Last week I promised you an epic eBay story and I am a woman of my words. In my ongoing project of curating my own personal Ralph Lauren capsule, I scored a big win last month and I’m here to tell you all about it. Maybe “epic” is a bit of an overstatement, but this was an exciting purchase for me — the online version of the “start the car” moment — so I hope you’ll forgive my enthusiasm. There is also maybe a moral of sorts to the story, but I’ll leave you to decide that.

I’m not going to try to keep you in suspense about what piece of clothing is the protagonist of this saga. It’s this skirt:

Some of you may remember it; I posted it a few months ago as an example of something I coveted but had decided not to purchase based on a kind of cost-benefit analysis. I had been watching it for months already by that point, having first found it in the course of my search for the floral skirt I posted last week. Both of them are from Ralph Lauren’s Country line, which was only around for a short period of time in the late 80s and early 90s, and was the aesthetic predecessor of the current Double RL line — a mix of English country and Americana. I’ve become a little bit obsessed with Ralph Lauren Country, because it captures a lot of the aesthetics that I currently love, but that’s neither here nor there. Suffice to say that, of all RL lines, it’s one of the rarer ones to find secondhand.

This particular skirt immediately captured my imagination. I love the Pendleton-inspired pattern, and the colours being so vibrant was the cherry on top. I also love this style of wrap skirt a lot; the column silhouette is one of my faves. I was able to find 2 listings for the skirt; one at around $400CAD (yikes) and one at over $800CAD (double yikes). There is also a mini skirt version, available in a greater number of listings at lower prices (around $200), but I didn’t love it because, as a result of the shorter length, much of the pattern — the blue and red part — was lost. For me, the pattern *is* the skirt, so it was a no go.

So I waited. For months, I kept a running search for this skirt, hoping one of the listings would come down in price. No luck.

And then, one day, my luck changed. A new listing popped up and it was less than half the price of the next cheapest option. I was, like, whoa! This is it. Having thought a lot about this skirt for a long time, I had a good sense of 2 important things. One, the general market value of the skirt. This listing was a comparative steal. Two, a definite idea of how much I would be comfortable spending on the skirt. The listing met that threshold. So, even though it was the most expensive piece of clothing I’ve purchased in the last 2 years, I bought it without hesitation. I’m glad it took months to find this listing because I needed that time to clarify in my own mind how I felt about the skirt and what it meant to me. And that was an important lesson to me, vis-a-vis my Ralph Lauren capsule project. I am not going to rush my future acquisitions. I am going to do a lot of research and a lot of reflection before I commit to a piece. It’s not clothes shopping as usual.

I ended up paying $230CAD, shipping, taxes, and customs included. Did I mention that the listing was from Japan? That brings me to another interesting part of this story. This wasn’t the first time I’ve purchased something from Japan on eBay. Years ago, I sourced a few of my high end designer bags from Japan, which has a huge and well-regulated secondhand market. Always do your research, of course, but reputable Japanese resellers offer some of the best deals, IMO, on used designer bags. At least, that was certainly true a decade ago, and while I’m not in that designer bag game anymore, I’ve no reason to think anything has changed. In my experience, the ratings used by Japanese resellers to describe their bags reflect a much higher standard than is common in North America; the bags I bought were described as being in good but not excellent condition (so, like, B+ not A) and, honestly, they looked much better than I expected when I got them – here, they would have been described as “excelled used condition”. The price reflected the condition as stated by the seller, so it was more attractive than comparable U.S. listings. All of that to say: I’ve had good experiences buying from Japan via eBay.

Except. The day after I purchased the skirt, I received the floral one which had shipped a few weeks prior from the U.S. It was delivered via USPS and Canada Post and, for the first time in recent history (or maybe ever), I had to pay customs on it. And it was not a minimal amount either: $30 on a skirt that cost around $100CAD after conversion. CBSA uses different rules for calculating customs on used clothing, and while I haven’t been able to figure them out, I have the feeling that there is a certain threshold under which they don’t charge anything. I had bought 2 other vintage skirts on eBay (from the U.S.) in the last 6 months and neither of them had customs charged on them. I think two things might have been in play here. One, the seller of the floral skirt didn’t indicate on the customs form that it was a used item. This, in my opinion, is really poor form for an experienced seller. Two, the price was slightly higher than the other 2 skirts; only about $30-40CAD but perhaps enough to go over the customs threshold. I don’t know … but I wasn’t pleased with that surprise.

