Secondhand gems: plaid gilet, velvet dress - YouLookFab Forum

Category

What I Wore

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Secondhand gems: plaid gilet, velvet dress

Kari

Veteran

Just before Thanksgiving, I got to meet up with a local instagrammer and seller of super cool size and gender inclusive vintage/thrifted fashion - for me, to play dress-up with some of her finds - for her, to photograph pieces on different bodies. I loved this velvet sheath and plaid capelet/gilet so much that I took them home.
These are my porch selfies, but you can see some of @fatgirlgoesgreen’s shots in much more beautiful light on her instagram, including one of me in a SUPER cozy plaid shirt:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5.....k4vp6h4qno

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5.....fr1uo0ykrf

I am not a patient secondhand shopper in person. It bums me out not to find much, if anything, close to my size. I was tickled to find someone local who spends time finding the diamonds in the rough and curating a fun, size-inclusive collection.

This post has 4 photos. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

35 replies

Latest reply was from Synne

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Kari, those are really fun pieces and I’m glad you got them! I am not a patient second-hand shopper either, so I’m extra impressed that you got two such excellent items. That sounds like a seller to follow, for sure!

MsMaven

Veteran

How great to have help to sift through the goodies. I love the plaid on you--it's attractive and flattering. I don't particularly love the lumberjack plaids DH keeps buying for himself.

Kari

Veteran

Definitely! I was excited. I’ve been following her for a while, but seeing and trying what she picks out in person make me extra interested in browsing her finds.

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

It is so hard to find great plus size secondhand finds! You make a great model, and should be thrilled with your purchases.

Inge

(website)

Those are both fab, Kari (and I love the plaid shirt in the Instagram photo though). And that is an amazing service, I have very little patience for second-hand shopping too (and I totally get the disappointment when not finding anything in your size), so someone else curating the goodies for is, that is brilliant!

AJ

Veteran

Both pieces are lovely and I look forward to seeing how you will mix and match them in the future. I also liked the other plaid item that you modeled, but this gilet looks more fun.

I actually like the thrill of the hunt when thrift store shopping. I often find fabulous items that do not fit me and I wonder if I should set up an online shop, but for me that's more work than I'm willing to do.

Kari

Veteran

The thrill of the hunt wears off fast when there’s exactly 0 items in the store other than footwear and accessories that are large enough for your body. I have had that happen a lot (in high and low end store alike) and it does not make me feel happy about my body.

lisaflex

Veteran

agreed kari. i am a size 10-12-14 large or xl.

but i do second hand shop alot. there are two stores i frequent and usually come out with at least one thing if not three at a time. lol.

i go to one that has a seperate rack for each designer....i target eileen fisher and anthropologie and a few others.

if i find no clothing, i do look for nicer jewelery (usually necklaces) by silpada, brighton or higher end costume names and have quite a collection of nice stuff that i got this way.

i sometimes go to salvation army/good will stores. not as much anymore as they are so darn disorganized. but as i sit here typing this, i have on a fave pair of levi long and lean(i had them hemmed as i am only 5'3..lol) jeans that i love and wear often. but i find if i go to a thrift, i need to really spend some time digging and have to be in the right frame of mind.

i have found stuart wetzman booties for $29.99 (unworn) in the past! i still wear them.....

rachylou

Veteran

Wow! The gilet and sheath are sooo good looking!

Kari

Veteran

Yeah, it’s helpful if there are at least brands you can target that sometimes come in your size! Or if they have the store sorted by size vs. by like items.

nemosmom

Veteran

How fun to be able to go through her pieces! You are a gorgeous model (and look great in the gilet!)

karen13

Veteran

You look amazing in this. And what a great way to shop second hand. I struggle with consignment and second hand shopping too. Wide feet and petite-length arms and torso mean slim pickings for mePlus it is too easy to get sales goggles and wind up with orphans.

Kari

Veteran

Sales goggles is right! When there is only one thing that fits, it’s so easy for me to shrug and go “eh, good enough.” If not for YLF and knowing there are better things that do fit, I’d have a lot more duds

Runcarla

Veteran

So much better to see an item on a real person model! I bet you’ll,find lots of uses for the gilet. I would love to see it layered over a red top and cropped jeans.

slim cat

Veteran

You look great - the color goes well with your hair color as well!
I have no luck in second hand stores - nothing good in my size. I used to do Rack for shoes especially ones that worn and re-soled ( you don't need to stretch anything anymore ).

Kari

Veteran

Thanks! Yes, definitely planning to try with jeans, leggings, etc. too.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Well I love this and love the seller's concept. There are a few Israeli designers that are more size inclusive and that I find regularly, but it makes so much more sense to let someone else do the hunting for you.
For the curious the about page for one of my favorites:
http://alembika.com/about/

Kari

Veteran

Ooh, neat, Shevia! I’ll check that out.

