Netflix is probably most peoples go-to for shows to watch at the mo I would imagine. So with that in mind here are my top 5 shows on Netflix centered around fashion...
Next in Fashion
I binged watched the whole first series the other day. I think about 8 hours I watched in one go! Without giving too much away, the show is based around 18 fashion designers from around the world. Some have more experience than others, for example designing for Beyonce and Lady Gaga. That said they all have to compete to design and make different themed outfits each episode. At the end of each episode there are eliminations until it gets to the finale and an overall winner is chosen.
I haven't seen Tan Frances in anything before but he grew on me. I've been watching a few videos from Vogue with Alexa in it and I have really warmed to her. I love her down to earth, tongue in cheek attitude. And her dress sense too!
I really enjoyed this as I got to understand the contestants a bit better each week and was rooting for them all. I think the winner was well deserved and I would if I could afford it to buy their designs :)
Girlboss
If you need inspiration for starting your own business from scratch and making it a success then do give this a watch.
I loved the main character Sophia's ballsy no shit attitude. She can come across as a bit OTT (but then this show is a dramatization of how the Nasty Gal founder went from rags to riches) but I still end up rooting for her. It is a shame that the series got canceled after one series. Still worth a watch for the fashion lovers out there.
Clueless
A classic 90s rom-com. I like to think that you've seen this (if not go and watch it!)- but I had to mention it as it does focus a lot on fashion. It's now become a meme of its self, with Cher's iconic tartan miniskirt outfit now often copied for fancy dress outfits.
Cher comes across as a ditzy blonde but by the end of the film you can see that the character has grown in her maturity.
If you love 90s fashion then defo give this a watch!
From Prada to Nada
Two sisters used to living the life of Riley as soon found destitute after their father dies. They end up moving in with their lower-class family and this film follows the two sisters as they adapt to their new lifestyle. It's one of those schmaltzy films that is a charm to watch. Stick it on if you need a good feel-good film to watch.
And one programme I wan to watch...
Styling Hollywood
I want to watch this to indulge myself in the glamour of Hollywood. Just to see what it's like to fashion the rich and famous. One can only dream!
If you have other fashion-based Netflix shows, then drop me a comment below!
Much love,
Abbie xx
Next in Fashion
I binged watched the whole first series the other day. I think about 8 hours I watched in one go! Without giving too much away, the show is based around 18 fashion designers from around the world. Some have more experience than others, for example designing for Beyonce and Lady Gaga. That said they all have to compete to design and make different themed outfits each episode. At the end of each episode there are eliminations until it gets to the finale and an overall winner is chosen.
I haven't seen Tan Frances in anything before but he grew on me. I've been watching a few videos from Vogue with Alexa in it and I have really warmed to her. I love her down to earth, tongue in cheek attitude. And her dress sense too!
I really enjoyed this as I got to understand the contestants a bit better each week and was rooting for them all. I think the winner was well deserved and I would if I could afford it to buy their designs :)
Girlboss
If you need inspiration for starting your own business from scratch and making it a success then do give this a watch.
I loved the main character Sophia's ballsy no shit attitude. She can come across as a bit OTT (but then this show is a dramatization of how the Nasty Gal founder went from rags to riches) but I still end up rooting for her. It is a shame that the series got canceled after one series. Still worth a watch for the fashion lovers out there.
Clueless
A classic 90s rom-com. I like to think that you've seen this (if not go and watch it!)- but I had to mention it as it does focus a lot on fashion. It's now become a meme of its self, with Cher's iconic tartan miniskirt outfit now often copied for fancy dress outfits.
Cher comes across as a ditzy blonde but by the end of the film you can see that the character has grown in her maturity.
If you love 90s fashion then defo give this a watch!
From Prada to Nada
Two sisters used to living the life of Riley as soon found destitute after their father dies. They end up moving in with their lower-class family and this film follows the two sisters as they adapt to their new lifestyle. It's one of those schmaltzy films that is a charm to watch. Stick it on if you need a good feel-good film to watch.
And one programme I wan to watch...
Styling Hollywood
I want to watch this to indulge myself in the glamour of Hollywood. Just to see what it's like to fashion the rich and famous. One can only dream!
If you have other fashion-based Netflix shows, then drop me a comment below!
Much love,
Abbie xx
Netflix is probably most peoples go-to for shows to watch at the mo I would imagine. So with that in mind here are my top 5 shows on Netflix centered around fashion...
Next in Fashion
I binged watched the whole first series the other day. I think about 8 hours I watched in one go! Without giving too much away, the show is based around 18 fashion designers from around the world. Some have more experience than others, for example designing for Beyonce and Lady Gaga. That said they all have to compete to design and make different themed outfits each episode. At the end of each episode there are eliminations until it gets to the finale and an overall winner is chosen.
I haven't seen Tan Frances in anything before but he grew on me. I've been watching a few videos from Vogue with Alexa in it and I have really warmed to her. I love her down to earth, tongue in cheek attitude. And her dress sense too!
I really enjoyed this as I got to understand the contestants a bit better each week and was rooting for them all. I think the winner was well deserved and I would if I could afford it to buy their designs :)
Girlboss
If you need inspiration for starting your own business from scratch and making it a success then do give this a watch.
