How to Shop Vintage Like a Fashion Editor: Our Tips

The idea of secondhand has often been dismissed by many due to the ease and certainty of the fast-fashion market. With the allure of free returns, the chance to shop multiple pieces (often in the dozens) and all-in-one delivery, many are put off by the thought of rifling through a rail or aimlessly scrolling on a resale app.

But today’s technology has rendered secondhand shopping a walk in the park, and now, with the click of a few buttons, you can have a unique piece arrive at your door within a few days thanks to the likes of Vinted, Vestiaire and Depop to name a few. These apps allow you to shop from the comfort of your own home and, in turn, allow you to do the same with your own unwanted pieces. Whilst I still encourage you to rifle through the rails of your local charity shop and support small businesses within the market stalls and shops, keep reading for tips, information and guidance from experts followed by beautiful pieces available to give a new life to your wardrobe.

My own relationship with vintage and secondhand roller-coasters up and down in waves. With a little patience, some absolute gems can be found amongst the heaving rails, and if you’re lucky, you can find personalised details from previous owners stitched into the fabrics too. I was the self-proclaimed champion of taking a pair of scissors to my own newly acquired pieces. I’d remove sleeves, shorten the hemlines and cinch in the waists of multiple dresses. One part-time job in a vintage shop had me tucked away with a sewing machine shortening every dress that came through their doors, thus maintaining Liverpool’s reputation as a micro-mini-loving city! I was a minimum wage–earning teenager with much to say in regards to print clashes and experimental scarf tying, and the more affordable prices allowed me to express myself without having to borrow money from my mum.

WHAT THE EXPERTS HAVE TO SAY:

As the widespread push for more sustainability within brands, households and businesses escalates, more are turning to vintage and secondhand clothing and accessories over fast-fashion alternatives. A spokesperson for Depop says, “Since our inception, our community has helped make circular fashion desirable and accessible to more people by making secondhand cool, lifting the stigma it was once attached to. A simple way to reduce the overall environmental impact of fashion is to reuse what already exists—displacing brand-new purchases with secondhand ones. Research shows that if, on average, a garment was worn twice as much, then lifecycle GHG emissions of the garment could be 44% lower.” A report conducted by the app in 2022 discovered that nine in 10 purchases made on Depop prevent the purchase of a brand-new item elsewhere.

Bella Hadid is a huge vintage fan and flaunts her finds regularly. Jackets are her forte.

Over the last few years, the major apps have gained momentum. Vinted has seen its 1.2 million registered users in the UK in 2021 rise to 16 million today. Natacha Blanchard, the consumer lead at Vinted says, “Our recently published Climate Impact Report showed that shopping secondhand on Vinted really is a better choice for the climate than buying new. Secondhand actually is the first choice for many people, as the report also found that a fifth of Vinted members would still choose to buy a secondhand item over new, even at a similar price. Therefore, we believe that secondhand, as part of the circular economy model, can be one part of the solution to the challenges faced by the fashion industry in terms of impact on the climate, even if it’s not the whole or only solution.”