Second-Hand September
Second Nature: trend spotting the second-hand way
We're now into the second week of Oxfam's Second-Hand September campaign. Last week, I set you a range of challenges. Do let me know if you've taken up any - a reminder of these at the end of this article. I'm doing two things. Firstly, I've committed to not buying new this month - even from more ethical brands. In addition, I'm wearing something second-hand every day and sharing this on my socials in order to raise awareness of the need for slower approaches to fashion. That's me, but what does Richard E. Grant in his fabulous yellow trousers have to do with it?
The man in the yellow striped trousers
The face (or perhaps the legs?) of Oxfam's 2026 campaign, actor Richard E. Grant has got a particularly personal reason for supporting Second-Hand September. When he was an unemployed actor in 1985, he bought a second-hand raincoat from Oxfam and wore it to his first film audition. This audition- for Withnail and I - was to change his life.
Grant now describes himself as owing both Oxfam and that raincoat a debt. In Oxfam's new State of Style report, he makes the point that original style isn't about continually buying more; it's about finding pieces with a story, keeping them and eventually passing them on for someone else to discover.
I rather like that. Because sustainable fashion isn't about holding back or denying us things. It's about buying clothes mindfully - those with character, history and possibility. Have a rummage round the preloved rails. Your next purchase might just change your life too.
Below I take a tour round Oxfam's virtual rails to find items you can currently buy which tick three current style boxes.
Entrenched: the trench coat
Layering for early autumn? Protecting yourself from the September showers? Or simply want to look both current and timeless? Then the trench coat is your friend. Find one at Oxfam, wear one to work, the supermarket or perhaps to your own next interview. Choose a
shorter style over more flowing dresses or trousers, or a belted one to cinch in your waist over your workwear pencil skirt or slimline trousers. Opt for a go-with-everything neutral or a bolder hue to brighten the darker rainier days.
Checkmate: heritage checks
As we head into autumn, we start to see florals replaced by heritage checks and a deeper palette of colours and heavier, more textured fabrics. Tweed, tartan, corduroy and wool all start to feature in autumn collections and we see the return of plaid, check, houndstooth and argyle.
If – like me – you're eschewing buying new in September, you can still get an injection of this trend from Oxfam and other second-hand sites.
Putting a pep in your step up: peplum
Buy the cream Darimeya Lace Peplum Top from Oxfam for £16.99 and the black Jack Wills Peplum Top from Oxfam for £10.99. |
Peplum silhouettes have been appearing in a number of recent fashion shows and designer collections.
If fashion vocabulary isn't your strong point or this shape has passed you by, put simply the term peplum describes any garment that's fitted at the waist with extra fabric flaring out from the waist to the hips. The flare can be subtle and fluid or more structural. You'll find it on tops, blouses, jackets, dresses and even knitwear.
Popular in the 1940s, it was also a style you'd have seen in the 1980s. The nipped-in waist and fuller hip styling was part of the era's power dressing. It was also a ubiquitous style in the 2010s featured on tops, dresses, jackets and even tailored suits.
Wear the style to create waist definition, emphasise an hourglass figure and even disguise the stomach area. Keep the styling simple to draw attention to the peplum design feature, with the rest of your silhouette neat and streamlined. Oxfam of course has a number of peplum items to choose from and I've styled a couple of them below.
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