A FOR COMPANIES

I am not going to lie, I love living on the Upper East Side. No, it’s not exactly sample sale heaven, but there are so many other benefits that make up for that. It’s not just the museums and the park that make me starry eyed, but also the meet-cutes that happen with Candice Bergen who stops to baby-talk your dog or Paul McCartney who is shopping ahead of you at Dean & DeLuca—both of which have happened to me. Fine, maybe this isn’t unique to the Upper East Side; celebrity run-ins happen citywide when the city is New York. And it’s understandable why so many celebs make their homes here… where else would they stumble across so many sample sales and consignment stores and thrift shops PACKED with underpriced gems all within any given three block span?

If you’re an avid TSC reader, you probably know by now that I myself have mixed feelings about secondhand apparel and shoes. Yes, I confess I am an only child and I’ve never liked sharing things. I didn’t borrow clothes from friends growing up and I can’t imagine wearing some stranger’s shoes. But the economic data doesn’t support my shopping preferences as the second hand apparel industry (offline and online) is an astounding $18 billion industry, and it is forecasted to reach $33 billion by 2021.

While I suspect most of the future growth will come from online consignment shops such as ThredUp and platforms like TheRealReal and Vestiaire Collective, I do hope Upper East Side second hand clothing stores still have a place in the future of fashion. Whether you’re motivated by investing in better quality you couldn’t afford otherwise or by environmental consciousness and sustainability, there are plenty of reasons to give second hand shopping a second look. Heck, even I did a double take that paid off.

On a recent visit to Margoth Consignment Shop at 218 East 81st Street, I was received with so much kindness in this cozy store, that I let my guard down and—gasp!—forgot about my preconceptions about second hand clothes. I don’t often establish relationships with sales people, but I feel in this kind of store, it’s not only a perk, it’s a must. My advice? If you can, get the inside scoop, make friends with the owner, ask her to let you know if something you want is brought into her store. This gives you an advantage you’d never get from any typical clothing store or sample sale.

Designer Revival at 324 East 81st Street is a much larger store with a good selection, pleasant décor, and a chic atmosphere to help support your retail therapy. Although I didn’t buy anything there, I’ve bookmarked their beautiful and functional website DesignerRevival.com and I will most certainly check it out from time to time.

If you want to minimize the traveling time and you want to hit as many consignment stores as possible, you can try Madison between 84th and 85th. For many years that block has been the location for Encore Consignment and BIS Designer Resale, but the imminent upcoming arrival of Michael’s puts it into a different category. Michael’s, the “family-owned mainstay known as a go-to for secondhand designer-label fashions & accessories” will be located on the North East corner of Madison and 84th.

I haven’t seen the financial statements of these stores, but I have a feeling nobody is getting really rich from doing this. Still, they’re sticking with them for the joy, the more personal retail experience, and the benefits for the environment and your wallet. These are challenging businesses, especially when you have to pay the Upper East Side rents. What they sell depends on the quality and quantity of products people give them to be sold. While some of them (Designer Resale, Michael’s) have new management with prior experience from the corporate world, social media savvy, and adaptability to adjust to the times, these are still tough times for most of them. If you love vintage and want to save the world (or just your money), give these small stores a chance. And when you are there and you stop by at Dean & DeLuca for a latte, don’t forget to look for Paul McCartney… you never know.

We’re well into January, so it seems only appropriate to follow up on our 2018 new year resolutions. Are you still sticking to yours? Or have you already abandoned them in the back of your closet like your beloved velvet stilettos that make your feet hurt too much to ever actually wear?

“To live a more conscious life” was one of the top recurring resolutions on many priorities lists this year, according to several surveys. Many people are becoming much more woke when it comes to living consciously—meaning being both present in our lives and also aware of the ethical repercussions of our every decision.

In the fashion world? That translates to a vigorous philosophical exploration of sample sales versus vintage shopping. Which is more sustainable, and therefore ethical?

We know by now that waste and mass-consumption are serious issues in the fashion industry. The second issue of this bi-annual Fashion Revolution fanzine is a fun, yet sobering read on this topic. It seeks to inspire you to “buy less, care more, and know how to make the clothes you love last longer.”  

As we’re now beginning to learn more about what it means to refresh one’s wardrobe ethically and sustainably, we feel it is important to dig deeper and bring attention to what’s lurking in the shadow of even our believed-to-be-ethical decisions.

Consider second-hand shopping. We love a good “lived in” touch of vintage in our wardrobe. In our 2017 TSC poll, over 52 percent of responders said they love second hand shopping.  These readers are obviously drawn to the history attached to such items, and they probably believe they’re also doing their part in saving the world by purchasing a donated item—thereby avoiding adding to the pollution of mass production. Such readers also take equal pride in donating their own items instead of tossing them into the trash. There is some truth to this, but it turns out it is not the whole story. Of the clothes we donate, only 1 in 3 end up being resold to a new local owner, and a staggering 66% are being sold to textile merchants who either send them across the world or chop them up to recycle them. So you think, Okay, at least I have purchased that one lucky item that didn’t go to Africa or Eastern Europe at the cost of a large carbon footprint and in some cases the detriment of local fashion industry. But do you really know anything about the lifecycle of your “find,” and how it’s made its way onto the rack in front of you?

An eye-opening article on virtue and vice follows the unlikely story of a “vintage” pair of jeans: originated in Cambodia in a cheap factory that produces new cheap items, using scraps of material, given to agriculture workers to wear as a “uniform” for several months, commercially washed and brought back to the United States. Hm… quite a different history than the one you had in mind when decided to purchase an ethical vintage item.

Now consider the sample sales. While shopping at a sample sale undoubtedly has its pitfalls, it is the clear winner when it comes to the transparency of a product’s life cycle. Not to mention—it features crystal clear provenance of products and a smaller carbon footprint.

A more murky question in this realm relates to wearing vintage leather, fur, or any other animal product. I guess the answer to that question is a personal one and it largely depends on where you fall on your own scale of ethics. If you are one of the many living in that gray area where you love your furry friends, but also like wearing leather shoes and the incidental fur hoodie, then you will want to check this week’s sample sales…

Women’s fur coats and clothing are sold at incredible discounts at the Dennis Basso Sample Sale. The sample sale also includes fur vests, fur-lined raincoats, cashmere coats & shearlings, dresses, gowns, and eveningwear.

Other equally tempting options are footwear and accessories for both men and women at Frye + Aquatalia Sample Sale and women’s footwear at the Fall ’17 and Spring ’18 Butter, Something Bleu, and Golo Sample Sale.

So when it comes to sticking to your living a more conscious life resolution, be sure to consult your own moral compass, and—as is true in all things—don’t be too tempted to compare yourself to others. We’re all making progress in our own time. For some of us, this might mean not purchasing anything new for a whole year or more, or going to other extremes to keep your new year resolutions alive. For the rest of us taking smaller baby steps, it’s comforting to know that our love of sample sales it’s not too bad of a choice, and supports our efforts in shifting towards a more conscious life.

Happy [ethical] shopping!

xo