If Ebay & TRR had a French baby
Come with me to my favorite store on the internet
I begged the great people of Vestiaire Collective to let me write about them (outside of my group chats), and they agreed. So this is my first sponsored Substack! They’ve given me a 10% off code MELANIE10 for you in case you decide to get something. Enjoy!
Hello!
I’m on my way back from Sa-Lo-Né, the annual design fair in Milan. It’s my favorite week of the year: I pack a carry on full of my favorite vintage Prada, walk 20,000 steps a day to look at enough beautiful things to give me a seizure, fueled by 8 espressos a day, until I sit down with friends at 10pm over a saffron risotto to debrief of our favorite sights of the day. Salone also holds a special place in my heart, because it’s where I had the idea for Ghia, after a full week of having only frizzante water as my party drink, while watching my friends get hammered at Bar Basso on Sbagliati.
I’m in the very last stretch of finishing my Paris apartment, and I’ve spent all my money on invisible things: air conditioning for my American friends, level-ing the floor twice, more efficient radiators. Check, check, check. I am now exhausted and penniless for the highly visible things: sconces for the kitchen, a coffee table, a Dyson airwrap that won’t fry in a french outlet.
But I don’t want my house to look like Salone! Rather, I want it to look like the spaces you get to see only a handful of times that week, behind the marble milanese courtyards, when you step into locals’ homes. These Milanese homes are eclectic, lived in, intentional. They look like multi-generational families live there, and every object in those homes earned their right to stay.
What I get to do with my first [600sf] “house” now, I’ve been doing with my closet for almost 20 years. At 15, I I worked at a concept store called “French Fries” selling Cheap Monday jeans for $50 euros a Saturday, until I gathered enough money to buy the Marc Jacobs flats shaped like mice. These did not earn their right to stay, but only because I wore them until they were shreds. Since about that age, I’ve had a fascination for Objects of Desire “OOD”, the special pieces we yearn for, either because they’re rare, hard to find, or maybe a little out of range. 98% of the time, my hunt ends on Vestiaire Collective, it is without a doubt my favorite store on the internet.
What about TheRealReal, you ask? You know I love it, and eBay, too. It is convenient but more limited, and really it’s just a story for another day! When looking for an OOD, I’m committed to the mission, and admit to checking both several times a day.
A few things I love about Vestiaire:
As a seller
Sales on > 4,000 brands (full list here!) are fully commission-free (you keep everything but 3% for processing)
You. Set. The. Price!
Items are non-returnable, so once an item is sold, you get paid immediately
Vestiaire shoppers are used to VC style listings, so while listing items is a little bit of work (~ 5 min with the app), I’ve found that hanging a hanger on a door usually does the trick!
Things sell fast! I only have a few things left but if you must see them, they are here!
As a buyer
Vestiaire started in Europe, and is global, so the inventory is bountiful, with thousands of pieces ranging from brand new to archival vintage.
You can make offers for up to 30% discount. In my experience, most reasonable offers get accepted
You can have VC inspect the authenticity of your item for ~$15 or ship direct (if something seems counterfeit, they will take it back immediately!)
A few tips for editing your closet:
Your clothes are supposed to make you happy.
I recently got rid of a ton of clothes, because I realized that my body changed and I was holding on to the idea of fitting in these clothes more than the clothes themselves - it was making me sad first thing in the morning when I was getting dressed. Bye! Same goes for shoes that don’t fit, obviously.
3 things out, 1 thing in!
This might seem drastic, but one of my parents was a hoarder and as a result, I love negative space. I extended this rule to books, beauty products and general gifts that also clutter my space, one drawer at a time until 3 full boxes of objects were out of the house. I’ve always loved shopping sustainably, but with my renovation I’ve also had to be incredibly careful about my spending outside of things I can sit on, and VC truly is the best way to make your $ back and hunt for deals. I try to be religious about donating or listing things I don’t wear, it truly takes 5 min!
Your core collection matters most!
I’m guilty of loving sparkly pieces I can only wear a few times a year, the clothes for the life I want to live. (In Italy). Meanwhile, I show up to the office in the same pants and flats every single day. Allison Bornstein shared a great tip: every time you wear a piece, turn the hook of the hanger to face you. After a few weeks, reassess your core collection - do you see trends in shapes and colors? What about the clothes on the other hangers? The more you love your core collection, the easier it will be to dress up.
My 700++ favorites
I’m sharing with you all my Vestiaire “likes” and my last 10 searches - that’s 700 items in XS/S and EU39, to give you some inspiration. Be nice, I’m currently negotiating down these Chloe jeans I borrowed for this shoot last year. Don’t forget to make an offer! And use MELANIE10 for 10% off.
And as promised, here’s the full list! You may need to be logged in to see it.
And few last searches to get you started
What are YOUR favorite searches? Objects of Desire? Leave a comment! I love them! Ciaooooo!
PS: It's pronounced [Vest-yerrrr]
I am hunting down the Prada wrinkled SS23 skirt
, Shrimpton ankle boots by the row (the high heel version) and the Khaite Apollo studded mules
Also keeping an eye on any dries skirt !! Those are so good
It’s motivating me too to get off matches and bag some of the finds which I have, at least they are more unique and still for less even with their massive discounts