Hello Lovelies,
Welcome back! And welcome if You are new here xo
How are all of You, I hope You are well? Today I am coming at You with a bit of a different type of post, Slow Fashion Year Take Two. I already did this type of year long project in 2022 and it was so much fun. For me slow fashion means shopping consciously, mindfully, as little as possible and mostly thrifted, aka second hand. Pre-loved might be more digestible term 🙂 Let’s see what I bought in 2024 so far?
Here is the thing. I have loved thrifting since I was 13. I still do at 40+. I am very conscious of not cluttering my new (smaller) house, so I am very picky about what I bring home. My style is a bit of tomboyish, rock chic with adidas flats kind of thing. So I reject most of what’s on offer – no flowers, frills or embroidery for me please. No sequins or beading, thank You very much. I also look for natural materials for the most part, but if I will find a coat for one euro, I will allow nylon/ polyester fabric. I witness prices creeping up and up as the years go by, but I still try to pay as little of possible. It is a balance. I never buy second hand shoes though, I have seen enough bad experiences like soles coming of in matter of days or worse. By worse I mean my mom falling and breaking her finger when the heel of second hand shoes snapped on her first wear. Urg! I am also a bit freaked out about bacteria/ germs/ possible herpes virus left by someone else. You can’t throw most of the shoes into the washing machine. Plus the sole will be moulded to someone else’s foot, not yours. Comfort is the name of the game at this stage of my life, I hung up party shoes and any kind of uncomfortable shoes long time ago. Sometimes savings are not worth it. Technically I don’t “need” new clothes, but since I am not adding to the pollution and landfills, I am allowing myself to buy whatever I choose to. Thrill of the chase is part of the game here, anyone who has ever thrifted would know that. I am only shopping in person, not online, so I might be somewhat limited in my choices but that’s ok with me. Shopping for pre-loved online means added costs and postage, which I would rather skip. I did a lot of swaps via online websites in the past, but a lot of times it ended up in disappointment for me, clothes would arrive in different size or condition advertised, I even had moldy clothes sent to me. That wasn’t even the worst part. Once the dress arrived reeking of cat pee and when I emailed the lady to ask she said cat peed on it “just a little bit” before posting, she sniffed it and decided it is ok to post it like this. She was apologetic but refused to un-swap since she “didn’t have money” for second (return) parcel. I was miffed of course and that was the end of the game for online swaps for me.
My tips for thrifting newbies would be as follows:
Visit charity shops/ car boot sales every chance You get. I go once or twice weekly and usually am surprised at the array of new items that weren’t there last weekend. Most of the shops have a system where the clothes get more and more discounted as the time goes. I always check out “bargain” or 1/2 euro rails – I scored a coat (no signs of wear!) and M&S men’s cashmere jumper for only a freaking euro this way.
Check every rail to find gems. Charity shops usually have zero styling, so You will need to have a good rummage around to find gems. Look for quality fabrics like wool, linen, cotton and silk. Touch them, compare the feel to polyester and choose wisely. Natural materials last so much longer and let Your skin breathe.
Inspect clothes for damage and/or stains. Look at the inside of the seams, check for rips or holes. Majority of the stains are very hard if not impossible to get rid of, so bear that in mind before parting with Your money. Check the armpits for sweat/ deodorant stains and put back the garment if it has any.
If the garment stinks of anything, have in mind that it will be very hard to get rid of it and think hard before parting with Your cash.
Do not expect to find latest fashion, looks for quality pieces instead. Aim for classics or clothes that call Your name and stand out to You. If it sparks joy, it is worth investing. Think if it would match Your existing wardrobe and can You style it few different ways.
Ignore the labels and go for a good fit instead. It will mean that You will end up having clothes in more than one size, but with the sizing so varied, it is inevitable anyway.
Take risks by trying something that’s out of Your comfort zone. You might discover that You like more than one style. Have fun with it!
All of that aside, let’s go see what exactly I bought and why?
