I’ve been changing my shopping habits these past few years from being a complete shopaholic and shopping fast fashion every week to hopefully someone that is minimal and only buys ethical and sustainable clothes, preferable always secondhand. But let’s be real, it can still be extremely difficult in reality and with a lot of stores being closed during the lockdown even more so. I always struggle with the fact that I love fashion and trying new things in comparison to being more minimalistic. I’ve also found that some types of items are more difficult to find in vintage or secondhand stores and I was looking for some wardrobe staples when I stumbled upon this new Zalando concept. Zalando Zircle sells pre-owned clothing from their own store that has been returned too late to be put on the webshop again. I decided to try it out and see what the quality of the items is, let me show you what I got!
The first item I got is this rust coloured mini skirt, I’ve been wearing a lot of skirts again because with working out more my body shaped has changed a bit and I’m finding it very difficult to fit into jeans! This skirt is perfect to combine with the colours I have in my closet (important minimalizing tip, make sure most of your clothes can be combined!). It’s also great to dress up with a nice shirt for work, or a little more fun and flirty with a croptop for going out.
I had been looking for some basic black, flowing pants for ages but none seemed to fit me well. Because Zalando has a great sizing guide which I’m used to from my shopaholic days, I managed to pick out this pair from Gery Weber.
These are perfect for wearing to work now that I have a fulltime day job at an office, while still being very comfortable and not too dressy. I can easily combine this with something like a crop top or jean jacket to make it more casual.
One thing I seem to never have enough of is sweaters, I basically live in them and now that we’ve been in some sort of lockdown for over a year, it’s almost all I wear when I’m at home. I go through my sweaters like crazy because a sweater and joggers combination is my go to.
I picked out this sweater because it’s again very comfortable but easy to style for the office because I can tuck it in a skirt or dressy trousers, add a chunky necklace and we’re good to go. It’s also a very neutral colour that I find easy to combine with a lot of items in my closet!
The second sweater I picked out is a little more unique but definitely still great for both a fun casual outfit as well as a more office chic one. It’s a loose knitted jumper with 3 colours and it will be perfect for inbetween seasons!
I love the little V-neck and I definitely think this is a little more fancy than a regular crew neck. It’s a pretty light fabric so I can tuck it into skirts our trousers or wear it more loosely over leggings or tighter jeans.
I also got one top, a very loose fitted light pink top with a little collar and no sleeves. When I was in the office during a heatwave I found it extremely difficult to dress appropriately without either going too naked or almost dying from a heatstroke.
This top keeps you nice and cool because it has no sleeves but it’s still quite classy, definitely combined with a classier skirt or some loose long trousers. I could also combine it with a jumper or other layers in spring or fall!
Lastly, the item I was most hesitant about! I got some lace boots because I was in desperate need of a new pair. My old ones are literally beyond repair (according to the shoe maker) and were letting through water when it rained! I picked out these blue ones with very thick, solid soles and inside they have a soft material which makes them super comfortable! They had literally never been worn and were quite clearly just a return by someone that didn’t like them or bought the wrong size.
Some people might be against buying secondhand from a big online brand like Zalando but I strongly believe that it’s great to support ‘regular’ brands making an effort to be more sustainable. A lot of these clothes might have been destroyed if they didn’t have this service so I’m a fan! Especially for things you need in a hurry or if you are looking for a quality wardrobe staple you weren’t able to find secondhand!
Have you tried Zalando Zircle yet?