I loved the main character Sophia's ballsy no shit attitude. She can come across as a bit OTT (but then this show is a dramatization of how the Nasty Gal founder went from rags to riches) but I still end up rooting for her. It is a shame that the series got canceled after one series. Still worth a watch for the fashion lovers out there.
Clueless
A classic 90s rom-com. I like to think that you've seen this (if not go and watch it!)- but I had to mention it as it does focus a lot on fashion. It's now become a meme of its self, with Cher's iconic tartan miniskirt outfit now often copied for fancy dress outfits.
Cher comes across as a ditzy blonde but by the end of the film you can see that the character has grown in her maturity.
If you love 90s fashion then defo give this a watch!
From Prada to Nada
Two sisters used to living the life of Riley as soon found destitute after their father dies. They end up moving in with their lower-class family and this film follows the two sisters as they adapt to their new lifestyle. It's one of those schmaltzy films that is a charm to watch. Stick it on if you need a good feel-good film to watch.
And one programme I wan to watch...
Styling Hollywood
I want to watch this to indulge myself in the glamour of Hollywood. Just to see what it's like to fashion the rich and famous. One can only dream!
If you have other fashion-based Netflix shows, then drop me a comment below!
Much love,
Abbie xx
Next in Fashion
I binged watched the whole first series the other day. I think about 8 hours I watched in one go! Without giving too much away, the show is based around 18 fashion designers from around the world. Some have more experience than others, for example designing for Beyonce and Lady Gaga. That said they all have to compete to design and make different themed outfits each episode. At the end of each episode there are eliminations until it gets to the finale and an overall winner is chosen.
I haven't seen Tan Frances in anything before but he grew on me. I've been watching a few videos from Vogue with Alexa in it and I have really warmed to her. I love her down to earth, tongue in cheek attitude. And her dress sense too!
I really enjoyed this as I got to understand the contestants a bit better each week and was rooting for them all. I think the winner was well deserved and I would if I could afford it to buy their designs :)
Girlboss
If you need inspiration for starting your own business from scratch and making it a success then do give this a watch.
I loved the main character Sophia's ballsy no shit attitude. She can come across as a bit OTT (but then this show is a dramatization of how the Nasty Gal founder went from rags to riches) but I still end up rooting for her. It is a shame that the series got canceled after one series. Still worth a watch for the fashion lovers out there.
Clueless
A classic 90s rom-com. I like to think that you've seen this (if not go and watch it!)- but I had to mention it as it does focus a lot on fashion. It's now become a meme of its self, with Cher's iconic tartan miniskirt outfit now often copied for fancy dress outfits.
Cher comes across as a ditzy blonde but by the end of the film you can see that the character has grown in her maturity.
If you love 90s fashion then defo give this a watch!
From Prada to Nada
Two sisters used to living the life of Riley as soon found destitute after their father dies. They end up moving in with their lower-class family and this film follows the two sisters as they adapt to their new lifestyle. It's one of those schmaltzy films that is a charm to watch. Stick it on if you need a good feel-good film to watch.
And one programme I wan to watch...
Styling Hollywood
I want to watch this to indulge myself in the glamour of Hollywood. Just to see what it's like to fashion the rich and famous. One can only dream!
If you have other fashion-based Netflix shows, then drop me a comment below!
Much love,
Abbie xx
So here we are, in our homes (hopefully- unless you're a key worker than praise to you for being bloody awesome!) and we are trying to adjust to our new (hopefully temporary) lives.
So how have I been faring? To be completely frank with you, not great. For most of my life I have suffered from anxiety in some form. It's luckily not always been an issue, but it has reared it's butt ugly face more times than I care for throughout my life. Sometimes it's really crap, other times I just need some quiet time and it settles down. So as you can imagine at the moment my anxiety levels are peaking pretty high.
For the last two weeks, every day has had it's high levels of worry, fretting, panics and just feeling exhausted. From being online I don't feel completely alone feeling this way. My anxieties do increase when it comes to my health. I'm a hypochondriac and hate being ill (who does!) so the threat of this virus is not helping my mental health in any way.
I'm currently signed off work for two weeks to try and help me get my head in a better place. Things that have helped have been playing what is probably going to be the most sold game of 2020; Animal Crossing New Horizons. It's the ideal easy-going game for the climate we are in at the moment. Watching my fav day time tv programmes like Homes Under the Hammer, Escape to the Country (yes please!) and Countdown (yes I am a 35 yeard old OAP!). Pottering about my flat, tidying, cleaning and moving things around (much to my husbands annoyed mutterings!).
My wardrobe is chocca full of what my husband would call 'tat'. So that is on my list at some point to reorganise. I'll try and blog about how I get on with that.
Youtube has also been my go-to to feel connected to a wider community. I like catching up with my favourite vloggers to see how they are getting on. Takes me out of my head for a while.
My eating has been limited. I am one of those people who when the tough gets going, the going eats little. My appetite kinda diminishes, which doesn't help. Also, I am trying to be a bit rational with how much I eat, so I don't eat myself out of house and home within one week! I've not been exercising, but that's nothing new. My husband does have an exercise bike, but I find I don't have the motivation to use it- or if I do I do about 5 minutes and give up. Gym bunny I am not!
Sleep has not been great either. I can fall asleep as by the time I hit the hay because I'm exhausted, but end up dreaming a lot and waking up early and then feel sluggish throughout the day.
