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Informationen zum Autor Christa Weil is a freelance editor and full-time writer who loves to buyand sell secondhand clothes. Her writing has appeared in The Paris Free Voice, North Atlantic Review, and R&R News. She is currently living in London. Klappentext Fun! funky! and fabulous! this is the first personal buying guide to help you get in on the resale craze that is sweeping America. Would you like to find a mint-condition Yves St. Laurent jacket for $25...a brand-new! pleated wool skirt still bearing the original $40 price tag! for $7...a genuine Dior suit for $75? Now you can! In SECONDHAND CHIC you'll discover where to look! what to look for! and how to buy quality. In fact! you'll get all the secrets of spotting a valuable bargain so you can shop brilliantly whether you're in a consignment! thrift! or vintage store. Expert shopper Christa Weil shares the insider information that will help you buy the best clothes you've ever owned...at a fraction of the retail cost. Learn about: -- Spotting quality -- which you will know immediately from buttons! pockets! seams! and fabric -- Labels...big names! department store brands! exquisite foreign lines -- and fakes! -- Finding your size when there are no labels or tags -- Flaws you can fix and the ones you can't -- from wrong lengths and wrinkles to stains and shininess -- Unearthing handmade shoes! silk scarves! name jewelry! and other elegant accessories -- Buying what you really need -- and caring for the clothes you've got -- The styles that make your body look best From domestic to international stores! from New York to London! from Memphis to Paris -- no matter where you buy! you can buy secondhand chic. Chapter One: All About the Secondhand Market "Secondhand clothes have gone uptown. Cities such as Boston, Los Angeles and Washington D.C. now have used apparel stores that resemble upscale boutiques in everything but their pricetags." -- Money, June 1996 "It's fascinating to see how this thrifty pastime has changed into a fashion phenomenon." -- Time Out, January 1998 "Mimicking some of their uptown retail cousins, many used-clothing retailers are offering quality merchandise, attractive displays and comfortable spaces that make them look like any other store. Used-clothing companies have also ditched the 'thrift-store' moniker and call themselves resale shops or vintage stores. Call them what you will, but the trend is clear: Americans are spending more money on used stuff." -- ABCNEWS.com, October 1998 It seems you can't open a magazine or turn on the TV lately without getting word about the rise of secondhand clothes. The consignment, vintage, and thrift modes of shopping -- indeed, the resale of everything from sporting goods to computers -- is losing its air of down and out, and attracting a growing middle-class market. According to the National Association of Resale and Thrift Stores (NARTS), there are over 15,000 resale shops in the U.S. The association itself currently has over 1,000 members. Receiving about 200 inquiries per month, it is growing at 15 percent per year. While the wide-scale interest is a relatively new phenomenon, the business itself is not. It's a good bet that the first used-clothing transaction took place in a cave. Since then, the resale business has had a long, successful, and extremely colorful history. Take a peek at a Victorian London market, through the eyes of a 19th-century reporter: Petticoat Lane is essentially the old clothes district. Embracing the street and alleys adjacent to Petticoat Lane and including the rows of old boots and shoes on the ground, there is perhaps two or three miles of old clothes...gowns of every shade and pattern are hanging up. Dress coats, frock coats, great coats, livery and game keepers coats, paletots, tunics, trousers, knee breeches, waistcoats, capes, pilot coats, working jackets, plaids, hats, dressing gow...
