Merry Thriftmas
+ full of pre-loved party attire
Hello!
To all the new readers of Something Borrowed, Never New, thank you for subscribing! If you want to recap on previous topics, you can read issue #1 here.
I’m emerging from a recent covid quarantine where I was on a cheesy yet cute holiday movie binge. While overdosing on Netflix, I also spent hours trolling secondhand sites and shops looking for Thriftmas outfits so you don’t have to. What is Thriftmas you ask? Coined by a good friend who loves a good pun, in its inaugural year we dressed up in our favorite secondhand score and took our preloved party garb out on the town. (We actually went to a vegan restaurant reminiscent of Raw from SATC followed by espresso martinis and in bed by midnight because we are in our 30s after all.)
With the unfortunate news this week of Shein being named the most popular fashion brand of 2022, there is no better time to celebrate the values behind Thriftmas- which can be applied to any holiday!
If you’re hosting a party, ask guests to come in their favorite thrifted item, or for a white elephant/ gift swap, encourage secondhand pieces. Emily Henderson has a tutorial on how to wrap presents with a dish towel, which can then be reused. Every December I make Italian pizzelles for friends and family, this year I’m gifting them in Stasher bags they can use to reduce single-use plastic throughout the year.
Still have some shopping to do? Our Gift Guide is full of ideas that giveback, reduce waste, support women and BIPOC owned-brands as well as experiences and ideas for donations.
Pre-loved Holiday Party Edit
Something about seasonal festivities makes us want to don a sequin, but since they are essentially tiny pieces of sparkly plastic, sequins are horrible for the environment. It is also unlikely that such a loud garment is something you are going to regularly rewear, to alleviate these concerns I sourced some secondhand sparkles for your holiday events.
A handful of these items are sourced from TheRealReal and ReBag since they allow returns. As always, if you are looking for something specific or different size to be sourced secondhand/vintage, please reach out!
Gucci Gold Velvet Dress- a splurge but would be a holiday hit! (s)
Gucci Halter Top (s)
1960s Black Micro Dress (s/m)
Rixo Sequin Dress-it’s a halter but also has sleeves to show skin yet stay warm (m)
Sies Marjan Silk Dress, this color is stunning (l)
Rotate Two-Tone Mini Dress (l) *bnwt*
Self-Portrait Black Mini Dress (uk12) *bnwt*
Ganni Satin Rouched Purse- I have this in green and it’s the perfect going-out accessory
Amina Muaddi Black Satin Heels- another similar style and size here
Cartier Vintage Panthere Quartz Watch - If still looking for a special gift (or maybe a gift to you) this is a vintage Cartier *chef’s kiss*
Some recent wins at the intersection of fashion and sustainability
Vestiaire Collective bans fast fashion from their resale platform
Kate Winslet rewore a dress from The Dressmaker premier to the Avatar 2 premiere. Reduce, Rewear!
We’re getting closer to being able to recycle *some* of our clothes like an aluminum can
Something borrowed, nothing new is written by Hilliary and edited by Juliana Radich.
Hilliary is a climate advocate who is passionate about sustainability practices within the fashion industry. She has ten years of experience working in fashion marketing and recently graduated from Columbia University with a Master’s in Sustainability.