Secondhand Conversations 002: Brooke Upton, content creator + founder
From the $13 halterneck dress she can't stop wearing, to the vintage Miu Miu kitten heels she regrets not buying in Copenhagen, Brooke shares it all
Welcome to Secondhand Conversations; an interview series where the coolest people I know or admire share their most treasured secondhand finds.
The second instalment of Secondhand Conversations features Brooke Upton, a content creator and pure sunshine in human form! I admire Brooke’s ability to put together cool, effortless, classic outfits, she also does the most beautiful job of sharing her life in Adelaide (sunrise swims, early morning bike rides to coffee and pastries - so dreamy), and she always has the best travel tips - some of which she shares below in the form of her favourite vintage shops!
After being friends online for a while, when I met Brooke in person what struck me about her is firstly how amazing her hugs are and secondly, how kind and genuine she is. It felt like we’d always known each other. And similar to me, she loves to thrift!
Here Brooke generously shares her best secondhand finds, exactly where she found them (lots to add to my list!) and the secondhand pieces she let get away and is now haunted by.
Who are you and what do you do?
Hi! I’m Brooke, a twenty-five-year-old from South Australia who loves laska, wine bars + early mornings. I spend my time as content creator and soon to launch business owner. I’m also a self proclaimed professional thrifter.
Can you spill any details on this very exciting new business venture?
It’s getting so close now! I can’t say too much…though if I was to give a hint — the readers of this substack would love to have it on hand at any point.
If you can choose your top 3-5 prized vintage/preloved finds - what are they?
This is what I imagine picking your favourite child feels like… for the sake of not offending the thrifting gods here is a random collection of favourites:
The perfect tan sling back heels from Keiko Copenhagen - the red sole provides a level of joy I cannot quite contain.
A khaki halterneck dress from Goodbyes in Adelaide that works honest magic every time I wear her. The cost per wear on this $13 find is in the negatives.
A khaki halterneck dress for $13 also from Goodbyes in Adelaide. A worn brown leather jacket from Savers that makes me feel significantly cooler than I am.
70’s cowboy boots from Midwest Trader that fit my calves… a rare occurrence that secures them a spot on the list.
Am I cheating by having my "fifth favourite" as every item you see in this photo? Jacket, shoes, bag, skirt and watch all thrifted with love from Savers!
A full outfit from Savers! Heaven.
Where have you found your greatest vintage/preloved pieces?
Okay so whenever I travel my itinerary is almost entirely composed of vintage and secondhand shopping. Copenhagen, Paris, Barcelona, Tokyo, New York - some of my favourite days have been thrifting around these big cities.
Story time: A few years ago I was in Japan for the winter + ahead of the trip I had planned to buy myself this delicious Acne Studios brown scarf I had wanted for years. Our plan for the day was to go shopping down this iconic vintage strip, Orange Street in Osaka before heading to the Acne store.
We popped into the first store on the strip called 2nd Street — a vintage consignment store you’ll find all across Japan — and hanging on the first rack, for a quarter of the price, was the exact Acne Studios scarf for a quarter of the price. I think I blacked out after that. I have this video in the store that I sent to mum and in the background the song playing is saying “I found you.” As an incredibly superstitious person this really sent me.
Any specific shops/areas/hidden gems you’d like to call out for the best finds?
Oh I would pay any money to go back to Keiko in Copenhagen. I dream about their vintage shoe collection on a weekly basis. Also, Times Up Vintage around the corner… there’s nothing that’ll haunt you like the vintage you didn’t get. Like the 90's Jean Paul Gaultier red slip dress and Miu Miu kitten heels that never came home with me (see pics below)....
Online - where do you love looking for preloved things?
Of course the icons: the realreal, Vestiaire, Depop!
Favourite place to shop vintage/preloved in your city?
I have three favourites! Goodbyes on Rundle Street provides endless serotonin, Midwest Trader for the best collection of vintage cowboy boots + Little Miss Waste Not for all the fem vintage you could dream of.
Best city for fashion people watching? Why?
I sat for a while weighing up whether my answer sat with New York City or Copenhagen and have come to the conclusion that I cannot choose. NYC feels like each person uses their personal style to act as a lens into the essence of each person where Copenhagen is like walking around inside of my Pinterest board.
What equals good style to you?
I always say it is when people dress in a way that feels truly themselves - when you put on an outfit that feels like a visual representation of the energy you want to put out to the world.
A big thank you to beautiful Brooke! I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as we enjoyed putting this together. If you don’t already - you can find and follow Brooke here.
More Secondhand Conversations soon,
Ali xx
In case you missed it, the first Secondhand Conversations interview is here:
Secondhand Conversations 001: Maggie Hewitt, founder and designer of Maggie Marilyn
Welcome to Secondhand Conversations; an interview series where the coolest people I know or admire share their most treasured secondhand finds.
Copenhagen and NYC are my favourite to shop secondhand too!!