Shopping Secondhand For Next Season
Plus so many things that you can wear right about...now
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been fully immersed in Fashion Month for the last seven weeks. I found a virtual cornucopia of fashion week outfits that spoke to my personal style and my inspiration folder is overflowing. There’s so much creativity that it’s hard to know where to look first and I’ve been absorbing what people are wearing as points of inspiration since I’m always trying to find new ways to style my closet.
I have a credit from
burning a hole in my pocket and a gift card to Shopbop that I’ve been sitting on for months since if I’m buying something firsthand it has to be the perfect thing. It’s safe to say that I’m ready to turn all this inspiration into action as we head into spring. If you’re also in a low buy, mindful consumption mode where only secondhand and extremely new thoughtful purchases will do, I hope you find some inspiration here.5 Cities, 5 Outfits, 1 Fashion Month
Do you remember the 2010s Vogue series 5 Days, 5 Looks, 1 Girl1? It would be an understatement to say that I was just a little bit obsessed and pored over every article. I still remember being so inspired by Esther Adams' jewelry that I bought the silver Aurelie Bidermann wheat ring the minute it went on sale at Net-a-Porter. I mooned over the Altuzarra sweater that Phoebe de Croisset got at a sample sale, which is currently a $62 bargain on The RealReal. Then I started mixing bright colors after seeing Chioma Nnadi make pink and orange look so stellar.
In the spirit of the Vogue series, I’ve narrowed the hundreds of Fashion Month inspo images to one favorite outfit per city, and I’m sharing the preloved finds that can make these outfits come to life in your wardrobe. A friendly reminder before we get started that there are no affiliate links used in this post.
Love fashion week street style? Same. You can find all of my recaps for AW25 here or by individual cities below.
Copenhagen: The Boho Prep Look
Copenhagen is my ne plus ultra of fashion weeks: the epicenter of Scandi style with a responsible approach to fashion. It’s my absolute dream to visit Copenhagen during Fashion Week - Substack field trip this August anyone?
What I love most about Copenhagen Fashion Week is that the street style feels so personal against the backdrop of the same-same outfits that have captured everyone’s collective attention. Case in point: this look falls into the fashion girl starter pack (square sunnies, oversized blazer, boho-adjacent blouse, straight leg jeans, cowboy boots), but each piece brings something special from a checked print to bright pop of red to washed out denim to extra-long shirt cuffs.
The Inspo
The Preloved Edit
New York: The Edgy Prim Outfit
A big thank you to all of the showgoers and photographers that braved the weather this New York Fashion Week and still had the most fantastic outfits and imagery.
Lisa Aiken has been my regular pinspiration over the last seven years - I still remember being bowled over when she cut her hair into the chicest bob and thinking maybe?2 Her NYFW outfit is an education in how contrasts can lift an outfit: a little retro with the wide collar and brooch, a little edgy with all that leather, a little prim with the Victorian-esque long skirt, lace up boots, and buttoned jacket, and a little stark in all black and white.
The Inspo
The Preloved Edit
London: The Statement Shoe
While I love seeing the street style at London Fashion Week, it leans a little too experimental for my personal taste. I didn’t come across any outfits that really resonated as styling inspiration, so I’m taking a slight detour to look at an outfit from the knees down.
I couldn’t get this shoe and denim image out of my head: the combination of the medium wash puddle jean3 with the sporty brightness of the green sock styled with a ladylike mule in a modern zebra print is the outfit juxtaposition that I love to see. I’ve been slowly trying to find the perfect kitten heel now that I’ve opened my world up to secondhand leather, but after eight years of sticking to vegan fabrics I’m slightly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of options. Zebra print hasn’t been on my radar since I’ve been looking at my closet with an eye for will I wear this in a few years?, but this look has turned my head and tugged on my nostalgic heartstrings since it’s deeply reminiscent of ShoesOf.
The Inspo
The Preloved Edit
Milan: The Minimalists
So I said five outfits, but honestly? When I saw this image of Lindsay Peoples4 and Jessica Willis5 of The Cut, I had to share both of their looks.
