What’s the Best Way to Find Unique Clothing?
No-one wants to dress the same way as everyone else. But it can be hard to go shopping for clothes today and feel like you are really owning the outfits you buy. The best way to express yourself through your clothes is to get unique pieces that are sourced second-hand through Vestiaire Collective. We have all the styles from today and the past from a range of designers to suit every budget and personality.
You don’t have to follow any rules when you are shopping on Vestiaire. We just want you to love the pieces you buy so you feel ready to take on the world in style. When you’re confident in the clothes you’re in, you’re going to hold on to them for longer which is also a big win for the planet.
Choose a unique style of clothing
Before you start shopping for a great unique piece of clothing, you first have to determine your personal style. What are the types of clothes already in your closet? Do they bring you joy or are you ready to start a completely new look? Take a moment to consider the friends around you whose styles you like, the art and music that you listen to, and take a look at some fashion blogs or Instagram pages to find celebrities whose personal styles are appealing to you. Obviously, you aren’t trying to look exactly like them! But all of these can be inspiration for carving out your own unique look and creating a signature style that is all yours. Even simply scrolling through the Vestiaire Collective app can be a great source of inspiration because you’ll have tons of second-hand vintage options at your fingertips.
There’s probably a theme to the clothing style that you naturally gravitate towards, even though you will mould the genre to suit you. Bohemian, French chic, punk, and gender neutral are all great bases to start discovering your signature style.
There’s no need to debate vintage vs retro clothing when you are defining your personal look. Both vintage and retro are going to be your friends when you want to stand out from the crowd. If 2021 isn’t giving you styles you’re crazy about, why not take a cue from the fashions of time gone by. Retro fashion already does that, and so can you!
At the end of the day, if you buy a piece because you really love it, it’s going to give you a tonne of confidence. And that is how you will create a personal style that is all your own.
Define a budget for your unique fashion finds
Top name designers can be expensive, especially when you buy them brand new. There is a reason for that, of course. The design, the craftsmanship and the materials are all top-quality at luxury fashion houses, and these things don’t come cheap. But the cost of raw materials adds up in other ways, too, like the pollution that is caused from extracting resources and manufacturing new items. Did you know that fashion is one of the world’s most polluting industries? We just can’t justify buying all of our clothes first-hand anymore. There are so many options second-hand through Vestiaire Collective that we really don’t need to shop first-hand. Vestiaire helps you get good fashion that does good for the planet. Let us show you how you make the planet your number-one priority, all without compromising your style.
When you are trying to have a fabulous closet on a budget, shopping second-hand is your best option. At Vestiaire Collective, our Fashion Activist community offers style items for all different budgets and tastes. Whether you want a one-of-a-kind Birkin bag or a pair of vintage sunglasses that remind you of your sweet and stylish grandma, we bet you can find something at a price point that suits your lifestyle. You get all the benefits of a designer piece: the gorgeous design, the well-made construction and the status symbol — without stressing your wallet.
With Vestiaire Collective, you can buy second-hand to score great fashion pieces in a manner more sustainable for the environment and for your bank account.
Prioritise Unique Vintage Clothing
Do you ever go searching through your mother’s closet to find vintage clothing to wear? We sure have. Dressing up in our parents’ and grandparents’ clothes are some of the most fun fashion times because the pieces are so unique and nostalgic.
Now imagine you can do the same with a worldwide closet. You can! Using the Vestiaire Collective app, you can virtually search through a collection from fashion lovers from around the globe. That means different countries and different generations, so you will always find something surprising and delightful. The stock renews constantly as pieces are bought and sold and as the growing community of Fashion Activists turns to shopping second-hand as a way to consume clothing responsibly.
Vestiaire carries a wide selection of vintage clothing, from coats to accessories. And vintage pieces are already unique by virtue of lasting for decades. The items you’ll find in our vintage selection are often no longer in production, so it’s possible that you are getting a one-of-a-kind piece. This is the new new.