My one saviour so far has been this blog. From the age I could write, I loved it. I loved creative writing at school, it was my favourite lesson. And more recently I've written blogs but they have kinda fallen by the wayside over the last year or so. I'm finding with this blog it's a great way to channel my energies (what I have!) and gives me an opportunity to share my love of secondhand and vintage fashion. So this is my plan going forward whilst I am at home, to write and keep updating my blog (oh and catch more butterflies in Animal Crossing).
Come back soon as my next post will be my recommendation on what to watch on Netflix for the fashion-forward of you.
Much love,
Abbie xx
Chichester, UK
Lock down= Frock down
Monday, March 30, 2020 • animal crossing, fashion, my life, Real Life
So here we are, in our homes (hopefully- unless you're a key worker than praise to you for being bloody awesome!) and we are trying to adjust to our new (hopefully temporary) lives.
So how have I been faring? To be completely frank with you, not great. For most of my life I have suffered from anxiety in some form. It's luckily not always been an issue, but it has reared it's butt ugly face more times than I care for throughout my life. Sometimes it's really crap, other times I just need some quiet time and it settles down. So as you can imagine at the moment my anxiety levels are peaking pretty high.
For the last two weeks, every day has had it's high levels of worry, fretting, panics and just feeling exhausted. From being online I don't feel completely alone feeling this way. My anxieties do increase when it comes to my health. I'm a hypochondriac and hate being ill (who does!) so the threat of this virus is not helping my mental health in any way.
I'm currently signed off work for two weeks to try and help me get my head in a better place. Things that have helped have been playing what is probably going to be the most sold game of 2020; Animal Crossing New Horizons. It's the ideal easy-going game for the climate we are in at the moment. Watching my fav day time tv programmes like Homes Under the Hammer, Escape to the Country (yes please!) and Countdown (yes I am a 35 yeard old OAP!). Pottering about my flat, tidying, cleaning and moving things around (much to my husbands annoyed mutterings!).
My wardrobe is chocca full of what my husband would call 'tat'. So that is on my list at some point to reorganise. I'll try and blog about how I get on with that.
Youtube has also been my go-to to feel connected to a wider community. I like catching up with my favourite vloggers to see how they are getting on. Takes me out of my head for a while.
My eating has been limited. I am one of those people who when the tough gets going, the going eats little. My appetite kinda diminishes, which doesn't help. Also, I am trying to be a bit rational with how much I eat, so I don't eat myself out of house and home within one week! I've not been exercising, but that's nothing new. My husband does have an exercise bike, but I find I don't have the motivation to use it- or if I do I do about 5 minutes and give up. Gym bunny I am not!
Sleep has not been great either. I can fall asleep as by the time I hit the hay because I'm exhausted, but end up dreaming a lot and waking up early and then feel sluggish throughout the day.
My one saviour so far has been this blog. From the age I could write, I loved it. I loved creative writing at school, it was my favourite lesson. And more recently I've written blogs but they have kinda fallen by the wayside over the last year or so. I'm finding with this blog it's a great way to channel my energies (what I have!) and gives me an opportunity to share my love of secondhand and vintage fashion. So this is my plan going forward whilst I am at home, to write and keep updating my blog (oh and catch more butterflies in Animal Crossing).
Come back soon as my next post will be my recommendation on what to watch on Netflix for the fashion-forward of you.
Much love,
Abbie xx
One thing I've learned on how to be more sustainable with my clothes is to utilize what I already own. Rather than always going out and buying new outfits, how can I make my current clothes really pull their weight?
My suggestions are...
1. Layering
I'm not the most adventurous when it comes to fashion I'll be the first to admit. So I tend to stick minimal layers (unless it's super cold out!), like a t-shirt, then a jumper and a jacket with jeans (told you not very experimental!). But I'm learning that layering can make all the difference to a look and make more use of my wardrobe.
Things like putting a t-shirt under a cami for a 90s vibe. Or a roll neck under a sweater. A long sleeve top under a t-shirt, or denim jacket under a winter coat. I've pinned some ideas on my Pinterest board below...
2. Materials that last
I don't think I need to explain this one in too much depth! But the amount of cheap clothes I've brought that bobble after a couple of wears, straps break on one wear (yes you Primark!), jeans with too much elastane that they sag in the knee area after a couple of wears.
Invest in good materials, like cotton (yes cotton production is extremely wasteful on water use but one or two great pair of long-wearing jeans is better than 6 or 7 cheap ones that you don't wear), wool (that keeps you warm and lasts longer) and linen as it's breathable for the summer and looks so chic.
I mean this is all common sense I like to think, but it does make a difference to not buying new all the time.
3. Working with what you've got-ie styling
Like I've said before I'm not the best at coming up with great looks, but one thing that does help get more out of my current clothing is styling.
Who doesn't love a French tuck? (To those looking baffled, its where you *casually* tuck the front of your top into the waistband of you're trousers for a chilled out vibe). Or rolling up the hems of your trousers, even taking scissors to a t-shirt to make it cropped (and then adding a long sleeve top underneath!). See the next tip for how I get inspo with how to style my looks.
4. Finding inspiration
So when I think I have nothing in my wardrobe to wear, I try to get creative. I often look at what I own and think none of it goes together. But then I go onto Pinterest and search for outfit ideas. Suddenly I start seeing looks that I can recreate with items in my wardrobe. This has helped me on numerous occasions to pull looks together that I otherwise wouldn't have thought of.
