#5: What is everyone actually buying secondhand?
Minis, midis, belts, investment pieces, and the nostalgic bag powering the vintage market
In this issue:
Data Deep Dive: What our community is buying preloved
Community Spotlight: A case for buying nostalgia bags at resale
What’s New: Future Reference just got even easier to use
Team F|R Loves: What we’re coveting in our community’s closet
Everything Secondhand
In last week’s post, we did a deep dive into what the Future Reference community is buying and selling in 2025. We unearthed so much intriguing data about the brands that our users are buying (Khaite ftw), who’s starting the year with a low buy (29% of you to be exact), and the brand holding its resale value (click below to see and let us know in the comments if you got the brand right).
But the stat that really made us sit up and take notice? 22% of our community is buying their wardrobes secondhand from platforms like Poshmark,
, Vestiaire Collective, and eBay. We couldn’t be happier to see our users making secondhand a priority in their closets and wanted to share what the most plugged-in people in fashion tech are buying preloved this year.Data Deep Dive: The Preloved Buys
We took a peek into what our users are buying secondhand and unsurprisingly they have great taste.
Methodology: We analyzed Future Reference aggregated user purchases and sales from January 1 to March 16 2025 across all accounts with linked emails1 since these provide the best representation of actual consumer buying behavior. This data only looks at our 1,500+ Future Reference supported brands across women’s luxury, designer, and contemporary segments and does not take into account fast fashion brands like Zara, H&M, and Shein. Buying trends are based on aggregated secondhand purchases by Future Reference from verified resale marketplaces, including eBay, Poshmark, The RealReal, and Vestiaire Collective.
Mini & Midi Lengths Are Dominating Dresses
Dresses are our community’s favorite resale category to buy this year, clocking in at 10% of total secondhand purchases, specifically the mini and midi lengths seen all over AW25 Fashion Month.
Minis: Mini dresses made up 28% of preloved dress purchases across brands including Miu Miu, Doen, and Givenchy. Timeless solid colors like blacks and blues accounted for the bulk of our users’ buys, but statement prints are starting to heat up in mini lengths with Missoni getting some love.
Midis: Midis brought out the maximalists in our community with prints making up 50% of this length. Florals are driving print purchases this spring, and Hill House Home and Realisation Par are our users’ leading brands. Stripes and plaids are also emerging as we get closer to warm weather.
Belts Are Having a Moment
The Future Reference community is using belts as a key statement piece in their wardrobes. While our users picked up a few classic leather belts at resale, showstopper pieces are on the rise outnumbering basic belts by almost 80%.
Textures & Prints: Pony hair is the texture and leopard is the print, with 30% of belt purchases falling into this growing runway and real life trend.
Vintage & Brandless: Proof that secondhand is the place for one-of-a-kind fashion? We’re noticing a move away from logos with the majority of belt buys in vintage or brandless styles, and eBay was the top market to scoop up unique pieces.
OTT Designs: Belts have officially crossed into maximalist territory for Future Reference users in 2025. Oversized buckles, chain belts, wrap styles, and chunky gold hardware accounted for over 40% of belt purchases so far this year.
Khaite, Celine, and Chanel Are the Investment Pieces
Something that’s not shocking? Our community is wisely investing in strong ROI brands like Celine, Chanel, and Khaite. What might be a little shocking? Brands like Khaite are funneling more of their seasonal overstocks into resale platforms instead of traditional sample sales, which equates to incredible bargains at secondhand.
Khaite: The Danielle Jeans are a strong preloved buy and the #1 Khaite denim pick, followed by the Abigail Jean. Our users also snapped up Khaite’s “minimalist with a twist” leather slides and sandals as we head into warmer weather.
Celine: Buys were across the board for this luxury brand with our community scoring secondhand finds in bags, wallets, sweaters, outerwear, and eyewear. The Cabas Leather Tote was the most popular bag style, although one especially in-the-know shopper snagged the Celine PVC bag.
Chanel: Although Chanel bags continue as a high value classic at secondhand, we’ve also noticed more investing in the timeless shoe style that’s captured fashion Substack’s attention: the loafer. Staple colors like brown, black, and white in streamlined shapes were top buys. We were especially into these preloved statement mesh loafers trimmed with Chanel’s iconic gold chain that one of our savvy users added to their 2025 wardrobe.
F|R Hot Tip: Rebag called out Chanel’s most searched handbag of 2024, the Classic Flap, for holding around 100% of its value several years in a row. If you’re ready to resell your Chanel, we make listing easy at the link below.
