Alot of people know I'm a vintage lover. I love a good bargain, and when there's so many vintage emporium's and charity shops around the UK, why should we not pop in and take a peek and see if we find anything that we could compare to something on the high street from somewhere like Topshop or Zara? Having previously working in Topshop for 3 years, I know that some of the items in there can be way above some people's price ranges, let alone NOT worth that amount of money.
So, I decided one day whilst I was in town to go and take a peek in The Salvation Army, a charity shop in my local town centre in Luton. All I could say was "I'm never shopping anywhere else!" - for a good few years I've been grabbing vintage bargains on good ol' Ebay, as well as the occasional item from Topshop and other high street stores. You will probably find that some of the things you lust for in some of the more expensive retail stores out there, you can find what may aswell be a replica of that exact item, but in a charity shop for £'s less than what you'd pay originally.
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This beautiful nude/stone long lined blouse with a pussy bow tie, I found hidden in amongst loads of cute little peter-pan collared blouses in the charity shop. With spare buttons still attached, this beauty cost me only £3.99. The material is so soft, it feels like suede. Perfect for casual day wear, even a night out. That's the beauty of charity shop buys, they're cheap as chips and you can dress them to fit any occasion you like!
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Aaah. The tweed blazer. Believe me, I lusted over a tweed blazer I saw in Zara about a year ago when I was walking past the store in Oxford Circus and I promised myself I'd get it when I had enough money. As you can probably guess, I broke this promise. However, I found this lovely think blazer in the same charity shop. Costing me £4.99, in a high street store such as Topshop, you're likely to pay no less than £60 - I'm currently in the process of customizing this, I've got various cuts and colours of leather to sew onto the elbows to make elbow patches (with some help from my lovely Granddad)
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This cute little cream embroidered thick aran cardigan has been a lovely little addition to my wardrobe. In fact, it's now a favourite of mine. You may recognise it from one of my previous posts as I wore it on my 18th birthday. They had quite a few of these in the charity shop, I must admit when I found this as well as the tweed blazer and the pussy-bow long lined blouse, I was really impressed! We all know that in Topshop you would pay around £50 for a cardigan this thick, and with this much detail. As I previously have purchased one of the aran cardigans from there for £55. This little one cost me £4.99.
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When I worked in Topshop, I remember when it was time for me to get my uniform. I was so desperate a cape EXACTLY like this but it was £95, and I wouldn't ever spend that much money on an item of clothing unless I had more £'s to back it up with. As they say "if you've got the money, why not?". However, this beauty caught my eye on one of the racks in the same charity shop, it's SO thick (even though it's a Size 20) it gives a beautiful baggy, oversized vintage look to any outfit. It looks so cute with black tights and a chunky pair of heels with a little vintage dress underneath. So pretty. And guess what? At £4.99 I have to say once again, SO IMPRESSED.
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Along with all of the clothes they have in there. They also have a little cabinet under the till meaning you can browse cute little items like jewellery, powder mirrors, household accessories as you're paying. And this happened to catch my eye just as I was buying my items. How cute it is? I'm a sucker for anything floral, shabby chic and vintage. This was just the cherry on top. It's an adorable little powder mirror made by 'Stratton' (made in England) - now me being me, I told my Nan and Granddad about this amazing buy and my Granddad happened to mention how his Mum had one but with a blue floral pattern on the front, except it was boxed and was given to my Nan when my Great Grandmother passed away. He couldn't find it in the end which was a shame. But we did spend time researching the brand name 'Stratton' and found that they still sell now, and the price they sell at is between £25 to £35. And I purchased this one for *drum roll please?* £3. Bargain right? It was the perfect little addition to my shopping trip!
The Salvation Army is now my new favourite place to find lots of vintage goodies and fashionable clothes at a perfect price. In fact, I'm popping in there after work tomorrow for a quick browse (that could be fatal, I'll probably end up leaving with bags full!) - however, if I pick up anything tomorrow that catches my eye, I'll be sure to let you all know and blog away!
Are you guys second hand shoppers?
What's been your BEST charity shop buy?
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