Six IMAGE staffers on their very best pre-loved purchase
From the kind of coat you wait a lifetime to find to antique oil lamps comparable to none, here are some of team IMAGE’s favourite second hand and vintage finds.
Lauren Heskin, Editor, IMAGE Magazine
My very best second-hand find was a mint-condition, calf-length Max Mara camel coat for €85 for my Mom a few Christmasses ago. She has always been a quality rather than quantity buyer (a restraint I greatly admire and did not inherit).
When I was very small she picked up a Max Mara coat for next to nothing in a massive London warehouse sale and lived in it for over two decades. It fit her style perfectly, was incredibly warm and windproof and looked like it was fresh out of the packaging until the very end. She eventually had to retire it when the lining began to come away and then spent another decade looking to replace it. She found similar styles but they never really lived up to the original.
Cue me wandering around a charity shop in Dun Laoghaire one November. When I pulled it out, saw the shape, the colour, the softness and then the label! I nearly lost my life. I remember immediately putting it on in case the two other women in the shop – who were rummaging through boxes of books – grabbed it off me and ran out. Eventually, I gathered myself enough to pay for it and it was the best gift I’ve ever given.
Sarah Finnan, Deputy Digital Editor
I’m a fiend for vintage/second hand shopping and have come across many gems over the years – this leather jacket is by far my favourite though. I found it buried under a pile of other clothes at a kilo sale about seven years ago and it’s been a prized possession ever since. It’s deliciously oversized, has been worn to perfection (the brown leather gives way to soft suede patches on the elbows which tells me it’s been well-loved in its lifetime) and has four giant pockets that mean I never have to bring a bag when I wear it. The inner lining also has a map of France on it which hints at its history and just makes me love it all the more. Vintage will always have my heart!
Megan Burns, Editor, IMAGE Interiors
Inspired by my grandmother, who has found countless high-end pieces in charity shops over the years, I recently came across a long leather skirt in a local charity shop that was just too good to pass up. As it was ankle length, the sheer amount of leather it was made of should have cost hundreds of euros alone. The brand was one I’m unaware of, but it had its original tags, which looked at least a few decades old and listed its original price at over £200 (so perhaps it predates the euro?).
The only issue was that it was too big for me, but a quick trip to Alteration Centre just off Grafton Street quickly fixed that issue. I wasn’t sure whether they’d be able to work with the leather, but you would never know it had been altered.
Lizzie Gore-Grimes, Editor-in-Chief
I am lucky to have two super preloved designer fashion stores in my local area, Cobblers Wardrobe and Unit K Sandymount – both of which are always worth a browse. One of my top finds from Cobblers Wardrobe was this exquisitely made Lanvin red sequined top which I bought for a steal – it’s so delicate and divine to wear with a draped low back – perfect for that bit of Christmas party sparkle! My other favourite find was the famous ‘fit everything’ denim holdall from Stable which I found (brand new) in Unit K. It goes on every beach holiday with me and I absolutely love it.
Marlene Wessels, Art Director
We have a little second hand shop at the bottom of our road, it is small, and does not have much in it, but it changes daily and I love to drop in on our walks and have a little mooch around. Every so often you might stumble across something really special. One of my favourite finds are these two little antique oil lamps that look perfect on our fireplace, but also add a lovely, warm glow to a dinner table.
Sarah Gill, Staff Writer
Do you know that feeling when you buy a new dress and feel like everything else you own pales in comparison? And that absolutely-chuffed-with-yourself expression that comes across your face when someone compliments it, and you can’t help but nod along in agreement — It’s so nice isn’t it! And it’s mine! I own it! — and wonder whether you can get away with wearing it to every function for the foreseeable? That was the case with this denim maxi dress from Spice Vintage. I went through a phase where I found myself making up a backstory for each vintage garment I purchased, — the oversized blazer was someone’s dad’s, but he was definitely a cool dad; my purple paisley Laura Ashley gúna belonged to a kind but ultimately reckless young lady, if the rip along the hem is anything to go by — and I imagine this denim frock was once owned by a laissez-faire secondary school art teacher. She doesn’t care much for the curriculum, but that woman could paint, damn it.
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