‘Fashionista’ sells entire wardrobe – except his underwear
A pink velour tracksuit, patent red platforms, and a vest covered in pearls. Liam Donnelly “conservatively” estimates he’s spent “tens of thousands of dollars” on his vibrant wardrobe over the years — and he’s selling it all.
The Cantabrian and RDU breakfast presenter will sell all 327 items of his clothing, in phases, throughout May.
Everything, that is, except his underwear and socks. “I can’t imagine anyone would want to buy those.”
Donnelly, 27, describes himself as “fabulous”, “kooky” and “crazy”, which is reflected in his wardrobe full of vintage and colour. Although he loves every item, it was time to shed the daily dilemma of what to wear.
“Quite simply, I’m too spoiled for choice with all my clothes. I got it in my head. I would love the challenge of starting again. You don’t hear of people just having to buy a whole new wardrobe.”
The decision also comes while moving house, as his flatmate is turning the apartment into an Airbnb before a short stint overseas, and wanting to boost his bank account.
Donnelly has done several jobs since leaving the University of Canterbury – where he studied political science and, later, journalism – including working in fashion retail, but now his fulltime job is in radio, where he satisfies his passion for music.
As he sorts through his wardrobe in his small bedroom, there are stacks of neatly folded shorts, onesies, knits and blazers – and there’s only one hint of black. It’s all colour. “I struggle to leave the house in black,” he said.
His “monstrous” number of items have been collected over several years from around the world, including Europe, where he found “a gorgeous vest ... covered in pearls”.
“That is going to be so hard to say goodbye to. It’s really vintage [and took] a lot of washes to get perfect.”
A “signature” piece is a pink sweatshirt he bought from Instagram for a 1980s-themed party. “That was a couple of years ago. It’s the thing I by far... wear the most. It’s just comfy and goes with everything. The tag has completely worn off it, which is how you know it’s good.”
One item that’s so good he got into a bidding war over it on Instagram is his furry blue coat, which ended up costing him $330. “I refused to let it go, mainly because Rihanna (R&B singer) owns that jacket. It almost eats you up, it’s so big.”
Bow ties, shoes and bags are also on the chopping block.
Donnelly estimates he could make about $4500 from his efforts, just a fraction of what he has spent.
His top fashion hunting tip: small towns are havens for vintage clothes. “That’s where you’re going to find the treasures.”
The task of selling his own clothes is bigger than he imagined, including spreadsheets and replying to “millions of messages from millions of people at the same time”.
“I have a new-found respect for anyone who runs a clothing shop – there’s a lot of admin.”
Clothes are more than something to wear for Donnelly – they’re an expression of who he is. “I like to think clothing makes up 80% of my personality. I adore clothing, I adore shopping, and I adore finding unique things and one-offs.”
Many of his items have memories attached to them, making them difficult to part with – but that’s not stopping him giving them a price tag.
During his student days, everyone had a colourful “party shirt”, though he had more than one. “They’ve become very sentimental to me – there’s great memories in those.”
Among the few items his family has bought him over the years is a vintage raincoat his father gave him two Christmases ago. “My Dad’s not at all someone who dresses like me, but he found this jacket and completely nailed it. So many people beg me for it, but I’ve never let it go – it’s just stunning.”
He says that to wear most of his clothes, “you’ve got to be fabulous and a fashionista at heart”, though that doesn’t mean he is vetting his buyers.
“For some, it’s an opportunity to begin to dress more adventurously, and I’m totally OK with that.”
His wardrobe rebuild won’t begin until most of his old clothes are gone, so he can start over with “as little as possible”.
“I’m encouraging anyone to ask me anything. There’s a lot of stuff there. Help me do something crazy and help me start again.”