Yes, You Can Get That Holiday Outfit Secondhand
New-to-you and ready to party for the next five holidays and beyond
As an avid item and outfit repeater, you’ve already seen the bulk of my wardrobe and it’s not exactly festive. My most holiday-adjacent pieces are my $11.98 secondhand lace skirt that I will never stop talking about and my firsthand burgundy sheer skirt, but otherwise it’s kind of iffy.
This time of year isn’t my sartorial cup of tea since I greatly prefer everyday dressing. For the last decade I’ve worn a variation of the same look, a black maxi skirt and black top, which I’ve never felt great in and now actively dread putting on. 2025 is the year that I’m finally planning to (maybe) invest in a new-to-me holiday outfit to get me through the next ten years.
The Microplastic Problem
In last week’s November Trend Report I wrote about the three waves of sustainable fashion creators and how their various responsible POVs shape their content. I identify in the second wave and wanted to share some environmental data if you’re on the fence about how to approach festive dressing this year.
Free subscriber with no room in your budget for a paid subscription but love trend analysis? Dm me and I’ll set you up. As an ongoing job searcher and person living in this economy, I’m in the same boat and am happy to share a free month.
The thing about holiday dressing I wrestle with is how problematic it is for the environment, sequins in particular, which I love but rarely buy. In the beginning because the sequins I could afford were low quality, shed everywhere, and felt dated by the time the next holiday season rolled around.
Now I avoid sequins because they’re plastic and like anything plastic, they contribute to our worsening microplastic problem. Synthetic clothing is the main culprit, driving 35% of our primary pollution1 as fibers are released when we wear and wash our clothing. Traditional sequins are an environmental nightmare between factory waste, falling off willy-nilly, the synthetic clothing they’re usually sewn onto, and perpetuating disposable clothing culture.
Is Secondhand Clothing Better?
In many ways yes, because you’re using what’s already in existence instead of creating new waste and pollution during production and displacing the purchase of a firsthand item. It’s admittedly murkier if the secondhand purchase is synthetic because you’re still wearing and washing an item that sheds microplastics.
We all know that the most sustainable garment is the one you already own. I try to stay in this mindset with outfit repeating and styling what’s in my closet, but am the first to say that never buying clothing again isn’t realistic if you love fashion. So I prioritize secondhand and look for natural textiles, the latter of which is becoming more challenging as even luxury brands are increasing the use of artificial materials.
In the next few decades next-gen fabrics and biodegradable sequins should replace today’s plastic-derived textiles and reduce fashion’s environmental impact. The answer isn’t to toss your synthetic clothing, but you can minimize your shed with laundry filters, microplastic laundry bags and balls, and washing less.
The Holiday Outfits
I’ve saved thousands of inspirational images over the years and dug into my early 2020s archives to share what still resonates today, plus recent outfits to carry into 2030. In the interest of real life I’m using secondhand as our happy medium for responsible holiday dressing.
If you’ve already bought a firsthand sequin or synthetic something2 this year, don’t despair - just wear the hell out of it (everyday sequins were a key trend at SS26 fashion week street style) and mind the shed.
The Sequin Statement Piece
If you’re going to buy a sequin, make it special statement piece that transcends trends. If your resale budget allows it, look for higher quality brands where the sequins will be sewn on more tightly and aim for something you’ll feel confident wearing as your holiday look for the next several seasons. If your budget is more modest (usually me), the good news is you’re displacing a firsthand purchase.
The Secondhand Sequin List
More spendy: This Rachel Comey silver sequin fringed maxi skirt that I would buy if it was my size and this same one on Depop but cheaper (possibly the same seller), a silk and gold sequin 3.1 Philip Lim skirt, a silk and sequin Tibi skirt in burgundy (aka the unofficial color of the fall 2025), this Veronica Beard one shoulder silver sequin top, this gorgeous Lapointe ivory sequin skirt with a high slit that would look amazing with a gray sweater, a 16Arlington black sequin dress with the same bust line as in the top left hand image, the fantastic Saloni dress Pandora is wearing, this truly OTT ivory blazer with pink sequin bows, a stunning vintage 1980s era Adolfo sequin cape, this nostalgic Fendi sequin Baguette, and this Chanel Single Flap sequin bag.
Less spendy: These fringed black sequin Zara pants and these flared silver sequin Zara pants, a fringed black sequin skirt, this icy blue sheer sequin skirt, a silver sequin Banana Republic mini dress to wear with colorful tights or pants, this black sequin & Other Stories jacket, and this black sequin pouch bag.
See the full sequin statement piece curation here
If you’re talented with beauty3 you can add sparkle like this:
Year-Round Lace
I got my preloved lace skirt this summer and since San Francisco summer is really fall temps, I can attest this works well with sweaters, blazers, coats, etc etc. This skirt has been incredibly versatile and I wear it with everything from my pointy flats to sneakers. I can’t wait to get my red tights delivery to wear under this skirt for the festive season4. Buy lace for peak holiday, wear it for the next 11 months.
