Salem Mitchell Won’t Rest Until This 2001 Chloé Top Is In Her Hands

Online shopping is a modern sport — especially when it comes to sourcing vintage — but if you have a specific piece in mind, it can make the search a little easier. At the same time, ask any fashion-obsessed person about their wish list, and more likely than not, they’ve got at least one holy grail that continuously escapes their expert Internet-search skills. In Salem Mitchell’s case, it’s a turquoise Chloé top with a strawberry on it from the Spring/Summer 2001 collection designed by Stella McCartney. (We did our own digging and confirmed that the shirt, which appears to have only been produced commercially, is indeed sold out everywhere.) Exclusively for NYLON, and in her own words, the model and social media star on the one that got away.

Shopping is something I take so much joy in. It ranges for vintage shopping, but I do love shopping online. I’m really into eBay, Depop, Poshmark, and all those websites where you can source unique pieces when you’re looking for something specific. I also have some really good friends that are into finding pieces. If I see something on Instagram, I can screenshot it and send it to one of my best friends and say, “Hey, can you find this for me?”

There was a pair of Bottega Veneta flats that I saw some girl wearing on Instagram. I sent a picture to my friend, and within 30 minutes, she found them for me on TheRealReal in my size for only $80. I definitely get a lot of inspo from whatever socials I’m scrolling, whether that be Instagram, Tumblr — I still use Tumblr — or Pinterest.

I saw this shirt on Pinterest that I am really searching for. It’s a Chloé shirt by Stella McCartney from 2001. It’s turquoise and has a deep V-neck with a strawberry on it. I live in L.A., and I’m born and raised in California. Being a SoCal girl and living in warm weather, I’ve tried to incorporate a bit more color into my outfits, especially in the summer. As the years get hotter, it makes me want to dress brighter. This is one of the cutest, most fun shirts I’ve ever seen, and I cannot find it anywhere for the life of me. It is out of stock everywhere, and I want it so bad.

What is such a double-edged sword with vintage is that I’m pretty conventionally skinny, so I feel like the access to different types of clothing that are good quality is prevalent for me. I know for plus-size girls, sometimes fast-fashion companies are the only people providing fashionable, on-trend clothing. There’s so much that needs to be refined so we can get to a place where the overconsumption can stop, and everybody can be included in enjoying and loving fashion sustainably.