Sustainable style: Here are the top tips when shopping for vintage clothes
Sinéad Coughlan of Public Romance; Breda Casey of Miss Daisy Blue; Ella de Guzman of Siopaella
Breda Casey has been selling vintage clothes and accessories since 2009.
Since 2020, her store has been located at St Patrick's Quay in Cork City where she specialises in goods from the 1930s onwards. Her customers range from young girls making their confirmation to women in their 80s.
Breda sources most of her vintage occasionwear in the US and has seen a huge increase in the demand for vintage clothes for special occasions.
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She says that, while many customers are environmentally-conscious, the interest in vintage at her store is driven mainly by a desire in customers to avoid wearing the same item as someone else — especially when it comes to weddings.
Newcomers to vintage, in particular, can find shopping secondhand overwhelming. Sometimes the dress they’ll think is terrible is the one they’ll fall in love with when they try it on.
Many vintage garments are well-made using natural fabrics and can easily be reworked into more modern styles. Edwin at the Cork Button Company is brilliant and very experienced when it comes to working with vintage clothes.
Vintage clothes look fantastic worn with modern pieces, and this can help you avoid looking like you’re in costume. Whether it’s a prom dress, a rock t-shirt, or original Levi 501s, adding a vintage twist will always make your look unique.
Vintage shops are treasure troves of different styles, colours, and sizes. Repeat visits and giving yourself time to browse ensures you don’t miss out on a gem.
Most vintage sellers have a huge collection behind the scenes. If you are scouting for something in particular, always ask for help. If we don’t have it to hand, we know the best places to source special pieces.
Ask the seller how best to look after your purchase. While a 1970s maxi dress might be machine washable at a low temperature, many vintage garments will have to be dry cleaned — it depends on the fabric or the age of the garment. It’s best to ask those with experience.
- miss-daisy-blue.business.site
- Instagram: @missdaisyblue
Ella de Guzmann runs Siopaella, Ireland’s most well-known luxury goods reseller.
Specialising in designer handbags since 2011, she is a renowned expert in authentication and re-sale, running her successful business from her brick-and-mortar store in Dublin and online. She also offers an authentication service to those wishing to buy or sell luxury bags, clothing, and accessories. Here Ella shares her tips — from authentication of secondhand bags to care of designer bags for resale.
If buying secondhand designer bags online or through a social media account you need to make sure they’re authentic. If you’re not sure, We offer an authentication service for €20 based on photos or video evidence. We also offer a full written authentification report for those trying to get their money back from bogus sellers (€50).
Authentification takes in lots of different factors including the stitching, the hardware, font, font placement, how a bag weighs and feels, and what it sounds like when the zip is opened — it’s not just about a receipt — that’s how people get fooled online. Paperwork means nothing if the bag is fake. Even receipts can be faked. There’s a company in Hong Kong selling counterfeit bags and I’ve seen multiple copies of the same receipts. New Chanel and Louis Vuitton bags contain a microchip although these can also be faked so you have to be so careful.
Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and certain styles of Hermès (Birkins and Kellys) are always good investments — historically bags by these brands have gone up in price year-on-year. A Chanel wallet-on-chain that cost €1,100 12 years ago is now worth €3,200.
Whether you’re buying a designer bag secondhand, or buying one new with a view to selling it at a later date, be sure you store it correctly. A bag stored in a mouldy attic could go from being worth €8,000 to €3,000. Don’t hang your bags by their chains as this will leave a permanent indent in the leather. Insure anything worth more than €500 — take a photo of the receipt and send it to your insurer to make sure it’s covered.
Go direct to the luxury brand for repair first. If the brand refuses to fix the item then you can look to third-party repairers but be aware that most luxury brands will refuse to repair a bag that’s been touched by somebody else. Luxury brands all have aftercare services.
Paypal is one of the safest ways to pay for goods online as they have buyer’s insurance.
If you’re buying a bag online ask for close-up photos of the bag including photos of where the strap attaches to the bag and of the corners of the bag. Make sure the photos are taken without the bag being stuffed.
Don’t buy off an Instagram account in the likes of Dubai or Italy, Italy and Dubai are two of the worst sources of fakes. Don’t buy off anyone with a PO Box. It’s very hard to get your money back from someone in a different country. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is — it may be either fake or stolen.
- siopaella.com
- Instagram: @siopaella
Sinéad Coughlan set up the trend-led vintage store Public Romance in Galway 14 years ago. In that time, says Coughlan, secondhand shopping has become more mainstream as people have begun to reject fast fashion and to realise the buzz of that perfect vintage find — whether it’s a great pair of jeans, a rare original Adidas top, or a terrific bargain.
The shop offers both secondhand vintage and new one-off pieces made from reworked vintage clothing. At the moment you’ll find vintage biker jackets, denim skirts made from vintage jeans, reworked 1980s men’s sweaters, and “crocheted everything”.
In the 1980s things were super oversized. In the 1990s things tended to be quite slim-fitting. Sizing has become more generous over the last 10 years so keep that in mind when vintage shopping. You might wear a size 8 in Zara but that might be a waist 28 or 29 in vintage jeans.
Simple alterations can really change an item and, if you get things mended, you’ll hang on to your favourite vintage pieces for longer.
We follow the current fashion trends from luxury brands, high-street stores, street-style influencers, and our own customers. Whatever has hit the high street will usually be what our customers are looking for — at the moment it’s long denim skirts, bomber jackets, and combat trousers.
If you’ve never worn vintage but want to incorporate it into your look, the easiest way to start is with accessories. Wearing a vintage belt can transform your outfit and be a talking point. A vintage leather bag will look great with any outfit. Or try a vintage oversized trench, which is so popular right now.
- publicromance.com
- Instagram: @publicromance
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