How do I buy all the best from Prada on resale for 100 euros
Not just once or twice, but it's half of my wardrobe
I promised to tell you about what I took with me in my only suitcase, assuming that I would not be able to bring more things in the next 3 months.
Of course, going to Milan, especially in the midst of fashion week (men's, SS2024 season, held in June), you want to take all the best from your closet with you at once. Therefore, initially my packing was something like this:
But then, looking at the weather forecast (there are only 2 options: either heat of +35 degrees by Celsius or hurricane thunderstorms with showers), it became clear that it was better to take something like this:
But knowing me, I would be cramped in such a wardrobe.
Clothes for me are a way to recharge for the day: to be empowered most days, or feel secure if needed.
I calculated that exactly half of the things that ended up in my suitcase, I bought on the resale market. And most of them were found for less than 100 euros.
Here it is necessary to step back and say that almost all of them are from Prada. At first I thought that it turned out this way by accident, but then, after a little digging in myself, I realized what was the starting point.
It was back in October 2010 while studying at Istituto Marangoni, when I bought a Prada book and started reading it right on the grass in Sempione Park in Milan. It seems that I still remember this combination of freshly cut grass and book telling me about how the collections were created, especially FW2007.
At that time, it seemed unattainable for me to wear these things, they were somehow cosmic, unearthly.
And then, after some 5 years, I discovered the world of TheRealReal, Vestiaire Collective and EBay.
I was on maternity leave with my newborn daughter Eva, and not to say that I had a lot of free money, but at some point I noticed that those things from the book that impressed me so much appear here and there on the resale and at a very accepted mass market price.
So, that's what became my passion. To find the coolest, catchy models for me, and not pay much more than 100 euros for them. Here are some screenshots of my purchases from different years:
Almost all of them have become my favorites and I wear them all the time.
Here are the styles that I took with me this time, they all cost about 100 euros. The design itself, the quality of fabric and tailoring is so exceptional that every time I find myself buying something for a similar price in the mass market I’m still so surprised - why should I do this? There is only one answer - marketing and impulsive gratification.
Still, in order to get such a diamonds, you need to research a bit, and it will not come to you right away either.
My colleagues sometimes asked me how do I manage to find all these treasures? In general, it's all about the "keywords" of your search and understanding exactly what you are looking for, because looking aimlessly just to find a diamond is quite difficult.
Let’s not go into details that in general it’s good to know yourself, your preferences in clothes (colors, fits, brands that suit you), and understand the collections of those brands that you want to buy.
I'll tell you with my example: I already know for sure that my ideal size in Prada is 42 IT (it is possible to buy bottoms in 40IT, and tops in 44IT, but definitely not vice versa).
I won’t go into the subtleties of the fact that Prada’s patterns used to be a little small compared to today’s ones, so when you see a white or black tag (and not the current blue one), you can safely add +1 size, this is not 100% true, but most often it is so.
But at the same time, you need to remember that the wider the search you set up (knowing what you want to find approximately), the greater the likelihood of luck. Since many sellers, for example, do not indicate the exact size in the ad, and in general do not give many details.
Therefore, if you enter a query, for example, Jacket Prada season FW2007 green size 42, then most likely you will get only one option or nothing at all.
BTW, with shoes, it’s better to adjust the search, taking into account the size in the filters, otherwise you will drown in the world of beauty of wrong sizes. And I still prefer to set “new or almost new” condition filter for shoes.
My main search queries are based on colors. I generally love green (and Signora Miuccia too, judging by the number of styles in this color), but now I am in my “yellow” period.
The second filter is materials, if I'm looking for something made of leather or suede, then I can immediately drive in Prada Suede Clothing and enjoy the selection. Again, I don't limit myself by gender, a lot of really cool leathers, shirts and knitwear could be found in the men's resale section.
The third filter I set up for searching is special categories. My endless passion is for coats and jackets, I look through them with enviable constancy.
And the fourth is the price. I prefer to leave myself the freedom of imagination and not limit myself to a price from above, but remember that I look at these things with three zeros only for inspiration and understanding how they’ve been made. For real purchases that I try to filter by price from lower to higher. And then - everything is finalised by wishlists, promotions and bargaining.
Yes, feel free to make an offer. In general, your task is to find that excellent seller who does not even suspect what kind of diamond he has in his hands, and he simply gives it away for a song because he does not wear it.
Well, remember about import duties, sometimes they can be more than the price of the treasure itself ))
And here is one more piece of advice: since I have been watching the resale market for a long time, I see a price boom for Prada at VC, TRR and other big sites for certain collections, which are often reinterpreted by Miuccia herself or rediscovered by bloggers. So in this case, local small resellers are often much more affordable, e.g. the mentioned Vinted is still a treasure cave from Aladdin, you just have to set the filters correctly.
Good luck and great hunting!
Baci!