Tag Archives: charity shop finds

Charity Shop Haul – My Recent Bargains

Posted on by

I love clothes and I love shopping. That’s no secret. But if I was to spend all my time shopping on the High Street or online, I would quite frankly need to remortgage my home.  Which is why so much of my shopping time is spent visiting charity shops in market towns, the sort of places where you can pick up great bargains and unusual pieces when you are on a strict budget.

I love charity shops, the idea that you can find something that has been preloved and give it a new lease of life. Charity shops serve a great cause in raising money that is much needed, and also work well in recycling clothes that could otherwise go to landfill, hence helping the environment too. They can also be the cheapest option when searching for vintage clothing, definitely cheaper than dedicated vintage shops or ebay.

Charity shops can also be hiding designer bargains too. Recently I have found pieces from Louboutin, Vivienne Westwood, Dries Van Noten and Calvin Klein – all for under £25.

Here are some of my most recent charity shop finds, along with a few more tips on what to look for if you are charity shop shopping.

Look for classic shapes and prints

Animal prints, stripes and polka dots or plain, block colours, all these are perennials that never really go out of fashion and are worth picking up. In a similar way, a shift style dress is always a winner, with 1960s shift shapes like the striped M&Co dress below being a great option for dressing up or down.

F&F Dress £4.49 from BHF

M&Co Dress £4.50 Katherine’s House Hospice Shop

Kaleidoscope dress £5.99 Acorns Hospice Shop

Look for Vintage

Vintage is so much cheaper if you can pick it up in a charity shop, and there are some brilliant finds out there. 1970s and 1980s labels are the easiest to find, but you may pick up something earlier, like the 1960s yellow dress that I snapped up for £6.99.

1980s dress £4.99 BHF

1970s print skirt £3 and Hobbs shell top £3.99 Katherine House

Tea Dress 1970s £3 Salvation Army Shop

1960s dress £6.99 Giles Hospice shop

1960s suit £4 Save the Children

1980s jacket Giles Hospice shop

1960s dress £4 Fresh Fields

Look for Designer and Quality Labels

Charity shops are not just about ‘old clothes’ and High Street Labels, you can also find premium High Street labels and Designer labels – you just need to look!

Hobbs Dress £2.50 Severn Hospice

 

Louboutins Pigalle £25 Age Concern

Dries Van Noten dress £8.99 Giles Hospice

 

Have you found any good bargains in charity shops lately?

Shop Online

Oxfam http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop

BHF https://giftshop.bhf.org.uk/

Sue Ryder on Ebay http://stores.ebay.co.uk/suerydershop/?_trkparms=clkid%3D890980944738164266

 

 

October Outfits Post

Posted on by

[affilinet_performance_ad size=468×60]

October was a lovely busy month, and, as much as I hate the coming of Winter, October was also a fairly pleasant and mild month. I was able to still leave the tights off for most of the month so that was a bonus, and I avoided jeans as much as I could – another bonus.

I was busy with some lovely events that gave me a few chances for dressing up, including my mom’s 60th birthday which we celebrated in a rather lovely Italian restaurant, and saw me nab that Topshop cold shoulder dress that I’d spotted, and fell in love with in the window of Outfit in West Bromwich. I also had a few theatre press nights, as well as the opening party for the launch of The Lobby on the Hill.

I did a little shopping this month, there were some great sales around, especially online, and I would well recommend looking in the sale sections at both La Redoute and Boohoo which have some really lovely pieces. My blue dress below was just £10, but is now sold out, but there are lots of other great pieces. Similarly Boohoo have a brilliant range of net and tulle skirts that cost less than £15. When I picked up my striped skirt it was £5, but the price has risen slightly, although £7 is still hardly going to break the bank!

I also found some really great charity shop bargains this month. Top of the picks must be the Escada polo neck jumper that cost just £1 from a Charity Shop in West Bromwich. I teamed it with a lovely pleated skirt from M&S which was another charity shop find, this time from Bloxwich and costing £2.99. The brooch I added was found in a box at a Vintage emporium – I got 4 different ones for 50p each. I love to rummage for bits of antique jewellery and you can pick up some great inexpensive but pretty finds if you look carefully.

What have you been wearing this month?

Press Night for The Sound of Music

14479749_1037692689662165_3325939863508303789_n

Dress La Redoute Necklace – Press Sample Bag Cath Kidston Shoes Primark

Shopping and Soft Play

14516404_1040073242757443_5462245027773449556_n

Jumper ASOS Necklace Diwah Jewellery skirt Boohoo shoes Primark

Only Geena Knit Jumper £18.00 Click to visit Asos

Only Geena Knit Jumper
£18.00 Click to visit Asos

Iona Striped Tulle Overlay Full Skirt £7 Click to visit Boohoo

Iona Striped Tulle Overlay Full Skirt £7 Click to visit Boohoo

Sunday Lunch and an afternoon in the park

14520395_1041484705949630_5894736051432109071_n

Jacket New Look Top Select Skirt Boohoo Bag Yoshi Bags Shoes New Look

Tall Lola Scuba Full Circle Midi Skirt Product code: tzz99613 £6.00 Click to visit Boohoo

Tall Lola Scuba Full Circle Midi Skirt £6.00 Click to visit Boohoo

Similar Bag

Mariel Scuba Leather Shopper Bag £38.50 GBP Click to visit Yoshi Bags

Mariel Scuba Leather Shopper Bag £38.50 GBP Click to visit Yoshi Bags

9 TO 5 Press Night

14606356_1043159305782170_7238661895246979940_n

Dress Charity Shop find Bag New Look

Similar Dress

 