It helps me broaden my horizons on how to dress put simply! I also look on Instagram for streetwear looks to give my imagination a boost. I also like the idea of customizing my clothes. I've recently got into embroidery and if you look on Pinterest there are so many ways to elevate a pair of jeans or a plain t-shirt. The world is your oyster!
5. Staple garments
I've kinds touched on this already but having key items in your wardrobe will help pull looks together. By this, I mean some sturdy well-made jeans (look for ones with more cotton and feel have a thickness to them- less elastane means less sagging. I have found some good pairs in Primark of all places that have lasted me many seasons), plain and patterned t-shirts for layering, black jeans that go with almost any look, a white shirt that can be layered and teamed with a t-shirt or a cami and can be worn casual or dressed up.
In the summer maxi or midi dresses/skirts that can be worn with sandals, Converses or Dr Marten boots and can be layered with t-shirts, shirts and light jackets. I'm sure you have many ideas too, please do let me know!
So with those tips, you should find you can do more with what you already own. So less buying fast fashion and saving you money which you could invest in more quality and durable items.
If you have any suggestions of your own, please do let me know in the comments below.
Thank you so much for reading. Until next time,
Abbie xxx
Chichester, UK
Top 5 tips to make your wardrobe more sustainable
Saturday, March 28, 2020 • fashion, sustainability, sustainable fashion
One thing I've learned on how to be more sustainable with my clothes is to utilize what I already own. Rather than always going out and buying new outfits, how can I make my current clothes really pull their weight?
My suggestions are...
1. Layering
I'm not the most adventurous when it comes to fashion I'll be the first to admit. So I tend to stick minimal layers (unless it's super cold out!), like a t-shirt, then a jumper and a jacket with jeans (told you not very experimental!). But I'm learning that layering can make all the difference to a look and make more use of my wardrobe.
Things like putting a t-shirt under a cami for a 90s vibe. Or a roll neck under a sweater. A long sleeve top under a t-shirt, or denim jacket under a winter coat. I've pinned some ideas on my Pinterest board below...
2. Materials that last
I don't think I need to explain this one in too much depth! But the amount of cheap clothes I've brought that bobble after a couple of wears, straps break on one wear (yes you Primark!), jeans with too much elastane that they sag in the knee area after a couple of wears.
Invest in good materials, like cotton (yes cotton production is extremely wasteful on water use but one or two great pair of long-wearing jeans is better than 6 or 7 cheap ones that you don't wear), wool (that keeps you warm and lasts longer) and linen as it's breathable for the summer and looks so chic.
I mean this is all common sense I like to think, but it does make a difference to not buying new all the time.
3. Working with what you've got-ie styling
Like I've said before I'm not the best at coming up with great looks, but one thing that does help get more out of my current clothing is styling.
Who doesn't love a French tuck? (To those looking baffled, its where you *casually* tuck the front of your top into the waistband of you're trousers for a chilled out vibe). Or rolling up the hems of your trousers, even taking scissors to a t-shirt to make it cropped (and then adding a long sleeve top underneath!). See the next tip for how I get inspo with how to style my looks.
4. Finding inspiration
So when I think I have nothing in my wardrobe to wear, I try to get creative. I often look at what I own and think none of it goes together. But then I go onto Pinterest and search for outfit ideas. Suddenly I start seeing looks that I can recreate with items in my wardrobe. This has helped me on numerous occasions to pull looks together that I otherwise wouldn't have thought of.
It helps me broaden my horizons on how to dress put simply! I also look on Instagram for streetwear looks to give my imagination a boost. I also like the idea of customizing my clothes. I've recently got into embroidery and if you look on Pinterest there are so many ways to elevate a pair of jeans or a plain t-shirt. The world is your oyster!
5. Staple garments
I've kinds touched on this already but having key items in your wardrobe will help pull looks together. By this, I mean some sturdy well-made jeans (look for ones with more cotton and feel have a thickness to them- less elastane means less sagging. I have found some good pairs in Primark of all places that have lasted me many seasons), plain and patterned t-shirts for layering, black jeans that go with almost any look, a white shirt that can be layered and teamed with a t-shirt or a cami and can be worn casual or dressed up.
In the summer maxi or midi dresses/skirts that can be worn with sandals, Converses or Dr Marten boots and can be layered with t-shirts, shirts and light jackets. I'm sure you have many ideas too, please do let me know!
So with those tips, you should find you can do more with what you already own. So less buying fast fashion and saving you money which you could invest in more quality and durable items.
If you have any suggestions of your own, please do let me know in the comments below.
Thank you so much for reading. Until next time,
Abbie xxx
So you want to shop vintage but don't know where to start? Let me share with you the places I recommend to find some great pieces...
Seen as the biggest vintage kilo sale company in the UK, Preloved travel up and down the country popping up at different cities with lots and I mean lots of vintage garments.
The premise is that you are given a clear plastic bag (biodegradable) and you rummage along many rails of garments, generally from the 80s through to the early 2000s. There's a mixture of male and female garments. There are jumpers, skirts, denim, dresses, coats, trainers, handbags, scarves and more. Their events are popular, so if you see something you like I would say get it before someone else snaps it up! They have pop up dressing cubicles and mirrors so you can try before you buy as you never know how vintage will fit and there is a no returns policy.
