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Talk about a secondhand steal.
Fashion influencer Jack Savoie thought he’d scored the perfect vintage statement coat on The RealReal — until he took a closer look at the label.
The self-proclaimed “clutch connoisseur” took to Instagram on Wednesday to call out the luxury resale giant after purchasing a $595 embroidered jacket advertised as “Vintage — Unbranded,” only to discover it was neither vintage nor unbranded.
The chocolate-brown velvet jacket, decked out in gold sequins, intricate embroidery and a sparkling collar, initially seemed like the perfect addition to his winter wardrobe.
But upon inspecting the inside, Savoie found a label identifying the manufacturer as Soft Surroundings — a mom-loved brand headquartered in St. Louis — along with a “Made in India” tag.
“Baby, remember when they said ‘vintage, unbranded?’” Savoie crowed to his 340,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram. “This is fully branded, right at the [inside] collar.”
And the plot thickened.
The coat was sold for $595 on the popular consignment site — even though it’s still available from the retailer for $730.
“Over $200 more on The RealReal when it is fully available on Soft Surroundings, not only in my size, but it’s in Misses, Petites, Women’s Plus, XS, S, M, L, and 3XL,” he said.
To their credit, The RealReal was quick to respond to Savoie’s less-than-luxurious experiences on the site, contacting the influencer directly as soon as they saw his post.
“While these situations are rare, The RealReal has a dedicated, highly-trained customer service team in place to immediately address the issue, make it right with our customers, and work to prevent future incidents,” the company told The Post. “We’re committed to providing our customers with high-quality, pre-loved authentic luxury products and rely on our proprietary technology and human experts to authenticate every single item on our platform.”
But Savoie’s followers were quick to pile on:
“They literally mislabel everything,” said one commenter. “It’s one of the reasons I stopped shopping.”
Another claimed the site wouldn’t authenticate their Chrome Hearts jewelry, despite buying it directly from the label’s headquarters.
Still, despite his discovery, Savoie admitted the coat itself was a looker.
“It’s chic as s—t, look at this,” he said, modeling the jacket over a white cropped T-shirt and jeans.
“You know what? Thank you Soft Surroundings. No thank you to The RealReal, but thank you to Soft Surroundings for making such a beautiful coat.”
“Sure, I can return this and get my money back, whatever, but like, this is stupid! It’s scary out here. Stay safe out there, fashion friends.”
Over the past 15 years, The RealReal has helped make secondhand shopping a fashionable affair, tapping into the desire to shop more sustainably while scoring a designer bargain.
As archival and vintage dressing continue to dominate the style conversation, the secondhand market has become an increasingly important destination for shoppers seeking out-of-production designer pieces, cult labels and bygone-era silhouettes.
But the growing appetite for pre-loved fashion also makes accurate dating, labeling and authentication all the more essential.
Today, that appetite for fashion’s past has turned vintage into a booming market, with online resale platforms making decades-old styles more accessible than ever.
But there’s a difference between vintage, archival and simply secondhand.
Generally, vintage refers to clothing that’s at least 20 years old, while archival fashion describes pieces from a designer’s past collections.
A garment doesn’t automatically become vintage just because it’s being resold — and a secondhand item isn’t necessarily a rare find.
As The Post has previously reported, when it comes to vintage shopping, the devil — and the decade — is in the details.
Labels, fabric, stitching and construction can all reveal whether a coveted find is truly a relic of fashion’s past or just a secondhand pretender.
All in all, as Savoie learned, not every secondhand score deserves a place in fashion history — especially one still hanging on the original retailer’s virtual rack.