And remember your grandma always telling you how things were made better in the past? Well, if you’re comparing vintage looks to fast fashion, she was right. Vintage pieces were designed with quality and will continue to stand up to the test of time. One day, it may be your kids asking if they can wear your vintage finds.
Resell and Revamp your unique style
With vintage clothing it’s out with the old and in with the….still old! If you are ready to revamp and refresh your look but need some closet space, we can help. At Vestiaire Collective, you can sell your previous items to make room for your new, unique style.
We recommend having a wardrobe audit to determine what clothes you have and which you still love. Discard the pieces you no longer identify with. Likely, if you haven’t worn it in over a year, you’re probably never going to wear it again. For those items that you don’t like anymore or that no longer fit, you can sell them on Vestiaire. A wardrobe audit is a great way to jumpstart your spring cleaning.
Doing a wardrobe audit is a way to assess which colours, patterns and textures you have. You can use this information to decide if you feel like you are accurately expressing your personality with your current style and want to get more of the same, or if it is time for a complete overhaul. Usually, it will be a combination of both.
Keep in mind that when you sell your pieces on Vestiaire, you are participating in the global circular fashion economy that is dedicated to keeping trash out of landfills and pollution out of the water and air. Selling your unwanted clothes is a positive action you can take for the environment. When you do, your clothes get to have a new life and be loved by a new wearer and you get to switch out for a fresh look. It’s a win-win for everyone, even the planet. Once you’ve determined how much and which clothes you can part with comes the fun part- replacing them with new pre-loved pieces!
Build a fashion Icon wardrobe
The world loves a good fashion icon. Some of the most famous have even had products named after them: hello, Birkin bag! There are fashion icons in every style though, so even if you want to dress a little less regally than Kate Middleton or a little more conservatively than Kim Kardashian, you can go for it. Fashion icons aren’t there to make us want to dress exactly like them. They are there so we can take a bit of inspiration, play with it and twist it so it fits our lifestyle and personality.
If you don’t have a fashion icon you can become your own. You are a blank slate ready to take on inspiration from all different sources. Throughout history, fashion designers have taken inspiration from wide-ranging sources. You can too! Christian Siriano’s Autumn/Winter 2019 collection was an homage to pop art. Shoshana’s Spring 2020 collection took inspiration from her travels in the Balearic Islands, featuring floral patterns and flowing textures. Music, museum exhibitions, travels, and more: these are all rich sources of inspiration to help you express yourself through your style.
Choosing evergreen pieces in colours and styles that flatter you and are appropriate with your lifestyle is a great way to start a signature wardrobe for yourself. Gender neutral clothing brands are great starting points to creating a uniform look that is all your own. Customise your personal brand with second-hand finds and the people around you might soon be associating these styles with you. You’ll have become your very own fashion icon.
For all those fashion lovers who refuse to conform to the crowd, Vestiaire Collective is here for you for all your unique clothing and accessory needs. By shopping at Vestiaire, you have access to some of the most unique pieces thanks to our huge vintage selection. These are often one-of-a-kind finds so you’ll never again fear going to a party and having on the same dress as your friend. Instead, you will be head-to-toe in an ensemble that perfectly suits the individual you are.
The future of fashion sometimes requires shopping from the past. Luckily, vintage finds are more covetable now than ever. Besides making a fashion statement with your unique pre-loved pieces, you’ll be making an ethical statement as well. Wearing pre-loved clothing is a fun way to tell your friends that you care about the environment. If your outfit becomes a conversation starter, why not encourage them to become a Fashion Activist like you? Fashion Activists don’t give up great style in order to help the planet. Actually it’s the opposite. Shopping pre-loved pieces on Vestiaire that are unique and personal allows you to create and design a look that is perfectly you. At the same time, you are ensuring that the planet isn’t overburdened by manufacturing processes that require the consumption of tonnes of natural resources. Changing the way the world produces, sells and buys clothing is going to be a crucial step in helping our planet heal. We need everyone who loves fashion to get on board and become stylish agents of change.