Curated, Not Impulsive

An attainable and sustainable way to get brand-name pieces or unique finds is to shop vintage or second-hand. I love shopping on The RealReal, eBay, VSP, Mine & Yours and more… I’ve gotten really really good at waiting to pull the trigger until I absolutely love something.

I’ve tried thrifting in person and honestly… it’s just not my forte. I want it to be. I try. But instead of digging through racks, I scroll from my laptop at home and try to find gems that way. It is of course more of a curated experience but that’s more my speed.

One of my favourite pieces I’ve ever found was my second look for my wedding day - a vintage Dior silk dress that I found on eBay. I didn’t want to wear white for my second look and I found this dress and couldn’t get it out of my mind for weeks so I made the purchase, got it altered and partied in it all night.

Photo by Paige Thompson

I still browse the luxury online stores, of course, but there’s something so nice about finding pieces that aren’t exactly what everyone else is wearing. (Not that my style is that original, but you know what I mean.)

I love reverse Google image searching pieces or honestly just Googling until I either find the piece or something similar, the hunt is half the fun.

Here’s a roundup of 8 pieces I would buy if I had an unlimited shopping budget:

photo from VSP

  • Starting off strong with one of my favourite pieces in my closet (I have them in suede so not the most practical material but I wear thhem a ton so I feel like I can vouch for them). The Row Zipped Ankle Boot. Found them here in black leather for an amazing price (they typically cost over $2k when new).

  • This amazing Siedrés skirt: I so wish I had found this back in my bridal era. Not that it can’t be worn for other occasions, but it isn’t the most practical skirt for living in Toronto. However, if I lived in a warmer climate, it would absolutely be sitting in my closet right now. If you live somewhere warm, have upcoming bridal events or have a bachelorette coming up - snag it before it’s gone.

  • I love a bamboo handle Gucci bag, another item that would be mine if I lived in a warmer climate all year round, my bag collection isn’t extensive enough to have this be my next purchase but it is so amazing. Perfect for dressing up a look or a beach wedding guest bag! Someone buy this Gucci!

photo from VSP

Let’s go into more vintage pieces (apologies for not adding photos) and also huge shoutout to VSP for not only being an amazing consignment shop but also having an amazing in-house photographer so I can use the photos in this post (credit where credit is due).

  • I love this CK skirt (I can totally picture Carolyn Bessette Kennedy wearing it with a simple tanktop and a kitten heel). I’d dress it down but still keep it chic with a sandal or boot. I know vintage Calvin Klein is trending right now because of her and Love Story (PS I’m loving the show).

  • This Salvatore Ferragamo chocolate brown ponyhair shoulder bag is amazing. Flap and snap closure, single shoulder strap, gold-tone hardware. To die for. The price is even better - $450 is such a deal. It would be such a chic work bag.

  • This Celine t-shirt has been on my wish list for a while. If you see it sold, there’s a good chance it was me. I’m not usually a fan of logos, but I’d make an exception for this. I love that it’s a size large; the slightly oversized fit would look so good with so many different bottoms.

  • Another suede bag, another Gucci bamboo-handle obsession. This black suede bag is so good, and the bamboo handles… love. Another insanely chic bag that would work as a work bag.

  • I think I just found my new gym bag. This vintage Prada nylon is so chic, and because of the price and the condition it’s in, I wouldn’t feel bad using it as a gym bag. The size is perfect, and I can totally see it with leggings and sneakers.

There are some newer pieces I have my eye on, but finding vintage is so much fun. It’s always such a thrill to get pieces a bit discounted because they’re pre-loved, or in most cases, purchased and never worn (tags still on) or worn once or twice and then lived in someone’s closet.

This was so fun to put together, and it was honestly satisfying to round everything up for you guys instead of having to close all my browser tabs!

Happy Shopping!!

xx

Jade Farhat