You asked, I sleuthed 🕵🏼

vintage, secondhand, and pre-loved finds Trash Panic readers are on the hunt for

Ginger Rogers, 1940s.

Okay, ok OK!! I know I said this would be published as a mini edition on Sunday afternoon, but then!! a few of you reached out about things you’ve been wanting to treasure hunt for, and I thought it best I spend more time digging around the internet and dive a lil deeper. And I make the rules around here, so welcome to this week’s unexpected newsletter!

It thrills me to hear that many of you feel newly inspired this year to look for the pre-loved item instead of instantly *adding to cart* the sponsored ad, new arrival, mass produced thing.

And don’t get me wrong, I, too, get wooed by those things! And sometimes I buy the thing!

If there’s a point I would like to drive home, it’s the ol’ meme floating around about how we’re all over here washing out our tomato sauce cans, trying our best to recycle, when there’s a select few people (billionaires) and businesses (big ones) ruining this tiny precious beautiful special planet for the rest of us. I’m not here to be the ultimate superhero spokesperson of sustainability, but rather to inspire more peeps to consider the “Trash Panic” of it all — the power of your dollar, your wallet, your voice, your style when you consider giving an old thing new life.

Now, let’s get into it. If your request was relatively vague, I took into account what *I* would be looking for or picked a variety of sizes/styles/colors/etc. This is hopefully, at least, a starting point for your own internet digging adventure!

1. Vintage eyeglasses, preferably a fun color or shape

   

   (starting top left, moving clockwise: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 )

   This was a bit of a challenge! I think while eyeglasses from the days of yore had some funky fun shapes, color was a little bit harder to come by, unless you want super big over the top 80s, in which case there are plenty on Etsy! I would also look into taking an old pair of sunglasses and having prescription lenses put in, which opens up a whole new search category. My personal favs are the Pierre Cardin frames - the color and shape are giving “I work at the art museum” in the best way.
   
   search for “ vintage —> eyeglasses —> pick a decade: 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, etc”
   tip: also try using a material in the search: celluloid, tortoise shell, acetate

2. A vintage watch with a slim profile and watch face

   

   (moving left to right: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 )
   I love love love vintage watches and while I’m positive no human needs more than one (a few), I could easily collect them. No budget was mentioned here, which definitely means you can easily get carried away with various amounts of bling, leather, and heritage brands. I personally love to look at vintage art deco styles, vintage Tiffany & Co. and the Cartier tank, a forever classic — this blue watch face with blue strap one is so unique! Also, keep in mind that most old watches require some maintenance since they are hand wound and not automatic!
   
   search for “vintage —> men or women (I look at men's mostly, but there are some gorgeously ornate women’s ones from the 20s/30s)—> tank or art deco watch —> working condition”
   tip: make sure to research the seller and authenticity if you’re going the route of Cartier, Rolex, Patek, Tiffany, etc. I trust eBay’s “Authenticity Guarantee” and 1st Dibs, though 1st Dibs usually has more expensive, inflated pricing that isn’t always worth it.

3. Vintage velvet wallpaper that feels Madonna Inn worthy

   

   (starting top left, moving clockwise: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 )
   Very tricky to find vintage wallpaper that is larger than a sample size! All of these vary in the yards and sizes in which they are sold, but most look to be NOS (New, old stock) and in decent shape. I’m not sure how well the old adhesive would be on vintage wallpaper, it might be best to consult a professional on how to make sure it doesn’t peel from the wall! I included some hand painted and metallic options because they were too cute to pass up.
   
   This seller seems to have a great stash.
   
   search for “vintage —> flocked/velvet —> wallpaper”
   tip: it seems most people reference the texture of velvet as flocked and there are better search results in that category.

4. Cute things for having on display in your kitchen

   

   (starting top left, moving clockwise: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 )
   While I understand that a kitchen filled with open shelves is not always practical, I do love any opportunity to show off a collection of tchotchkes and funky finds. Someone buy that bowl before I do!!

   
   search for “vintage —>salt and pepper shakers/butter dish/footed bowl/original oil painting —> ceramic/wood/jadeite/depression glass”
   tip: searching for different materials, like ceramic and jadeite, help create variety in your search results

5. A sophisticated handbag, vintage or secondhand, that can fit phone/large wallet/make up bag and feels “quiet luxury-ish”

   

   (starting top left, moving clockwise: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 )
   I immediately started down this rabbit hole and selfishly wanted to buy every single one of these bags… The perfect medium size bag that fits all your necessities is hard to come by, which is why I think going vintage and secondhand is a strategic move here. The Louis Vuitton Speedy is having a renaissance (the green bag above) and while I didn’t like them in the early 00’s, I’m beginning to feel called to one…. There are plenty of Japanese eBay stores that have them in good condition for fair prices. Also - *old* Coach!!! Coach just isn’t what it used to be, but their vintage stuff is gorgeous and lasts forever if you take care of them.
   
   search for “vintage —> top handle bag/satchel/crocodile handbag/shoulder bag" —> leather/suede/crocodile”

This was a dee-lightful little exercise and hopefully inspired y’all to do some internet sleuthing of your own to find something secondhand that’s been on your “wants” wishlist — I love hearing what you’re looking for, so keep it coming!

A friendly little nudge that I (very happily! gladly! gaily!) devote a lot of time to these newsletters and hope you find something inspiring, comforting, cathartic, energizing, encouraging, memorable when you open them in your inbox. If you’d like to pledge your support of my work, you can do so at the bottom of this newsletter - it lets me know you’re down to eventually pay for content like this 😬 I would also love if you would consider sharing Trash Panic with someone you think might enjoy it.

I’m grateful for you!! and hope you’ll stick around as I dive deeper into creating words and finds that inspire you to live the treasure hunting, personal style growing, curiosity driven life.

I’ll be back on Friday with a special edition of the Curiosity Dispatch.

Until then,
xo,
G