Friperie Friday: Secondhand is the new Black

Today, an antidote to Black Friday (November 29) and its shopping mania: Friperie Friday.  Though Canada has already celebrated Thanksgiving, my in-box is stuffed with offers tied to the US holiday.

The idea: Visit your local thrift or consignment. You could save a bundle, forgo environmentally-damaging shipping (it may be free, but the load is the same) and might even feel the incomparable thrill of the find.

Some communities have their own version; Toronto has Secondhand Sunday twice a year, when persons are invited to put goods in front of their homes for others to take. But I enjoy shopping racks of sized items, and having a change room with a good mirror, and I'm willing to pay for that.

"Oh", friends say, "that may be easy for you, but I never have any luck." This fall, I thrifted at local friperies and consignment shops with two of my favourite friends, Jackie and Marlena. That showed me why some women bag terrific things and others miss what's under their noses.

Below, tips I developed after observing my dear companions, whose names have been changed.

1. Slow down!
Both Jackie and Marlena whipped through those racks, looking but not really seeing. Their speed was working  against them.

After fifteen minutes, Marlena said she was finished, but had skipped past at least seven strong possibilities, which I, following, had added to my cart for her. When she tried them on, she loved four.

A canny picker looks at nearly each garment front and back, not just the shoulder on the hanger, places the 'maybes' in her cart, moves away from the action, and goes over every inch inside and out to spot damage or deficiencies like a twisted seam or broken zipper.

Slow down especially when looking at black, which is harder to see. Rushing by darks, Marlena had missed a Desigual top similar to this, so I hauled her back, and she jumped on it.

This is the foundational tip: You can't consider what you don't see.

2. Go broad on sizing
Carry a tape measure; work with that and your eye.

Jackie's a size 6, so she looks in Medium, but I found things that fit her in the Small and Large sections too, because sizing varies markedly across brands. Staff sometimes misjudge, read a label incorrectly, or place women's shirts in the men's section.

Once the goods hit the floor, shoppers dump things in the wrong section. You will find one-size-fits-all items like ponchos and capes stuck on any size rack.

3. Buy off-season
When everyone is looking for sweaters, shop for summer tops. The off-season goods are less picked-over and you will benefit from closet clean-out.

In sticky July, I found a tags-on J. Crew cashmere watch cap; price, $2; in mid-January, unwanted gifts hit, and stores donate unsold stock.

So in this part of the world, November's Friperie Friday might yield a great beach cover-up or a floaty cotton skirt.

4. Avoid fast fashion
There is a reason why thrifts are stuffed with H&M, Zara, Forever 21 and similar: low price equals low quality, which means a short shelf life. Don't be the woman who gets stuck with its last gasp. You might disagree, and pick a Zara top to wear to a party, never intending it to last for the ages.

Whatever the price point, woven goods are generally donated in better shape than knits.

5. Gauge your tolerance for fixes
a. Cleaning and repairs: You can usually coax off a makeup smudge, but some stains have set for life. If unwilling to risk an iffy spot, let the piece go. Forget fixes like dyeing or replacing sections of a garment with other fabric, unless that's fun for you.

Some repairs are easy, but if there's one missing coat button, you will need a complete set (and maybe more for the sleeves), and that adds up.

b. Restyling: Think about what you actually will do (or are willing to pay a tailor for), not what could be done, or that blazer with the lumpy interfacing will just sit in your closet. Jackie once made couture suits and now will hem a pair of trousers, that's it.

Try on before you pay; a visual check does not always reveal uneven hemlines or too-short waists.

6. Know your style 
With Marlena, I found a pristine, meltingly soft, totally smokin' Rudsak leather jacket—for $25. The upscale Montréal brand sells similar jackets for over $500; it was one of my all-time scores. It fit Marlena, but she rides a bike, and said the elbow-length sleeves were inadequate. I would have bought arm-warmers, but respected her discipline.

I bought it for another friend, Natasha, who wears it superbly:

7. Going home alone is an honourable option
Don't feel that for your time, you have to buy something. If you stick the so-so sweater in your drawer, it will murmur forevermore that secondhand shopping is a mistake.

You have not wasted your time; a fruitless visit still builds your eye. Nine times out of ten, I buy nothing, or perhaps a bread knife for a son's kitchen.


Friperie Friday will never dent the massive sales numbers of its famous relative. Last year, according to Adobe Analytics, 6.22 billion was spent online by the end of Black Friday, up nearly 24% from the preceding year.

If there is something you need, it makes sense to buy during a really good sale. But mostly, Black Friday (and its bookend, Cyber Monday) is an invitation to over-consume. Isn't it ironic that this day comes after Thanksgiving (in the US), when families and friends gather in gratitude for what they already have? Major retailers are now launching their online sales on Thanksgiving evening.

If you need nothing, take a bag to donate.

Another US statistic: in 2015, the amount of textile waste per person had increased by 750% since 1960; that's 10 times more than the population increase. Low-priced, high-volume "fast fashion" is the key driver.

Related reading: "How to Buy Clothes That Are Built to Last", by Kendra Pierre-Louis, a summary of how to decrease the buying and discarding of more clothing than ever before.