THE MEMO
Chloë Sevigny’s Sale of the Century was just the beginning – now, It-girls everywhere are selling off their wardrobes. Here’s how to join the resale revolution
MAKING SOME EXTRA CASH HAS NEVER had quite so much cachet: this year, the wardrobe resale has become the ultimate It-girl activity. Where once these modern style icons were known for displaying their impeccable style on the streets of the fashion capitals, now we find them behind a trestle table piled with pre-loved pieces, bum bag on waist, inviting us to shop.
The most famous, of course, came with Chloë Sevigny’s Sale of the Century, in New York last year. The queue for it wrapped twice around aSoHo block. But the actor is far from alone in this pursuit. In London, stylists Francesca Burns and Claudia Sinclair host Resale Therapy with Pixie Geldof; broadcaster Zezi Ifore, Liz Johnson Artur and ELLE editor Eni Subair are expanding theirs, called Plenty Plenty; and in north London, you’ll now catch the forever wellstyled writer Zadie Smith hosting charity jumble sales where labels traverse the entire fashion spectrum.
Besides being an opportunity to secure some fantastic new-toyou treasures, these sales have allowed us to breathe joy into the old-school ritual of shopping IRL, explains Liana Satenstein, who organised the Sale of the Century. ‘You can get whatever you want online using the right search term,’ she says. ‘But this process can feel sterile and exhausting. There’s no thoughtfulness. These sales are more meaningful, because they are so interactive and personal.’
I’ll happily admit that I have fallen fast for visiting as many of these sorts of sales as possible. I love that they can feel akin to rooting through somebody’s wardrobe, without the home invasion, and I find that inspiration is all around, even in the pieces you don’t take home. I was thrilled to acquire a pair of Geldo
