Federica Labanca’s Pre-Loved Shopping Tips For Event Season & More
Created in partnership with EBAY
Know your style. Mine is retro with a twist and a side of glamour. I love playing dress up with pieces inspired by the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s. For me, it’s all about the shoulders, shapes and silhouettes and ebay i s particularly good for sourcing these.
Buy the pieces you know will bring you joy. I have been buying pre-loved for as long as I can remember. The first ever piece I bought was a t-shirt in a vintage shop in Milan. It was the only thing I could afford. It was a rock ’n’ roll AC/DC tee and, although my style hadn’t developed then, I loved the idea of wearing something my dad might have worn when he was younger. Girls at school would make fun of me for buying vintage clothes, and now Gen Z base their entire wardrobes on vintage purchases.
Shop by style. I often search ebay for specific styles instead of getting caught up on brands. That way, you won’t miss out on all the stunning designers or labels that no one knows about and you can also find real bargains. Ungaro is always good and Jaeger do great jackets.
Know your go-tos. I love 80s cardigans and vintage 80s women’s suits. I have so many I could be classified as a collector by now. You can’t go wrong with a block-colour, two-piece suit with big shoulders. I love the bright colours, the boxy cuts, the big shoulders – and pieces from that era often have big gold buttons. If they don’t come with shoulder pads, I add them in.
Invest in iconic pieces. This iconic Coperni minidress I selected for the shoot is the perfect summer party dress. I’ve styled it here with some Gucci suede wedges and vintage sourced earrings. I can see myself wearing it with the mini Miu Miu bag for summer drinks with the girls.
Mix it up with modern accessories. My favourite combo of late is a vintage red suit – it’s non-branded, single breasted, has big shoulders and incredible black detailing – the attention to detail is amazing. For any kind of formal event, I'd pair it with an iconic vintage bag like the green Prada we had on set and statement vintage jewellery.
Ignore the seasons. It’s often cheaper to shop for winter clothes in the summer and vice versa. Sometimes it’s hard to feel inspired to shop for coats when it’s hot outside but you’re guaranteed to make some serious savings and ebay is always across all seasons.
Keep an eye on what’s trending. Some brands have better resale value than others, and it can also depend on how much hype a brand has at that moment in time. This is exactly why I tend to avoid searching specifically for designers – instead I look for items I know I will love and wear.
Keep your searches broad. My most recent search is for archive pieces like this cream blazer. It has those oversized shoulder pads I love and it’s a great piece for a city wedding or rooftop drinks. I love it styled with this red Versace dress – so 80’s.
Apply a few key filters on ebay. Depending on what I’m looking for, I normally filter the search results by price, region (there’s so many great pieces coming from the US, but shipping is usually very expensive so it’s easier to ask the system to remove US from the search) and ‘buy now’ so that I don’t have to bid and can buy straight away.
Look for details that make pieces feel special. The best pieces I've found on ebay have had the wow factor – a bit of embellishment, fringing or a dramatic silhouette – and I was excited to style this yellow disc designer skirt with this cropped No.21 top. I finished the look with gold vintage earrings and a red, embossed Louis Vuitton bag. Perfect for a big night out in London.
Use vintage jewellery to elevate your look. My most-worn pre-loved piece is a pair of earrings. I bought them from ebay years ago and they’ve become a definitive part of my day-to-day style. They’re clip-on gold with a big pearl in the middle. I wear them with everything and anything.
Only collect what you like and will wear. For me, that happens to be suits and things that would probably be worn by a flight assistant or my grandma! I just love the shapes and shoulder pads – it’s what I feel most confident in. When I find something I love, I tend to buy it in every shape and colour. I probably have a full rainbow of vintage suits at home.
Have a strategy when it comes to bidding. I normally wait until three hours before the listing ends to place my first offer and keep an eye on it. I then put in my highest bid within the final minute. Sometimes though, the bid lasts for so long that I put my highest offer forward straight away and see what happens. If you have a specific number in mind, don’t worry too much about spending hours bidding, just put in your highest and final number straight away.
Don’t get hung up on the size. If there’s something you really love, don’t miss out because it’s not your normal size; have it tailored to fit instead. I don’t even look at the size if I’m honest. If I like it, I buy it and send it straight to my tailor. Just avoid anything more than three sizes up as that can get quite expensive to alter.
Dry clean everything. Especially vintage pieces that have lasted this long. I don’t like to take any chances with a washing machine. When it comes to jewellery, I store the pieces carefully in velvet and make sure nothing touches each other to avoid scratches.
Buy authenticated pieces. If you’re looking for pre-loved luxury, look for the blue tick on ebay listings, which means it will be inspected and verified by experts. They’ll then ship it out to you.
Always read the full description. And look through ALL the pictures to make sure you really know what to expect. In the past I’ve been so excited by the price and the item that I’ve forgotten to read the small print. A coat with ripped lining, scratches, holes… They can end up being costly to repair.
Be quick. I’ve missed out on so many beautiful pieces because I wasn’t quick enough to bid or I put them in my basket then forgot – ebay moves quickly and it can be competitive, so don’t let great pieces get away.
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All products sourced via ebay, vist ebay.co.uk.
Photography by @aliciawaite_
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