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

I just bought a debobbler (rechargeable) from Aldi - would that be too harsh for cashmere?

@teawamutu I don't think it matters what tool you use so much as how you use it.
So go gentle with the debobble tool initially till you have a sense of how powerful it is

Bump, anyone?

I love this thread.

I love a good charity shop spree! My favourite one is a 5 minute walk away from my house and I go in most days

@mathanxiety
Glad people want to keep this going.

I've been looking at leather bags this month, I like to do repairs. My sister has a very classic black with tan edges bag which is tattered, I'm going to clean and restitch it for her.

I was looking at getting a new leather bag to celebrate new year new job but then thought I'm being an idiot! I've now got a dark green Salvatore ferragamo handbag on its way, £80 off eBay. Can't wait.

Some old school classic leather good brands I like, some I found just browsing eBay (if anyone knows more please add).

I like these more than designery stuff like coach, Kate spade etc. The focus is more on the beautiful quality of the leather than little flourishes and bag charms etc
Nan n

French ones:
Texier
Etienne aigner
Lancel

Italian ones;
Bruno magli
Il bisonte
Valentina
The bridge
I Medici Firenze
Ferragamo

Ruitertassen - Dutch I think.

@mathanxiety
Glad people want to keep this going.

I've been looking at leather bags this month, I like to do repairs. My sister has a very classic black with tan edges bag which is tattered, I'm going to clean and restitch it for her.

I was looking at getting a new leather bag to celebrate new year new job but then thought I'm being an idiot! I've now got a dark green Salvatore ferragamo handbag on its way, £80 off eBay. Can't wait.

Some old school classic leather good brands I like are listed here, some I found just browsing eBay (if anyone knows more please add).

I like these more than designery stuff like coach, Kate spade etc. The focus is more on the quality of the leather and a classic design than little trendy flourishes and bag charms etc.I like to see the beauty of the natural material come through, I really dislike Saffiano leather where it's kind of coated in a crisscross plastic finish.

French ones:
Texier
Etienne aigner
Lancel

Italian ones;
Bruno magli
Il bisonte
Valentina
The bridge
I Medici Firenze
Ferragamo

Ruitertassen - Dutch I think.

British: I don't know as many that I like but I like old Liberty designs, and vintage mulberry. If anyone knows old British leather brands please add.

I'd love to join. Im a big fan of buying 2nd hand and charity shop shopping. Do not buy new unless I absolutely have to.

My recent finds in charity shop:
Wool coat for £6!!!
Christopher Kane t-shirt for £5.49

I also absolutely need to do some mending. I have a bag of things requiring mending :-)

Happy 2022! I’ve donated some things to the charity shop recently but not bought anything. I’m trying (again) to shop my closet but I’m such a magpie! 😳

@TheDaydreamBelievers
I love mending

Enjoyed this article today.

www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/aug/22/back-for-good-the-fine-art-of-repairing-broken-things

Glad to see this thread is back for 2022!

madamceladon your list of classic leather brands is great, although I wouldn’t write off Coach’s vintage styles. They are lovely and simple, and the leather quality is very good. It can take a lot of wading through the newer styles to find them though.

Bally is another one to add that has great heritage but seems to be out of favour. It’s also worth looking at the higher-end UK high street for bags - second hand Russell & Bromley and Jones often turn up for not much £

Joining in.

I discovered vinted last year, started by selling and then started buying (so kind of recycling). Now I rarely buy new as I can usually find what I want 2nd hand. Bargains include a fat face coat for £7, Nike Air Force 1’s for £15 and I managed to find a pair of run and fly dungarees that had sold out on the website.

Love charity shops too but struggle to find the kind of clothes I like here, we do travel around the uk a lot and I always have a rummage in the charity shops when we are away.

I've been going to charity shops since I was a teenager in the eighties. You used to be able to find beautifully tailored dresses and suits back then as well as fabulous suede jackets. My best bu y more recently was a red Coast cost for £20. It had vomit on the lining ( yuk ), but once I had it c leaned, it was as good as new!

@Appalonia snaps for persisting with a vomit stained coat! A hero for the cause 👏🏽

@ShangPie thanks for the leather notes. I'll look at Bally again. Have seen some gorgeous pieces made by texier for Russell and Bromley in the 90s

Oh lovely to see this thread again!
Mankyfruitbowl I try to vissably mend too!
I love Japanese mending - sachiko I think!

madamceladon my favourite Italian leather bags are Campomaggi ❤️❤️.
I have one which I bought new in Italy - hard to find in Southern Hemisphere - even new. I consider it a bargain as it definitely meets my cost per outing threshold!

Yay! the thread is up and running again!

I'm a great fan of vintage Coach bags - the very unadorned classic leather styles are built to last forever.

I bought a Pippa bag last year at my local Goodwill (US) for $4.99.

Most of my clothes come from there, and a lot of footwear too.

Just on the subject of debobbling, and what is for me the related one of mending little holes in cashmere and wool - I have a little battery-operated debobbler with a detachable container where the bobbles go. It's an easy tool to use and I'm always amazed how much it picks up. Anyway, after reading about mending little holes in knitted items using felting techniques, I decided to keep the bobbles I mowed in a baggie so that I'd have something to fix holes, should they appear. It's made me feel confident about buying cashmere that has signs of moth visits so I have some items that I might otherwise have decided against. The bag of bobbles is called Mommy's Collection of Fluff and Nonsense.

Looks like I killed the thread

@mathanxiety I hope not!
😊

I had a good day yesterday. Levi's man shirt for £3, and a branded crossbody leather bag for £1. Both obviously pre-loved but complete.

The bag still has the little dog tag. and looks genuine. Not bothered if it isn't as I like it anyway

well done @KirstenBlest

my two second hand leather bags arrived today, both are gorgeous and just need a clean and polish which I will do tonight.

@madamceladon, thanks. I did well to spot them

I went to another shop but it was closed. Someone had left a couple of bag of clothes outside. I picked up what I could carry, which included a J Taylor wool/cashmere coat in excellent condition and took them to another shop. Some things came home with me as they look like they need a wash. I'll donate them clean.

How do I clean my 'new' bag, please??

My first attempt at Japanese style mending!

@KirstenBlest
I bought a kit from Amazon. It was £££ but it will last a long while. It has definitely improved my ancient but beloved leather back pack style bag

www.amazon.co.uk/Leather-Complete-Restoration-Medium-Brown/dp/B08VDSDMD7?psc=1&pf_rd_p=660cc20d-9c49-41e0-a8e4-e8607f6ac9be&pf_rd_r=N9BH8G0P3V6MCDX5RPJV&pd_rd_wg=nyx54&pd_rd_i=B08VDSDMD7&ref_=pd_bap_m_rp_1_sc&pd_rd_w=UhtQr&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&pd_rd_r=20fcb6ae-5bf7-4c21-a795-1fb6e96bb41d

This one