the clothes they buy these days and absolutely apps and online retail as well as social media is so responsible for our thoughtless behaviour. I mean just think of those influencers who change over their whole wardrobe each season and their children too