Second-hand love
How Millie Cerys changed her views about charity shop clothes.
Recently, I was in a rush to leave the house and was hastily trying to pick an outfit for the day.
Much to my frustration, I couldn’t find any of my favourite clothes. I was walking around my flat in a frenzy, becoming more and more annoyed by the second. Suddenly I stopped. I stood in front of the washing machine, watching a blur of colours and patterns spin round and round. So that’s where my favourite clothes went, I thought to myself. It suddenly occurred to me that the clothes in front of me had something else in common too: they were all second-hand. I didn’t have time to ponder this however, so I left the house, and tried to stop my thoughts from spinning too.
The thought never truly left me. I noticed that whenever I complimented people on a piece of clothing and asked them where they bought it, the response was often “a charity shop”. Friends sent me photos of new clothes bought, and once again, the gems were usually second-hand. Maybe the origin of our most loved clothes was the same: they all belonged to somebody else before.
Childhood second-hand blues
It wasn’t always like this for me, though. I remember years of walking through second-hand shops with my mum and feeling like they was the last places I wanted to buy clothes from. I’d beeline to the books, whilst my mum browsed the clothes. At some point I took up an interest in clothes too and ended up with more second-hand clothes in my wardrobe than new ones. Friends my age went through a similar development.
My interest in fast fashion slowed around the age of fourteen, when vintage shops started to become more and more popular. I’d go to kilo sales with friends and marvel at all the clothes from a time long past. I visited my brother in Amsterdam and spent most of my time there trawling through so-called vintage stores, looking for bucket hats and cargo pants. If I went to London for the day, I’d be sure to go to Shoreditch, as vintage clothing is extremely popular there. Me and my parents had debate after debate about the whole concept. My parents believed vintage was just another term for second-hand, but advertised in an upmarket manner and often sold with a lot of profit. My teenage self tried to convince them this wasn’t true, and that these clothes were different and trendier than those found in your local charity shop. I stuck to this view for a couple of years, but at some point, did realise vintage clothes weren’t all that cheap…
Vintage or second-hand?
I spoke to others and asked them whether they thought vintage and second-hand were the same.
I spent a long time googling the differences between the two of them (don’t even get me started on retro). It turned out other people were having these debates too. I found out that, technically speaking, clothing could only be called vintage if it was old enough and didn’t necessarily have to be owned by someone else (but often was, and was therefore also often second-hand). The main thing this research taught me: the whole matter was quite confusing.
So at some point I decided I should give charity shop clothing a go too. I bought flowy summery dresses, making me feel elegant and beachy at the same time. I discovered I loved funky patterns, trying on unusual tops I would never have looked at before. I took home practical trousers I could wear in any kind of weather. Basically, I loved these purchases and I loved how they made me feel. My parents laughed in fond self-righteousness (an all-too-common emotion for parents, I have found), saying they knew all along that charity shops were the best place to buy clothes. I eventually admitted they were right, much to their delight.
I went through charity shop after charity shop in Hastings and St Leonards. There is a huge range of them, and they’re all located fairly close to each other. Admittedly, you do need to look around a bit, but after some filtering it’s easy to find things that suit you. Prices are low and amazing bargains are all around. This works excellently for me as a soon-to-be student; it is a great way to enjoy the thrill of a shop and spice up my wardrobe, without spending all that much.
Overheard conversation
What inspired me to write about this topic was a conversation I overheard while in the changing room of a charity shop. I was out for the day with a friend, both of us on a gap year before university. While I was trying on a dress (which I then bought for a few pounds, it is now one of my summer staples!), I heard my friend talking to the shop assistant. My friend said how she thought there were such lovely clothes in this shop, to which I heard some murmurs of agreement; a couple of other women had joined the conversation too. The shop assistant said it was really nice to see so many younger people come in nowadays. One of the other women agreed and said her nieces and nephews only ever bought clothes second-hand.
I went home that day with more than just a dress, but also a budding idea; this was some-thing that had to be written about. Second-hand shopping is definitely becoming more and more fashionable with younger generations, but it’s also great for those living on a budget, or for those wanting to go against fast fashion in general. And of course, the perks of charity shops go further than just the individual, as a lot of life-saving research is funded by them. All in all, I’m glad I finally realised how amazing charity shops truly are. One thing’s for sure: once I’ve outgrown a piece of clothing, I’ll know where to take it.
All photos of Millie by Hope Nothhelfer.
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