Thursday 25 November 2021

Secondhand Stories: Footwear




 "They call me second-hand Rose......"

Fanny Brice may not have been inpressed when she sang this song in 1921, but fast forward 100 years and wearing second-hand clothes,  or to give the phrase its 21st century image makeover, - Pre-loved - is the way forward.

Many of us bloggers have been doing it for decades.

But isn't it great that us 50-somethings who still retain our grandparents' make-do and mend attitude are now ahead of the game.

Some of my second-hand buys from top left going clockwise: Boden, Clarks, Dorothy Perkins, Marks & Spencer

As a child I grew up wearing hand-me-down clothes and as a student, scoured the charity shops and Affleck's Palace in Manchester for something new to me to wear.

But now I'm ancient, I'm cool.

More of my second-hand buys from top left going clockwise: H & M,Sorel, Next, Top Shop

In fact, I like to think my two sons who run the thriving designer pre-loved business, Luxe Collective have their cool mum to thank for their inspiration!

Hardly!

They started buying pre-loved designer women's shoes when they noticed their sister buying second-hand Isabel Marant Bobby's on ebay.

But even if you buy second-hand clothes, shoes are often dismissed, especially if they have been worn before.

Often there are concerns that their feet are sharing sacred space with someone else's sweaty trotters or even worse, picking up some nasty fungal infections.

And if that's your concern, let me assure you that by taking simple hygiene steps you will be as safe as buying new shoes someone else has tried on in the shoe shop or sent back from an online sale!

In four decades of buying second-hand shoes and boots I have never picked up anything nasty. 

Now swimming pools - that's a different story!!!!

I am not going to rant on about my best buys here, if you want to see them I have posted a video on my Instagram account here.


Last of my second-hand buys from top left going clockwise: Jimmy Choo, Boden, Prada, Karen Milllen.


Instead, this blog is all about sharing tips.

So let's go.


Hygiene

When my shoes first arrive, I wipe them with a damp cloth and then brush if its suede or fake suede or similar.

If it's leather, I wipe with a damp cloth and anti-bac spray. I always wipe the soles with anti-bac spray.

Next, I spray inside with an disinfectant spray and leave to dry. I repeat this a few days later.

That's it!

Know Your size

I know that I am a true size 4.5 in Clarks but in other brands I need a 5. 

Where to look

Vinted

Ebay

Depop

Charity Shops (many do online shops and ebay shops)

If you are looking for designer then go to the experts: Luxe Collective.



Designer Shoes - tips from Ben Gallagher, CMO and founder of Luxe Collective

 Condition

"You really need to keep an eye on the condition of items.

Some items look ruined but all they need is a littl TLC. A lot of the time it's nothing worse than a little dust that will come off with a baby wipe.

If something needs stitching then get a professional to do it.

Be  carefu about colours. Lighter colours that have been worn are harder to bring back to life due to marks/staining.

Blacks are your safest bet as they can be re-dyed."

Authenticity

"Lots to look out for. The main areas are: texture, smell, weight, colour/tones, fonts and codes.

If you don't have anything to compare them to then use a google search and compare as many as possible. 

Fake items often have a strong synthetic smell due to inferior quality materials being used. They are often very light and most of the time the colours are way off.

Fonts are super important too - any slight misprint/wonkiness of font is an instant giveaway."

Sizing

"Designer brands can vary quite a lot and your usual size may not fit. We offer sizing advice."

Price

"Be careful if you want a trending piece. Trending items are like hot stock market trades and will be more expensive, especially if they are sold out. 

But if you want to sell then would be a good time. 

If you really want an item, I would suggest checking out lots of sites to make sure you are not over-payiing.

If you take care of your designer footwear you can very often get back what you paid or more.

They can be a great investment."


Now don't forget to check out my Melbourne based blogging partner, Sarah London for her blog on the same topic.

Have a great week.

Jane X

Wearing some of my favourite pre-loved footwear this week





6 comments:

  1. Nice, glad to see your son's gotten on the secondhand bandwagon, Jane! My best pair of shoes bought secondhand has to be my Tod's. I paid $24.95 for them (about 12 pounds) and they were marked "fake", but after some research, I found they were indeed authentic, and retailed for over $900 (around 450 pounds). I also pick up Fluevogs secondhand quite often (retail starting at $300+).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It defintely pays to shop around and you have got some amazing bargains Sheila. X

      Delete
  2. the only trouble I have with second hand shoes is that they are often 'moulded' to the shape of the previous owner so you can feel where their toes and lumps and bumps have stretched/shaped the inside of the shoe and for that reason I don't usually buy sadly as have a wonky foot that is sensitive to this. There are some amazing bargains to be had at times though and if I found something comfy I would buy. If I do occasionally buy pre-loved, I insert new insoles.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HI Betty, yes you do need to be careful but a lot of the items I have bought have been worn once or less. Sandals and occasion wear are barely worn too. But I totally agree with you. Although totally unrelated you have reminded me of the poem The Shoes of Dead Comrades by Jackie Kay. X

      Delete
  3. Great that your lads are also flying the seondhand flag, Jane.
    I used to know a blogger (and even met her) who cast spells on shoes she bought from charity shops as she believed they were inhabited by evil spirits although I can't say any of my footwear collection has ever been haunted! xxx

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hello Jane, how great that your sons have set up a business doing this. What a swish site! I used to love looking round Aflecks palace as a teenager. Mum used to drag me round jumble sales as a kid - she'd drive us out to the 'posher' areas such as Hale Barns, Alderley Edge, Wilmslow, but quite often it would be our local south Manchester charity shops where the most unusual items turned up. I have no qualms about buying good condition second hand shoes. After disinfecting and leaving outside for a few sunny dry days, they are good to go. You are looking fab in your boots. Lulu x

    ReplyDelete

First 24 Hours in India

  Ten years after qualifying as a yoga teacher I finally realised a dream - to travel to the birthplace of yoga. I have been planning this t...