And it got me really worried about my Japanese purchase — which had cost even more and was being shipped via FedEx. I’ve heard horror stories about brokerage fees on top of customs, so I resigned myself to getting another bill, amount TBD. I know this sounds like a recipe for disaster, but the rest of the story is the opposite: one happy surprise after another. Despite coming from a much greater distance, the skirt arrived within less than half the time it took my other skirt to be delivered from the U.S. (The cost for shipping I was charged on eBay was the same.) And, despite all of my trepidations, my bill was only … $19CAD, total. How does that make sense? I have no idea, but I’m not complaining.

The last happy surprise was waiting for me when I started to inspect the skirt:

A union label! I couldn’t believe my eyes. I knew the skirt was vintage — though it is in such amazing condition that it’s hard to believe it’s more than 30 years old — but I had no idea it was old enough to have been made by union employees in the US. I did some research, and this particular style of label was used up until 1995, which lines up with the chronology of the Country brand.

I had taken a calculated risk with the size; unusually, the listing didn’t include measurements and I did the thing you should never do, and bought the skirt without asking for measurements. I am familiar with RL vintage sizing, though. This skirt is one size smaller than my usual size in vintage RL skirts, but I was irrationally optimistic it would work. It kinda did and didn’t. Not surprisingly, the waist was snug. Uncomfortably snug. The hips fit fine, thank God. I want to wear the heck out of this skirt so snug wouldn’t do. Luckily, there was a feasible and easy fix: I was able to move the button and inner hook and eye closure, and give myself an extra 3 inches of breathing room. The fit of the skirt wasn’t negatively impacted, though the pattern alignment did change. I can live with that.

And there you have it. Another fabulous addition to the capsule.

I have a few ideas in mind for my next intentional purchase, but I need to do a lot more research first. And I need to stay off eBay for a bit 🙂

Details: Ralph Lauren sweater & skirt, Nine West jacket, Brighton belt, Canadienne shoes (all secondhand)

Thoughts: This outfit made me so incredibly happy, I can’t even explain. It’s not just that I’ve been dreaming about this skirt for so long and it’s finally mine; the whole outfit is pieces I love, and came together beautifully. I continue to be obsessed with this jacket and its versatility, which is once again, evident here. This is just happiness in (Trailblazer) outfit form.

Details: Anne Klein blouse, Club Monaco vest, Ralph Lauren skirt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I also adored this outfit. The vest has been sitting in my closet for months, and I just wasn’t sure what to do with it. When I thrifted this vintage silk blouse, I finally felt inspired. I actually didn’t have huge expectations for this outfit, but it came together in a way that blew me away. It’s so me! It’s a very Bohemian outfit that gives me all the feels — to me, it could tell so many stories. Bohemian moves to 1920s London and becomes a famous mystery writer. Bohemian becomes the headmistress of a girls’ school and also a secret agent. I could go on and on. I should call it my Agatha Christie outfit because that’s the main theme I seem to be circling here.

Details: J. Crew shirt, Uniqlo sweater, Frame blazer, Mondi skirt, Emmanuel belt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I know it’s dicey wearing red and green so long after Christmas, but who cares about rules anyway? I only thought of this (Historian) combo in February, so I am wearing it in February. Besides, the different shades of green, together with the yellow, make this feel more spring-adjacent than holidays-adjacent to me. I will brook no argument 😉

Details: Liz Clairborne sweater, Ralph Lauren blazer, CoH jeans, Gap belt, Paloma Picasso bag, Laredo boots (all secondhand)

Thoughts: Like everyone else, I’ve had an eye on the Toteme striped sweater for a while. The original wasn’t in the cards for me, but this vintage cotton turtleneck was another story. It’s not super similar, but it has a cool vibe that makes it more interesting than a run-of-the-mill striped sweater. And you know how I feel about vintage cotton sweaters — we shall say no more. This is my “fashion girlie” version of the Historian avatar; it’s more minimalist (style and colours) than my usual outfits, but there are fun details, like the bag, that elevate it for me out of the “zone of anonymity” I feel that a lot of those IG/TikTok outfits fall into.

