People, I am not a good second-hand shopper. I rarely have the patience to paw through bins of leftovers and racks of crap. I don't want my clothes to smell musty. My gag reflex is easily triggered. And I don't like the idea of so much polyester in one place.
BUT..
My friend Friday is on a mission to go an entire year buying only second-hand and thrifted clothes to decrease her carbon footprint. While admirable, this isn't something I could do. For one thing, it's nearly impossible (in my admittedly limited experience) to find something very specific. If you are suit shopping or trying to find the perfect black pencil skirt second hand, good luck.
But if you are just browsing,you could find yourself part of the biggest retail score of the year.
Ever since I saw these shoes on the feet of Dr. Elliot Reed in Scrubs, I have been lusting after- and searching for- them:
That was in 2008.
I orginally couldn't figure out who made them, so when I stumbed upon the orange version:
(I know they look red here)
...I found out they were Marc by Marc Jacobs. And they were $500.
Periodically, I searched for them on sale. But as time went by, they were no longer available. So, I put them on the list of The Ones That Got Away.
Cut to Friday and I at a random consignment store in SF, where everything was clean, nothing smelled musty, and high end designer clothes and shoes and bags were everywhere I looked.
Being shoe
obsessed fanatical curious, I tend to scan the shoe selections in such places first. As we moved toward the back of the store, I hear "THOSE are FABULOUS."
I look down.
I spot them. I garble something about how OMG-I-have-been-looking-for-those-for-years and OMG-they-are-amazing.
I pick them up and hold my breath. I turn them over.
They are my size.
And they are $69. They were mine before I even hit the cash register.
People, this is a coup. One that won't likely be repeated for a long, long time.
I doubt I will ever be a second-hand shopping expert. But I will remember the thrill of that score forever, which might make it easier the next time I venture into a thrift store. And obviously I will be returning to that one.
