Second hand luxuries

In the current state of the luxury industry, luxury has seemingly become more luxurious somehow. With higher prices and quality that, don't hate me here, is not made to last, it makes it harder for us fashion lovers to indulge in the brands and pieces of art we love. LVMH reported in April to have a 3% decrease in revenue, a number that may seem small but is actually pretty damning that people just simply cannot or will not buy luxury like they used to. Now, I have by no means "cracked the code," or found a new "luxury hack," but I have in the past year found the world of second-hand luxury goods and think I will find myself staying for a while. There's always debate about saying second-hand is worse for the brand itself for not buying direct, but on the other end of the stick, it does wonders for the environment and fashion's other evil: loads of eco-harming waste. UNEP reported this February that

"Every year, 92 million tonnes of textile waste is produced globally, found The Global Fashion Agenda. This is the equivalent of a garbage truck full of clothing being incinerated or sent to a landfill every second."

. To kill two birds with one stone, I believe that right now buying second-hand is a great way to make fashion more accessible for those who appreciate it, while doing your part to take fashion's name out of the lack of sustainability efforts conversation.

So here I am to share my tips and tricks, along with my thoughts on buying second-hand luxury.

We cannot talk about buying luxury goods that are not from the direct boutique or luxury department store without acknowledging the fact that counterfeit goods and "dupes" are flooding the market. This is what I believe to be the #1 hurdle to jump and scare when searching for and purchasing these goods. You, of course, have authenticators, but it has been found that authenticators either are capable or just flat out aren't doing a correct job at doing so, even at well-known and popular retailers (those of which I have still purchased from, so no hate).

So here's how we combat that

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• Avoid the popular styles that are commonly duped, i.e., the Gucci Marmont or a Louis Vuitton Neverfull

• If an online purchase, make sure it has at least been MARKED as authenticated

• If it's an in-store purchase, examine the item properly, i.e., is the logo correct/in the correct spot, or are the interior or minor details not present

• Verify that the "rare" or "limited-edition" item was actually ever made and on the runway or boutiques from prior collections

• Know the value of the item (sometimes it IS too good to be true), i.e., a Bottega Veneta Hobo bag for $200...

Now that we've discussed my basic rules of shopping, let's talk about where to even find these items.

TheRealReal. Shopping on this website to me is similar to walking into a brick-and-mortar second-hand shop like Goodwill, where you have to dig. They like to present their still $1,000 The Row Marlo bags or a pair of $2,000 Chanel espadrills, so it feels as though you won't ever find anything in a decent price range (the same goes for their in-person shopping experience as well). So you have to dig. I find the best way to do this is to search one of your favorite brands. I myself love a good Manolo Blahnik or Isabel Marant search. Filter it to your sizes (remember that often times you need to size up a half or whole size for designer shoes, as they run narrower), and take it how it comes or even hit it with the classic "sort low-high." Then, the world is your oyster, but don't forget your shopping rules. TRR, I find, is great for non-basic shoes, RTW items, and sunglasses.

Next is in-person, second-hand shopping. Whether that be an estate sale, a local consignment store, or even Goodwill. These can be trickier because you don't have the comfort of seeing that they have already been authenticated, so you have to do the work yourself. My biggest tips are to see if the item has actually been worn but is still in good condition, because often times if it looks like a brand new, just released item but has found its way into that store, it's probably a fake (not always, but a good precaution). My next tip is to recognize your surroundings. Are you in an area where the average population is willing and able to throw that old pair of Jimmy Choos in a little consignment store? Are the items all around it also of a high price point? Do they only carry your well-known brands, or do they have a random pair of Loro Piana loafers? I've found that the best items to find in stores like these are shoes or bags that are older and might require a trip to the cobler but are still in good condition. Always keep in mind, would it make sense for a woman to have worn these until she just didn't find herself wearing them anymore, or were these dumped because they are actually of no worth?

Those are my two favorite methods and places where I, myself, have found and purchased good items from. I will be speaking on other ways to shop second-hand only by opinion or browsing, having not actually purchased from them.

ThredUp. As someone who has experienced packing up someone else's Agolde, Khaite, and Rag & Bone items to be sent there, I can say that while they don't necessarily specialize in designer goods and don't have as large of a selection as TRR, as of right now I trust the integrity of the items they sell. Their scale of quality isn't as plain and simple as TRR but they do a really good job at highlighting any flaws or imperfections in the images provided.

EBay. This one, I have a lot of thoughts on. The reliability of the sellers is all over the place, and you truly never know. Unless you stumble upon a page that has great reviews from REAL people and they have a multitude of items listed and sold that are of similar value (same rule as in-person), it's a tough risk to run. I guess I lied when I said I've never purchased from them because I have, but I didn't receive the item. I made a silly mistake of trying to purchase a Miu Miu logo tank off eBay and was quickly refunded as the seller's page had gotten hacked, so while the page looked reputable, it wasn't the seller selling that item. Use this as a lesson, because while I was refunded, I didn't follow my own steps. It was too good to be true, and while I cross-examined and inspected as well as I could through the many provided pictures, it was a very popular and "mainstream" item, and for the low price of $130, I should have known better (it retails for over $1,000). That being said, I don't heavily encourage purchasing items off eBay in this conversation, but that is not to say I fully discredit it, and you can't find a steal or gem of an item that is real.

From all of this, I hope you learned a little something about second-hand shopping, how to shop it, and I hope you get just as much of a serotonin boost as I do when I stumble across a fabulous second-hand luxury item and get to call it mine. My collection is growing, and I hope soon you get to enjoy your own, cool, chic, and fun second-hand luxuries.

xoxo,

Blakely