Why Buy the New Thing?

This brief post was inspired by something

Liana Satenstein

asked in her Substack chat the other day:

I'm mostly a vintage/resale consumer about 90 percent .... 10 percent new...dipping my toe in recently. who is like that here, and what prompts you to actually BUY the new thing?

I had to think about that for a second mostly because I couldn’t remember the last time I did. I’m serious. At this point, 98% of everything I own comes from resale. Not just a few vintage sweaters or accessories, but everything: shampoo, concealer, perfume, mugs, pillowcases, socks, vintage Margiela trenches (ok, it’s one trench), jeans (the same model in three different sizes), even underwear (I swear, it’s new with tags).

It’s partly habit, but mostly a mindset. Why buy new when the perfect thing already exists somewhere? Maybe in a closet in Paris or tucked away in a Milanese nonna’s drawer? It just takes a little patience, a bit of curiosity, and maybe a touch of obsession. But to me, that’s the fun part.

If I know what I want, someone is probably trying to get rid of it. And I’ll find it!! The only recent exception was a Flore Flore top (Dewi in navy, and yes it fits true to size in my view). I waited for months, I searched… No one was reselling. I gave in and bought it new — and when it arrived, I was kind of… weirded out. Branded tissue? A real box? No mystery smell? I’m so used to secondhand orders arriving in reused Amazon packaging and newspaper. Sometimes even a trash bag.

Resale isn’t just a preference — it’s kind of a worldview by now. New clothes tend to give me that ‘I could’ve spent this on 10 thrifted things’ feeling. There’s just too much new stuff in the world. And more than that, our relationship to shopping, novelty, and wanting things is really off, don’t you think? It all feels kind of empty. But I’m not sure, maybe that’s too dramatic.

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Resale lets me wear things I couldn’t buy new. I can afford a substantially better-made sort of clothing, with more quality fabric, secondhand than I can new. I’m not in a place where I’ll drop €600 on a wool sweater (I honestly still don’t understand WHO CAN AFFORD THE ROW?) But I do have amazing wool sweaters, and they all come from someone’s stylish Italian grandma. Or a French one. Same wool, older label, richer story.

Of course, not every find is a victory. I recently bought a pair of vintage mules for €8 and told everyone about it. “Cheaper than granola!” I said. I wore them for five minutes. They disintegrated on the street. Decomposed is another good word a friend said in response to this story. From the inside, they looked 100 years old. They probably were. Sometimes it's better to just buy granola. (Or maybe it’s not, I don’t know, I am annoyed at granola because it pretends to be a health food when IT IS NOT! Sorry, I have strong feelings about granola.) In other words, BUY IT NICE OR BUY IT TWICE!

Tragic screenshot from my Substack chat.

I do struggle with other people’s understanding of “very good condition.” It is very subjective. Sellers aren’t usually lying, but sometimes our standards differ. Shoes arrive intact but with the structural integrity of a croissant. (Right, those mules.) So yes, sometimes resale lets you down. But even then, I still love it. It’s imperfect and SO IS LIFE.

Remember! For every tragic mule, there’s a silk dress, a navy blazer that fits like a dream, or a set of Egyptian cotton towels for €10. The wins far outweigh the losses. And I prefer the choices I make when thrifting. A million different brands, made in different years.

I’ve written about some of my favorite finds before (and will do it again soon; I need a new phone with a less shit camera first). But for now, just wanted to say this out loud for everyone who’s on the fence about secondhand. I REALLY can’t imagine shopping any other way.

P.S. If you don’t wanna be like me, be like

Rachel Seville Tashjian

! She’s embracing the “no-new-buy rule.”

What do you say??

xx

Anni