second hand

My fave places to clothes shop

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Yo, it’s your girl Maz – a bit of a stranger to the blog. Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve taken to my laptop and published a decent string of blog posts but hey ho, Girl Got Lost is all about the phases of business and chill.

As most of you probs know, I’m pretty keen on the old sustainable shopping front. I don’t buy any new (as in 1st hand) clothes so when I do shop for clothes & accessories I head to a few random places IRL and online.

Here are some of my faves:

Kilo shops

Ugh, such a great concept. Buying clothes by weight. Ok, in reality, it’s not as simple as you’d hope but it does help to refresh your normal dull shopping experience. I used to enjoy visiting the Paris stores; great for basic items like shirts and blouses, not so great for heavy coats or jumpers.

Vestiaire

Vestiaire is a God send if you’re a self-admitting label snob – ok, I haven’t bought anything from there but I sure do love scrolling through the dreamy designer handbags. Vestiaire allows you to buy and sell ‘luxury’ and ‘premium’ second-hand items for a discounted price. Every item is checked by a member of their team to double check they’re authentic and up to standard. Yes, some things are crazy expensive but you can also find a bargain and know that the quality is top notch.

Oxfam Online Shop

Items that don’t sell in Oxfam stores can end up on their online shop. It’s really simple to use and there are honestly, SO MANY PRODUCTS on there. Not everything is second hand, some retailers will donate stock if they can’t sell them or just wanna do some good. Books, vintage, CD and vinyl, clothes, shoes – basically, you can get almost anything on their website so it’s defo worth taking a look.

Charity shops

An obvious choice for some but still, in 2017, so many people overlook the potential of charity shop shopping! They even have discount charity shops now, like in Hatfield, my fave is one where everything is £1(?!?!?!) Before going to Glastonbury last year I was stressing out about buying new wellies and managed to find a pair in my size in there; so fab for a quid.

Festivals

Speaking of festivals, they’re well worth a nosey around if you’re into stand out, eccentric clothes. Summer 2016 took me to no less than 7 festivals and I did my fair share of clothes shopping between stuffing my face with falafel and belting out a tune alongside Adele. Shambala and Lattitude really impressed me with the amount of stuff on offer – picture sequins,  bum bags, unicorn horns, tutus, fairy wings and more. Keep an eye out for bargains on the final evenings of a festival; a lot of stalls don’t have room to take much back so they lower their prices at the final chance. I’ve nabbed an army jacket for £1, 2nd hand Topshop jumpsuits for a fiver (down from 20) and countless deals on socks and cosy hoodies.

 

Overpriced but still fab –>

beyond retro

Pretty much the ASOS of the vintage clothing world.

Rokit

The River Island of the vintage clothing world?

Lastly, if you have a tad more patience and don’t mind wading through more random crap, I recommend shopping on Facebook Marketplace, Depop and eBay. You could even stretch to Gumtree if you’re feeling reaaaally crazy (I once found the prettiest never been worn River Island kimono on Gumtree for a tenner so wahey, it can be done).

Hope you enjoyed the post.

Don’t forget to follow me (online, not in real life plz)

Ta.

Maz xxxxxxoxxxxxx

#MySecondHandSelfie -Why we need to rethink our fashion choices

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It’s currently London fashion week. Clothes, design, and excessive consumerism are once again a huge talking point. I dread to think how much money I’ve spent over the last few years on clothes. Not much makes me happier than scrolling endlessly through ASOS, rummaging through the shelves of Primark or even tackling Topshop on Oxford Street in the sales. I won’t even go into the heaps of clothes that dominate my bedroom (and chaotic floordrobe…) but it’s rare that I take a moment to think about where my clothes came from, how they were made and how they reached me. Companies constantly shove it down our throats that they have a sale on but when was the last time you saw a high street chain be honest and transparent about the design and production of their garments?

‘Children work at all stages of the supply chain in the fashion industry: from the production of cotton seeds in Benin, harvesting in Uzbekistan, yarn spinning in India, right through to the different phases of putting garments together in factories across Bangladesh.’ – in many developing countries children are subjected to exhausting working hours, exposure to pesticides, dangerous working conditions, are often paid below the minimum wage and consequently don’t have the opportunity to go to school. Basically they are exploited for the sake of new clothes for the Western world. 

