My name is Natalie and I'm an eBay-aholic. You can often find me scrolling the platform for pre-loved treasures, from designer pieces (made infinitely easier by eBay's new Authenticity Guarantee programme) to true vintage from the '60s and '70s. Recent finds include an '80s Laura Ashley blazer, a '00s Louis Vuitton bag, and a pair of Prada knee-high boots.
I like to think I'm something of an eBay aficionado, but I'm a mere amateur compared to Amy Bannerman – eBay UK's Pre-Loved Style Director, stylist extraordinaire, and the woman behind the famous Love Island villa wardrobe, which is filled with some of the most enviable pre-loved and vintage fashion I have ever laid eyes on – but more on that later.
To celebrate the launch of Love Island: All Stars, eBay UK – the show's official pre-loved fashion sponsor for the third year running – invited me for a special styling session with Amy herself, as well as a run-through of the villa wardrobe before it was transplanted to South Africa for filming. Needless to say, I didn't hesitate.
My name is Natalie and I'm an eBay-aholic.
A few weeks before our meeting, Amy and her team asked me to send a list of any key items that I felt were missing from my wardrobe. At the top of my wish list: a vintage moto or letterman jacket; I've been searching for one for years, to wear all-year-round – over summer dresses, and with baggy jeans and jumpers in the colder months. I also put in a request for the perfect fair isle knit (a wardrobe staple), a statement scarf and anything else Amy thought worked with my style.
When I arrived, Amy and her team had pulled together a rail of eBay-sourced pieces for me – I audibly gasped. I immediately gravitated towards a vintage red letterman jacket, emblazoned with a giant 'N' for Natalie. There were also some incredible statement knits, including a timeless Brora fair isle jumper and an embroidered cardigan.
I ended up falling for a vintage moto jacket (pictured below), an incredibly chic Chanel cardigan, and a tartan scarf, which had the prettiest vintage label (yet another lovely part of shopping pre-loved) – all found on eBay. I know I'll keep all of these pieces forever, and style them from season to season.
Speaking of holy-grail vintage items, Amy talked me through the pieces going into the Love Island: All Stars villa, some of which have been worn by multiple contestants in previous seasons and others that have just been added. Amy and her team are building a wardrobe of forever finds that can be reworn again and again – not thrown out after one wear or season – in a mission to inspire viewers to do the same.
The fashion magpie in me delights at the sight of a foiled gold Escada skirt suit.
In the mix is a tropical-print Versace dress (from the same collection as that viral gown), a Miu Miu houndstooth jacket (which cost just £50), a hot-pink Jacquemus blazer, and a tux-inspired, Jean Paul Gaultier LBD. 'I can't wait for someone to wear that,' says Amy.
The fashion magpie in me delights at the sight of a foiled gold Escada skirt suit, which Amy had tailored for a more modern, cropped silhouette.
Afterwards, I sit down with Amy and eBay UK's Head of Fashion, Jemma Tadd, to discuss the concept behind the villa wardrobe. They share a horrifying fact – research reveals 79% of shoppers aged 18 to 35 get rid of clothes that are no longer in season and only 5% wear their clothes all year round, which results in unnecessary fashion waste.
In curating a wardrobe of investment pieces that can be worn repeatedly and styled for multiple seasons, the eBay UK team is on a mission to inspire viewers and shoppers to adopt a seasonless approach to fashion.
Investment shopping doesn't have to cost a fortune, as that £50 Miu Miu jacket proves. 'That's the beauty of eBay,' says Amy. 'The more high-end, pre-loved pieces aren't necessarily expensive. For example, the red Jean Paul Gaultier Junior coord that Tasha [Ghouri, who starred in season eight of Love Island] wore was £40. That's cheaper than buying something on the high street.'
We're encouraging people to buy out of season.
'We're encouraging people to buy out of season,' says Jemma, sharing another expert tip for finding bargains on the platform. 'If you buy a coat in July versus December, it's usually around 30% cheaper.'
I leave the styling session with three pieces I'll keep in my wardrobe for decades to come – and the inspiration to start shopping pre-loved a little differently. Now excuse me while I check my eBay watch list...
Shop pre-loved fashion at ebay.co.uk
