Affordable holiday party dresses: Luxury resale combines glam and green

Affordable holiday party dresses: Luxury resale combines glam and green

By Monique Parker @WallisEvera

Striking yet classic, high quality yet affordable, and preferably green – it’s a simple list that I like to take clothing shopping with me. However, balancing that quality–affordability equation can sure get tricky when it comes to looking for holiday party dresses.

Thankfully, there are plenty to choose from out there, and some of the real nuggets are not in retail.

Recycle, reuse, resale

When my daughter was born, I re-discovered the joy of travelling that two-way street known as consignment stores and hand-me-downs. What fun it was to open up the bags and bags of barely used baby and toddler clothes from our friends and family; and again what a pleasure it was to pass along all of our most special but (sadly) outgrown items so that they could be worn and enjoyed by another little one.

As for my own closet, trolling through consignment stores was great fun when I was a young teen, but once I started working in a “real job,” I figured that would be the end of it. It was only at this year’s EcoFashion Week in Vancouver that I started to reconsider that decision.

On the EcoFashion runway were looks that knocked my socks off with their on-trend colour, cut and cute-ness. What really turned my head, though, was that so many of them were coming from a breed of store that while new to me, are quickly becoming more mainstream – luxury fashion resellers.

Gently-loved designer clothing made easy and affordable

Jigme Nehring and Courtney Watkins in holiday party dresses from Mine & Yours

With well-curated luxury resale stores like Mine & Yours cropping up, gone are the days of having to dig through musty racks of outdated (I mean, “retro”) styles to find a clothing goldmine.

Browsing the Mine & Yours selection online or on their Instagram feed makes the process easy, and finding authentic designer labels at up to 80% off original retail prices means that there will actually be money left over when I’m done party dress shopping this year.

Shopping resale, consignment, and second hand is a great way to dress up for the holiday season when you don't want to break the bank or be wasteful. If you buy well and care for your clothing as you should, there’s a nice resale cashout bonus that’s waiting for you at the end of it, too. ‘Tis the season to give and get, may as well do it beautifully and responsibly.

Here is a selection of some of the sweet and sassy holiday dress options from Mine & Yours, worn beautifully by shop founders, Jigme Love and Courtney Watkins.  

Courtney Watkins in BCBC

Courtney is wearing a BCBG red holiday dress available for $74. Original retail price is $350.

 

Jigme Nehring in white & Courtney Watkins in red

Jigme is wearing a BCBG Generation lace top for $29 (original retail $75); a white cropped faux fur coat, $65 (original retail $200); and a white silk party skirt $95 (original retail $275).

Courtney is wearing a   Natalia Romano dress priced at $85 (original retail $350) and a faux fur crop jacket for $49.

Dasha models Milly and CHANEL
Perfect for holiday cocktail hour, Dasha is wearing a Milly dress priced at $150 (original retail $300); and a Chanel Maxi Flap bag $4,100 (original retail $7,000).

For the original article on Eco Parent Magazine click HERE

Monique Parker is a mom of two and a conscious consumer who left a corporate career in management consulting to found Wallis Evera, a Canadian eco-clothing company that aims to put a hemp dress into every woman’s closet. You can follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @WallisEvera.

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