Secondhand Curated Collection Reveal

How I turned a mood board into a curated collection of clothes

It’s been 4 months since my birthday when I gifted myself a secondhand curated collection for my recovery from Long Covid, based on the mood board below. I have slowly and thoughtfully purchased the collection from online secondhand marketplaces, using my Style Strategy. The big reveal…. my curated collection:

Here’s a rundown of the items I purchased over 4 months and the story behind each. Scroll to the bottom for my tips for shopping in online secondhand marketplaces.

Collection breakdown

I came of age during 90s minimalism when brown was a whole vibe. I went to university in Toronto for a semester in 1998 and scored a brown suede blazer from a vintage store. It became my entire personality and I have never quite let that go. When I saw Tibi do an oversized tan leather bomber (pictured above) I felt a deep nostalgia. Brown is not in my Winter colour palette, but it pairs so beautifully with electric blue, pink and red, which are my colours. This jacket is from an 80s Melbourne leather brand, probably a men’s jacket, but it gives the desired oversized look.

A chore coat has been on my wishlist for several years. It ticks so many of my boxes: masculine, boxy, blue, and it has pockets! I identified lightweight layering pieces as a gap in my wardrobe so this shirt/jacket nudged itself up from wishlist to ‘to buy’. Etsy has some great vintage chore coats, but I found this one on Depop. It’s not worn (it might be deadstock?) so it will take some wearing in to get that vintage feel. The customised patchworks remind me of Bode (inspiration above) which made this one feel more special.

I know I said I steer away from florals (guidelines not rules!), but this Zara shirt caught my eye on Facebook Marketplace because of the colour and graphic placement of the motifs. The embroidery gives it a handmade feel which I like. Buttoned up and tucked into trousers it looks preppy, but it also looks great untucked over baggy pants with sandals.

I did not have a denim shirt in my wardrobe, which seems like an oversight. I saw this Cos one on Depop, saved it and waited 24 hours, as is my habit to curtail impulse purchases. It was a great price at $20, and someone else snapped it up during my waiting period. Undeterred I reverse-image searched on Google and found the original name of the item from the Cos website, then searched eBay, Facebook Marketplace and some Cos Buy Swap Sell groups in search of another one. A lovely Polish girl in a global Cos Buy Swap Sell group found one on Polish Poshmark and offered to buy it for me and send it, but I declined, as that seemed like too much trouble. A week later the same shirt appeared back on Depop, as the original buyer didn’t end up liking it, and relisted it for $30. I snapped it up, admiring her repricing strategy to cover her costs.

Something that is working in my favour in the secondhand market at the moment is that long trousers are on trend, so people are clearing the cropped trousers out of their wardrobe. Cropped and boxy shapes suit my frame, so I’m in luck. Alpha60 is a boutique, slow-fashion, Melbourne brand, and these lightweight denim, striped, high-waisted, cropped trousers fit the mood I’m going for. The challenge will be to style them to look cool, and not like I’m a clown.

Two years ago I asked an influencer where she got her 90s-style, black, cross-over skirt and to my surprise, she answered “Cue”. Cue is an Australian high-street retailer where I may or may not have purchased a very similar skirt in the 90s for my year 10 work experience placements. I debated buying it new, as the influencer was influencing, but I refrained. The lesson here is that if you are patient, the items you admired new will eventually make it to the secondhand platforms. The Cue skirt is now mine.

Long white skirts were all over my feeds last Winter (Euro Summer). White is in my colour palette but not a colour I wear on my lower half. Seeing the versatility of this look in my feeds changed my mind. Country Road is another Australian high-street retailer with similar quality to J Crew. It’s an old-reliable for staples, is pretty consistent with sizing and Facebook Marketplace is the place to find barely worn Country Road. This dress is brand new with tags (BNWT). It can be worn with a jacket over it, a t-shirt underneath, or a top over it to transform it into a skirt.

I am a trained milliner who wishes she wore more hats. In an Australian Summer, a hat is a necessity, especially if you’re using actives in your skincare. This hat has brought me joy. It’s the perfect fit and shape for my head, it’s got a cord to keep it in place, its brim is wide enough to cast shade on my shoulders and it is my companion as I sit in my garden willing the sun to heal me. I don’t feel at all self-conscious in it, which is a sign of a perfect hat match. It is from Lack of Colour, which I recommend for their quality and the care in which they package their hats for delivery.

Every secondhand expedition will unearth some unexpected finds. Saying “no” and sticking to your style strategy is important, but so is the occasional opportunistic “yes”.

Ribbons

Ribbons and bows are having a big moment, and I love when a trend is so easy to participate in. I bought a selection of red, black, navy and green ribbons in velvet and grosgrain from a fabric remnant store online. Grosgrain (or petersham) has a structure to it so it doesn’t look like a limp jellyfish hanging off your head (my millinery training coming in useful again).

Tibi cargo pants

Tibi is a brand I admire a lot. Amy Smilovic, the founder, uses social media (and Substack) in a very clever way to educate her customers about styling, design and how to wear their clothes. She has an open and ongoing conversation with her customer base that both informs her designs and creates a tribe of loyal customers who rely on her for style advice. I have a search saved on Depop for Tibi, which rarely shows any results in Australia. However, these nylon cargo pants in rich brown with a barely-there check came up about 12 months ago. I saved them, as they are super cool, but were still pretty expensive at AUD$350 (RRP AUD~$600) as they were BNWT. Recently Depop alerted me that the seller had reduced the price. I noticed that she’d discounted her entire store, which indicated she was keen to move some goods. I made a low-ball offer of AUD$130, which she accepted as she was about to move overseas and needed the cash. She made sure I knew what a good deal I was getting - and I did! I don’t have a lot of texture in my wardrobe, so I’m having fun styling these nylon pants which have turned out to be super comfy.

Nique ruched skirt

Asymmetry is a key element of a Kibbe Flamboyant Gamine’s wardrobe and yet I don’t have much of it. I saw this skirt in this murky green and it piqued my interest because of Amy Smilovic from Tibi again. She has created a colour wheel for Tibi that includes a section called “no colours”. These “not sure what to name it” colours are really useful bridges in an outfit that can tone down brights or make interesting connections between black or pastels. I don’t have many “no colours” in my wardrobe and this skirt felt like a piece that would tone down a red or bright pink top, while also pairing well with a navy jumper or white t-shirt. The ruching means it can be asymmetric and textural, filling those holes in my wardrobe. Nique is another Melbourne-based, slow-fashion brand that I love to support.

My top tips for online secondhand shopping:

• Be patient: the secondhand market is constantly in flux. Don’t settle for something as the perfect item could show up tomorrow.

• Be diligent: set up saved searches and alerts, save items you like that you may not be ready to buy, and check the platforms regularly to get to know the market for items you’re interested in. This means that you’ll know when you see a good deal or a rare item that is worth pouncing on.

• Look for brands you’re familiar with: this helps you gauge quality and size more accurately.

• Ask sellers questions and negotiate: this is not retail, this is a marketplace. Open the door of communication, ask your burning questions, make your best offer, and negotiate politely.

• Know your measurements: sizing is tricky. Keep a note on your phone of your bust, waist and hip measurements in inches and centimetres, as well as the flat lay measurements of your favourite trouser waist and top shoulder-to-shoulder seam. If a seller has not provided measurements in the listing, ask them for them if you’re not sure about an item.

• Don’t forget Facebook Marketplace: Depop and Poshmark sellers often know the value of the items they’re selling, whereas Facebook Marketplace has a broader base of sellers who are clearing out a range of items and may be offering a great deal.

Do you have tips to share? What’s your strategy for shopping secondhand marketplaces?