We're Editors With High Standards—6 Vintage and Secondhand Buys That Have Us Seriously Impressed

Since the ripe age of 12, I’ve been enamoured with pre-loved goods. Between the magic in the history of these pieces, the cost-effective factor and most importantly, the benefits of shopping pre-existing fashion for environmental purposes, there’s much to celebrate — from the thrill of scoring a unique piece, to the drawn-out buying process, which helps to properly interrogate the why of a purchase. Whether you’re rifting through hangers, hoping to find something unique, in a back-and-forth bidding war, considering offers, or harbouring the intention of searching for something with a specific requirement, there’s a powerful psychology that’s tangled in with the process of decision making.

Second-hand shopping has served me well over the years. During my teens, I owned a thriving eBay store-front, stocked with curated pieces sourced from local charity shops. I also have stories from time spent frequenting thrift and charity shops with loved ones. Back then, Beyond Retro was one of the few names excelling in this market but now the options are aplenty. To date, some of my favourite second-hand pieces are a botanical print Laura Ashley skirt I wore religiously during my teens, a cross-body Burberry satchel kindly passed down from my Aunty (which I had no business wearing to Secondary school), A Baserage Shaw Dress, Albus Lumen frock, and Doen’s Ischia Midi, to name a few. (Honestly, you’ll be surprised what you can find).

Luckily for me, I’m now living in one of the world’s biggest fashion hubs, with a smorgasbord of thrift offerings on every corner. Vintage shops in Paris have become part of the cultural experience—with Parisians appreciating the pieces of yesteryear (namely Burberry Trench coats and Levi 501s). Unlike two decades ago when I started shopping for second-hand pieces, consignment stores and e-commerce sites such as Vestiaire Collective, Vinted, and eBay allow for a comfortable shopping experience akin to shopping new and an added benefit is it’s so much easier to share and inspire one another.