Every weekend as a teenager I would walk up and down my high-street going to second hand and vintage clothing stores. I’d be looking for an outfit for a party that night, some I could alter or just wanting to rummage through all the clothing!
As soon as I moved to the Netherlands, I began searching for stores that would replace my favourites back home. Then this year, when the pandemic hit and everything shut, my favourite pastime seemed no longer possible. That’s when I began diving into the world of online second hand and vintage clothing.
Here are some tips I have learnt along the way, that might help on your clothing journey!
Shop around.
If you have your eye on a specific thing for example a denim jacket, check out multiple sites and multiple styles. Buying second-hand clothing isn’t like going into Zara, so you need to be slightly flexible in what you want, whether that’s length or colour in order to guarantee you’ll find what you’re looking for.
Know your body.
Have measurements on hand of your inseam, outseam, chest, waist, hips, sleeve length. These should be in cm and also in inches. It may seem excessive but vintage pieces especially may be a different size to their label. This may be because of wear over time or the fact that the standardized sizing at the time it was made is different from what we use now. If measurements of the garment aren’t listed, feel free to ask for them or if it’s shown on a model ask the size and height of the model to help you gauge how it’ll look on you.
Look outside your Gender
If you’re struggling to find a jumper, jeans, t-shirts, shirt — whatever it may be and can’t find it why not take a look in the men’s or women’s section. I am 175cm/ 5ft 11 and I own a lot of men’s jumpers, jeans, t-shirts and shirts. I tend to look for a small or a medium and I often find that men’s jumpers are long enough in the arm for and that finding a 34inch leg jean is also easier! If you’re looking for an oversized coat, then the men’s section may also be great but remember to look at the measurements listed or ask for them.
Brands.
If you’re looking for a special name brand also being vintage, you have to be aware of that in your prices. Buying a label is always expensive but buying it vintage especially with the recent rise of Y2K has only led to an increase in demand. You also have to factor in that any designer item or label piece that is vintage is also rarer as it’s survived the wear and tear and all of the previous years.
Details
When looking to buy something, you want to have a look at the clothing tag to see if that wool jumper is actually 99% wool or if it’s 10% wool and 80% acrylic. This is especially important if you’re buying a pricey item or even a designer piece. Look at the buttons, a lot of designer pieces will have engraved buttons. Also, you want photos of every single tag or label on the clothing and of any serial number that comes with it. The lining of its trousers, a jacket or bag etc is also important. Brands often have a lining with their logo or name on it. If it’s a plain lining, there may be a reason! Lastly, take the information from that listing and copy and paste it into other websites and see if similar products are for sale. There’s probably going to be more than one of something and so if there isn’t that may be a reason to get suspicious. Lastly, if you’re splashing the cash, ask or look for a receipt or any proof of purchase furthermore; you can check with the original seller if that item was first sold by them.
Things I am always looking out for:
- Knitwear of any kind — especially if it’s a high percentage of wool, cashmere, angora, wool etc It’s often cheaper than new and comes in way more groovy colours and patterns
- Jeans- 100% cotton, no stretch — they last ages and there’s nothing else like them
- Leather — trousers, jackets, bags, you name it. I am a vegetarian but I buy and wear only second-hand leather. I want to continue the longevity of that animal product and wear it. Aside from leather, it is warm, durable and long-lasting so it’s worth the investment.
- Men’s shirts- i love wearing them over a t-shirt or bodysuit in the summer or a polo neck in the winter. They are often pretty cheap and can be worn as a subtle nod to the colour or pattern of the season. Lastly, there are plenty of DIY’s and up-cycles on how to transform them into cute two pieces.
Other things I’d recommend :
- Vintage swimsuits — I wouldn’t advise you to swim in them as the old lycra will probably fall apart once it hits the chlorine or salty water. However, they make cute bodysuits and can be found in all colours and styles.
- Bedding — there is a lot of 100% cotton bedding out there that is much cheaper than buying it new and some have beautiful embroidery on it or fun prints. Also blankets, wool blankets are expensive so looking for a second hand one could save you plenty of money
- Frames- they can be so expensive so buying a secondhand frame will save you tons of money and if you look out for ones with detailing or a gold frame, you can easily upgrade whatever is inside of it.
- Homeware in general- plates, glasses, cutlery, vases; all that and more can be found online for a much cheaper price and is more original than buying the same set from Ikea.
Websites I like:
- eBay — an oldie but a goodie
- Depop — I’ve been some great items but be careful you aren’t getting ripped off
- Vestiaire collective — for designer pieces
- Oxfam — if you are, based in the UK check out their web-site
- ASOS marketplace — diverse and has sellers all over the world
- Instagram- I follow plenty of second-hand clothing and homeware places. I found them through searching via a hashtag and, once I found one, I found 10!
