the art of thrifting: how artist Sandy van Helden shops vintage

plus Sandy shares 5 vinted links, her favorite vintage find and where to thrift in Amsterdam

Apr 20, 2025

Hi everyone! This week, we have our first guest on trouvé.

I’m excited to feature some of my favorite people and greatest inspirations to hear about their approach to secondhand fashion, personal style and more 🔮

And who better to kick us off with than the endlessly cool Sandy van Helden?

illustration by Sandy / Sandy in her Vinted skirtsuit

Sandy is an Amsterdam-based illustrator with impeccable taste (in fashion, furniture, art—you name it!), a secondhand maestro, and a dear friend.

You can find her on Instagram where she shares her beautiful work, like her live illustrations for Gucci and 100m² (!!) mural in Amsterdam’s newest Uniqlo store.

live illustration for Gucci / painting the Uniqlo store mural

Today, Sandy takes the trouvé mic to share online secondhand shopping advice, her recent Vinted finds, most treasured vintage gem and favorite thrift spots in Amsterdam.

The joy of finding hidden gems

My father is a huge fan of vintage markets, so I really grew up around them. But my love for secondhand shopping truly flourished when I started going to art school in Rotterdam.

Sandy wearing all vintage / illustration by Sandy

Every Tuesday, there was a big vintage market on the square in front of the school. As soon as lunch break rolled around, we’d make a beeline for the market, eager to dig through stalls for hidden gems.

More often than not, we’d end up running back to class, arriving way too late with bags full of vintage goods.

Starting specific when thrifting online

If your algorithm isn’t trained yet, it can be overwhelming to just browse and hope to find something you love amidst all the chaos.

Start by searching for a very specific item and narrow it down to a few brands that you’ve always liked.
I like to search for these brands: Moschino, Sarah Pacini, Max Mara, La Perla, Hennes Collection, Marni, Diesel, Wolford, Versace Versus.

Most treasured vintage find

I absolutely love my Versace A-line dress from the 90s. It had never been worn and still had the original tags on when I found it on Vinted. It was a bit pricier than what I usually go for on the platform, but totally worth it.

The piece is truly one of a kind. It’s my favorite wedding outfit!

wedding guesting in her Versace A-line dress / left photo by Lotte Koster

In Sandy’s Vinted favorites

Peaking into my friend’s Vinted favorites is like seeing their wishlist or imaginary closet, I love it! 🌝

Thrifting in Amsterdam

I’ve noticed that since Vinted became popular, the overall quality in thrift stores and markets has gone down. These days, most vintage shops focus heavily on curation—which is great—but it’s become much harder to score a good deal.

That said, there’s one place in Amsterdam that still offers excellent quality at fair prices: it’s called BIS! and specializes in fashion from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. I always go there for cashmere sweaters and silk dress shirts.