This is also great if you want to buy to sell on. For example if you want to sell on Depop or eBay. Preloved come with many items, so they are regularly refilling the rails up with even more stock throughout the event.
They are also one of the few vintage kilo sellers that handpick each item. They grade each item they ship in (and they ship in huge bundles into their warehouse) and some are sold to private sellers, some to retail stores, some recycled and the rest in kilo sales.
Once you've selected your garments, you put them in your plastic bag and take it up to the pay points to purchase. They have weighing scales by the dressing cubicles so you can also check how much your bag will cost. The coats are generally capped at £15 per item (which should work out cheaper than paying for how much it actually weighs). Handbags are capped at £10. Everything else is £15 per kilo. It is easy to get carried away, so my advice is to weigh as you go!
Much the same as the Preloved Kilo sale. The premise is pretty much the same. It's £15 per kilo and they have similar types of items. There isn't much difference in the two kilo sellers. I would say that when I went to my first Worth the Weight kilo sale I saw more variety of stock, such as more desirable brands, more footwear, and handbags (I went through a phase of buying lots of secondhand handbags). That said either one, if not both, are worthy of going to.
Vintage Vera is a kilo sale I've only just discovered over the last couple of months. This one tends to pop up at Student Unions. Not as big in quantity of stock as Preloved and Worth the Weight, but I have found some really great pieces at Vera's. Including a wool cream Max Mara coat and a cat print lined dress. Still one to check out none the less.
This one is based in Worthing in Sussex and once a month for two days they open up their warehouse (which isn't huge but full of lots of vintage clothing). They again charge £15 per kilo and they have some 70s and the occasional 60s items too. It's worth noting that the above three kilo sellers take cash and cards as payment, TBWA only take cash payments, so come prepared with your cash!
They also have a couple of shops in the Laines in Brighton. They tend to be more marked up, but they do every so often hold sales so you can get a bargain if you're a savvy shopper.
One of the most popular secondhand fashion online apps. I've been selling on Depop on and off for 3 years now and I find it a super-easy way to sell second hand. It's most popular with the under 24 years old age group for selling preloved clothing and accessories. It is a pretty saturated market but like any business but if you want to sell on Depop, market your products well and give great customer service you'll get the sales.
The upside is the ease of selling on the app, it's really user friendly. The downside is the often asked questions from potential buyers to sell the item for much, much less than you are listing it for. It does get frustrating that people think it's ok to sell something for so little, making me minimal profit, but you don't ask, you don't get as they say.
I have also brought from Depop too. Most of my purchases I have got from Depop have been good experiences. My advice is to check the seller's ratings. I have over 65 reviews for my Depop shop and all of them are 5* ratings.
Depop does take a 10% cut off your sale and you have to use Paypal to sell through to. Paypal also takes a small cut so take that into account too. I send through Royal Mail and it's not the cheapest so it does make sense to consider your pricing strategy to maximize profitability.
I don't think I need to explain eBay. Hopefully you are familiar with how this online market place works. I haven't sold on eBay as I have been using Depop, but I have brought vintage clothing from eBay. I find that the sellers on eBay are more dedicated to the customer experience (no shade on the youngsters) and I get a better buyer experience on eBay than on Depop. My opinion anyway.
I find there is far more vintage clothing on eBay than on Depop for example. Depop is more high street fashion and vintage fashion through to the 90s. On eBay, I have brought items from the 60s and 70s, which isn't always easy to find elsewhere.
This is a great place to find independent brands and more one-off fashion pieces. I like the fact that these items are not mass-produced and the sellers are really dedicated to customer experience. Not just anyone can get on here, so you can rest assured that these are highly regarded micro businesses. I do like to support small businesses (as I did run my own pop-up vintage shop last summer) so I had a small taste of how hard it is to get sales as a small business.
There are online sites that sell vintage too and these are the ones I recommend you check out...
A well-known charity supporting third world countries. They have a great online shop with new and vintage fashion. They have a dedicated vintage fashion section on their website. Their prices aren't as affordable as kilo sales for example, but I get peace of mind that I'm helping a good cause.
Rokit has both physical shops and is online too. They stock vintage clothing from the across many decades and it's always fun having a look at their new stock.
They also have a shop in Shoreditch, which I visited a year ago. I found a few high-end handbags in their shop. One, in particular, was a Chanel handbag. It was marked at around £40 and it looked pretty much like the real deal. So for that price I snapped it up. I later found out it was not real (buy doing a lot of online research), hence the low price I purchased it for. But to the untrained eye it looked authentic. I later sold it on for a profit (clearly stating it was potentially not genuine). So all was not lost. (Rokit didn't claim it was real or not so no shade on them- I think the £40 price tag was the giveaway!).
Their prices are retail prices (so like other retail brands) so not as affordable as a kilo sale, but you can still find some great vintage pieces.
A vintage retail store and online shop, not too dissimilar to Rokit in product and pricing. I like Beyond Retro for the fact they have vintage clothing and they also have upcycled vintage clothing. They take a jersey hoodie for example and they crop it to make it more current. They do also hold occasionally what they call Garage Sales, where they sell off a lot of their stock at lower price points. They also do this on their website too.
I love going into their shops, as it's an Aladdin's cave of vintage clothing. I love a good rummage!
