London Fashion Week: eBay and Oxfam stun with rare vintage finds

Second-hand looks, one charity shop catwalk and a collection made of cast-off drapes. London Fashion Week is off to a vintage start: the style soothsayers behind its first shows think your new season wardrobe should be, well, old.

Oxfam, eBay and the British designer Harris Reed opened the schedule on Thursday with runway shows that showcased pre-loved treasures — and proved hand-me-downs can be high end.

Take eBay’s fashion week debut. On a shoppable runway streamed live from east London, the re-commerce platform brought several brands usually absent from the capital’s catwalk timetable back.

TRISTAN FEWINGS/GETTY IMAGES

Mulberry and Craig Green; Vivienne Westwood and Christopher Kane. The ensembles modelled, which had been curated by Amy Bannerman, eBay’s style director, spanned decades — but looked on trend for now.