Secondhand Conversations 001: Maggie Hewitt, founder and designer of Maggie Marilyn

Maggie's most treasured secondhand items and where she tracks down the best vintage online

May 11, 2025

Welcome to Secondhand Conversations; an interview series where the coolest people I know or admire share their most treasured secondhand finds.

As an avid secondhand shopper, the thrill of finding a unique piece is like nothing else. I have collected some amazing things over time and when I wear them, they are always the pieces that people ask, “where is that from?”

And because I’m nosy, I always ask the same question when I see someone wearing something that is likely preloved and I love hearing the accompanying story about how it was discovered. For me, secondhand pieces have a different energy about them. They’ve lived a life, they’re rare and they stand out because of it.

When I travel, secondhand shopping is one of my biggest priorities. The gems that can be unearthed in other parts of the world just hit different. I’m often sharing my favourite spots in New York or Copenhagen to friends; and that’s another element of this interview series - guests will share exactly where they’ve found their favourite pieces and where they are always hunting things down - both locally and internationally - to help you the next time you’re in those areas.

Our first guest is a dear friend of mine. Maggie Hewitt is the founder and designer of one of my favourite brands of all time, Maggie Marilyn. Maggie is a complete powerhouse. She’s soft but so sharp, relaxed, open and determined, a visionary and talented beyond belief. I’m truly lucky to know her and call her a friend.

Thanks for reading Smooth Brain by Ali Whittle! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Fashion-wise, Maggie unsurprisingly has excellent taste and she loves to shop vintage/secondhand. Whether we’re grabbing a quick matcha before work or a margarita and sushi in Bondi on a Friday evening, I always admire what she puts on.

One thing I love about her brand, Maggie Marilyn is how nostalgia is so embedded into the DNA of the brand. Everything she makes feels familiar but fresh. Pieces Maggie grew up wearing - a lot of which she would borrow from her mum or dad - end up informing her design process.

The Maggie Marilyn Make Your Mark jacket (currently available here) was inspired by the jackets her father would wear when she was younger. “The Make Your Mark Jacket has been thirty years in the making - I can trace its origin all the way back to my childhood when we lived in a half-rounded barnhouse on the farm of dads work. Day after day I’d watch him pull on his dryzabone jacket at 5am and trek out into the rain on his XR600, returning what felt like a hundred hours later smelling of machinery oil and pine needles, face wet and red from the cold” Maggie wrote on the MM journal in April.

So she was the natural first choice to kick this interview series off. Here, Maggie shares her prized secondhand finds, the pieces she’s currently hunting, where she searches for preloved online and who she looks to for good style.

Who are you and what do you do?

I’m Maggie! I’m the designer and founder of womenswear brand Maggie Marilyn, but most importantly, I’m a mum to my son Ralph.

If you can choose your top vintage/preloved finds - what are they?

Tom Ford for Gucci Bamboo heels. The perfect pair of dark denim Miu Miu Jeans.

Phoebe/ Celine era powder blue leather sneakers and a green, snakeskin leather Hermès belt.

I just got a couch for our Maggie Marilyn office from Secondi in Sydney.

Maggie’s new vintage couch, sourced from Secondi.

Where have you found your greatest vintage/preloved pieces?

For IRL shopping, Paris! I am also dying to go to Japan. I also spend hours scouring my favourite online stores some are:

Ikkr66364 seller on Ebay
The Archive Dot Com on Ebay
LUXURY-SHOPS.COM
www.sororitevintage.com - BEST for shoes

Any specific shops/areas/hidden gems you’d like to call out for the best finds?

New York’s East Village has a bunch of stores where you can find everything from vintage Levi’s to Marc Jacobs and Miu Miu. I remember reading that Chloë Sevigny once donated all her old clothes to a thrift store below her apartment in the East Village and the young fashion girls went nuts.

An it girl through and through, Chloë Sevigny has always stayed true to her particular brand of cool girl style.

Online - where do you love looking for preloved things?

Etsy! I have only lately become a lover of Esty, but now I am hooked. I’m a sucker for old windbreakers, workwear jackets, and Ralph Lauren menswear (shirts, sweaters, rugby jerseys) from the 80s and 90s.

Any vintage/preloved piece you’re currently hunting down?

Archival Chloé to get married in one day…

Ethereal, whimsical goddess energy via vintage Chloé

Do you have a treasured preloved item that’s been handed down to you? Or that you have your eye on/would love to receive one day from a family member?

I have a lot of my dad’s old sweaters and fleeces that smell like pine needles from his days working at the timber mill. They smell familiar and feel like home.

Favourite place to shop vintage/preloved in Sydney?

A friend of a friend, Sophie Darling, recently launched Galerie S, a fashion archive of rare pieces from prominent 20th century designers. She has incredible personal style and everything is one-of-a-kind, so I know the collection will be thoughtful and inspiring - I need to make an appointment!

Best city for fashion people watching? Why?

New York! It’s a city filled with people who know what they like and wear it with conviction. I love observing all the fashion subcultures in different neighbourhoods and boroughs. Sitting on the sidewalk for dinner in the summer is the best people-watching.

What equals good style to you?

I don’t think there’s a universal barometer of good style. But a person who dresses for their own enjoyment, rather than at the mercy of trends or public opinion, is so attractive.

Who’s style do you admire? Why?

My sister Bobbi, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and Cher. Present day, I admire Leandra Medine Cohen and Courtney Grow - both women are as obsessed with getting dressed as I am! I think you can tell when a person really loves the task of putting together an outfit.