This is another awesome vintage shop. I also visited this when I was in London last year. I love that a lot of these vintage shops have similar style products but they create their own identity in their shops. Atika in Shoreditch is a pretty decent size shop with lots of vintage clothing. Again the prices are similar to Beyond Retro and Rokit.
Charity shops
I find that it's hit and miss shopping for vintage clothing in charity shops. Some charity shops have dedicated shops or sections in their shops for this. My local charity shops save their vintage clothing for the lead up to Goodwood Revival. Then I can find vintage clothing, but they then put a premium on the price. This is great for the charity, but it's not always the most affordable way to shop vintage fashion. From my experience anyway.
But sometimes you can find a bargain of an item in a charity shop, so it's worth checking out when they refresh their stock and getting in their early to beat those other savvy shoppers to it!
I'm sure there are many other ways to shop for vintage fashion. Please do share where you love to shop vintage.
Thank you so much for reading. Until next time,
Abbie xx
Chichester, UK
My recommended Vintage sellers
• fashion, sustainability, sustainable fashion, vintage love
So you want to shop vintage but don't know where to start? Let me share with you the places I recommend to find some great pieces...
Seen as the biggest vintage kilo sale company in the UK, Preloved travel up and down the country popping up at different cities with lots and I mean lots of vintage garments.
The premise is that you are given a clear plastic bag (biodegradable) and you rummage along many rails of garments, generally from the 80s through to the early 2000s. There's a mixture of male and female garments. There are jumpers, skirts, denim, dresses, coats, trainers, handbags, scarves and more. Their events are popular, so if you see something you like I would say get it before someone else snaps it up! They have pop up dressing cubicles and mirrors so you can try before you buy as you never know how vintage will fit and there is a no returns policy.
This is also great if you want to buy to sell on. For example if you want to sell on Depop or eBay. Preloved come with many items, so they are regularly refilling the rails up with even more stock throughout the event.
They are also one of the few vintage kilo sellers that handpick each item. They grade each item they ship in (and they ship in huge bundles into their warehouse) and some are sold to private sellers, some to retail stores, some recycled and the rest in kilo sales.
Once you've selected your garments, you put them in your plastic bag and take it up to the pay points to purchase. They have weighing scales by the dressing cubicles so you can also check how much your bag will cost. The coats are generally capped at £15 per item (which should work out cheaper than paying for how much it actually weighs). Handbags are capped at £10. Everything else is £15 per kilo. It is easy to get carried away, so my advice is to weigh as you go!
Much the same as the Preloved Kilo sale. The premise is pretty much the same. It's £15 per kilo and they have similar types of items. There isn't much difference in the two kilo sellers. I would say that when I went to my first Worth the Weight kilo sale I saw more variety of stock, such as more desirable brands, more footwear, and handbags (I went through a phase of buying lots of secondhand handbags). That said either one, if not both, are worthy of going to.
Vintage Vera is a kilo sale I've only just discovered over the last couple of months. This one tends to pop up at Student Unions. Not as big in quantity of stock as Preloved and Worth the Weight, but I have found some really great pieces at Vera's. Including a wool cream Max Mara coat and a cat print lined dress. Still one to check out none the less.
This one is based in Worthing in Sussex and once a month for two days they open up their warehouse (which isn't huge but full of lots of vintage clothing). They again charge £15 per kilo and they have some 70s and the occasional 60s items too. It's worth noting that the above three kilo sellers take cash and cards as payment, TBWA only take cash payments, so come prepared with your cash!
They also have a couple of shops in the Laines in Brighton. They tend to be more marked up, but they do every so often hold sales so you can get a bargain if you're a savvy shopper.
One of the most popular secondhand fashion online apps. I've been selling on Depop on and off for 3 years now and I find it a super-easy way to sell second hand. It's most popular with the under 24 years old age group for selling preloved clothing and accessories. It is a pretty saturated market but like any business but if you want to sell on Depop, market your products well and give great customer service you'll get the sales.
The upside is the ease of selling on the app, it's really user friendly. The downside is the often asked questions from potential buyers to sell the item for much, much less than you are listing it for. It does get frustrating that people think it's ok to sell something for so little, making me minimal profit, but you don't ask, you don't get as they say.
I have also brought from Depop too. Most of my purchases I have got from Depop have been good experiences. My advice is to check the seller's ratings. I have over 65 reviews for my Depop shop and all of them are 5* ratings.
Depop does take a 10% cut off your sale and you have to use Paypal to sell through to. Paypal also takes a small cut so take that into account too. I send through Royal Mail and it's not the cheapest so it does make sense to consider your pricing strategy to maximize profitability.
I don't think I need to explain eBay. Hopefully you are familiar with how this online market place works. I haven't sold on eBay as I have been using Depop, but I have brought vintage clothing from eBay. I find that the sellers on eBay are more dedicated to the customer experience (no shade on the youngsters) and I get a better buyer experience on eBay than on Depop. My opinion anyway.
I find there is far more vintage clothing on eBay than on Depop for example. Depop is more high street fashion and vintage fashion through to the 90s. On eBay, I have brought items from the 60s and 70s, which isn't always easy to find elsewhere.
This is a great place to find independent brands and more one-off fashion pieces. I like the fact that these items are not mass-produced and the sellers are really dedicated to customer experience. Not just anyone can get on here, so you can rest assured that these are highly regarded micro businesses. I do like to support small businesses (as I did run my own pop-up vintage shop last summer) so I had a small taste of how hard it is to get sales as a small business.
