My first visit to a second-hand clothing and accessories store (Greeks call them “used clothes” but that just sounds wrong… or is it just me?) was when Evocative Thread Treasures first opened its doors behind a metro station downtown. I was already following them on Instagram when I saw the most incredible yellow coat I instantly fell in love with and decided there was no way I was letting anyone else have it. I can honestly say that my wardrobe – and by extension my life – has greatly improved since I’ve started shopping exclusively from smaller, second hand/vintage stores. Unlike Zara or Shein, you can find affordable and quality pieces without having to choose one or the other. In fact, I believe the entire experience of thrifting can culminate into a bigger, deeper search of the self: for a stylistic identity, personality and self-confidence.
“ Don’t be ridiculous, Andrea. Everybody wants this. Everybody wants to be us.”
— Miranda Priestly [Meryl Streep], The Devil Wears Prada
There is no better place to look at how fashion can build character than cult-classic movies and TV series, the pinnacle of which is The Devil Wears Prada. Anne Hathaway’s character, “fresh college graduate with big dreams” Andy Sacks, goes on a fabulous journey into the heart of New York alongside the literal trendsetters of the world.
Andy may have distanced herself from the fashion world by the end of the movie, but gained not only the confidence to follow her true passion, journalism, but also the clothes to represent the more well-rounded woman she had built on her own. She leaves behind her long-term relationship, her old life, puts herself first and starts anew without any guilt.
Style-wise she comes full circle. She returns to her original casual outfits, but in a more thoughtful and less “I picked the first thing I saw off the rack” way. The thing with clothing, what makes it good that is, is not the design, but the fit. It’s why tailor-made has a different prestige. You could pick out the most impressive dress, but if it doesn’t fit you it will always end up looking cheap and inelegant. This is what separates true luxury from knockoffs and wannabes, though that line is getting blurrier due to emerging influencers.
Once upon a time, when we yearned to learn about the lives of celebrities off-screen, we had “gossip” magazines like OK or Page Six. It was something like the Greek village grandmas who collected bits of information and spun them into stories to pass the time. Instagram has effectively replaced such traditions, bringing us back to the original word-of-mouth gossip: who uploaded what, where is that guy, she posted this meme so she’s probably going through “stuff” etc.
Beyond that, Instagram tends to show people at their very best. People’s “perfect” posts create this illusion that they’ve got everything figured out, having magically skipped the awkward self-discovery stage and jumped directly to the finish line at “total self-actualization”: I know who I am, what I’m doing, and I where I’m going. Even though you may know it’s all a fabricated lie, it’s not easy to distance yourself and constantly remind yourself that no one has their life truly figured out. For anyone who is actively trying to accept that growth is both good and necessary, it’s a painful reminder that they are still “imperfect”.
I have done a social media detox in the past, exactly because I’ve felt uncomfortable with myself. I really wanted to be that fashionista who travels, has perfect skin, works out regularly, only eats healthy foods AND magically manages to hold down a job. Second-hand shopping started as a way for me to mimic the visual illusion I saw online without my wallet spontaneously bursting into flames.
At first, I chose a “high fashion on a budget” strategy, buying any and all affordable designer items I could get my hands on. Finding something in my size was just a pleasant bonus. I think we’ve all been through some form of “logomania”, I went through it once in my early teens and again as an adult. It probably didn’t help that I attended a private school and therefore socialized with kids way above my tax bracket. As I began researching the fashion houses I admired however – starting with Thierry Mugler and his impeccable androgynous/feminine hybrid designs – I realized that shopping historic brands without any stylistic opinions of my own was actually disrespectful not only to me, but to the artists behind the legendary collections etched in fashion history as well.
It was right around this time that I started losing interest in shops like Zara. I preferred to buy clothes and shoes more consciously, when I really needed or truly wanted them. This obviously didn’t happen in one day, and sometimes it’s simply not possible (if I’ve only got one pair of sneakers, which are starting to fall apart, I won’t wait forever to find the next perfect pair). To my surprise, I saw another change in my daily life. I could now open up my closet and get dressed in 5 minutes. Yes, I know. I couldn’t believe it either.
With this newfound security, slowly but surely, I built a self-confidence that didn’t collapse with the first hint of external provocation. I have now even begun experimenting with jewelry stacking! I couldn’t imagine wearing more than a ring and a pendant before, but layering feels a little less intimidating and “too much” now that I’ve got the basics down.
“Fashion you can buy, but style you possess. The key to style is learning who you are, which takes years. There’s no how-to road map to style. It’s about self-expression and, above all, attitude.”
—Iris Apfel
Let’s close off with this:
As we get older, we collect experiences, we evolve as people inside and out. There is no reason to fast-forward to an ideal self that isn’t really you and doesn’t even exist yet. Live fully, try out new styling choices as you’d try new things in unknown places; don’t think, just do. Have fun. Don’t feel the need to shop out of budget, a good garment is a flattering one. Fashion is meant to enrich our lives, to build our character and highlight who we are to the world. Don’t let the clothes wear you, you should wear the clothes.
