Second Hand September!
A bit late to the party, but as summer is well and truly over now, in the Northern Hemisphere at least, I thought it time to put those shorts and summer dresses away for the winter! First, I wanted to share with you some of my very favourite second hand and vintage buys to encourage us all to carry on buying less new and more old to help do our bit for the planet. (According to Oxfam, 11 million items of clothing end up in landfill every week, and it’s totally unsustainable.) Disgusting really! Apart from what we’re doing to the planet, the money I’ve saved buying pieces that you will rarely see anywhere else (like my favourite shirt above) beggars belief! That’s why I buy vintage and pre-loved all the year round.
So, before I pack them all away, here are my favourite pre-loved & vintage summer dresses along with some details of where I found them, useful for our Antipodean cousins as they head into summer! The winter stuff is coming up.
The bad news is that Bangalow Market’s prices have gone way up over the last few years! I bought those amazing first two dresses 3 years ago and am sorry to report that on re-visiting the market this year (2019) found nothing vintage or a bargain. And the vintage store, in Mullumbimby, where I bought the 3rd dress, has sadly disappeared due to high rents. Tourism sucks! Still, wherever you go in the world, there are always pre-loved, vintage and op shops around. For me, all that rooting around markets and fairs is part of my holiday!
Now on to shirts and tops that can be worn all through the year to add a bit of colour during those long dark winter months. You will see Buffalo Exchange pop up a lot from now on. If you’re visiting the U.S anytime soon, they have branches all over the country so do have a look if you’re staying near one. I had the best pre-loved shop ever in the Portland branch!
Top Tip: I get to wear all these shirts through the winter by adding a vest underneath and a cardi on top! Also, Marks and Spencer do some amazing, thermal cashmere polo necks to pop under clothes. And cheap! (sorry, that’s new clothing but you can wait till October!) Click here.
And, talking of cardigans and jackets…..my favourite bargain buys have all been bought while I’ve been on holiday. So much more time to peruse those markets and pre-loved stores……….
I’m not very good in skirts, short body or short legs, haven’t worked out which! Most long skirts tend to make me look dumpy. But, as you can see, if they are mini - worn with thick tights - they can look great. Here are a couple of my favourites, both bought in Brighton for a change!
Before we get on to coats, here are a couple of examples of how I’ve managed to dress head to toe in pre-loved/vintage, apart from the shoes! The red Dorothy shoes were gifted to me by Mod Shoes and the white, extremely comfy zip up sneakers were from Fit Flop. I actually paid full price for those! You can see more styling videos on my You Tube Channel. Click here.
So, as we hurtle into Autumn as I write this, I have to share some amazing coats I’ve found at home and on my travels: all pre-loved, vintage or charity shop buys. And all found in the UK. Obviously, these are all more pricey buys (apart from the second hand yellow rain-proof coat) but two of these coats are pure vintage and you’ll be unlikely to find a new coat like either of these or priced so reasonably!
I do hope you’ve enjoyed a peak into my second hand wardrobe. My best advice for you would be to explore second hand shops, charity shops, op shops, markets and vintage fairs close to where you live. It’s fun! And it’s even more fun when you’re on holiday somewhere warm! You can then be sure to be wearing something that you probably won’t see anyone else wearing and you’ve done your bit to help the planet by not buying into fast fashion. If you love re-cycling your clothes as much as I do, I would love to hear from you and if you’re done Second Hand September, and bought nothing new, well done us!
If you want to see more on vintage and pre-loved shopping tips, click here.