Roxanna

Veteran

These are beautiful, Kari - you look fab! Also I meant to tell you - I loved your thoughtful and articulate reply on the post asking about finding size-inclusive clothing last week. I found it so thoughtful and inspiring and really loved your practice of browsing photos that are not conventionally flattering to get your eyes used to other kinds of beautiful. Thank you for sharing

Kari

Veteran

Thank you so much. That means a lot.
To be honest - not out of unkindness or anything - sometimes it’s hard to be one of few plus sized folks on a mostly straight sized forum where problems like suggesting things that are not available or extremely hard to find in my size, like styling or tailoring that looks quite different on a fatter body (or isn’t possible), happen frequently. It’s not that anyone is doing it deliberately, and when I wore straight sizes I know I probably made similar suggestions (brands, stores to look at, styling ideas) that make me face palm with what I have experienced in a differently sized body. And I’m currently on the smaller end of plus size AND a size that most plus size brands/retailers stock. There are really stylish folks who wear above a 3X or have more tricky body modifiers or disabilities that make finding clothes an incredible challenge. (Let alone gender and sexual identity and its impact on style and available options!)
I would suggest all folks, not just those shaped more like me, seek out many types of diversity in bloggers, instagrammers, style inspirations that you seek out - both to boost their visibility and your awareness, but also because having visibility of many different types, shapes, colors, etc. of bodies on feeds/media on a regular basis really can create that mind shift around what is beautiful and stylish.
I do the same with fitness/athletic activity, and try to seek out & follow runners/hikers/yoga practitioners/etc. who are amazing and are in bodies that aren’t commonly featured in fitness media.

rachylou

Veteran

Kari - did you find this seller *on* IG? And if you did, can I ask how? Because, I have decided I’m terrible at navigating Instagram...

Kari

Veteran

I did, and I think it was like following Instagram’s recommendations down a rabbit hole. Once I started following certain folks Instagram suggested more similar folks and she came up in my recommendations (before I knew she was local.) Sometimes social media algorithms are annoying but sometimes they help us find folks I’d NEVER know about otherwise.

Barbara Diane

Veteran

Kari, I share your frustration with second hand sizes as yes, most stores don’t carry my size or if they do it’s 10 items or less. I found a good tunic once while waiting for a friend to come out of a dressing room and another top once.
And a great jacket in another city (which sadly doesn’t fit anymore.).

rachylou

Veteran

Interesting!

Kari

Veteran

I confess I’m not awesome at finding things on Instagram either. My exploration tends to be pretty organic. “I like that! I will follow. Ooh, I like that too!”

And yeah, Barbara Diane, it’s frustrating.

Roxanna

Veteran

Thanks Kari. I confess that I had not thought about how suggesting brands or styling tips might not be inclusive, but now I can see how that would make others on the forum feel. Thank you for opening my eyes - that is such an important point.

I'm with you - I follow a broad range of body types across the gender spectrum for both fashion and fitness because I want to be exposed to all different kinds of bodies and styles. I especially focus on people of different ethnicities because I find the beauty standard is still sliced into very specific stereotypes and I want myself (and my children!) To be exposed to people who look like us - and who don't look like us. I am tired about a lot of things on social media, but the democratization of fashion, beauty and fitness is Something I welcome with open arms.

Interestingly, I have more challenges finding #ownvoices books than I do finding influencers on IG. But I'm still working on it...

rebekahphoto

Veteran

The dress and the vest are both lovely on you! the color especially is fab with your hair and complexion

I love to thrift & enjoy looking for unique vintage pieces and for both economical and ecological reasons. I also have a tough time finding clothing in larger sizes---I often find great designer pieces in smaller sizes, and sometimes if they are really *amazing* those end up as gifts for friends, or on ebay--Ive found many of the larger thrift shops will have a larger plus size section--but it really is a crap shoot

I really have noticed over the last few years the influx and fast fashion at the thrift store, the poor quality of so many items-- and it just reinforces for me my desire to have quality items, even if that means less. Just the plethora of "fake" leather handbags is amazing!

Kari

Veteran

It’s More like suggesting brands or items or stores without checking to see if they ARE size inclusive. If they only go up to a 16, for example, that’s not size inclusive. (And a 14-16 straight size is usually much smaller and sometimes cut differently than 14-16 plus size/W!)
Or suggesting styling to mask parts of my body, or having a poison eye for things like a visible belly or rolls, when for many of us that is just the way our bodies are made.
Or making really negative comments about larger bodies or weight gain implying that larger bodies are a BAD thing. It is not fun to be the biggest person in a room when others are talking and realize that your body represents their worst case scenario.
(I don’t pursue weight loss and I opt out of such discussions but they still sometimes happen around me.)

Nodding with you a lot to your second paragraph.

Inclusivity and intersectionality in beauty and style *is* changing, a little bit at a time.

Kari

Veteran

Rebekah: “ I really have noticed over the last few years the influx and fast fashion at the thrift store, the poor quality of so many items-- and it just reinforces for me my desire to have quality items, even if that means less.”

YES.

12