I've always loved a good hand me down, for me they've always been random things found in cupboards that have been there for years as my closest relative in age is my sister who is 10 years older than me. But there's something so exciting about being handed free clothes that you've never even seen before, or clothes that you've seen in photographs and wished you could find, and more often than not clothes you're probably not going to find anywhere else.

Even more exciting now that I've gotten into more ethical and sustainable fashion is knowing that I'm giving these clothes a new lease of life, that the clothes I'm wearing were loved and worn to death by their previous owner and now I get to do that all over again! Or that what I'm being handed down was only worn once, and is unloved, and it doesn't end up being another victim of one use, fast fashion culture.
So today's outfit is all second hand and almost all hand me downs! All have a story behind them too which is something I personally love, knowing where my clothes have come from, if at least only knowing they came from someone else.
Photos by Jay Marsden, Edited and directed by me
Everything in this outfit - Second Hand
 Yay we did it! Finally a 100% second hand outfit!
First of all is my t shirt my dad bought when he was in South East Asia, when and where exactly I'm not sure, but I know it's handmade and he wore it all the time when he was younger. The print style on it is called Batik, a wax-resin dyeing technique originating in Indonesia. It's a sort of style I haven't ever seen, even in second hand shops, in the west and I'm a big fan. . He apparently used to wear it all the time and now I am wearing it all the time, a t shirt loved by the whole family! The fabric is amazingly soft and I wear it most of the time lounging around the house because it is the perfect fit for that, I'm even wearing it right now editing this post.

If you're also a fan of the print there are tutorials on how to make it yourself! Or you can look on etsy for fabric made in the style which you can stitch to a T-shirt yourself. I found a few online stores that were ethical selling Batik clothing but nothing similar to shit t shirt, so you might have to venture to South East Asia to find a wider range of this sort of stuff. Unless anyone knows of anywhere, in which case let me know.
These dungarees were a hand me down from my sister, though not directly, found in the same cupboard my parents were clearing out when they found the t shirt these are the first pair of dungarees I've owned in my adult life! Before now I've never found dungarees flattering enough to justify spending £40 in a vintage shop for, and all of the ones I've found cheaper have been way too long for my tiny body - i mean the crotches were close to my knees. And so having ones for free from a sister with a relatively similar body shape means I have to worry about none of those things! These aren't my perfect dream pair of dungarees and I don't think they're the most flattering thing I own but I also don't feel like I care, they're comfy, and functional- though I do get them caught on door handles a lot. My Dad did make a comment that if I wore them with docs I'd look like an 80s lesbian but I do dress pretty gay most of the time and 80s lebsian is an aesthetic I can 100% get behind.

If you're looking for something similar then Vintage stores are your friend, they pretty much all have them, but a lot of the higher end ones aren't that cheap, some charity shops may also be a good bet. I did have a scour through etsy and vintage shops for similar ones, less than £20 if you were looking though!
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Lastly in this look is my docs, oh my docs... which I'm pretty sure aren't actually real. These weren't a hand me down as such, I got them for a fiver in a recycling shop in Hong Kong when I was there a year and a half ago - side note if you're in Hong Kong go to the recycling shops, they're cheap and everything is second hand. Though I'm pretty sure they're not real, they seem to be lasting like real docs, I wear them at least ever other day and have been doing so for a year and a half, so I have no complaints
If you're looking for real doc martens cheaper, I have found pairs in charity shops and car boot sales but it is kind of pot luck finding pairs that you like and that are in your size.
Finally what was supposed to be worn, as it was in this instagram post, was a bandanna hand me down from my friend Jay who was also kind enough to help me take photos for this blog post. Ok I kind of stole the bandanna, but also not really, I was at her's for her birthday and said "wow that's cute" and put it on and the response was "I don't really wear it you can have it". I did triple check before actually taking it, trust me, and then I forgot to wear it for these photos, oopsies.

Bandannas and such are pretty easy to find second hand, flea markets and places with properly vintage items are often good to find old scarves with amazing patterns which can also be worn as bandannas or other accessories.
I basically just love clothes with a story, clothes I can cherish and know something behind, this doesn't always have to be a hand me down (not everyone is lucky enough to have fashionable relatives and friends giving them stuff) but comes way more with shopping ethically and being more conscious with fashion choices than it does with just shopping fast fashion.

Have you had any really good hand me downs? Any pieces of clothing or accessories you cherish? I also own some Jewellery hand made by my late grandfather, but that is far too precious for me too wear, I'm so so scared of losing it! I might take pictures and talk about some of that in a future post. I'd love to hear some of your stories too. Also thanks to Jay for coming out and taking these photos with me, she captured the light and me in ways I'd never be able to on my own (which is how I usually take my photos) so thank you to her, she's fabulous. And thank you to you for reading, see you same time next week!