No New Clothes, Two Years In (almost)

Sometime in summer of 2024 I decided to shop exclusively second hand, and everything about my style is better for it.

Now, I was already a majority second-hand shopper just by habit, so moving to 100% second-hand wasn't a far cry, but it wasn't something I had put any kind of strict rules on until then. I don't think any specific thing spurred the decision, but as someone who talks a lot about sustainability it felt like something I needed to try for myself for real, especially if it's a practice I want to preach!

My rules were pretty simple: no "new" clothes. To me that means second-hand, upcycled, and deadstock were all fair game. Underwear/socks were not part of it. And if I "broke" it, it didn't mean I failed. That last part is important. Because ultimately, since I started this challenge, I HAVE ended up buying a few new things. But when I say "a few" I mean it. Like I can count exactly how many new items I’ve bought in almost two years...two bathing suits, two pairs of shoes, two skirts from a tiny independent boutique I used to work at, two t-shirts from my friend’s small business, and a pair of Gap pants (I know, sorry) that I have probably worn 100x since buying them. Every single other thing I’ve purchased in the last two years has been second-hand.

And what I realized whenever I "broke" the challenge is that it wasn't really broken. It was a short detour. Because this isn’t some short-term challenge where I’m going to just see how long I can go before I return to my regular rate of buying new items, but that it has actually ushered in a meaningful lifestyle change that I want to adopt forever. And that if I wanted to keep it going forever, I'd rather allow myself the grace to be imperfect for the sake of longevity than throw my hands up in failure at my first "new" purchase and give up on the challenge entirely.

To me it feels kind of like being a "flexitarian" or whatever the cute name is that they gave being mostly vegetarian. The recognition that it's way better for tons of people to eat meat/dairy way less often with an occasional break than it is for a few people to be perfectly vegetarian/vegan. The goal is not perfection but persistence. Continuation. Meaningful, ongoing change.

So what changes did I notice in my shopping habits and my style since adopting this practice?

1) My rate of shopping went WAY down. Shopping all second-hand makes it almost impossible to impulse-buy. It's extremely rare that our algorithm pushes second-hand pieces that we can purchase with a single push of a button in the way it does new and fast fashion. Even if I am advertised something vintage that sparks my interest, 99% of the time it won't be returnable which means I cannot have a breezy no-commitment relationship with that purchase. It forces you to think about it. And, quite frankly, shopping second-hand is just more work. But I think for the most part, in our current world, that's a good thing. Work and time create useful friction in the consumption process, friction that opens up space for consideration, for critical thinking. As you dive into Poshmark or eBay or thrift bins looking for a thing you saw on Pinterest or social media, you are going to discover quickly whether or not you even want that thing at all. Does it feel worth the search? If not, it's much easier to let it go.

2) The quality of my purchases went way up. Some of this is thanks to #1, which is that when I shopped less, one of the reasons I often decided against something is that it looked poorly made or the fabric wasn't a fabric I like or something like that. But also, when you shop second-hand it means you're buying stuff that has often been quite pre-loved and if it's still in good enough shape for someone to sell it, then it's stood the test of time! It's hearty. If it made it this far, it's likely to go a long way with me, too. I also noticed the way things aged as a huge marker of quality. The canvas and leather Gucci fanny pack I got on eBay was really worn-in, and at least 15 years old if not older. The leather was scuffed and the canvas worn with little holes. But that wear looked amazing. It has personality, it has slouch, it has an effortlessness to it that a crisp designer bag doesn't. Comparing that to how a nylon and faux-leather (aka plastic) bag I bought just three years ago has worn over time....stained, flaking, and cracking. The Gucci bag wore in. The new bag wore out. And I paid the same price for them! (that’s not to say designer bags automatically are higher quality — often that’s not true — but just that the quality of this particular bag is great).

3) I was struck by how much of the appeal of new (especially fast fashion) garments is purely marketing and branding and how little of it is the piece itself. Given how much time I spend in stores and looking at clothes online, something struck me: most of the time factory-new clothes look amazing online and disappointing in-person while often vintage clothes don't get photographed with big fancy marketing teams so their online appeal can be diminished. But in person, vintage pieces sparkle. The way HM, Zara, Revolve, Mango, Reformation, etc can create a whole feeling in their marketing materials that distracts from the shoddy construction and synthetic fabrics is so powerful. But when looking in stores in-person or receiving clothes in the mail, removed from their pristine branded context and instead shoved in a sad plastic package and wrinkled and creased and smelling like chemicals you really notice how much work the branding and imagery is doing to sell these lackluster pieces.

4) Shopping in stores that only sell new clothing became way less fun and appealing. Almost boring! Where's the hunt?! The chase?! The glow of discovery?! I was honestly shocked by how much the allure of even a fabulous little boutique went down compared to shopping for second-hand or thrifting or vintage. Maybe this is more from stylist shopping fatigue than second-hand only, but I noticed my standards went WAY up!

5) I did not fall prey to trends, it was almost impossible to. If some alleged trend was a-trendin' and caught my attention I couldn't just buy that trendy piece, but would have to go "okay what're the characteristics of this trend that are speaking to me? what search words might I need to use to find a second-hand version of this? do those pieces appeal to me as much as THE trendy thing? if not, am I just coveting a brand or a moment more than the thing itself? can I let it go? Do I already own something that has those traits anyway?" It's really hard to get caught on the trendmill (get it? trend + treadmill?!) when you can't buy new. So instead I have to use my own style compass to guide my purchases, instead of what's "cool." That means the pieces I've brought home since starting this project feel like treasures! And it's rare that anyone else has them, which is its own bonus! They're weird and unique and bright and funky and so so me.

6) I noticed how many of the pieces in my closet that I've held onto the longest were purchased second-hand, long before starting this. I don't think that's a coincidence. When a piece had to speak to me all on its own merit, when it had to jump out at me from a stuffed rack full of stuff or from an endless poshmark or The RealReal hunt then something about it must have really resonated with me from the beginning, and my relationship with it in the long-run reflects that. Those are the pieces that mean the most to me, that I am proudest of, that I get the most wear out of. Even looking at my daily little outfits on Instagram it's shocking how many of my go-tos, even the boring stuff, is second-hand.

So let this be my evangelizing attempt! Let this encourage you to try this, to try it without the pressure of perfection, to try it and fail and then keep going. To keep it in mind for holiday shopping! To try it and tell your friends about it! to tell us about it on discord! To see how it changes your life too <3

Thanks for reading! And as always, if you’d like to book a one-on-one styling session with me for anything from your everyday wardrobe to wedding or event styling, you can book directly with me.