From Vintage Markets to FS Ball Gown Rentals: Your Eco-Chic Guide to St Andrews

Credit: Elizabeth Blakeslee 

Like most students hoping to shop affordably and sustainably, you’ve probably indulged in retail shopping from the comfort of your lecture hall via Vinted or Depop. However, with prices on both platforms going up, and general fears about not quite knowing if what shows up at your door will be what you actually wanted, in-person shopping might just be the better way to go.

If you want to buy new yet ethical and eco-conscious items, your first thought may be to go to a shop like Spoiled Life, which brings in new stock of hand-picked items from sustainable and ethical brands every few weeks. However, buying an entire brand-new wardrobe can become heinously expensive quite quickly, particularly when you’re prioritising making environmental choices. This makes second-hand shopping a useful (and far more economical) alternative. 

This endeavour usually leads me into one of the many charity shops in town. But unfortunately, I've never found anything I'm obsessed with which; a demoralising realisation after hours of sifting through racks and racks of items. Though the tried-and-true method of going shopping for second-hand clothes may not always work in St Andrews, luckily the town is full of various alternatives for an eco-conscious closet. 

St Andrews actually has a surprising number of options for vintage shopping that aren’t your usual suspects. I can’t count the number of times I’ve complimented what one of my friends was wearing, and they’ve responded with ‘Thanks, I actually got it from the vintage market!’ Which, while not the most useful response to ‘That’s so cute, where did you get it?’, always acts as my monthly reminder to head down to the Town Hall and see what is on offer. The vintage clothing sale is hosted by Yellow Jelly Vintage , who you can follow on Instagram for more information about St Andrews dates and locations.  

Credit: Elizabeth Blakeslee 

This year, the university seems to be promoting the vintage clothing sale more than years prior, hosting two of these events in the University of St Andrews Students' Association in September. Though on a slightly smaller scale than the ones hosted by Town Hall, its broad selection of outerwear and jumpers were both stylish and St Andrews weather appropriate. 

However, at St Andrews, your day-to-day wardrobe isn’t your only concern with multiple large black-tie events in both semesters. Speaking from experience, dressing for a black-tie event can result in a lot of unnecessary purchasing. Borrowing from your friends is a good first step, but my friends and I are starting to get to a point where our post-ball Instagram posts look like a mix-and-match of the same dresses on different girls. In an attempt to combat this, before Opening Ball last weekend, FS hosted a dress rental pop-up. Creative Director, Auxanne Dhuiege, says that this was a test for them to see what interest would be like and luckily was hugely successful. Don’t worry if you didn’t manage to swing by this time as FS are hoping to organise more pop-ups in the future for a variety of different events.  

Websites like ‘Rent the Runway’ and other alternatives have existed for over a decade. However, having a local alternative with the proceeds going to charity is just another way that St Andrews is making attempts to become more sustainable. As one of the largest Charity Fashion Shows (raising £31,500 for charity last year), they are one of the most influential groups at St Andrews. Dhuiege noted the importance of sustainability as environmental collapse and climate change are in a red zone that humanity won’t be able to recover from. 

The aim of this pop-up was quite simple: encouraging people to rethink their consumption habits and consider renting rather than buying new. Next month, FS will also be hosting F4TE week (Fashion for the Earth), creating a space to talk about current environmental issues and show students how engaging in more sustainable choices for just one week can make it easier to integrate eco-conscious habits into everyday life. For Dhuiege, FS sees sustainability and style as going hand-in-hand. Hopefully, this idea will trickle down throughout the student body and help to create visible environmental change. 

Credit: Elizabeth Blakeslee 

We’re lucky enough to study in a town which is largely built up around the student body and luckily provides lots of options to help us stay eco-conscious when curating our wardrobes through ethical and sustainable stores, second hand options, and now opportunities to rent clothing for events. There are so many ways to go about staying sustainable, all coming in at different price points. If anything, it’s probably harder to find fast fashion than environmentally conscious alternatives in this town with just one H&M.  Hopefully, with all these different options, it will become easier for us to make a positive environmental impact through our closets.