JANUARY
| Month | Notes | From | Price | Total |
| Black coatigan | boutique | 50 | ||
| Long grey/ pink cardi | boutique | 45 | ||
|
Brown strokes knee length shirt dress
|
boutique | 20 | ||
|
Maxi blue leopard shirt dress
|
boutique | 23 | ||
| B/W Breton top | boutique | 10 | ||
| Blue obi belt | charity shop | 1 | ||
|
Superdry tracksuit bottoms
|
charity shop | 2 | ||
| Circles dress | charity shop | 6 | 159 |
My notes:
This month I splashed out of five new items in one day. Let me explain. Previously to this I haven’t bought anything new for close to a year due to buying the house & having to scrimp every penny due to it. It was long and dreary winter with long stretches of rains and icy winds and it got to me. I found myself on the high street with “sale” signs in every window. So I went in. I left the shop with one bag. Then another. And another. Before I knew it, I have bought five things – four on sale and one new, simply because I couldn’t resist it. Nothing was over 50€ a piece, I spent my birthday money, so therefore it wasn’t “technically mine” and I also supported a few small independent boutiques in our town. My money didn’t go to Penneys or any chain with dubious practices. I was also really surprised to find cotton maxi dresses and shirtdresses for only twenty euro. I’ve seen maxi dresses in charity shops priced at 15€ just days ago and they were worn. The math has to be mathing and things weren’t adding up here.
February
| Red Dunnes jacket | charity shop | 2 | ||
| F&F leopard/ back coat | charity shop | 5 | ||
|
Black United Colours Of Benetton short mac
|
charity shop | 5 | ||
| pale pink cashmere beanie | charity shop | 2 | 14 |
My notes:
I didn’t intend to acquire three jackets/coats in one month but that’s what happened. All of them are different, one is light coat, mac is for summer, the red jacket is more like a rain coat, needed for dog walks. So I am #sorrynotsorry. Cashmere beanie was a score also, I am always for a lookout for wool/ cashmere items in the charity shops. New ones are obscenely priced in my opinion. 14€ for a month ain’t bad, huh?
Total of the year so far – 173€
March
| Pink linen dress | charity shop | 4 | ||
| Denim dress | charity shop | 4 | ||
|
shungite/ blue stones bracelet
|
charity shop | 1 | ||
| Big blue plastic “stones” necklace | charity shop | 1 | ||
|
Phase 8 blue stripy knot shirt
|
charity shop | 5 | 15 |
My notes: shopping this way will mean Your wardrobe might be a bit eclectic, but I am totally fine with that.
Total of the year so far: 188€
April
Well, obviously we are only at the start of the month, so I will need to update it at the end. I’ll keep You posted.
| Dunnes “tweed” coat | charity shop | 1 | ||
|
Merino wool jumper (men’s)
|
charity shop | 1 | ||
| Long stripy oversized cardi | charity shop | 1 | ||
| Blue stones bracelet | charity shop | 1 | ||
| Grey backpack | charity shop | 5 | ||
| Blue long neck jumper | charity shop | 4 | ||
| Blue/ white stripy hoodie | charity shop | 1 | ||
| Pink hoodie | charity shop | 1 | ||
| Owl bag /canvas/ | charity shop | 1 | ||
| Dune leather bag | charity shop | 1 | ||
| Cashmere shawl | charity shop | 10 | 27 |
My notes: Let me know if You would love to see other stuff I get in charity shops too? Example below. I love finding gems like buddhas, decor and knick knacks for the home. Furniture too! One woman’s trash is definitely other women’s treasure!
Totals for the year so far: 213€. Seems kind of higher than I expected, but that includes five new pieces from the very start of the year, so not bad overall.
So that’s it for today’s post. Let me know if You enjoyed and if You would like to see this type of content going forward. Obviously I can’t link anything or make any money from this, it is pure passion project. If that inspires at least one person to check charity shops, I would consider it a win. Nice style can be obtained for cheap and we can help save the planet this way too. Every little bit counts.
Many thanks for spending Your time with me. See You here soon.
Are You shopping for second hand anything? Fashion, handbags, furniture? What were Your best scores? Please share with me, I would love to know!
Check out my favourite online shops
[if You want to]
The Dutch Health Store
Live In The Light code GREENLIFEINDUBLIN15 saves You 15%
Living Libations
The Clean Beauty Edit code GreenLife10 saves You 10%
Pure Anada
Fushi Wellbeing code GREENLIFEINDUBLIN saves You 20%
iHerb code CDI1500 saves $£€
Ta ta for now.
Sending LOVE & LIGHT,
Renata.
