Welcome to This Old Thing, where ELLE UK’s vintage-obsessed editors wax lyrical about the very best things they find on their scrolls, from the icons to the cult finds - because buying everything new is so last season.
Ask any avid vintage fashion fan and they’ll tell you there’s one piece in their wardrobe they prize most of all. For some, it’s something passed down by a loved one, a sentimental string tying generations together, while for others it’s simply a killer runway relic – a reward for months of obsessive scrolling and searching.
That’s the beauty of shopping second-hand: every piece comes with a ready-made story. Here, four vintage-obsessed ELLE UK editors tell the tale behind their most treasured vintage fashion find. Hopefully, they’ll inspire you to start searching for your own.
Four ELLE Editors On Their Best Ever Vintage Fashion Find
Katie O'Malley, Site Director
My most precious vintage find is a fuchsia pink YSL blazer that I found at a market stall in Hay-on-Wye. It was a cold winter’s morning and I’d intended to stock up on books, given the town’s reputation as a ‘town of books’ (it has over 20 bookshops, and counting), but my eyes were immediately drawn to a berry-hued jacket at a stall. I managed to barter the price down to £50, and felt rather smug with my haggling. I’m not one to usually invest in ‘labels’, and I probably would’ve bought the jacket regardless of the brand as I don’t think you can have enough blazers, but the fact it was an 1980s YSL design was a bonus. I’ve worn the jacket on a handful occasions – my favourite combination is paired with electric blue trousers and a matching-coloured satin shirt.
Yves Saint Laurent Vintage Blazer
Leather Vintage Blazer
Yves Saint Laurent Vintage Blazer
Fendi Vintage Blazer
Roberta Schroeder, Senior Ecommerce Editor
The best thing about being stuck in a designer boutique’s windowless stock room on a Sunday morning – inevitably nursing the kind of sore head reserved for those who see lights-on at the student bar – is being able to unwrap the new arrivals.
I funded my university-era weekends by doing just that, poring over precious Prada and Gucci pieces that cost more than my monthly pay check. During my three years as a frankly sub-standard shop girl, I bought just one thing: a pair of black and gold satin sandals from the Prada AW13 runway. Chunky, with an angular block heel and quilted front straps, they were my favourite piece from that stand-out Miuccia show, dripping in a dark, Lynchian femininity that still appeals today. I remember wearing them to my very first fashion week as a fledgling writer – and now, a decade on, they’re still the star of my wardrobe.
Prada Black Boots
Prada Silver Sandals
Prada Gold Sandals
Prada Prada Gold Sandals
Daisy Murray, Shopping Editor
I was a collector and seller of vintage Laura Ashley dress for a couple of years, and each time I found a genuine Made In Wales-era dress in a size above a UK 10 I jumped for joy. Otherwise, my most-used vintage buy is a Paul Smith menswear suit from the 1990s - I've been wearing it most recently with a white T-shirt, kitten heels and a red corsage.
Laura Ashley Vintage Dress
Laura Ashley x Batsheva Dress
Laura Ashley Vintage Shirtdress
Natalie Zannikos, Senior Fashion Coordinator
A classic cotton shirt is an essential in everyone’s wardrobe, and I am no exception to the rule. I picked up what I believe is the most perfect, pyjama-style striped shirt for a mere £14 from Goldsmith Vintage on Charing Cross Road in 2019. Honestly, its cost-per-wear must be in the pennies now. It is my absolute failsafe piece and has literally taken me from boardroom to boardwalk; I’ve paired it with dark denim for the office, leather trousers and slingbacks for evening events and thrown it over a bikini on holiday. It washes like a dream, never creases and gets better with every wear. I can’t imagine life without it.
Chanel Vintage Cotton Shirt
Burberry Vintage Shirt
Ralph Lauren Vintage Shirt
Miu Miu Vintage Shirt
ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE.