Details: Ralph Lauren sweater & skirt, Gap blazer (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I’m somewhat on the fence about this outfit because it’s a bit too matchy-matchy, which I don’t tend to love these days; on the other hand, I did it to myself because I couldn’t resist the matchy, so I can’t entirely hate it either. This vintage cotton (of course) sweater is the exact shade of blue as the skirt — I had to do it! But now that I am looking at this outfit a few days removed from wearing it, I think part of the issue might also be the length of the skirt. I love long skirts, but I feel like this one might be just a smidge too long on me. I’m not sure what I’m going to do about it; the pattern is so beautiful, it seems like a shame to hem it, even by an inch or two. Something to ponder …

Details: Pendleton sweater, Liz Clairborne dress, vintage belt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: Just a hit of serotonin in clothing form. That’s it. No other notes.

Details: Uniqlo sweatshirt, vintage cardigan, Gap jeans, Coach bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I’ll be frank: this outfit doesn’t really fall into any of my current avatar aesthetics, but I loved it anyway. The sweatshirt and cardigan are older pieces that suited earlier iterations of my style, but they still make me happy so, guess what? I still wear them. I’m comfortable enough with my style — and my own sense of self — that the occasional digression from it doesn’t faze me. Congruity was a huge preoccupation of mine for years, as I was figuring things out (myself and my style), but it has become a lot less critical. Just part of the journey, I guess.

As you may recall, one of my goals for the year was to shop more intentionally. I want to focus on pieces that are high quality and meaningful in the context of my personal style journey; this is the only way to bring real value to my already highly-curated wardrobe. I have been working to identify some of these pieces, and part of my focus has been dedicated to curating a Ralph Lauren “capsule” that embodies those aspects of the RL ethos which most resonate with me. I’ve been looking over the collections from the past 20-30 years (and re-reading my favourite book about Papa Ralph) and homing in on looks and trends that align with my avatars, then identifying the key pieces required to translate those looks into outfits for my own life. These are the kinds of pieces I want to include in my capsule.

But that was only part of the process. Over the last few years, I’ve added a fair bit of RL clothing to my closet. (This comes from a number of brand lines under the Ralph Lauren umbrella, including blue label, Polo Ralph Lauren, LAUREN Ralph Lauren, Denim & Supply, and Chaps; for convenience, I refer to all of them as RL.) So the other part of the process involving going through those clothes and picking out the “key pieces”, so I could map out what the existing capsule looked like.

Here is how things stand:

Wool tweed blazers and sweater vests are cornerstones of my Historian avatar. I am obsessed with my RL ones:

As far as blazers go, I have enough for my outfit needs. That is not to say that I’ll never buy another RL blazer again — if I come across one at the thrifts, I probably will — but I am not adding this as an item on my intentional shopping list. When it comes to sweater vests, I’m a bit on the fence; I would like one or two additional ones in different (brighter) colour palettes, but this isn’t a high priority because I already have a decent selection to work with. I am leaving this off my intentional shopping list for now, but may revisit later if/when other, more meaningful items have been found.

Next, we have a bit of a mix: another sweater vest, a classic oversized men’s shirt, patterned sweater, and a selection of southwest-inspired pieces.

Based on recent observations, I know I need a similar oversized shirt but in white. Now, this doesn’t have to be RL specifically, and because it’s a fairly generic item, I am going to focus on sourcing it at the thrift store. Chunky, patterned sweaters are a different story. Ralph Lauren is famous for his knitwear, and there are several pieces I would like to add to my capsule, including a Polo bear sweater, and some Victoriana-style knits similar to his 80s collections (a floral intarsia sweater, a lace-trimmed cardigan, etc.). I say “similar” because, while I would love to own some original 1980s pieces, I would also be happy with latter iterations of those styles; the brand is well-known for referencing its own history, so there can be multiple versions of a particular trend from different eras.

