I am pretty iffy when it comes to pre-owned pieces, especially clothes and shoes. Additionally, the thrift and consignment stores I have visited before rarely have something that appeals to me or fits me. I am, however, a sometime bargain hunter on ebay and decided to take a chance on this pre-owned Ralph Lauren red blazer.
I should first say that buying on ebay is really risky – nevermind the possibility of getting something that is completely ill fitting (measurements provided can sometimes be unreliable) – items can come with varying degrees of damage, smells, and other undisclosed imperfections. So buying most things pre-owned on ebay is a risk that ebay buyers should be ready to take, even with paypal and ebay buyer protection in place.
When purchasing clothing on ebay, an often neglected question is “does this item have an odor?” I am fairly sensitive to scents – and an item coming from a smoker’s home, brand new or not, often have that very distinct tobacco smell to it that can refuse to go away even after several washes. The blazer that I bought was listed as a brand new item but upon receipt I immediately noticed that it smelled of perfume that older ladies tend to favor and it did not look “brand new.” As the blazer only cost me about $60 with shipping (retail would easily be $200+) I decided to just send it to be drycleaned and leave it at that as I have been searching for a red blazer for some time now but everything I have my eyes on cost a few limbs.
One thing that attracts me to “older” pieces is that the buttons are often much nicer than those found on current season pieces. The gold buttons on this red blazer made the decision to keep this blazer much easier.
Size 2P is not a poor fit (I have a similar blazer in navy that fit slimmer but this size works) for me and I didn’t want to risk slimming this some more.
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| Ralph Lauren Blazer (similar), F21 jewelry, H&M Tank, H&M Skirt (similar), Corso Como Pumps |
I can’t wait to wear this blazer later this fall. Have you added a bright-colored blazer to your regular rotation?