Oasis Workwear Dress £55.00 Click to visit Asos

Oasis Workwear Dress £55.00 Click to visit Asos

School Run and Pub lunch

14650141_1044044049027029_7016498459169091300_n

Dress Matalan jacket Charity Shop Find scarf pressie from mom shoes Melissa from Vivienne Westwood Bag Yoshi Bags

Similar Scarf

Neutral Waffle Sequin Animal Scarf £12.50 Click to visit Next

Neutral Waffle Sequin Animal Scarf £12.50 Click to visit Next

Similar print dress

Fleur Print Dress Sale £49.50 Click to visit Phase Eight


Fleur Print Dress £49.50 Click to visit Phase Eight

Sister in Law’s Birthday Meal

14725511_1045883248843109_8198813005640728826_n

Top Vintage – Charity shop 50p bargain , skirt, bag and shoes Primark

New Skirt

14721725_1048472428584191_1818230319689490410_n

Top Vintage – Charity Shop Find Skirt New Look

Black Mesh Stripe Midi Skirt £27.99 Click to visit New Look

Black Mesh Stripe Midi Skirt £27.99 Click to visit New Look

An audience with Jo Malone

14650221_1047674961997271_4316545832087585364_n

Jumper Escada – Charity Shop find Brooch Vintage – Junk shop find Skirt M&S charity shop find Bag Knomo Shoes Dorothy Perkins

My Mom’s 60th birthday party

14702364_1046540102110757_1210323315075371880_n

Dress Topshop Necklace Jack Wills Shoes Primark

Plisse Lace Cold Shoulder Dress £38.00 Click to visit Topshop

Plisse Lace Cold Shoulder Dress £38.00 Click to visit Topshop

Halloween at Warwick Castle

14717323_1053759831388784_1293554383618491261_n

Jacket Vintage Top Dorothy Perkins Coated skinnies Primark Boots Clarks

**Vila Lace sleeve blouse Price: £35.00 Click to visit Dorothy Perkins

**Vila Lace sleeve blouse Price: £35.00 Click to visit Dorothy Perkins

The Lobby on Hill Street Launch Party

The Lobby on Hill Street Launch

Dress River Island Jacket Planet Shoes Bertie Bag Topshop

River Island Floral Slip Dress With Lace Trim £35 Click to visit Asos

River Island Floral Slip Dress With Lace Trim £35 Click to visit Asos

New Dress

14601086_1060673647364069_2286813912272138427_n

Dress River Island Boots Clarks

 

 

Where to find vintage fashion and accessories

Posted on by

Vintage fashion, and shopping for vintage fashion, just happen to be two of my favourite pastimes. This post is dedicated to sharing some of the best places for finding vintage fashion, along with sharing some of my favourite vintage pieces.

Where to shop for Vintage

Charity Shops

Admittedly, I don’t think charity shops are as good for rich pickings as they were in the past, but many charity shops, for instance, Oxfam, do have areas of their stores that are dedicated to vintage. Charity shops are good because they tend to be cheaper that specialist vintage shops, and yet they can be full of real bargains. I have recently found vintage Clarks shoes and M&S St Michael label pieces, both were less than £3.

Vintage M&S St Michael label skirt.

Vintage M&S St Michael label skirt.

Vintage skirt £2 from Age Concern shop

Vintage skirt £2 from Age Concern shop

Vintage Shops

There are now lots of proper vintage stores popping up, selling beautifully curated pieces that are often in perfect condition. Shrewsbury is one of my favourite places for vintage stores, with both Maggie Mae’s Vintage and Vintage being two shops I love to visit. I also love the town of Machynlleth in Wales, a treasure trove of junk and antique shops. I found a great 1950s faux fur in The Emporium, and wore it to death last winter.

12348168_854579974640105_9144171506932597084_n

Online Vintage stores

Online vintage stores are also growing in popularity and interest levels. These websites have already taken all the legwork out of vintage shopping, and have wonderful curated collections ready to buy. Shpirulina is just such a site, offering free worldwide shipping and a 30 day money back guarentee. The Shpirulina website is brilliant in that it is arranged by both item and size, and also by decade, with ranges that go from the 1950s right up to the 1990s – am I the only one feeling old that youngsters now class that as Vintage?

The pieces from the Shpirulina online vintage store arrive clean and ready to wear, and are in great condition. I was recently sent a stunning dress that is a perfect example of how the 1980s stole from the 1930/40s era. With this season’s pleated skirt, sleeves and a beautifully pattern almost etched in the silver fabric, this dress would be a standout piece for a special occasion and is definitely trans-seasonal. I styled the dress with a vintage box bag and an old pair of wedge shoes, both in a red shade that I thought would look stunning against silver.

Vintage style from Shpirulina

DSCN2384[1]

DSCN2385[1]

DSCN2381[1]

DSCN2383[1]

Vintage Fairs

Vintage Fairs can be a fab day put. They often have entertainment, afternoon teas and demonstrations as well as vintage clothes and accessories. Prices can vary, but you can pick up pretty clothes and accessories, as well as homewares too. At the last fair I went to, I got a dress, jumper and skirt for £7 – bargain!

Skirt £2 from vintage fair

Skirt £2 from vintage fair

Car Boot Sales

I love car boot sales. I find them to be a brilliant place for finding vintage paste jewellery (especially large brooches) and 1950s style bags (all boxy shapes and gold clasps.) I have also found some great items of clothing –  got a lovely 1960s crimplene pencil skirt for just 50p and have worn it loads since.

1604693_784694268239006_7351690825456395073_n

1960s Crimplene skirt found for 50p on a car boot sale

 

Car boot sale bag - love this one!

Car boot sale bag – love this one!