Scavenging for Hand-me-Downs
Scavenging for hand-me-downs is a way of life for those who have few resources and need to put clothes on their backs. For others on the high consumer end, even though they have more income, it’s become a pastime. Its fun and challenging and the clothes, they believe, make a fashion statement. Rummaging through thrift shops, combing weekend flea markets and yard sales, visiting vintage fashion stores, and even surfing the Internet has become a passion for people seeking out fashion treasures on the cheap.
Some like to think of it as frugal living — a careful or thrifty way to live, a way to protect both their pocketbook and the environment. With the growing concern for waste, some people feel this is one way they can do their part by recycling and reusing. In San Francisco, California, there are 1500 recycle shops, selling everything from used refrigerators to designer evening gowns. San Diego, California, boasts more than 2,000 secondhand shops along with a quarterly newspaper called “Second Hand News” with a readership of thousands of people. This 56-page publication contains information on store listings, shop ratings, coming events, and news of trends in recycling. People from all sectors of society read “Second Hand News” to learn about what’s happening in the secondhand scene. The interest is growing in the use of these shops — some drop off their goods that they no longer want or need, some come to browse and see what it’s all about, others come to search for that piece of clothing that will make them stand out in a crowd.
Recycle centers and shops originated through community service organizations such as the YMCA, Salvation Army, Good Will and church groups. One such organization, the St. Vincent De Paul in San Diego, got its start in 1948 and is still doing a booming business today. Organizations such as these offer a wide range of goods and products from used household items to baby clothes. In many urban centers these types of shops cater to the needier segment of the population.
But as recycling became fashionable during the 1980s, individuals opened secondhand shops geared to the middle and even upper classes of society. Shops like “Michael’s” in downtown San Diego, Auntie Helen’s in New York, and Brother Bennie’s in Los Angeles specialize in vintage clothing and accessories for both men and women. They claim to stock secondhand goods of the “finest quality” at low prices. “Choosing an evening gown at Michael’s is almost like shopping at Harrods in London or Barney’s in New York, except it’s a lot more exciting,” says Genie, a fashion model based in San Diego. “You can choose from clothes that lots of famous people owned, and there’s a seamstress right there to make adjustments. You even get the option of a full refund up to 1 — 1/2 hours after a purchase if you get it home and decide it’s really not for you,” she explains.
The recycle craze is not just all happening in the United States. It seems to have taken much of the whole world by storm. Some people in Tokyo, Japan make their living by what they call “thrift”: Designers hire them to shop for treasures, which then form the basis of their next fashion collection. James Ashton says he’s become a professional scout. “I go to clubs to see what the kids are wearing, then hunt down old fabric, a belt buckle or a cool sweater pattern at a flea market,” he explains. “The designer then invents a new look using the goods the scout has gathered. Some are fashion wizards, others become famous just by copying thrift items,” says Ashton.
In London, England, hunting for vintage clothing and jewelry has become the thing to do. Helen, of Helen Offer Vintage Clothing, has a huge collection of garments from 1850 through the 1970s, some of which are for sale, others she rents out for use in feature films. Helen Fumed “A number of the costumes for Out of Africa, which set off a Safari fad, came from my collection,” she exclaims. As your eye passes over the goods in her shop you can guess that a vintage shoe collector would be delighted to see her shoe collection. On the rack are a pair of 1970s Charles Jordan platform shoes with carved wooden chunky heels and braided, yellow patent leather straps. That same chunky look was .revived in 1997, a hot item in fashion circles then. Now she says, “This pair is just waiting for the right foot.”
The idea is to take fragments of the past to create an image for you. The look may or may not be selling in the designer boutique down the street, but you can still be satisfied knowing you’ve done your personal look by yourself — and on the cheap to boot.
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