JOANNE WATKINSON
SECONDHAND SHOPPING GETS VOGUE APPROVAL
Chioma Nnadi has taken over from the trailblazer that is Edward Enninful, after having been appointed British Vogue’s head of editorial content.
I don’t recall ever thinking about the personal style of Edward’s predecessor Alexandra Shulman. Edward, himself, favoured sharp tailoring and we all know about Anna Wintour (the global editor of Vogue) and her penchant for sunglasses indoors.
The only other Vogue editors’ looks I’ve taken interest in are from the French edition – Carine Roitfeld and Emmanuelle Alt, who both favoured the continental interpretation of rock and roll star: sexy but insouciant, all kohl liner, leather trousers and white shirts, casually buttoned down to reveal a glimpse of lacy bra.
Chioma Nnadi offers something completely new. The briefest of Google searches tells me her taste is eclectic, all energetic colours and clashing prints.
She is cool. It’s a polarising word but it’s right for her. She appears very confident in her style. She doesn’t conform to trends, plus – and this is where it gets interesting for the editor of Vogue – she is a huge fan of vintage clothes.
Chioma has gone on record to call herself a ‘vintage fashion nut’ who collects pre-loved and secondhand clothes on her travels, which for me as a lover of shopping vintage and secondhand, is possibly the most exciting thing about her (talent aside of course, she is a very accomplished journalist).
This passion for pre-loved makes me wonder how Chioma’s influence will impact the hallowed pages of the luxury fashion bible. With secondhand on track to take 10% of clothing sales globally, it’s not a sector to be ignored.
If you are yet to take the leap into buying secondhand clothes, what are you waiting for? The saying “they don’t make them like they used to” has never been more true. We should all have greater reverence for old clothes, tailoring in particular. You’d have to spend a lot of money now to get similar quality to even a highstreet blazer made in the 80s or 90s.
If you have hours to scroll, head to Vinted and eBay. Remember there are no returns allowed on these sites, so be prepared to resell it if it doesn’t fit or suit you. If that sounds like too much hassle and you want a more curated edit, there are lots of independent online retailers picking, washing and selling vintage and pre-loved in a way that feels like a boutique experience.
Secondhand shopping – it’s officially in Vogue.