Last but certainly not least, we have the skirts.

I think you all know how I feel about skirts. Ralph Lauren skirts, in particular, are some of my favourites (and I have a lot of amazing skirts in my closet!). I wear them a lot and they are a backbone for all 3 of my avatars. I have been editing my skirt collection for months now, to make room for the ones I love the most. And also room to add a few more, because I’ve had a couple of specific pieces on my radar for a while now. (The good news is that my daughter now fits the same size as me, so I am passing a few of my older faves on to her. Her style isn’t the same as mine, but I am hoping there’s some common ground when it comes to skirts, haha!).

Which brings me to my first intentional purchases of the year.

The first one was, what else, a skirt — from Ralph Lauren’s short-lived Country line.

Quite apart from being vintage RL with a prairiecore vibe, it is a very “me” skirt in many other ways. The silhouette is one of my faves: a full, ankle-length skirt with cinched waist and lots of volume. (My other fave skirt silhouette is the long column, like the brown tweed RL skirt above.) I have an obsession with patterns of pink cabbage roses on blue backgrounds; highly specific and totally unexplainable — I don’t even like chintz that much, generally speaking! The fabric is a linen-cotton blend, and there is so much of it! The twirl factor is off the charts. I fell in love with this skirt last summer, when my friend Josh wore it to my clothing swap. I knew immediately that it was RL, and I also knew that finding it would be a challenge. I spent months meticulously trawling Poshmark and eBay for listings, and in all that time, I only ever found one.

Luckily, it was in my size. Not so luckily, it was kind of pricey. The listing was set as Buy It Now, with no offer option. I watched the listing. And then re-watched it, 3 or 4 times, as it went unsold and relisted. The seller never dropped the price, and never sent me any offers on it. I hemmed and hawed for MONTHS. In fact, in the process of hemming and hawing, I ended up buying a different RL floral skirt I found on eBay while waiting for this one to either drop in price or pop up in another listing. You may remember that story; it’s the brown, pink and blue patchwork number in the photo above. While I have no regrets about buying that skirt — it’s amazing in its own way, and patchwork-style skirts are another RL category I would like to expand in my closet — it didn’t fill the hole in my heart for the rose floral skirt.

Eventually, in the game of chicken between me and the seller, I blinked first. A week into the new year, I decided to pull the trigger. By then, I knew that I would feel pretty devastated if the skirt sold; the chances of another one popping up again soon in my size — not to mention for a lower price — were relatively low. The price was an important consideration, actually. The market for vintage RL is hot right now, and I don’t see any signs of it cooling off. That patchwork skirt? The same style in a slightly different colorway popped up in a new listing a couple of months after I purchased mine; it was almost $50 more than what I paid for mine. The price of the rose floral skirt was also higher than what I paid for the patchwork skirt (which was already higher than I’m using to paying for, well, any clothing these days). With shipping, it was $130CAD. But, with the concept of intentional shopping in mind, I decided it was worth it.

So, almost 8 months after I first saw it, I finally bought the skirt. And you know what? I have no regrets. (Even though I got burned on customs … but that’s a story for next week.) It is a beautiful piece I know I will treasure for a long time. I’ve already worn it. I couldn’t wait for summer.

Another recent additional to my RL capsule was, strictly speaking, a 2023 purchase but I am adding it here because it fits the intentional shopping criteria.

This piece is vintage blue label RL, likely from the 80s. It’s 100% cotton and has a cozy, almost flannel-like feel. And it has that Victorian vibe that I want to have represented in my capsule. This blouse will work well, I think, with quite a few of my skirts. I paid $25 for it, which is frankly a steal these days. I got it from a local vintage reseller I met through Poshmark a while ago, who has a great eye for vintage boho pieces and who always offers amazing deals. As she travels to the US and visits flea markets and thrift stores there, I’ve asked her to keep an eye out for me for RL pieces. It’s good to have a network!

Come back next week for part 2 of my intentional shopping diaries, and a kinda epic eBay story.