"Hi!", Hi Good Stuff
An introduction and musings on my love for all things second-hand and vintage.
Why do I love old things? Things or stuff that have been discarded by someone at some point? Out there in the world ready to be found, to be loved again and re-imagined; hunting these things down is what brings me an ultimate joy. A never ending game of cat and mouse, having to scour and completely shut out any outside noise and focus on the singular task of finding that stuff that is just waiting for you.
Could you say I have an addiction to sourcing all this good stuff? Quite possibly, yes.
So with that in mind I wanted to share this love of mine and create a safe space for anyone else that just HAS to pop into that charity shop or antiques emporium, on the off chance that special thing is waiting for you. Or if you enjoy nothing more than scouring the second-hand apps for any new listings that might be the perfect niche thing you’ve been waiting for: I’m hoping this space will be for you.
Having worked in various vintage shops and studying dress and design history to a high level, my eye for not only fabrics, cut or shape but most importantly, the unusual and special has been formed. Not in a ‘toot my own horn’ kind of way, as my unusual and special could be very different to someone else’s. But I think, at least, that this second-hand eye that I’ve formed isn’t so bad. Through years of sourcing, steaming, displaying and studying stuff I now know what it is that I love or lean towards and that is… most things!? I just love stuff and see the merit in nearly all of it; wether that’s niche, gaudy and pastiche or something modern and minimal- I love it all. The subject of taste is dense and maybe too dense for this newsletter but just know I always have this quote from the infamous and perfect, John Waters circling in my mind: “But one must remember that there is such a thing as good bad taste and bad bad taste. To understand bad taste one must have very good taste.”
Fashion is cyclical, wether thats interiors or clothing, nine times out of ten it will come back around at some point and another generation will begin to celebrate what another one finds to be passé. I believe shopping second-hand really allows you to stretch your own sense of style and taste- to see that special item to YOU amongst all the other items on a rack or shelf- you can really come to understand what it is that you like beyond the confines of social media or fashion media telling you what is or isn’t “in”. With that in mind, you can also hunt for items that are in vogue or at least nods to current trends, with a bonus of the item you find will be more interesting, well made and (usually) not mass-made.
I’m not wanting this to become a lecture on taste or fashion cycles and who or what deems something to be fashionable or desirable, I think what I’m trying to say is second-hand hunting is fun, it can stretch your imagination and your ideas around what it is that you REALLY like or look for. So, i’m hoping this introduction and brief insight into my second-hand obsessed mind has you excited for more! And remember, everything is going to come back around at some point anyway, so just focus on what it is that brings you joy.
With that introduction bit over and done with I’m hoping to cover a wide variety of topics that relate to second-hand shopping, as well as:
Chatting to likeminded individuals who can’t pass up a rummage (slide into the DMs if theres anyone you’d like to hear from).
Links to items i’ve trawled the internet for and not bought myself.
My tips and tricks, what I tend to gravitate to and why.
‘Come shopping with me’ write ups with what I bought and what I left behind (I love watching the instagram videos of these and usually end up yelling at my screen!)
My favourite places to shop (usually only the South Coast, sorry!)
And so much more.
Please let me know if there’s any specific subjects or articles you’d like to read, as mentioned, I’d really like to make this a safe space for those with a second-hand shopping love like mine.
I’m excited about this project!
P.s. Please note, I AM NOT A WRITER, and I don’t claim to be. I am dyslexic and even after completing an MA with a 20,000 word thesis, I still don’t get grammar. Very sorry if this winds you up the wrong way but I’m here for shopping NOT writing skills.