Lace skirts similar to mine: this beautiful DÔEN black lace skirt also in a cream colorway, a swirly pattern by Saks Potts (RIP), a fully sheer black lace skirt, this Reformation skirt in burgundy, and a Ganni with a longer underskirt.
A few lace pants: these Rena Lange lined lace pants, a pair of fully sheer lace pants, and these Zimmerman flared lace pants with 100 hearts on TRR.
I also gave one of my first The RealReal purchases, this circa 2015 lace jacket, new life with one of my latest buys from The RealReal, a balloon skirt.
Lace jackets and tops (this category is going fast, 15+ items I saved just last week have sold): this Wayf high neck lace blouse and similar ones by J.Crew and Lane Bryant, a Zara lace top with a shawl collar, this Zimmerman with a bra detail (timely for the emerging lingerie trend), a minimalist Valentino that would look incredible with puddle hem jeans, a Y2K Anna Sui vintage lace blouse, my exact DVF lace jacket, and this vintage long jacket from the 80s.
Lace tights and socks (not preloved, but treat with care and they’ll last forever): these ivory tights are especially mod, I’ve been eyeing these baby blue lace tights for several seasons, my go-to lace socks and these floral ones are next on my list, these burgundy or black lace tights with rhinestones (I had a similar style in my assortment as a legwear buyer and they sold out in mere weeks), this dainty scalloping, these brown lace tights would be great with blue and burgundy outfits.
See the full lace curation here for apparel and here for legwear
You can add a touch of lace5 like so:
A Pop of Red
Nothing says holiday season like red. Full-on red isn’t for everyone, but a hint of red is an easy way to update your holiday outfit. This image of Lisa Przystup gets me every time and seeing it again this year was my impetus to finally buy my red tights.
Red tights are challenging to find secondhand (believe me, I’ve tried) so you’ll have to buy new once and well here. If you’re fully committed to secondhand, there are a plethora of preloved jewelry, bags, scarves, shoes, and shoe clips to lift your outfit - this bag is my win the lottery splurge and these vintage shoe clips are a much more affordable option.
See the full pop of red curation here
A sheer skirt is another way to dip your toe into the red spectrum, either with a red skirt or red tights underneath. I have a full post on styling sheer skirts below. I’ve seen my The Frankie Shop sheer skirt pop up on The RealReal only to be sold shortly after. Grab this one like mine but in brown or this sheer pleated maxi while you can.
Fashion Notes
Bringing these back because please I need people to talk with me about the first one.
Still obsessed with Stevie Nicks, watching this on YouTube as I type:
If you have some room in your donation budget this holiday (please feel free to share your favorite animal rescue in this Note’s comments):
Big collar wearers unite!
Something about this book isn’t hitting the same way that The Christmas Bookshop6 did, but I’m going to give it a few more chapters. Anyone else?
That’s it for this week, thanks for reading and considering secondhand first for your next holiday outfit!
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This post includes affiliate links that help support my newsletter at no cost to you. Almost everything linked is secondhand with a few exceptions for items that are tough to find preloved like cherry red tights and microfiber capture bags.
To quote the authors of Primary Microplastics in the Oceans, “primary microplastics are plastics directly released into the environment in the form of small particulates…They can also originate from the abrasion of large plastic objects during manufacturing, use or maintenance such as the erosion of tyres when driving or of the abrasion of synthetic textiles during washing.”
I absolutely did, a polyester sheer skirt that’s brought me a lot of joy. A good chunk of my wardrobe is a synthetic/synthetic blend, albeit secondhand. I’m paying more attention to fabrics going forward, but with the rapid proliferation of synthetics it’s a challenge even at resale. Which goes back to trying to reduce shed and prioritizing secondhand. (Perfection isn’t realistic for any of us, but changing some of the ways we approach our wardrobes can add up.)
I am not at all, but I’ve bought the silver and gold colorways of this cruelty-free, vegan, biodegradable glitter nail polish since I can’t mess it up. It tends to peel off if you paint on several layers, so no nail polish remover needed.
This brand was my first choice due to their responsible mission, but I’ve read so many horror stories about international deliveries that I went with a US brand. Their tights had great reviews that pointed to wardrobe longevity, although in an ideal world I would have gone with my preferred option.
I know the first tights aren’t lace, but the vibe is immaculate.
Jenny Colgan is one of my favorite writers because while her books have romance, there’s a strong focus on the MC building a career/becoming an entrepreneur and female friendships. My favorite is Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe and I have to mete out how much I read it so I don’t memorize it. I also love The Christmas Bookshop series (although Carmen can be headache inducing at times), The Bookshop on the Shore series, standalones The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris, West End Girls, and Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend (these last two are very Y2K coded and great audiobooks).
Tina, I promise to wear the HELL out of my sequins. Thank you for always educating me on making better choices & inspiring me with your fashion versatility! I’m so grateful that you posted the note about giving back to local rescues - you are a gem.
Tina! First, you've made me think about fashion and the environment so much more thoughtfully since I've been reading your newsletter and I appreciate that so much! To the holiday inspo, I LOVE this holiday roundup and I die for that 16arlington dress!! They make the best festive pieces! xo Lauren