Spending On Outerwear
Outside of handbags and shoes, our community invested most in secondhand coats and leather jackets, in line with the trends we’re seeing across our favorite fashion Substackers and irl at our New York HQ.
Leather Weather: The strong trend for leather, suede, vintage and faux fur coats carried over into 2025 with almost 30% of outerwear purchases falling into these buckets. At over 50% of the buys, preloved leather was the clear winner among our community with Moto Boho biker jackets emerging as a key style.
The Luxe Life: On the luxury end, budget has been going towards select designer brands - 35% of purchases came from Bottega Veneta, Celine, Khaite, Lafayette 148, Max Mara, Mulberry, and Saint Laurent. A favorite buy was this biker jacket from sustainable luxury brand Lafayette 148 in a rich brown that works across every season.
F|R Hot Tip: The best time to buy preloved outerwear is during transitional, or edge seasons, like right now. Not only will you see more options at resale, but prices will be lower than during the high-demand fall and winter seasons. A win/win for your budget and the planet.
Now’s the perfect time to sell your spring and high summer pieces to max out your earnings. Want to see how much your items are worth in just a couple of clicks? Check out our free valuation tool right here - no registration required!
Community Spotlight: Emily Stochl
We were fascinated by this deep dive into vintage Louis Vuitton x Murakami bags by the brilliant secondhand fashion journalist and podcaster, Emily Stochl. Emily broke down how the upcoming re-edition of this early 2000s nostalgia handbag is impacting resale prices. Known as one of the earliest fashion collaborations, Louis Vuitton x Murakami bags experienced a renaissance in the last seven years. First in 2018 as Kim Kardashian gifted the original bags to her family, and they continued to gain steam at resale with Y2K fever in the 2020s. Emily tracked resale prices and while these have risen in time alongside consumer interest, the vintage bags still remain a bargain compared to the reissued collection where pricing can hit $3,400.
Takeaway: Keeping bags in circulation is already the best way to reduce our collective fashion footprint, and it’s also the smartest move for your budget. With the re-edition making a splash, now’s the best time to get the most value for your bag.
Want to learn more about Louis Vuitton x Murakami from our founder
’s expert insights? Check out her TikTok explainer here.
What’s New: The App
Listing just got even easier with the Future Reference app for iOS, now available on the App Store.
Two reasons to download asap:
List items in seconds with new native functionality - snap photos, set your price, and we'll cross-list to Poshmark, Vestiaire, Depop, and more instantly. No more airdropping from mobile to desktop.
Carry your closet everywhere to access your full digital wardrobe on the go, track item values, and list whenever inspiration strikes. Check out the video below to see how uploading on the app is a breeze.
Sell faster, manage less, earn more - all from your phone. Android coming soon!
Team F|R Loves
We’re adding a weekly look at what the
team is coveting in our community’s closets. The best part? These items are available for everyone to buy. If you like what you see, click the “buy now” or “offer” button to make it yours.| FR Founder: I finally got around to watching Daisy Jones & The Six and I am really feeling the edgy boho look for summer (it’s also very Chloe I know). I would pick this Tom Ford vintage fringe skirt, a little Helmut Lang tank, and these absolutely insane NWT MNZ Kiki boots to complete the look. Please someone get them before I do.
| FR Marketing: Speaking of Louis Vuitton, this vintage Noe Epi Leather Bucket Bag is calling my name. It’s the perfect shade of burnt orange that will make my outfits pop and the textured broken-in leather gives this the character that I’m looking for in an everyday bag. Plus - it’s a steal at $300 compared to the $3K+ price tag on a firsthand Noe. Secondhand ftw!
We’d love to hear about what you’ve bought at resale this year, from everyday staples to investment pieces. Drop us a note in the comments so we can chat!
Can’t wait for next week’s post? Same. Join us on Substack Notes, Instagram, and TikTok for your daily dose of everything secondhand fashion.
Note: We may make a small commission if you purchase from the links in our email.
Future Reference links to your email to create a digital wardrobe of past purchases automatically that syncs over time, including returns. You save all the data for resale and we track an items value so when you list you know it’ll sell.
I'm excited to pull out my midis again this spring - mostly secondhand finds ofc!
I love a data deep dive! I have a wedding next month, might need to look at some great midi’s for the bridal shower and have a new item for the summer. Win win!