Why It's Okay To Wear Second Hand Clothing

We all know the feeling when your letterbox has laid dormant for slightly too long and once more you're beginning to crave a parcel with your name on it. Whether its a new pair of jeans, a winter coat or even just a tiny weeny bit of jewellery, you have to have something new. 

Now this could just be me publicly announcing that I am a serious shopaholic (which I'm sure I am) or this could be a post that many of you can sympathise with. Either way, the feeling of buying something new, in store or online, is without a doubt a pretty fabulous feeling. Knowing that this new item is bringing you another step closer to wardrobe completeness, and making you look great a long the way is pure ecstasy for many women. However with happiness comes a price...a really big price too. Surprise surprise all of this wonderful stuff costs money! Money that the majority of the time we, especially students, don't have to spend. 

YES if I could shop on Net-a-Porter without a care in the world by hell I would. If I could buy a £1200 leather jacket from Acne without becoming bankrupt by hell I would...but for now anyway, I definitely definitely cannot.

This is where second hand clothing comes into play for me. I know a lot of people have problems with wearing clothing that has already belonged to someone else, and I completely understand that (ish). However, for me, this is one of the best ways for me to look my best. The vintage clothing industry has grown phenomenally over the last few decades and is now worth billions. Nonetheless, regardless of 'Vintage' being stamped onto a novelty tag somewhere on the garment, the majority of items we buy are far from what is really classed as 'vintage'. Vintage used to mean an item of high quality that originated from a previous time period, like a 1940s Chanel blazer, however, nowadays, vintage can mean an old M&S jumper or a Florida Keys Tourist T-Shirt from 1998.  

The stigma that comes with second hand clothing is rife, especially within my family, who think every moth in our household is my fault. However, for me, I enjoy the idea that something I own was once special to someone else, and that you can no longer get it on the high street, and not forgetting how you are also helping to save the world by recycling.

Yes its nice to buy something new, but the reality is, nowadays these items are mass produced by materials we cannot sustain, by corporations who exploit their workers, for a trend that will be gone in the next few months. As we all know fashion comes in cycles, so that new River Island dress you want is probably a copy of an original sat right across the road in your local Oxfam shop, waiting to be loved once again. 

Below is a picture of some funky tartan cigarette trousers and a blue crop t-shirt I got for just £1 each in a Manchester Thrift sale.