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credit – saybrook prodcutions

 

It got me thinking; I love to think that I live fairly sustainably, but how can I preach that to others whilst not even considering the effect of my consumerism on the world. One good part I play in this is that I have a love for second hand clothing. That doesn’t just mean the occasional charity shop find – I mean I seem to find clothes and even homeware items in a large foray of unexpected places. To me, second hand means anything thats been passed on from another owner before reaching me. I find second hand clothes at car boot sales, markets, vintage stores, ebay, depop and from friends or family members. Some of my favourite outfits are made up of second hand items.

The advantages of buying second hand are;

+ environmentally and ethically friendly

+ you can find unique pieces

+ you can find fashions from another era

+ clothes are often built to last; if they’ve made it this far they’re of decent quality

+ often cheaper – second hand clothing is on average 50% cheaper than the brand new equivalent

+ your money stays in the community

+ It’s green; cuts down on manufacturing demands and prevents clothes going to landfill

+ friendly service

+ there’s a possibility of finding designer pieces

+ constant new stock

+ you can find clothes for any season year round

+ if you buy from a charity shop you’re financially supporting that charity

If you struggle with finding second hand clothing you love, why not go the extra mile and make your own clothes? If you use unwanted or ethically sourced material you could create your own designs and ensure they’re totally one of a kind. 

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rocking all vintage

To join this fashion revolution you don’t need to be an expert or have heaps of time on your hands – you just need to think outside of the box! Here are a few ideas to help you become more stylishly sustainable;

+ hold a clothes swap party with friends

+ don’t think twice about lending your clothes to your friends

+ old t shirts can be made into scrunchies

+ old pillowcases can be transformed into shopping bags

+ revive a dull outfit with embellishment 

+ add new laces to an old pair of boots

+ tie dye t shirts

+ raid your grannies closet for cosy jumpers and cool jewellery – a clear out for her, new stuff for you! win win

+ change the purpose of an item to give it a new lease of life e.g. a bracelet as a hair accessory, wear a maxi skirt as a dress with a belt, 

+ use old socks as dusters

+ add studs to denim shorts

+ donate your old clothes to a clothes bank or charity shop instead of throwing away (or sell on ebay if you’re skint)

‘Yaaaas I love it Mary, how can I get involved?’ 

Do you know what 2016 needs? A new hashtag/selfie/challenge trend. Regardless of your thoughts on these (raising awareness or just plain vain?) it won’t cost you a thing to display your favourite second hand piece of clothing, homeware, book, whatever to inspire others. If it’s been passed on from another owner or customised or made by yourself, go ahead and show it off! I want to see a photo and short description of how it came into your possession posted on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter (or all 3 if you’re extra keen) with the hashtag #MySecondHandSelfie and tag me, @Girl Got Lost on Facebook, @girlgotlost_ on Instagram and @mandefieldx on Twitter. Make your post public so everyone can see it and tag a few friends who you want to nominate to do the same. Great chance to nosey into the wardrobes of your mates and encourage others to shop a little more second handedly. 

We have enough clothes, despite society trying to convince you otherwise. Stop saying you have ‘nothing to wear’ when you’re standing in front of a wardrobe fit to burst. Stop stressing about the latest trends and focus on finding things that make you feel great. Fashion doesn’t need to be so damaging and disposable. Let’s challenge ourselves to think creatively when it comes to clothing. 

Woah, I’ve thrown a lot of facts and ideas your way. sorry about that! I don’t mean that everyone has to become a braless hippie, I’m merely wishing to plant a seed of thought of how you shop and dress. Let’s celebrate second hand and hand made clothes and give a little less support to large corporations who exploit child labour and wreck the environment by importing materials from half way around the world. Let’s continue rocking vintage looks and living just a tiny bit more sustainably.

peace out.

Mary

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all of us working our preloved and borrowed clothes.

p.s. have a read if you want to find out more

https://labs.theguardian.com/unicef-child-labour/

https://www3.nd.edu/~jsherry/pdf/2012/FastFashionSustainability.pdf

and click here to see my first of many #MySecondHandSelfieÂ