Presented by eBay
Thursday, May 24, 2012

FASHION

Shopping With... Jenna Sauers

At the front door of Jezebel blogger Jenna Sauers’s Harlem apartment are two pairs of size ten Ferragamo loafers. “I have an eBay alert set to my size in Ferragamo low heels because I think they’re the most comfortable walking shoes. And they’re classic, almost grandmotherly and cute.” Just last week, Sauers scored another pair for $20 from the online marketplace. “I’m giving away all my secrets,” she jokes.

American-born, New Zealand-raised Sauers, 24, is a woman full of secrets. In February 2008 she began blogging for Jezebel from inside New York Fashion Week as Tatiana the Anonymous Model. "She's smart! She's thin! And she's beholden to no one," bragged the site. While Sauers walked runways and appeared on the pages of Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, In Style and Oyster, she dished on the modeling industry—the casting process, how much models really earn and the itinerant lifestyle. In July 2009 she revealed her true identity. “It seemed like [anonymity] had served its purpose. I didn’t really want to model anymore. I love writing.” Sauers virtual coming out was covered by The Guardian and The Telegraph, as well as countless blogs. “I was very surprised that anyone cared when I came out of the closet. It was kinda cool.”

In between leaving Christchurch, New Zealand and flitting between the world’s fashion capitals, Sauers gained a BA in English from the esteemed University of Iowa. While studying in the midwest, she made her first eBay purchase. “I wanted a pair of black leather boots as it was winter and really cold and I didn’t have any appropriate footwear. I found a cool pair and they were relatively inexpensive. Whoever was running the auction said if you’re a first-time eBay user you have to email me for pre-approval. So I emailed: Can I bid on your auction, please? No one else bid on them, so I won. After that I bought another pair of shoes and then probably another.”

Her favorite eBay purchase so far is a pair of Prada heels in red, brown, navy blue and mustard patent leather from the spring-summer 2001 collection. “I snapped them up! I think that was my first Buy It Now. They’re great. I still wear them.” And her other standout eBay win is a vintage, blue linen dress with a lace bodice. “I almost didn’t buy it, I thought it was too long but every time I wear it I get major compliments.” While at a party, Sauers says, “a beautiful woman in an amazing dress came up and started talking to me. We became friends because we liked each other’s dresses. It never would have happened if I’d been wearing some boring dress.”

And while she’s giving away secrets, what are her eBay strategies? “Obviously searching for common misspellings for brands names, like Ferragamo with one R. I never put in my bid until three minutes before the auction closes. I don’t want to artificially inflate the price by getting into a bidding war two days before. To me, part of the excitement is remembering in the middle of the night that I have to go bid.”

** The portrait of Jenna Sauers by Valérie Dray was taken for a story in French GQ about creative New Yorkers. It was provided by Sauers. **

See what’s been keeping Jenna up at night with her eBay wishlist:

Roll over items for details
Handbag, Hat and Gloves
“Finding a beautiful vintage reptile bag is one thing—this one, a 1950s frame purse, looks like python—but how often can you find an intact, matched set of handbag, gloves, and hat?”

2.
(starting bid, $50)
Mariano Fortuny Pleated Delphos Dress
Fortuny, who worked around the turn of the century, dyed and over-dyed his silks sometimes dozens of times to achieve his subtle gradations in color, and he set each of his garments' tiny pleats by hand.
(starting bid, $100)
NEW Alexander McQueen Black Silk Gown
“ If this truly is a fantasy list, then I'd be remiss if I didn't put a bias-cut embroidered Alexander McQueen evening gown on it.”
(buy it now price, $1,575)
NEW Alexander McQueen Tribal Fringe Dress
“Or, you know, this silk fringed McQueen creation.”

5.
(buy it now price, $5,900)
NEW Alexander McQueen Black High Heels
“And let's conclude the McQueen-coveting portion of this list with this sexy pair of black pumps.”

6.
(buy it now price, $147.99)
Yves Saint Laurent Vintage Leather Handbag
“A vintage Yves Saint Laurent leather satchel from the 1970s is almost too good a find to share. Almost!”
(buy it now price, $214.80)
Bellestone Kelly Bag
(buy it now price, $55)
Jean Louis Scherrer Peak Lapel Jacket
(buy it now price, $195)
1930s Blue Velvet Evening Gown
“A midnight-blue velvet evening gown from 1933. Wow.”

10.
(buy it now price, $125)
1940s Peep-toe Sling-back Heels
“These high-heeled sandals from the 1940s are barely worn, and boast a fantastic, modern-looking abstract print.”
(buy it now price, $114.40)
1940s High Heel Sandals
“This pair is in similarly great condition, but made of snakeskin.”
(buy it now price, $74.99)
1970s Embroidered Caftan
“And I would wear this 1970s embroidered caftan in a heartbeat.”
(buy it now price, $89.98)
1950s Rainbow Stripe Sling-back Heels
“This pair of striped silk 1950s pumps is nice and cheerful.”
(current bid, $24.99)
1950s Vintage Rockabilly Sneakers
“Something about these perfectly preserved, pointy-toed canvas sneakers from the 1950s really looks summery and fun.”

15.
(buy it now price, $49.99)
1860s Quilt
“This crazy quilt from the 1860s was made by slave women from worn-out clothing. Quilting was a rare creative outlet for slaves, and quilts were sewn with symbolic messages and information about the underground railroad. The history of material culture, especially that of clothing and textiles, isn't always pretty—the rag trade has long relied, and in certain cases continues to rely, on coerced labor from exploited groups, particularly women of color—but I do think quilts like these, and the human spirit they attest to, are beautiful.”
(buy it now price, $475)
Shopping With... Jenna Sauers

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