Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to ask one of life’s most challenging questions: what are you wearing to that thing next weekend?
As the year revs up, so do our social calendars. And with each invite, be it gala ball or Gala Bingo, comes a fresh outfit dilemma. No GCSE could prepare us for the complex outfit mathematics involved in an event-heavy summer (vibe + number of repeat guests in attendance - weeks since last event % by weather forecast = panic), and thanks to social media, the bar for party dressing has never been higher. A 2025 remake of the Richard Curtis classic would have to be called Four Desperate Sprints Around a Shopping Centre With Armfuls of Clutch Bags and a Funeral.
Yes, the sustainable ideal would be repeating the same outfit at every single do. But in reality, there are always variables. Moods shift, practical requirements vary; there are bridal vision boards to navigate and cryptic dress codes to parse. What does “Mykonos chic” mean in a Cotswolds cathedral? How “black tie” can your work summer party be if there’s an adult ball pit?
I never stop being irked by the gender inequality of it all as I watch my husband pull on his one good suit for its hundredth outing. But at the same time, I relish any chance to get dressed up and mark a milestone occasion. So I’m grateful that the rise of resale apps means it’s never been easier to buy our gladrags secondhand, or to pass them on when their duty is done.
“Thank God for Vinted,” says my friend Daisy Buchanan, the author and podcaster, whose summers are a marathon of literary festivals and publishing parties. “I’ve built up a wardrobe of gorgeous things that all work together – silk slip skirts, trouser suits, going-out tops – often from brands I would never be able to justify buying new. And these days I take better care of everything because I know there’s the option to sell it on again in the future.” It’s less a divorce, more a conscious uncoupling.
Some 77% of Vinted members in the UK say that the platform allows them to buy items that would otherwise be too expensive – including one anonymous bridesmaid who recently hit the jackpot. “The bride wanted us all to buy our dresses from a specific website, but I found mine on Vinted in the right size and colour, along with many others from that brand. I saved £100, and I’m planning to resell it after the wedding too.”
There’s also a romance to the idea of passing on your most cherished pieces. “I eloped to New York last year with two wedding dresses, and recently sold the more casual of the two on Vinted,” says Grace, one of many brides using the app to share the love. “Knowing I wouldn’t wear it again, I was conscious I didn’t want it to go to waste. The buyer was also planning to wear it as one of her wedding outfits. I love that it’s getting a second life.”
When I got married three years ago, I wanted a second dress to change into – not just for the drama, but because my main dress was long-sleeved satin and I’m what’s known in fashion parlance as “a sweater”. I have only to hear the opening bars of Mr Brightside and my upper lip starts to moisten. So I knew I wanted something small and spangled for the dancefloor; one cha-cha away from a Strictly costume. But I also knew that if I wanted sequins, they had to be secondhand.
For all the joy they bring, sequins are one of fashion’s guiltiest pleasures. Made mostly from petroleum-based plastics, they’re wasteful to produce (the Material Driven consultancy found an average of 33% is wasted in the process of punching out those little discs) and will languish in landfill for hundreds of years, causing as-yet unknown damage. Oxfam found in 2019 that sequinned items were worn an average of five times before being discarded.
But even if we’re not binning our partywear, glad rags become sad rags when we don’t wear them. Far better to sell them on and let them brighten someone else’s night than leave them at the back of the wardrobe to Norma Desmond away the rest of their days.
Which is how I came to find my bridal finale outfit on Vinted: a rose gold, maribou-trimmed, sequinned slip dress. I wore it again to a fancy dress party last year, as Barbie, and it will get another outing any time there’s a chance to shake my tail feathers.
As with all secondhand shopping, the golden rule for occasionwear is patience. Start your hunt early, by saving searches for all your favourite brands – and try sorting the results from highest to lowest price then filtering by your maximum budget, to find more premium pieces. And use the Condition filter to look out for anything that might need a little TLC. Someone I know found a silk crepe dress from a cult brand for a veritable steal, because it had a small rip in the sleeve. A visit to a tailor later, she has a dream party outfit plus a story to tell everyone she meets in the loos.
Meanwhile, I’ve taken a leaf out of my husband’s book and invested in a beautiful three-piece suit in soft sage green for £55 from Vinted. Worn together, it’s a timeless look that can be dressed up and down with ease, but the waistcoat, trousers and jacket will all be stepping out individually while I’m waiting for the right occasion. Cinderella shall go to the ball – but she’ll be the best-dressed person at the supermarket before that.
Looking for glam on a budget? Or maybe you’ve got party pieces to resell? Do it all on Vinted.
Photography: Phill Taylor/The Guardian. Hair and makeup: Bethany Anderson. Prop stylist: Zan Morley
