Name it! My Vestiaire Collective alerts

All about my love for finding old designer pieces, and my current Vestiaire Collective alerts

I wish I was cool enough to loooove vintage shopping, but I’m just not. I live in Notting Hill and I’m surrounded by the world’s best vintage shops and will from time to time go in and browse, but I rarely leave with a purchase.

Maybe it’s because I’m not an impulse shopper. I like to keep a wish list (as mentioned and shown here), and think long and hard on whether or not to take the plunge.

The rise of online secondhand/vintage sites such as Vestiaire Collective, The RealReal and Resee have therefore changed the whole experience for me (and countless others of course). The various websites fulfil different purposes, let me show you:

• Resee.com: I love Resee for browsing, as they have a well-curated and not too overwhelming amount of pieces from the best designers. They also use models to wear the clothes which makes it easier to envision how something will look which is often hard on other websites such as Vestiaire and The RealReal

• VestiaireCollective.com: Where I go when I know what I’m on the hunt for. Either if it’s a very specific item like a pair of platforms from Celine’s resort 2012 collection (keep scrolling for details), or something a bit less specific like a pair of red sandals. On Vestiaire I set alarms for whatever I’m on the hunt for and get alerted when available.

• TheRealReal.com: I have never purchased anything from The RealReal, and feel it’s more US based. However, if I can’t find what I’m looking for on Vestiaire I will search for it on The RealReal too, to make sure I have covered all grounds.

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And here are my current Vestiaire Collective alerts (aka obsessions):

I. Hermès Collier de Chien

I have recently been watching all seasons of The Rachel Zoe project from start to finish. (Apropos vintage shopping she must have one of the best vintage archives out there…)

I think the fashion in Season 4 is the best. Mandana Dayani was my style inspiration for well over three years during high school. She and Rachel Zoe wear the Collier de Chien bracelet from Herms religiously and re-watching it kind of makes me want one. So of course, I added it to my Vestiaire alerts.

If you’re in the market too, I love this, this and this.

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II. Chanel clogs from SS2010 Ready-to-Wear

I’m obviously feeling nostalgic these days because my second alert is for the Chanel clogs from the spring 2010 RTW collection. Maybe because I find personal style not so personal at the moment I’m reminiscing back to what I used to love pre-algorithm (exemplified in Outfit 4 here).

When they were first shown on the runway I was obsessed with Alexa Chung. She wore the clogs front row at a Chanel show, and on several It’s On with Alexa Chung episodes (I watched them all of course), and I remember wanting them so, so badly. But being 17 at the time I obviously had nowhere to go in them.

I love how Alexa paired them with thick wool tights and a cream dress for winter. She even wore them on the cover of Vogue with ripped jeans and a blazer. I would personally wear them with jeans and a t-shirt for spring with a cashmere sweater around my neck.

If this made you want them, I love these but they’re unfortunately too small for me…

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III. Celine Resort 2012 Platform heels

A recent example of how a Vestiaire Collective alert paid off were these Phoebe Philo Celine platforms from the 2012 resort collection I purchased early in January. After having an alert on for 2+ years they suddenly appeared with a price tag of a little over 100 pounds. Loving a deal I placed a bid at 84 pounds and the seller accepted…