There are online sites that sell vintage too and these are the ones I recommend you check out...
A well-known charity supporting third world countries. They have a great online shop with new and vintage fashion. They have a dedicated vintage fashion section on their website. Their prices aren't as affordable as kilo sales for example, but I get peace of mind that I'm helping a good cause.
Rokit has both physical shops and is online too. They stock vintage clothing from the across many decades and it's always fun having a look at their new stock.
They also have a shop in Shoreditch, which I visited a year ago. I found a few high-end handbags in their shop. One, in particular, was a Chanel handbag. It was marked at around £40 and it looked pretty much like the real deal. So for that price I snapped it up. I later found out it was not real (buy doing a lot of online research), hence the low price I purchased it for. But to the untrained eye it looked authentic. I later sold it on for a profit (clearly stating it was potentially not genuine). So all was not lost. (Rokit didn't claim it was real or not so no shade on them- I think the £40 price tag was the giveaway!).
Their prices are retail prices (so like other retail brands) so not as affordable as a kilo sale, but you can still find some great vintage pieces.
A vintage retail store and online shop, not too dissimilar to Rokit in product and pricing. I like Beyond Retro for the fact they have vintage clothing and they also have upcycled vintage clothing. They take a jersey hoodie for example and they crop it to make it more current. They do also hold occasionally what they call Garage Sales, where they sell off a lot of their stock at lower price points. They also do this on their website too.
I love going into their shops, as it's an Aladdin's cave of vintage clothing. I love a good rummage!
This is another awesome vintage shop. I also visited this when I was in London last year. I love that a lot of these vintage shops have similar style products but they create their own identity in their shops. Atika in Shoreditch is a pretty decent size shop with lots of vintage clothing. Again the prices are similar to Beyond Retro and Rokit.
Charity shops
I find that it's hit and miss shopping for vintage clothing in charity shops. Some charity shops have dedicated shops or sections in their shops for this. My local charity shops save their vintage clothing for the lead up to Goodwood Revival. Then I can find vintage clothing, but they then put a premium on the price. This is great for the charity, but it's not always the most affordable way to shop vintage fashion. From my experience anyway.
But sometimes you can find a bargain of an item in a charity shop, so it's worth checking out when they refresh their stock and getting in their early to beat those other savvy shoppers to it!
I'm sure there are many other ways to shop for vintage fashion. Please do share where you love to shop vintage.
Thank you so much for reading. Until next time,
Abbie xx
I'm a lover of fashion and from my late teens to my twenties I have shopped the high street with some sort of compulsion. Most of my wages were spent on regular trips to retailers such as Primark, H&M and Topshop. I have even spent 10 years working for fast-fashion retailers. And I will admit I was ignorant and nieve to how the clothes in my wardrobe were made. And also how I would buy into trends only to wear them a few times, only to banish them to the back of my wardrobe when they were no longer in fashion. I mean what a waste.
Perhaps it's a coming of age thing, but getting into my 30's I've become more aware of the manufacture of clothes and the impact that fast fashion has on the environment. I can't say there was one thing in particular that sparked my interest in shopping more sustainably. It was more a case of pieces of the jigsaw puzzle coming together and creating a bigger picture.
In 2018 in saw an advert for a vintage kilo sale. I had no idea what this was exactly but after a bit of research I decided I'd go along. And I've not looked back. I have been to many different vintage kilo sales since my first one in 2018. And my reason for going?
1) To find a more individual look. I was getting bored with the sameness on the high street and dressing like everyone else. Shopping at vintage sales is so much fun as I love never knowing what I'll find. And as well as being an affordable way to shop (traditionally it's £15 per kilo of weight of clothes), I can customize them too should I wish.
2) It's stopping me from shopping fast fashion and giving money to retailers who make clothes in unethical processes (unsafe factories, low pay to factory workers, pollution of waterways by the factories to name a few bad practices). The clothes at the vintage sales would otherwise end up in the landfill if they were not repurposed. Imagine a perfectly fitting pair of Levis lying to rot (*sad face*).
3) I've mentioned this previously but it's also the cost. Fast fashion is generally affordable, I think that's it's appeal, as was well as being on-trend if that's your bag. Shopping sustainably can be affordable too. Be it from a charity shop, swap shop event, online sites like Depop and eBay, vintage sale or car boot. Yes some sustainable brands can be more pricey but shop second hand and you're bound to save yourself a few quid.
These methods of shopping are helping me shop more sustainably. And by doing so I am helping save clothes from the landfill which is bad for the environment. It's helping by not filling my wardrobe full of new synthetic materials that do not degrade well. It's helping by not buying new clothes that are made in ways that pollute the environment from chemical waste going into the waterways by the manufacturing factories. It's helping charity shops by purchasing from them and giving them money rather than retailers that are known for bad practices.
But that all said, I'm not perfect! I can't keep away from the high street completely. I do still like to have a snoop around the high street, see what's on-trend and get inspiration. Somethings I just can't get as good secondhand, like sleepwear, underwear and a not bobbly jumper (trust me most secondhand jumpers have bobbles from being preloved). I think it's about balance. I like to mix up my look with old and new. And when I do shop on the high street, I buy pieces that have longevity and made from sustainable materials if possible. H&M for example do have a range of organic garments and TENCEL is being used more and more.
