Secondhand / vintage / charity / ethical and slow fashion chat

[madamceladon]

Can we have a chat thread for this?
Tips and ideas, blog and podcast recommendations and latest finds?

I'll start. I think 80% of my stuff is secondhand, from charity shops eBay and vinted. I've got more into this in last five years and never go in fast fashion shops. I feel a bit ill and overwhelmed if I do now.
If I do need to buy new I try to find a company that is ethical and made in Britain.

I've got really into maintenance and repair as well. I love watching a film while I debobble and darn knitwear.

Recent efforts, I had some nice black fine wool trousers but they were too loose and unflattering on thighs, I've improvised and put in my own pleats at the top and pleased with how they came out.

I wanted a black polo neck after I saw some women looking very stylish in a black and white 1960s film and found a perfect one the next day in the charity shop: lambswool, old m and s, made in Britain.

I love this website
vintagefashionguild.org/label-resource

And this podcast
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dressed-the-history-of-fashion/id1350850605

@madamceladon it’s cheapfrillsx0. I’ve not posted lots recently but there are tons of other inspiring accounts on there.

@Craftycorvid

One of my regrets is slacking off during needlework lessons at school because, as a budding feminist, I had decided it was demeaning to assume sewing was all girls were good for. I now realise I could have saved myself a fortune in alteration costs had I actually paid attention (sorry, Mrs Burns!). I can darn neatly, sew on buttons and have even replaced a zip on one occasion, but taking things up or in seems like some dark art to me.

@covetingthepreciousthings Wonderweb! It's an iron on hem for taking things up.

I got some tan Clarks suede slouch boots brand new on Vinted for £10. I just knew they were a bargain!

Proved super useful in lockdown when I just wanted to put my feet into big boots.

I also find things can grow sometimes. I bought a Zara city coat for £10 and when it arrived from ebay I was gutted as it was bobbly and oversized. Now it's 2021 and oversized is right on trend plus it is accommodating layers and my extra lockdown weight. Loving it with trainers.

Re mending : I have bought a “felting” kit for repairing moth holes in cashmere sweaters. The set I bought had black, navy, and 2 different grey balls of fluffy wool that you use to cover the hole. The black was invisible afterwards and the grey only slightly visible. I can post links / photos if anyone’s interested.

Tailoring. - I found a dressmaker who makes costumes for film / theatre as her main job but who lost her key income in lockdown so started alterations. She’s fantastic as you can imagine. I’ve paid more for alterations on some items that they cost but the perfect fit makes a massive difference. She completely reworked a Cos jacket which I bought for £10 which was very unflattering on me initially. But she’s taken in many dresses following weight loss etc.

@londonmummy1966

Sizes in charity shops - if you’re in a nicer part of London the sizing is small. I’m a size16 and can find some sizes in part of Surrey but if I go to Wimbledon ( which is not far) I can barely find anything. If I go to my home town there are tons of plus size ( but crap quality ) As a result I buy a fair bit on Debop and EBay and end up with weirdly fitting Cos jackets. I have had success in my current town though - too many to list.

Thanks for this thread. I did a trawl of 2 local ones today and got a John Lewis cashmere jumper for a fiver and a bright pink blouse for £3. OK the blouse is Primark but one of their better quality lines - looks brand new.

Those of you who use Vinted.. do you have any issues with Hermes? That puts me off so much, also worried items will turn up smelling of smoke too..

Also with Vinted, it never fails to amaze me how unappealing some photos are, I don't iron, so I understand not necessarily ironing everything...but I've been eyeing up a lovely camel coat, but I can't justify it even for £10-15 as it's SO creased, I don't know whether the creases would come out?

Do people really manage to sell items from pictures like this?

Thanks for this thread!

@Divebar2021, I'd be interested in details about the felting repair kit.

www.woolfiller.com/shop.php?lg=en

@AuldAlliance here’s the company I used although I have no idea how I found them in particular. Etsy seems to have other versions which may be cheaper / better. It’s very very easy to do. I’ve rescued a sweater that belonged to a relative that died that had a run of holes down the front.

@AuldAlliance you can also buy needlefelting needles & wool roving pretty cheaply from places like Hobbycraft - you don't necessarily need a kit! You can just use a clean washing up sponge underneath, put the roving over the top and get stabbing

Another tip for getting rid of the musty smell - I have a professional clothes steamer, which if you add a splash of scented ironing water to the reservoir means that you can really blast the smell out, plus the creases go as well! I rarely iron any more, just steam everything!

@66jaybee

I have been buying good quality clothes from Charity shops for over 40 years as well as all my original 60s clothes. Now I want to do a car boot sale to try to sell them. Do you think it is better to sell on ebay?

not rtft, but if you are selling on ebay, someone will be looking for a specific item, and if you get more than one determined bidder you may do well

Car booters are looking to get something for about 10p

I'm wearing two charity shop bargains today - a merino wool Ghost jumper (really pretty - light grey with silhouettes of swallows in blue and dark grey), and a gorgeous navy wool Jigsaw jacket.

