eBay At London Fashion Week: Returning To An Ex Hurts, Returning To Old Clothes Doesn’t
London Fashion Week captivated the city like it always has. A break from the usual mid-week sea of suits and ties, the herd of haute folk making their way from show to show gave the city a fresh accompaniment of percussion and color.
The rhythm was repetitive (in a good way). Hosting their third annual show, eBay’s Endless Runway on the official calendar was a chance to revive rare archival pieces and, with a live auction going on during the show, a chance to find them a new home. My favourite look was the purple Giles Deacon couture mini dress styled as a pussybow blouse. With pieces donated for the show by creatives like Daisy Edgar-Jones, Adwoa Aboah and Charles Jeffrey, we were bound to fall in love all over again.
As I watched the show, a thought tumbled around in my cognitive washing machine. We don’t talk enough about intense emotions over inanimate objects. Why am I experiencing limerence over a vintage Burberry bag?
I know for myself that there are donated or re-sold accessories that I miss more than any past partner and seeing them frequent the city on someone else’s arm is a hard watch. But why do we feel this way? And, unlike past lovers, is this feeling a sign that we’re meant to be?
Right Wardrobe, Wrong Time
Sometimes, we let others get in the way. A study on the impact of peer pressure and self-esteem on compulsive buying in Gen Z found that the fast pace of trends does increase compulsive buying as a means to boost self-esteem.
Another key issue is the speed of trend cycles. When a person ties their self-esteem to being fashionable in the trendy sense and trend turnover goes from a seasonal to an as-and-when basis, it is hard to keep up and fatigue sets in. The pieces you love get confused with what was “in” at the time and, in a bid to make constructing an outfit easier (and make room for more), you send it all to the thrift store, or worse yet, landfill.
But the thing about cycles is that they come back around. Twenty years on, Zendaya revives the Louis Vuitton x Murakami collection, The Devil Wears Prada 2 puts the Valentino rockstuds back on the radar, and you regret listening to the outside voices.
This is where style comes in. Often confused with fashion, style is about tailoring, ornamentation and ensemble. Fashion is the evolution of how we (society) dress the body. So, Schiaparelli and Vivivienne Westwood might both release a corset in the same season, but their styling is what makes them unmistakable. So it is with individuals. Identity is a large part of styling because the focus of styling is the “I” instead of the fashion’s “we”. One study on Western consumers found that fashion can propagate materialistic values by upholding a status quo. Style, on the other hand, is willing to deviate from the norm and incorporate things that are “old” or “weird” for the sake of preserving identity and sense of self.
Missing those pieces that helped us to find ourselves is never fun. But, if you’re willing to investigate why it hurts so much, recognition of a piece that is authentically you can be the turnaround moment.
Second Hand, Second Chances
You’ve changed. You’re older, hopefully wiser, and unwilling to let external opinions ruin a good thing. What can you do to make things right?
With such quick stock turnover, it’s often the case that the item you purchased a month ago is no longer in the shop window. However, we’re fortunate to live in a world where the internet connects us to people and ideas. This extends to our style. The bag that you bought because it was the only one you liked in your department store 15 years ago is listed four times on eBay in different countries. Using online resources allow us to skip the rebounds and go back to the real deal. And for the stores that no longer exist, some emerging brands have perfected vintage aesthetics.
That being said, it's important to know when you’re being manipulated. A study found that items inspired by archival pieces did help brands sell their apparel because nostalgia increased purchase intention. Before you buy, ask: do I miss this item or the time period that it belongs to?
Together Forever?
It’s okay for us to go back to items that we once loved. They can uncover emotions and memories that have been suppressed for a long time. At the same time, it’s also okay to let go of them if it doesn’t serve your current personal style. Style changes because identity changes. We are introduced to new ideas and experiences and our wardrobes are no longer broad enough to contain us.
Sometimes you’ll go crawling back to an item to realize that it was never actually that great to begin with. It’s not unusual to imagine the experience to be better than it actually was. But that’s also why we have photos and journals; they bring us back to these moments. Yes, the item might look great in that photo but was there something you didn’t like about them that you can’t see? Like an ex who hasn’t learned from their mistakes, some things never change. But luckily, you have changed and can make informed decisions about how to move forward with clothes (and people) that serve you.
*All images courtesy of eBay *Video courtesy of Cheyenne Brown
Written by Cheyenne
Cheyenne is a lifestyle writer with a particular interest in fashion, interiors and culture.
