Sunday 22 April 2012

Do you know what I love about Op Shops?

There are many things... The price (who wants to pay $100 for a mass-produced piece of junk made in China... seriously?), the concept (pre-loved goods recycled means sustainable fashion and money towards a good cause), but more than anyhting I love the opportunity of individuality.

Too often I visit the main-stream shops, view their wares and leave down-cast at what is on offer. Chances are you'll find differing versions of the same fashion in every shop. .... But not at Op Shops.

At Ops Shops there's the chance to explore a bygone era, or (even better) a one-off item made for an individual with individual tastes and individual style.... Like me!

Working in the corporate world I get sick on pin-stripe suits, black and blue and find myself craving a splash of colour and a bit of style. So imagine my glee when I found this baby in Vinnie's...


A golden fawn (??), oriental inspired silk beauty, size 10, made in Vietnam and fitted me like a glove! How much I hear you ask...... $9! Yipee! No more pin-stripe, black and blue drudgery for me!

A little while later, my mother and I visited another Vinnie's, when she spotted this:


Turns out it was a brand she used to see in Myer in the 1980's and 1990's - in perfect mint condition, and for all intents and purposes never worn.... Ahhhh, be still my beating heart......

The trifecta came a short while later whilst visiting an Anglicare store. There I was, peering into an innocent looking glass cabinet when I spied this heart-breaker:


Sitting pretty and glittering in the artificial lighting was a stunning, black, glowmesh bag. I stood for a moment, mesmirised by her beauty as she twinkled and winked at me in her glass cage before snapping back to reality and pouncing on her in case anyone else happened to see her. She was mine.

Oh my, has $30 ever been better spent?

Surely not.


As a note: all of the above Op Shopping was carried out on a 2 day trip to Canberra. An account of my Melbourne exploits will be coming soon....


Thrifty Minx xx







5 comments:

FrolickingFroggy said...

OOoOOooh, I love the goldeny blush colour of that blouse. Lovely.

Yep, I get pretty fed up seeing the same fashions in different shops and love the "adventure in fashion" that you find in op shops.... even though I myself am not all that adventurous in fashion!

Anonymous said...

i totally agree. besides, it's my favourite hobby. i've just returned from a trip to the second hand shop. i found a gorgeous bamboo tray for $2.00 and a new back pack for my friend's son also for $2.00. i love it.

I Love To Op Shop said...

Great finds, I love the twinkle and feel of glomesh too!!

Unknown said...

I totes agree folks.

There's nothing quite like looking through racks of times past and rediscovering a beautiful item that seems to have been forgotten over the years.

Today, I'm wearing a gorgeous straw coloured two piece, high-waisted suit that cost me exactly $2.50 and must have been the height of fashion in the 80's.

Ahhhh. Op Shops... how I love thee!

Gina E. said...

Ditto to all the above comments! I can never find anything I like in ordinary clothings shops, and it makes me wonder where the clothes in opshops have come from, if I never saw them in other shops before. Interstate or overseas maybe?
We often get people in our opshop (BSL Eltham) looking for clothes for a fancy dress party. Last week some girls came in discussing Marianne Faithful and asking each other what she used to wear. Being of a certain vintage, I was able to help them select the right clothes and hats!