I stopped buying new dresses for special occasions, here’s what it taught me

There are other ways to get that injection of sartorial newness.

There was a time in my life when an upcoming event was synonymous with a new dress making its way into my physical or virtual cart. Whether it was a wedding, engagement party, birthday celebration or a formal work event, a new dress would almost always be added to my wardrobe for the occasion. Usually, these dresses would get their day in the sun (or evening in the moon?) and then be relegated to the back of my closet. Occasionally, a friend also in search of a dress no one had seen them wear before would borrow one, but very rarely would I rewear them. 

For more pre-loved fashion advice and stories, head to our Pre-Loved section.

Once you’ve worn a dress to an event like a wedding (or any event where there’s ample visual evidence of you, dressed)  it can put you off rewearing it to another similarly formal event. This is ridiculous and wasteful, I know, but many of us feel this aversion. 

When you know everyone else will be dressed to the nines in something sparkly and new, the pressure to look the part can be overwhelming. This pressure leads to impulse purchases that put a dent in your bank account and contribute to a culture of overconsumption, both negative consequences we want to avoid. 

This all changed when I dipped my toes into the big wide world of secondhand event wear. While browsing eBay for a designer coat I’d been pining after, I saw a slinky pale blue slip dress by the same designer. It was love at first click, and knowing I had a friend’s wedding less than a month away, I decided this dress would be the perfect alternative to buying yet another brand new number. I was careful to check my measurements and thankfully, it fit like a glove and garnered numerous compliments on the day. 

It felt like a revelation. I’d always thought the alternative to buying something new for an event would be to outfit repeat. It’s obvious now, but I hadn’t considered the squillions of event wear options available to me through pre-loved platforms. The real breakthrough, however, was the realisation I now had a treasure trove of event wear gathering dust in my wardrobe, just itching to find a new home. 

I listed several dresses on eBay that same week. Seeing my once-worn garments find new owners who were wearing them to weddings, thirtieths and engagement parties of their own converted me. I knew from that moment on, I’d never again buy a new dress for an event. That was several years ago now and, true to my word, every dress I’ve worn to events since that time has been sourced on resale websites like eBay or in vintage stores. 

I’m not alone in eschewing brand new formal wear for pre-loved. The secondhand bridalwear and wedding guest market is booming, and pre-loved fashion more broadly has never been so in demand, with global sales of pre-loved fashion increasing by 18 per cent in 2023 according to a report by GlobalData for ThredUp. 

Websites like eBay, my go-to thanks to its huge audience of buyers and sellers, have an incredible array of labels on offer. Often, the items I’ve found have been in as-new condition, barely worn (if ever, it’s impossible to tell). It feels good knowing that a piece that didn’t fit or suit the seller will take pride of place in my wardrobe and help them make some money back from their original purchase.

Engaging so regularly with the pre-loved clothing market has also had a broader impact on the way I engage with fashion. I no longer feel the need to wear something new (even if it’s a pre-loved item) to every single event. Dresses I already own can be given a new lease on life by a carefully chosen bag, necklace or pair of heels, sourced either on eBay or borrowed from friends. 

It’s also made me implement a policy that’s beefed up my bank account while slimming down my wardrobe. When I know I’ll be a guest at a wedding and none of the dresses I already own are feeling quite right, I get real with myself. That fuschia minidress might have been cute on me five years ago, but it’s so far from my style (or size!) these days that keeping it around denies it a new life with someone who’ll actually wear it.

If I really can’t land on something to wear, then selling an item like the fuschia dress to make way for something new in my wardrobe is necessary. Fashion Journal writers refer to this as a ‘one in, one out’ policy, and putting this into practice has been one of the best things I’ve done for my relationship with fashion.

At the end of the day, buying and selling pre-loved event wear is a win-win. Someone else gets to add something they love to their wardrobe and I get to make some money and inject some newness into mine. Better yet, both the buyer and I are engaging in the circular fashion economy. The more of us that do the same and opt for pre-loved over new, the better off the planet (and the better dressed we) will be. 

To start browsing options for your next event (or selling pieces of your own) head to eBay.