Thanks for the cashmere repair tips!
@Divebar2021
@Nowisthemonthofmaying

@Nowisthemonthofmaying

Roving? You see I didn’t even know the name . I know that there’s also a bonding powder that you can buy which you can mix with shavings of sweater and then iron over the hole but I’ve not tried it.

Hi! Just marking place then will read the thread properly. Like the idea of vintage and sustainable fashion.

I have just read this all, what a great thread. I've only really had success with kids toys but I'm always on the lookout for a good quality woolly jumper.

You guys have found some real treasures!

I only have one charity shop in my little village, how often is too often? Sometimes I go in and I can see it's all the same stuff as last time but sometimes I see loads of new stuff and I'm wondering how long to leave it between mooches?

I go round my local charity shops every 1-3 days. The more often you go, the more familiar you are with the stock so it’s quicker to run through. And then sometimes (today was one of them) when I caught the shops at that sweet point where they’ve just restocked with the wardrobe clear-out of someone who apparently shares my taste. Lots of treasure, but then I’m looking in a relatively comfortable part of London which is on the fringes of quite a rich area so there’s more opportunity for this. One of my most favourite ever finds, though, is a pair of knee high Hogan boots in my size in a small village charity shop in the depths of the West Country. So unlikely and all the more serendipitous for that!

@Divebar2021 I would be interested in photos or info on how to repair cashmere. I've got a cardigan and scarf from charity shops that both have small holes in.

Love this thread, nearly everything I own is second hand and from charity shops. I very rarely buy new apart from jeans as like a poster upthread has said, I need tall range and it's rare to come across long leg bottoms in my size. I agree about looking at men's tops too! One of my favourite jumpers is a men's merino wool one that was in amongst the ladies tops.

@Divebar2021

www.woolfiller.com/shop.php?lg=en

@AuldAlliance here’s the company I used although I have no idea how I found them in particular. Etsy seems to have other versions which may be cheaper / better. It’s very very easy to do. I’ve rescued a sweater that belonged to a relative that died that had a run of holes down the front.

I second Woolfiller, it's great stuff and a little goes a long way. Good choice of colours too. I'm trying to embrace "visible mending" and sometimes use clashing colours. I'm sure there are cheaper ways of getting the felt & needles, but this has lasted me ages so far.

Glorious House of Bruar men's jumper. Heavy cable knit, pure lambswool, gorgeously soft and perfect condition.

£4 on Vinted, to which I am becoming dangerously addicted.

@WilliamofBaskerville can you share the make of your steamer? I keep meaning to get one, but there are so many options it’s overwhelming!

@teawamutu

Glorious House of Bruar men's jumper. Heavy cable knit, pure lambswool, gorgeously soft and perfect condition.

£4 on Vinted, to which I am becoming dangerously addicted.

Lovely! Love men's jumpers.

Good two part interview on why we should all try to quit fast fashion, brings a lot of the real impact home.

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dressed-the-history-of-fashion/id1350850605?i=1000542125277

Just chiming in to agree with the feeling of being overwhelmed now in fast fashion shops, after a lengthy spell of avoiding them in favour of charity shops. I had 15 mins to kill the other day and popped into the H&M next to the railway station, and oh my! I felt nearly light-headed with the rows and rows of clothing, and the shoddy quality/fabrics of the items I inspected closely. I’m so choosy now, especially as my dress making skills improve and I can recognise poor workmanship. I’m all in for the secondhand/homemade worship!

I love charity shops & 90% of my wardrobe is second hand.
I’m lucky to live in an area with good charity shops though.

When I first moved here & “discovered” charity shops I went a bit mad (!) and couldn’t resist any of the more expensive labels so ended up with a lot of stuff that was not quite right. I’m much more discerning now.

Regularly find Whistles, Reiss, Jigsaw, Mint Velvet, Hush, Boden in our charity shops so I’ve learnt not to be tempted every time I see a tempting brand.

Best Buy was a Dusan cashmere wrap for a couple of £. I’m guessing they didn’t recognise the brand!

Our charity shops are expensive though and some more so than others. One in particular is quite over-priced and I regularly put things back.

I visit charity shops a couple of times a week and try to visit midweek so they have restocked after the weekend rush.

I sell on Vinted & anything that turns out not to be right goes on there. So when I’m buying I’m conscious of how much I could get for an item on Vinted. At the moment our charity shop prices are about the same level as Vinted so although I don’t tend to make money I’m not losing out. Recently listed a Winser London dress I bought from charity that was a bit too big (but gorgeous!)