Secondhand Chic: Finding Fabulous Fashion at Consignment, Vintage, and Thrift Shops [Paperback]

Christa Weil (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1999

Fun, funky, and fabulous, this is the first personal buying guide to help you get in on the resale craze that is sweeping America.

Would you like to find a mint-condition Yves Saint Laurent jacket for $25...a brand-new, pleated wool skirt still bearing the original $40 price tag, for $7...a genuine Dior suit for $75? Now you can! In Secondhand Chic you'll discover where to look, what to look for, and how to buy quality. In fact, you'll get all the secrets of spotting a valuable bargain so you can shop brilliantly whether you're in a consignment, thrift, or vintage store. Expert shopper Christa Weil shares the insider information that will help you buy the best clothes you've ever owned...at a fraction of the retail cost.

Learn about:

Spotting quality -- which you will know immediately from buttons, pockets, seams, and fabric

Labels...big names, department store brands, exquisite foreign lines -- and fakes!

Finding your size when there are no labels or tags

Flaws you can fix and the ones you can't -- from wrong lengths and wrinkles to stains and shininess

Unearthing handmade shoes, silk scarves, name jewelry, and other elegant accessories

Buying what you really need -- and caring for the clothes you've got

The styles that make your body look best

From domestic to international stores, from New York to London, from Memphis to Paris -- no matter where you buy, you can buy secondhand chic.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In recent years, increasing numbers of people have become aware of something that impecunious but savvy folks have known for a long time: You don't have to be rich to wear high-quality, high-fashion clothing. You just need to know how and where to shop for it at incredible, bargain prices--secondhand, vintage, consignment, and thrift stores.

Christa Weil goes the whole nine yards here, explaining how to spot quality, understand labels (and fakes!), and find your size when labels are missing. She knows which flaws are easily fixed, how to organize your wardrobe, how to look "done" without looking "overdone," how to care for your clothing and accessory treasures, and even how to make money on your unwanted clothes.

For anyone who likes to dress well and get an incredible bargain in the process (and who doesn't?), this is an indispensable guide. Weil's light, conversational writing style and her numerous hilarious asides (like "Why Socks Disappear in the Wash") make this an entertaining and lively book to read or browse. --Mark A. Hetts

From Library Journal

What woman wouldn't want to find a designer original at a fraction of its original cost or some long-gone artifact from another fashion era? With that goal in mind, Weil packs her guide to the secondhand clothing market (consignment, vintage, and thrift) with so much detail and coursework that one should have a Ph.D. by book's end. Weil insists that a good secondhand shopper needs to study fabrics (hard to do on paper), design qualities, and designers to make the most of the shopping experience. She recommends field trips to high-end department stores and boutiques to evaluate specific designers, with note-taking essential. Part 2 covers proper fit, and Part 3 discusses garment care. Weil tends toward the cutesy in her headers and superfluous sidebars. And would a woman really carry a kit containing a pocket flashlight, pocket mirror, and white travel soap in order to detect permanent stains? It all seems a bit cloak-and-dagger (oh, is that cloak Armani Couture?). At this price public libraries could certainly consider a copy or two of this tutorial, but most shoppers probably won't want to delve this deeply into their wardrobes.ABette-Lee Fox, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books; Original edition (July 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671027131
• ISBN-13: 978-0671027131
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #340,220 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than 5 stars if I could!, July 23, 2000

By 

Happy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secondhand Chic: Finding Fabulous Fashion at Consignment, Vintage, and Thrift Shops (Paperback)

Packed with helpful information for the avid shopper from cover to cover, this book goes the extra mile by giving pointers not just on finding great buys in consignment, thrift, vintage, and resale shops, but for quality shopping in general.

Beginning with the advantages and disadvantages of buying secondhand items, the author walks the reader in a delightfully personal way through finding clothes that are flawlessly constructed and give perfect fit regardless of name tags. (There is a section which discusses famous name tags in fashion, too, by the way.) Guidelines on how to spot quality accessories are likewise given. The book successfully guides the reader in finding his/her personal style, gauging one's figure and the possible remedies for these, looking for the right fabric, color, and fit, and garment features that indicate excellent quality (the author calls this "quality hallmarks"). This book also outlines what flaws are considered "not-so-bad", "bad", and "very very ugly". There is also a whole chapter which is devoted solely to maintenance and organization, which is a big help especially for those who find themselves clueless in terms of clothes care, and for those who have major closet space problems. You also have a section which helps you sell what you own at secondhand stores. All these, and more! For the ardent shopper, you will find that the wealth of information in this book is invaluable, and may all be that you'll ever need for your every shopping spree. Two thumbs-up!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not just for secondhand shoppers!, October 31, 2001

By 

starspangledgirl "starspangledgirl" (Arlington, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secondhand Chic: Finding Fabulous Fashion at Consignment, Vintage, and Thrift Shops (Paperback)

I think this is the only book of its kind on the market now, so I would recommend it if only for this reason to women who like to dress well at low cost. However, it's better than I expected, thanks to an author who gives very detailed information about what makes a garment well constructed, down to the buttons. This book is useful for anybody shopping for clothes anywhere, new or not. It's probably even a great gift for someone who sews their own clothes, that's how detailed it gets about garment construction. This book's main audience are women who want to get bargains on designer clothes (it even gives helpful lists of designer names and their "poor cousin" lines), and therefore are more likely to shop consignment rather than thrift. It's still helpful to vintage/thrift shoppers too (especially section on stain removal) but I wish she had included more tips for those shoppers, as well as more info on shoes. I think a sequel is in order because I think the author probably has a lot more to say. If so, please include a chapter on shopping for clothes online. This book has nothing on this topic, which is an art in itself! I'd also like to recommend Al Hoff's Thrift Score.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars details, details, details, February 20, 2005

By 

E. Albrecht (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secondhand Chic: Finding Fabulous Fashion at Consignment, Vintage, and Thrift Shops (Paperback)

I received this book as a Christmas present from my mother last year. It was so fascinating that I ended up reading it cover-to-cover on Christmas day. My mother has been sewing for almost 40 years, and Weil included many details that even my mother didn't know. I really liked how Weil included a section on fibers and their origins (including synthetics). I'm not much of a consignment shopper, but the information on construction and spotting quality have been more helpful than I could ever imagine. Not only did it help me go through my closet and spot things to dontate to Goodwill, but it also helped me spot a beautiful vintage raincoat at Goodwill today for $5.