Sex and the City, ’08 Movie
“I shop, therefore I am” could well be the motto for many influencers on today’s social media. “The Haul” as it’s known on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube has taken on many forms – whether it’s an online order from a particular store; the fruits of hitting the racks at the vintage or consignment outlets; or the result of retail therapy from any period (on vacation, at the mall, a new season etc) or any type of product from makeup to housewares — all of these can constitute a haul, made for social media show-and-tell content.
Pinterest, Charlie Roone
“The Haul” differs from the standard “unboxing” of one or more items, as the focus is more on the “try-on” or how something looks on the wearer rather than how it is wrapped and presented as a luxury item. It also differs from the free swag that successful influencers are often showered with.
Beauty Brand Founder and Influencer, Mikayla Nogueira
Videos of hauls are like catnip to anyone with even a slight acquisition interest. If said “Haul” is from an influencer whose style you covet, all bets are off. I have even pressed pause on a video (heretofore known as “haulus interruptus”) to try to track down a particular item or see if it’s still available in my size or color before the hordes of unseen other viewers, who I am sure are out there, beat me to it.
Mall Haul
At best, hauls can provide inspo if nothing else. Maybe you don’t have to have that exact vintage blazer (Duh), but now you know the type of proportion, textile, or shape to keep your eye out for. Of course, there are all degrees of hauls – from mass market fast fashion to tiny thrift stores hidden away on side streets of the Marais in Paris, to high-end designer salons where one must have an invitation to enter. Yes, JLo, we’re looking at your Chanel non-experience in Turkey.
Many influencers in the know do the high-low – the avant-garde to the basic – the ultra exclusive to the readily available – and then they show you how to put it all together in ways perhaps you would not have dreamed of – often seeming counterintuitive – but the result is somehow something that you want to try to emulate.
Closet Cleanout Time
“The Cull” is the purge to the Haul’s binge, if I may use an eating disorder metaphor. It’s the circular economy, or as one local consignment store advertises, “Shop.Consign.Repeat.” After a few successful hauls or perhaps if you’ve been living in one place too long, there is a tendency to allow your closet to become overgrown, and you are faced with the dreaded weeding out of the items that no longer serve you.
A trip to Goodwill?
Maybe it doesn’t fit, perhaps you “aren’t that person anymore,” maybe it’s something out of style or damaged beyond repair, or you just “don’t reach for it.” Perhaps you have a better version of a similar handbag — you bought the first one as a placeholder– until you could spring for the one you wanted.
Carla Rockmore and Ivy Rockmore, Family Fashion Finds
There are so many reasons to “let it go,” and hopefully you will not miss it and can see what’s in your closet without all the extraneous cluttering items that you don’t wear. Of course, it hurts much less to part with Zara than with Prada, especially if there’s a tag still attached! (Unfortunately, I have experience here.) Cue crying emoji.
There are numerous videos of “Culls” as well – I reminisce about one of the first ones I remember seeing. Yes, I’m referring to the OG “Sex and the City” movie when Carrie is preparing to move in with Big and attempts to clean out her closet while Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte hold up signs “Keep” or “Toss.” How much easier times were back then – now the options are endless!
Madewell launches a first-of-its-kind Circular Shopping
You can consign or sell your items depending on a sliding scale of designer credentials, condition, and/or demand. You can try listing them yourself for maximum benefit, but more work, on several sites such as Poshmark, Vestiare Collective, eBay, and others, which allow you to set your price, negotiate with potential buyers, and arrange for shipping or pick-up.
You can send them off to ThredUp in a bag from a participating store and (eventually) get a credit towards new items at that retail establishment. You can donate them to a thrift store and take a tax deduction, which could be tricky with the IRS. I hear some friend groups do a clothing swap every so often.
Designer Revival Resale and Consignment, UES
If you think the item has potential and know a good tailor, you can tweak it, including changing the neckline by removing a collar, adding shoulder pads, slicing a dress into a blouse or skirt, or even wearing it backwards. The Eureka moment: if you have a next-gen family member, such as a daughter or a niece, who is around your size (or perhaps your previous size), you can try to unload stuff on her.
Beauty brand founder/influencer Trinny Woodall of Trinny London does many of these culls either from a storage unit or from one of her several closets/downstairs auxiliary closets. I watched her fill a separate rolling rack of offerings for her university-aged daughter, as several middle-aged women in thrall to Trinny attempted to figure out what the Gen-Zer would deign to wear.
(Side note: this daughter raids her fabulous 60-year-old mother’s closet and picks out the best, often designer or one-of-a-kind vintage pieces to abscond with. I’d like to see another video showing which items from the archives, if any, she favors.)
Fashion and jewelry designer/influencer Carla Rockmore (recently named to the 50 Over 50 Forbes Lifestyle list) has the absolute most droolworthy duplex closet chock full of clothing/accessories. Until today, I have never heard her say she needs to clean it out.
Carla also rejoices in having a transgender daughter with whom to shop, dress, and swap clothing. They occasionally do a video of “Family Fashion Finds” in which they style a matching or coordinating item according to their style and age.
Princess Leonor and Queen Letizia of Spain in Desigual x Stella Jean
It’s interesting to note that lately, young European royals have been swapping hand-me-downs with their offspring, from gowns to shoes to coats to jewelry. Other celebrities do this as well, including Brooke Shields (who has two daughters to lend to), Cindy Crawford, Christie Brinkley, Gwyneth Paltrow, and others who often keep an archive of some of their notable or recognizable apparel.
Trinny Woodall and Daughter Lyla Coordinate.
According to an interview with InStyle.com, Apple Martin is really into her mom’s ‘90s style Calvin Klein duds. Let’s hope Apple doesn’t decide to wear the pale pink, ill-fitting Ralph Lauren Academy Award gown with Harvey Weinstein’s paw prints (and hopefully nothing else of his) all over it. Yecch!
Jamie Lee Curtis Channeling The Switch in Freakier Friday
Sometimes it’s fun to twin with your daughter if you both happen to fall in love with the same outfit, as my daughter and I have done. While you don’t want to go all “Freaky Friday” or even worse, change bodies with your step-granddaughter a la “Freakier Friday,” there’s nothing like getting approval from the younger generation to make you feel relevant as the “cool fashion mom or aunt.”
Laurel Marcus & daughter Elyssa wearing Zadig + Voltaire suits
I always enjoy styling my daughter head-to-toe by text for various events, mostly from items not yet culled but probably on the chopping block, from my overstuffed wardrobe. There’s nothing like hearing a Millennial say, “Mom, your closet is the best place to shop!” for validation. If nothing else, the “price” is always right in Mom’s closet.
Latest Comments:
Iris Apfel’s 100th birthday looked like the ultimate celebration—so iconic!
The MAD About Jewelry benefit looks like a stunning event—so much talent on display!
Our comments section is back online again! We would love to hear from you.