Resale is Officially Cool
One of my favourite, semi spaced out states to be in is on my lounger couch under a wool blanket and sparkle slippers, cruising through online resale sites for antique jewelry, designer silk scarves, or for my long standing unicorn Manolo Blahniks while I sort of watch a show on Netflix.
Some say that multi-tasking is not an effective use of time – you’re simply half assing both efforts. That may be true, but for me, it’s a self-prescribed self-care moment. The mindless yet beautiful scroll and watch is cathartic. I often fill up an online cart over the course of a couple hours and then walk away never clicking purchase. Fruitless to some, delicious window shopping for others.
I love a deal. And I - to the depths of my sartorial bones - love the idea of taking an item that somebody is no longer using, and giving it a fabulous new life. It’s a win, win, win. A win for the environment to use something that already exists; a win for the person who can give something up that no longer serves them so they can make space in their life for something that does; and a win for the person who will adore them and use them. It’s everything to me. Insert shameless plug eyeroll for my semi-annual second hand score pop up sales: Love it Again here.
What’s more, I love the hunt. Being out and about and finding a Marni dress at Value Village is a sure dopamine dose. Helping friends go through their lost loved ones closet to find 9 out of 10 condition Gucci boots and catch myself squealing like a tiny mouse is a true story. (Sidebar: After gaining composure, I urged them to keep them for themselves (or sell them if they don’t fit) so those boots can walk, just as they were meant to do, rather than gather dust in the back of a closet somewhere).
While resale is not a new concept in the world of fashion, heavy hitting household names brands leading it is somewhat new. With the announcement that Gucci will be partnering their own resale via The RealReal, I started to tingle (shop it here). Then I heard the very same day, thanks to my daily email inbox hit of Business of Fashion and WWD - that Levi’s was launching their own resale stream, and I thought, “One can be an anomaly, but two screams economic trend.” Digging deeper, it turns out Burberry and Stella McCartney have also partnered with The RealReal for resale. It’s officially a thing now.
And about time, no? I hope we are past the days where reusing thing is somehow gauche instead of responsible, financially sound, and progressively chic AF.
An episode of The Simpsons has been circling and sticking in my mind. Remember the one when Marge joins the society ladies group and wears her fabulous pink Chanel skirt suit? Days later, the episode continues and she wears that pink dream again to another gathering and the other women Mean Girl her and make fun of her for wearing it again. She hurries home ashamed and modifies the suit down to nothing. She attempts to appease these ladies and show that she is current – as she simply can’t afford multiple suits. As a kid it always bothered me. For one thing: why butcher a garment that you love as is and it fits as is and it feels so good to wear? Second, I could not get past the idea of needing a zillion things – for the approval of other people rather than dictating that oneself – when the one was beautiful and loved? This has obviously stuck with me.
Let me be plain as day. I would rather a person have seven outfits total, in their whole wardrobe that they love; it fits and flatters; and they care for, then seventy that they don’t. It’s a ludicrous idea that every date, event, work thing, weekend thing calls for something never worn before. For most, it’s too expensive for practical life. For all, it’s wasteful, not to mention stressful trying to manage hundreds or thousands of garments. 99% of us are not the Real Housewives of Calgary.
Once I heard the idea of getting each of the garments you own to a cost per wear of two dollars or less, it really sunk in. Over the course of time with a garment, it has great value if you wear it enough times that its under two dollars a go. A hundred dollar pant should be worn fifty or more times. A thirty dollar shirt your wear once is sad. And a waste of thirty dollars that could have went toward a better buy.
We should be trying to get as many wears out of a garment as possible. If that item wears out, good for you. If you tire of it before it does, sell it or donate it so that somebody else can love it until it’s done.
Resale is wonderful. It’s the simple 3 R’s we learned decades ago in fashionable practice: reduce, reuse, recycle, darling.
