Do/would you wear second hand clothes?

Shoes! My younger sister had tiny feet, size 4.5. She was rather proud of her tiny feet and used to wear the most beautiful and expensive shoes. After she died, my youngest sister, my mother and I stood in her bedroom, with all her beautiful shoes spread before us, we all wanted them so badly, they were so beautiful - then we put them all in a bag to go to charity, because even our mother had feet to big to fit into any of them.

M0nica I am the opposite - at 5'9" the tallest female in our extended family apart from my youngest niece, who is 5' 10". I've been size 10/12 for most of my life, when most of our females were 14 and above. Now I'm 14/16 and some of them are smaller and a few are bigger. Weirdly I've always had the smallest feet (38) and even my young nieces and daughters couldn't steal my shoes.

I did share clothes with friends when I was younger (on holiday it would be 'first up, best dressed') but haven't for a long time.

Thank you! I was 5ft 4.5inches but like all of us I have shrunk in recent years

Monica I've always imagined you as tall.
You have a tall personality.

MerylStreep that depends on you being compatible sizes and shapes. Our family swaps furniture, but not clothes because I am 5ft 2in and size 10/12, DD 5.4 and size 20 DDiL, 6ft, size 14, DGD 5.6 and size 10, DGD and I are the nearest in size, but she is 14 and I am 77, and our taste in clothes is not that different, bit different enough.

rowanflower0 I was a large size 18/20 and a friend had lost over 3 stone following the Keto diet and found it easy. I lost 6lbs the first week , but found eating low carb much easier to stick to. I lost between 1 and 2lbs a week, but have stalled because I returned to my old way of eating. I am an apple shape and losing my fat, wobbly tummy has been an incentive. I also follow Lucy Wyndham-Read 's 7 minutes a day exercise video. Even I can do that most days.

I would never say never to buying second hand if there was something I wanted but way out of my pocket when new.

How much do you and friends and family pass around to each other.
This week seems to have been particularly busy on that front.
Next door neighbour gave me a per una summer suit. She gave my granddaughter a short denim jacket and a ‘shorty’ black one.
I gave my friend a Jasper Conran tweed jacket and my granddaughter a pair of pink skinny jeans.

I can remember getting some amazing bargains in the past in charity shops in the “smarter” areas- Stockbridge in Edinburgh was one and Ludlow in Shropshire!
The environmental benefits are only now being recognised and I am impressed how my daughters’ generation who don’t need to shop in them, nevertheless have no hang ups about eg children’s “pocket money”toys

Buying second hand means I can afford good quality clothing. In the past I've. Bught new when on sale. But they have not worn well, and jumpers have bobbled. At least with second hand you know that it hasn't bobbled and what the fabric feels like
I don't like the smell of. Other people's washing detergent or conditioner, but washing sorts that

i dont buy many clothes but the charity shop is my first port of call. the only things i buy new are underwear and nightwear.

Yes definitely.

Yes 98% of my wardrobe is charity shop gear but then I'm not really into fashion. I buy items that look like they've not been worn much and that are comfortable. For example, I buy jeans and trousers and linen shirts, etc. A lot of my things are probably well over 15 years old.

Yes most of my clothes are from charity shops or eBay. I aways wash it as soon as I get it home. If it doesn't fit then I donate it back or sell on via eBay. Started when I went on a cruise with a disabled lady I was a PA for. Got a whole posh wardrobe including evening dresses, dress and jacket silk tops etc for just over £100. Sold it all after the job ended and got most of my money back. I love the fact you can afford so much more buying second hand.

I have had some lovely stuff from charity shops over the years. Generally they have been brand new. I bought an amazing hat for £20 for a posh wedding - that may sound a lot but it was worth about £200.

i only wear jogging trousers as i have psoriasis down both legs so can't shave and hate wearing a skirt, i buy underwear new but all my tops come from charity shops, some shoes and jackets, i worked in the salvation army shop and loved seeing all the new donations, i would rather people re-cycled clothes than them going to landfill. how many times have we all bought clothes and shoes then decided that they are not for me.

I recently bought a brand new cotton blouse (tags still attached) from a charity shop for the grand sum of £1. For some strange reason you appear to get more natural fabrics in charity shops

I used to buy vintage clothes as a teenager and in my 20s from particular vintage shops and now I’m in my 50s I still buy second hand from either EBay or charity shops.

Always buy ‘ pre loved’Do a regular charity shop sweep of every one in my High st( 7!) Work out what I need/want then put in a search in EBay, ie John Lewis blazer , Joules boots etc . That way I can afford brands I wouldn’t be otherwise able to. Hard to judge your own style, but a friend of mine who scorns these methods admits I look no less smart that her! ?

I always but my Jaques Vert clothes on eBay - often only been worn once, to a wedding or christening. And I'm a size 20.
How did you loose so much weight and drop two dress sizes?

I’d have no objection to wearing good second hand clothes but can never find anything to fit me. (Small and short size eight). One exception was when a I needed a dress urgently for a funeral and I found a lovely black East lace dress for a tenner in a local charity shop.

Yes, I have bought from Charity shops for years! In common with other posters, I buy new undies. I donate clothes and any other unwanted or unused items as well.
Surely this is much more sustainable than "fast fashion" ?

I do , as often as I can . Especially now that the popular middle range brands that were once made in the UK are now being made in the Far East and many of the previously wonderful quality ‘Made in Italy’ designers are now being made in big free-port factories there . I enjoy finding vintage bargains that I know will last a long time ., and I do not want to be supporting slave labour regimes .

Definitely pre-Covid however I wouldn’t buy secondhand clothes presently.
I used to volunteer for our local hospice charity in one of their shops pre-Covid.
It’s amazing how many items donated have price tags attached and are in excellent condition.
Maybe I’ll purchase again in the future.

I am the original Second hand Rose. Many of my clothes are from Ebay as l am able to get the styles and brands l like for a fraction of the original price. I always look for new with or without tags or hardly worn. I have also sold a fair amount on Ebay too this year as, like others here, I have been losing weight. I donate to charity shops and buy some clothes there, if I see something l like. I have bought many books and a lot of furniture for them too, as well as bric a brac. When my children were small I have some amazing bargains for them. My best ever buy was a hand made viola, which l bought for £50. The strings alone on it would have cost more than that and it is worth at least £2,000. Second hand shopping is a ultimate in recycling and far better for the environment. One of our local charity shops even sells towels that are past their best for 20p as suitable for dogs and, after a long overdue airing cupboard clearout, l was able to donate quite a number the other day. The only things l would not buy second hand are underwear, nightwear and trousers. It is possible to sanitise lightly worn shoes and l wash things before wearing them.