The Secondhand Designer Basics Guide
Because you might as well buy the pieces that inspired that infamous expensive brand.
Reading through all of the comments and shares from my rant on overpriced luxury basics was an experience. Thank you for validating my feelings, for so long on Substack it seemed like I was in the minority. Apparently, that’s far from the case! So, like I mentioned in my newsletter, besides shopping for cheap basics, the other route is re-sale for designer pieces, at deep discount. But not all designer re-sale is created equal. Of course, everyone who’s pricing these pieces know that certain brands will fetch a higher amount and therefore, your “deal” isn’t really a deal.
Anyway, I’ll shut up and just get to the point: a list of good finds on re-sale sites at the moment that I think are worth your money. The first seven are free and the rest is under a paywall, because whewwww, it took me a LONG time to gather these.
Charvet is having a moment — chalk it up to the fact that Matthieu Blazy’s debut at Chanel incorporated shirting made in collaboration with the French brand. So of course, it’s equally as popular on resale sites but you can still find a good bargain like this mock neck one. Inexplicably, similar ones are going for $1k+ on Vestiaire, which I find baffling.
Speaking of Chanel, Barrie is among their Métiers d’Art. I don’t think a ton of people realize that and for that reason, it’s fairly well-priced on resale like this classic black sweater that’s roughly the same price as one from COS.
If you’re a Japanese size 1 (roughly translates to a 2-4) and on the short side, these are pristine wool trousers for under $50. For those who wear a 4, which translates to an XL, there’s a pair of really good wide-legged trousers for $172.
This matching wool set looks straight out of a Row lookbook, especially if you style it with loafers or a kitten heel.
Another slept on Issey find is this diaphanous blouse with a scarf detail at the neck. They label it as a sweatshirt, which is why I suspect it’s not sold out yet.
There’s a slew of black Prada trousers in every cut, size, and condition available on TRR so take your pick. One that caught my eye is this new with tags pair that has a nice, slouchy silhouette.
Technically it’s not a true basic but this The Row blouse is a piece that actually offers me something interesting. It’s from their fall 2013 runway, which I quite liked and even contemplated look 21 as a possible wedding dress option. In retrospect I’m glad I didn’t but the collection has stuck in my brain.
Below the paywall, Prada cashmere, a ton of old Phoebe Philo-era Céline (which let’s face it, is what everyone is referencing anyway!), and a Yohji blazer that I almost bought.