Why celebrities are wearing secondhand fashion to the Oscars
And why secondhand makes sense for normal people too
Cate Blanchett committed to wearing only re-worn and reworked looks on the red carpet this awards season in an attempt to push back against the churn of the modern fashion industry. At the 95th Oscars yesterday she wore an archival Louis Vuitton top paired with a navy silk skirt (below left). Other Oscar attendees also opted for vintage looks, such as Vanessa Hudgens in vintage Chanel (below right), Rooney Mara in vintage Alexander McQueen (below middle bottom), and Winnie Harlow in vintage Armani (below middle top).
The perception of secondhand clothing as worn out and tainted, only sought out by bargain or treasure hunters, is outdated. Wearing old clothes has become a way for stars to stand out, a trick Kim Kardashian took very seriously when she wore Marilyn Monroe’s iconic dress to The Met Gala last year.
Specialist vintage dealers invest a significant amount of time and money in sourcing and restoring vintage fashion for celebrity stylists, a much more involved process than simply borrowing a runway look from a large fashion house for the night. In her behind-the-scenes article on vintage sourcing for The Cut, Eliza Brooke notes that “this effort is in service of the transformative effect of putting a contemporary celebrity in the same dress as an older icon, creating layers of cultural meaning that simply could not be achieved with a new gown, however beautiful. It’s for the eerie thrill of seeing a decades-old masterpiece out in the world.” It’s also a status symbol for the star, a way to convey their values like Cate Blanchett, their power like Kim Kardashian, or their cultural currency like Olivia Rodrigo and Emily Ratajkowski below.
It’s not just celebrities embracing secondhand fashion. While fast fashion is expected to continue to grow 20% in the next 10 years, secondhand fashion is poised to grow 185% according to ThredUp.
As fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world, a shift away from fast fashion is no surprise. According to Farfetch, buying secondhand, even if it’s secondhand fast fashion, saves 1kg of waste, 3000 litres of water and 22kgs C02. The number of times an item is worn is the main indicator of its environmental impact, so loving items that someone else no longer loves is much more sustainable than buying a new dress made from recycled polyester.
However, the secondhand clothing trend also appears to be driven by affordability, especially now, during economic instability. Consumers have not only reduced their consumption of nonessential items like clothing but are buying more quality garments over cheap, disposable attire.
In 2020, I discovered Depop and it completely changed my perception of shopping. It combined the dopamine hit of online shopping with the thrill of bargain hunting and the added bonus of being able to afford higher-quality items. For me, it was a game-changer: it was easier to use than eBay and required less effort than scouring thrift stores. I recommended it to my friends, describing it as a blend of Instagram and eBay.
In May 2021, I made my first purchase: a cotton jumper from Kloke, a quality Melbourne brand, featuring a snake motif by local artist Alice Oehr. I was thrilled with my purchase! The jumper was in like-new condition, and I felt like I had outsmarted the fashion industry by getting a great deal on a cool item while also diverting textiles from landfill.
This positive first experience lead to more, and as I gained confidence in my secondhand shopping skills I started moving up the food chain from familiar High Street brands on Depop to designer items on The Real Real and Vestiaire Collective. I now own Prada loafers and Marni sneakers, items I would never wander into a shop for.
Shopping on secondhand platforms removes the noise of current trends, retail sales tricks, and the body dysmorphia induced by seeing the clothes on models that don’t look like me. It has opened up my imagination to be inspired by more than a brand’s aesthetic.
Now, when I see an item of clothing, shoes or accessories I like, I save it to my Pinterest board. If it stays top of mind for longer than a day or so, I’ll search secondhand platforms to see if I can find something similar. A great example of this is when I was inspired by and found a lace shirt. Here’s the TikTok where I explain the process.
This method slows down my consumption habits, saving me money and allowing me to be more thoughtful about the items I bring into my wardrobe, avoiding dopamine-driven purchases.
I may not have the star power or cultural currency of celebrities wearing vintage, but I can have items that make my wardrobe unique to me and that align with my values.
For your consideration:
The comment I most often receive when I talk about buying secondhand is how hard it is to find good plus-size items. I acknowledge that I am a well-serviced size and therefore find secondhand shopping easier than some.
If you have tips for others on how to find quality secondhand in a variety of sizes, please do share. I’d also love to hear about the challenge, why do you think it’s harder? Let’s see if we can find a way to solve/help this problem.
Link Roundup
Secondhand marketplaces need sellers as much as buyers. Even the Kardashians are selling off their unused clothes to make a buck.
I’m obsessed with this Patti Smith song which is the intro to Daisy Jones and the Six on Prime. Makes me want to dance barefoot.
Paige Wassel is my favourite Youtuber of the moment. The way she talks about interiors can be applied to personal style, with a focus on authenticity and uniqueness.
Women of the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, singing as they finish Harris Tweed in 1940. Imagine wearing something that was made with this amount of joy.
Just love your newsletter and am so glad to hear your voice again. I bump up against wondering if something is going to fit. How do you manage that? If there's no return window and an item doesn't fit, what do you do? If I'm going to purchase more second hand items virtually, should I also be looking for a tailor I like? Thanks!
Re: the plus size issue, I think one of the reasons it's hard to find wonderful second-hand stuff is that there's so much less to begin with. Decades of amazing vintage plus size simply don't exist. It's only recently that major (mass market) labels have begun offering "extended" sizes. A lot of what's been out there over the last couple of decades has been low quality, so may not last long enough for multiple users. And then, of course, there's the devaluing of *us*. Second-hand stores have had the ability to turn away plus size clothing because they don't see us, or we're not who they want their clientele to be. I hope that the online selling markets will at least eliminate that issue, as we sell to one another.