I love a minimalist tonal outfit, I love a matching scarf, and I especially love a groutfit. Lindsay and Jessica’s looks are the HG of timeless outfitting in that you could wear these years from now and still look current. Their outfits also have the unique details that keep them from feeling basic, like all-over knit ribbing, drop shoulders, oversized coat pockets, silver hardware, and glossy boots.
The Inspo
The Preloved Edit
Paris: The Denim Peplum Set
I’ve had peplums on the brain this year. I wrote a post in January about the women whose wardrobes I’m coveting and Denise Nørgaard, the CEO of Birger Christensen Collective, was one of those women since she makes a peplum look so incredibly forward.
Then we saw peplums trend across Paris street style and I came across this stunningly casual peplum image. Now I’m intent on finding preloved denim peplum and matching baggy jeans to pair back to a broken-in vintage leather bomber. Send positive vibes please, this is shaping up to be a tough one since I want every piece to be just so.
The Inspo
The Preloved Edit
In My Fashion Tech Era
If you’ve been with me for the last six months you know I’m in the midst of finishing my MBA and dream of moving into sustainable fashion tech when I graduate this spring. I’m thrilled to say that I’ve started an internship this week with the incredible
of fashion tech startup …and it all began with a Substack connection.After listening to Claire’s episode on Fashion & Founders (shoutout to brilliant podcast host
), I was blown away by how is changing the resale game and wrote about it in the post linked below. (Also: how was the second week of January only two months ago? It feels like this was a casual two years ago.)
I was so intrigued by the concept and had to find out more, and dm’d Claire on Substack in the hopes of an informational interview. Claire couldn’t have been kinder and I loved learning about what she’s doing at
to make resale more accessible and less painful for consumers. Because if there’s one thing that’s become a game of excessive time spent or a terrible ROI, it’s finding a new life for your clothing.Fast forward a couple of months and this connection led to an opportunity to intern on Future Reference’s Substack content. A true pinch me moment that combines my love for the circular economy and fashion writing and I get to learn from Claire’s expertise (if you’re not already following Claire or Future Reference, now’s your chance - she’s truly amazing and has exciting plans for making resale so much better).
If you’re new to
and want to learn more, come say hi on Substack, see what the unworn items in your closet are worth with the free valuation tool, maybe even list some items that need a new home, and check out this week’s post on what the Future Reference community is buying and selling in 2025.That’s it for this week, thanks for reading! I’d love to know which street style (or fashion Substacker) outfits are giving you the most inspiration right now. I’m even more intrigued if you’ve been able to shop your closet or go secondhand to recreate your favorite looks. If you made it to the footnotes, has anyone used ’s Dream Jeans service yet? I need all the details!
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Vogue does this in an updated format today called 7 Days, 7 Looks mainly featuring actresses, which I don’t find as inspiring as fashion industry insiders. However, I highly recommend
’s take on this series on YouTube.I’ve tried and failed to pull off a bob three times in my life. I finally learned my lesson when I cut my waist-length hair into a bob to look like Ashley Olsen before a major life event. Spoiler alert: I did not remotely look like Ashley Olsen and never, ever again. But I take immense joy in someone that really suits a bob, like two of my all-time favorite fashion creators, Polly Sayer and Grece Ghanem.
I’ve been following
on Instagram for the last few years and deeply admire how denim expert and owner Chloë is making jeans shopping circular, from finding your perfect vintage pair to offering resale and mending services. A Dream Jeans session with Pin Denim has been on my wishlist for years and the only thing that’s stopped me is that it’s located in London and I’d love to do this in person. But 2025 might be the year that I make this happen to find my bespoke pair of vintage puddle jeans.I know you know Lindsay Peoples’ work from Teen Vogue and The Cut, but if you haven’t read her 2018 piece Everywhere and Nowhere, I urge you to make time for this today (although acknowledging that the article seems to be behind a paywall).
Ahh!! Congratulations on all of your hard work and connecting with a real gem!! <3 You've worked so hard and your passion for sustainable fashion shines through - I can't wait to follow "Future Reference"
Congrats, Tina!! That's so cool. So many fabulous finds. I'm surprised at how much I love the zebra print heels. Remind me of a pair of snake skin pair I've been eyeing for a long time!