Cheap Thrills Part 1 - or how a material girl (almost) overcame her fear of op-shops

I was feeling brave last Tuesday (Melbourne cup day, which was a public holiday for me) and decided to make my way to Queanbeyan (Queanbehole for those in the know) which is ahem... a rather working class satellite town to Canberra across the border in NSW . I have been reading a few fashion blogs of late and seeing some fantastic vintage/thrifted frocks and accessories....

I also found a communal blog dedicated to op-shopping around canberra and they gave a few hints on op-shopping such as be nice to staff (I always am because retail can be thankless, also many of these guys are volunteers so of course I will be nice!) and wear clean underwear because you may be burst into in a dressing room. I nearly fell off my chair reading this. Who needs to be told to wear clean underwear?? People frequenting op-shops perhaps, scary thought. Perhaps the poster actually wanted us to wear clean non-skimpy underwear, which indeed is a good idea if you are trying on clothes. Here is the link to the blog anyway, and afterwards back on track with my own personal journey...

http://act-opshopping.blogspot.com/


First of all I went to Anglicare...

Gorgeous paisley scarves. $3 each. No tags, not sure if they are silk or not (they felt and ironed like it) but they were both in great condition and no marks, loose threads etc.

Pleated Skirt $4 . I love this lightweight skirt, amazing pleats, perfect condition. I would assume early-mid 80s?? It is not a great length, mid calf exactly where my legs are chunkiest, YUK! But I dropped it off for alterations to get it to just on the botton of my knees. Alterations cost $21..., so five times more than the skirt... But all things considered, $25 for a fantastic one of a kind summer skirt... I can't wait to get it back!

Close up of the pattern. Cool huh?

I ordered this brooch from forever 21 online a few days ago. Especially to wear with the skirt. Oops, not so frugal now. Must stop buying stuff!!

Anyway, back to my op-shopping adventure...I went to the Salvation Army store next...

Loving this amber cut glass jug, such a great colour. It didn't have a price on it and the lady gave it to me for free! (but I put some money in the donation box because I felt bad...)

It went well with these flowers, I have no idea what variety they are but they are pretty long lasting, they are a week old here and we have had some warm weather. I bought some stocks at the same time and they only lasted a couple of days but smelled gorgeous.

These I did pay for. $8. Total. Crazy. (for the little dishes, the jewellery I already had) Gave them a quick soak in a diluted bleach solution and they came up really well. They are definitely too light for crystal but the glass is in good condition and I am just using them to organise my jewellery. Pretty happy with that!

Well that was an end to my adventure. Also it wasn't smelly like I expected. I am really sensitive to smells and Mr Undomestic Goddess frequently drags me to antique shops and second hand book shops and both of these can smell a little musty and weird. (So I blame him for my fears for taking me on dodgy outings) Also I don't like the smell of old people coats (naphthalene/moth balls). But both op shops I went to were very clean and non smelly and all the stuff was very clean as well. For those of you who are still a bit iffy I will give you some pros and cons based on my oh so limited experience of 1 hours op shopping.

Pro

Environmental: self explanetary. There is already so much crap in the world. Not only are we saving all the production energy we are also minimising land fill etc.

Economical: Hello, the stuff is cheap.

Social: Supporting charity while shopping? Can it get any better?

Con
Time: It is time consuming going through the stuff.

Range: I do realise that op-shops just get what people donate and it is nigh impossible to go op-shopping with a particular thing in mind. But I was hoping to see some nice/quirky vintage stuff. Pretty much all the clothes were chain store brands (everything from tempt and supre to Cue, Witchery and French Connection) from the last 10 years. The clothes were in good condition, but didn't interest me. Although it would provide a good retail alternative for those on a limited income, which is the main purpose of op-shops.... um should this be a pro?? What I'm getting at is that it is hard to find amazing vintage clothing in op-shops, unless you know when the deliveries come in, you have a good eye and lots of time. I think I will have to try some vintage boutiques next time I'm in Sydney.

Overall it was fun, and I found some nice things. Go in with a big smile and an open mind.

I will post a part 2 soon, with stuff I bought this weekend!