I'd love to know what you think about shopping sustainably. Does this interest you? If so what drives you to shop this way?
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Until next time,
Abbie xx
These methods of shopping are helping me shop more sustainably. And by doing so I am helping save clothes from the landfill which is bad for the environment. It's helping by not filling my wardrobe full of new synthetic materials that do not degrade well. It's helping by not buying new clothes that are made in ways that pollute the environment from chemical waste going into the waterways by the manufacturing factories. It's helping charity shops by purchasing from them and giving them money rather than retailers that are known for bad practices.
But that all said, I'm not perfect! I can't keep away from the high street completely. I do still like to have a snoop around the high street, see what's on-trend and get inspiration. Somethings I just can't get as good secondhand, like sleepwear, underwear and a not bobbly jumper (trust me most secondhand jumpers have bobbles from being preloved). I think it's about balance. I like to mix up my look with old and new. And when I do shop on the high street, I buy pieces that have longevity and made from sustainable materials if possible. H&M for example do have a range of organic garments and TENCEL is being used more and more.
I'd love to know what you think about shopping sustainably. Does this interest you? If so what drives you to shop this way?
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Until next time,
Abbie xx
I'm a lover of fashion and from my late teens to my twenties I have shopped the high street with some sort of compulsion. Most of my wages were spent on regular trips to retailers such as Primark, H&M and Topshop. I have even spent 10 years working for fast-fashion retailers. And I will admit I was ignorant and nieve to how the clothes in my wardrobe were made. And also how I would buy into trends only to wear them a few times, only to banish them to the back of my wardrobe when they were no longer in fashion. I mean what a waste.
Perhaps it's a coming of age thing, but getting into my 30's I've become more aware of the manufacture of clothes and the impact that fast fashion has on the environment. I can't say there was one thing in particular that sparked my interest in shopping more sustainably. It was more a case of pieces of the jigsaw puzzle coming together and creating a bigger picture.
In 2018 in saw an advert for a vintage kilo sale. I had no idea what this was exactly but after a bit of research I decided I'd go along. And I've not looked back. I have been to many different vintage kilo sales since my first one in 2018. And my reason for going?
1) To find a more individual look. I was getting bored with the sameness on the high street and dressing like everyone else. Shopping at vintage sales is so much fun as I love never knowing what I'll find. And as well as being an affordable way to shop (traditionally it's £15 per kilo of weight of clothes), I can customize them too should I wish.
2) It's stopping me from shopping fast fashion and giving money to retailers who make clothes in unethical processes (unsafe factories, low pay to factory workers, pollution of waterways by the factories to name a few bad practices). The clothes at the vintage sales would otherwise end up in the landfill if they were not repurposed. Imagine a perfectly fitting pair of Levis lying to rot (*sad face*).
3) I've mentioned this previously but it's also the cost. Fast fashion is generally affordable, I think that's it's appeal, as was well as being on-trend if that's your bag. Shopping sustainably can be affordable too. Be it from a charity shop, swap shop event, online sites like Depop and eBay, vintage sale or car boot. Yes some sustainable brands can be more pricey but shop second hand and you're bound to save yourself a few quid.
These methods of shopping are helping me shop more sustainably. And by doing so I am helping save clothes from the landfill which is bad for the environment. It's helping by not filling my wardrobe full of new synthetic materials that do not degrade well. It's helping by not buying new clothes that are made in ways that pollute the environment from chemical waste going into the waterways by the manufacturing factories. It's helping charity shops by purchasing from them and giving them money rather than retailers that are known for bad practices.
But that all said, I'm not perfect! I can't keep away from the high street completely. I do still like to have a snoop around the high street, see what's on-trend and get inspiration. Somethings I just can't get as good secondhand, like sleepwear, underwear and a not bobbly jumper (trust me most secondhand jumpers have bobbles from being preloved). I think it's about balance. I like to mix up my look with old and new. And when I do shop on the high street, I buy pieces that have longevity and made from sustainable materials if possible. H&M for example do have a range of organic garments and TENCEL is being used more and more.
I'd love to know what you think about shopping sustainably. Does this interest you? If so what drives you to shop this way?
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Until next time,
Abbie xx
These methods of shopping are helping me shop more sustainably. And by doing so I am helping save clothes from the landfill which is bad for the environment. It's helping by not filling my wardrobe full of new synthetic materials that do not degrade well. It's helping by not buying new clothes that are made in ways that pollute the environment from chemical waste going into the waterways by the manufacturing factories. It's helping charity shops by purchasing from them and giving them money rather than retailers that are known for bad practices.
But that all said, I'm not perfect! I can't keep away from the high street completely. I do still like to have a snoop around the high street, see what's on-trend and get inspiration. Somethings I just can't get as good secondhand, like sleepwear, underwear and a not bobbly jumper (trust me most secondhand jumpers have bobbles from being preloved). I think it's about balance. I like to mix up my look with old and new. And when I do shop on the high street, I buy pieces that have longevity and made from sustainable materials if possible. H&M for example do have a range of organic garments and TENCEL is being used more and more.
I'd love to know what you think about shopping sustainably. Does this interest you? If so what drives you to shop this way?
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Until next time,
Abbie xx
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