Fleeting Crushes to Forever Finds 😍
Turning trendy temptations into informed investments...because a little insight could momentary desires into true investments.
I recently saw someone post on TikTok saying, “a crush is just a lack of information,” and that really hit.
At face value you might think you want something/someone, but once you find yourself rocketing towards a costly “situationship,” the reality can be quite different.
If we apply this thinking to shopping, a trend is equal to a crush lacking in information - one morning you might see something while scrolling on a favorite influencer, and you’re suddenly overcome with the urge to add to cart, thinking, “I need a burgundy Gucci Jackie bag IMMEDIATELY.”
Just as you would before diving into a multi-course prix fixe dinner with a random crush, researching trends is important: Is it investment-worthy? Is there a better option/value before you go all-in?
Ergo, before you graze the fingerprint button on your computer to activate a rash purchase with your precious funds, it’s important to gather information before you’re too invested.
With Phia, we are building something that is the opposite of lacking in information, and gives you the most bang for your buck to shop smarter, and more efficiently. No time or love lost.
In this spirit, this week I asked a few of our friends and colleagues - our most passionate beta baddies - to share their crush-worthy Phia Finds, the stories behind them, and what information led them to commit to their purchase(s).
User #1 - the Eagle-eyed fashion publicist 🦅⛷️
“I typically look obsessively for very specific pieces. I have worked in fashion for years, so I know brands and designers inside and out. I can tell the era of a Prada piece based on the color, and size of its label, for example. It’s a soft skill, as my dad would say.
I live part-time in Colorado, and with that comes as much skiing as free time allows in the winter. Due to a busy weekday schedule, I like to get out on the weekends for first tracks, and take advantage of corduroy groomers. There’s a caveat: these mornings are early. So a huge impetus for getting out of bed and making the short, cold walk to the gondi is a ski outfit that pops off.
I was obsessed with Chloé x Fusalp’s collaboration a couple of years ago, but totally slept on it. Last year I saw a girl skiing in pants from the collab, and knew I needed to have something too.
A few weeks ago, I made the leap from endless googling to Phia-ing, and WHAM! There was a new-with-tags, snowy white Chloé x Fusalp puffer (similar one from the collection is linked here) I couldn’t believe it. It was also part of a special Black Friday promotion. These items are scarce, and to find it NWT, in my size, and at a mere fraction of the price - mon Dieu! I nabbed it in all of its perfection.
On the way to check out, a newer-season fleecy men’s Moncler vest popped up - the art of discovery not lost in this process! I grabbed that as well, and it’s become my most worn layering item (fitting nicely under a shell for warmer days).
The puffer made its debut on the first snow of the year to great fanfare, and girl math - via how much of a discount this was - means I can now seek out the matching pants or onesie.”
User #2 - aka the stealth stylist 🧥💰
“I live in a region that gets its share of overcast weather, so coats make me happy - coats are, in fact, the outfit most days.
For two years, in between my travels to the farthest corners on the internet and stores all over the world for clients, I have been looking for a specific Fendi coat that once caught my eye on a work trip in Manhattan. At the time it was just too much of an extravagance, and I couldn’t justify the splurge.
It was dove-grey wool, with a very specific bluejay-colored lining and shearling patch front pockets. Just the right elements to make it somehow more than your average coat, and brighten any day.
Despite the steep price tag, the coat has lived, as they say, rent-free in the back of my mind since that moment. As a stylist, I see so many great pieces across all different price points - but the truest test of value for me is whether something sticks and emerges from the rest of the noise over time.
A couple of months ago, in what had become practice, I plugged in the search words “Fendi grey wool coat,” describing said item into Phia.com, scrolled idly…and suddenly I saw it: THE one.
It was via Vestiaire Collective, based in a remote part of Europe - and many hundreds of dollars below its original price tag. In nearly pristine condition - I could tell, thanks to Vestiaire’s detailed images - I thought, breathlessly, that timing is everything in this world.
I made an offer I was comfortable with. The seller accepted, and the coat was mine. Sometimes, the pieces we admire come back to us at the right moment, and we are better for it.”
User #3 - the cost-conscious luxury sourcer 🤑👜
My friends used to call me cheap. That is, until I moved to Los Angeles a few years ago. I needed a car, so I marched right into a Beverly Hills dealership and demanded the cheapest luxury SUV on the floor. In a Pretty Woman-esq turn, the manager looked at me kindly and said, “We don’t use the word ‘cheap,’ we use the term ‘least expensive.’”
Since then (and the acquisition of the dealership’s least expensive SUV), I’ve been on the hunt for only the “least expensive” luxury items. With the cost of all goods on the rise, my friends now come to ME for their sourcing.
With everything at our fingertips - from apps to shopping on Meta - an increasingly vast inventory of incredible secondhand luxury items is available to the savviest, or sometimes just the luckiest shoppers.
But sometimes a hot new bombshell enters the building, and I feel the insatiable desire for immediate gratification of new-to-market styles. And that usually means…full retail cost. “How is everyone affording this stuff,” I wonder while scrolling TikTok’s many Birkin unboxings…?
Mostly recently, Bottega Veneta’s exquisitely perfect mini sardine bag had me down bad. I’d always liked it, but realized it had taken a place deep in my psyche. In fact, I’d think about it as the missing link for when I was getting dressed - and with the holidays approaching, the little size and flash of metal handle would be perfect for all of my outfits. It was time to go for it.
But listen, if I’m going to splurge, I want to make sure the item will hold some value - that it’s not just a flash in the pan fling I’ll chalk up to too much tequila and weakened standards.
I quickly found one in a perfect, pale pink that would be multiseasonal. With a click, Phia suggested that the bag holds nearly 70% of its value - and then, when redirected to secondhand, I found a few of its twins (via Atlanta Luxury Bags and others) at 40-50% off in gently, pre-loved condition.
Boom, clap, I’m now the proud owner of the least expensive Bottega Veneta mini sardine on the market.”
In conclusion, we all have crushes from time to time - and they’re usually worth exploring.
So go forth and lead with your hearts when you’re shopping this season - but do so while armed with the best information, and just remember: there are always more mini sardine bags in the sea; AND if you love something, let it go and it will come back if it’s meant to be!!
xoxo,
Phoebe and Sophia
(founders of phia.com)