Vintage sequined waistcoat, £7, Unbranded cream chiffon blouse, £3, American Eagle skinny jeans, £5, Italian leather vintage ballet shoes, £6: All various charity shops, Hat: Primark Necklace: ASOS
I really wanted to put together a post to show how much great stuff you can find in charity shops. I am always popping in to my local ones; dropping off bags of donations and browsing the rails and almost always come out with a bargain or two. I'm not snobby about it but I know some people find the idea of charity shopping is not to their taste, which is fine, but I think the association with musty old blouses and raggedy overwashed Primark tops has definitely had its day. Yes, these do still exist in some quantity, but if you persevere you can find some really lovely items for a fraction of what you'd pay in the shops. The only difference? They might have already been worn once or twice, but after a nice hot machine wash I really don't see any difference between this and buying something from a shop; chances are, someone will have already tried it on! A friend of mine was horrified to learn I bought secondhand shoes, however once we'd discussed the possibility of a brand new pair having been tried on by a sweaty, stinky bare foot, she had to agree there wasn't much of a difference! Charity shops aren't just glorified dustbins; the ones I shop in, in any case, wouldn't sell something that was totally knackered or had been worn out, these things probably go to recycling or landfill.
Anyway, I charity shop most weeks and these items were picked up over about a fortnight. I found the skinny American Eagle jeggings in one of my favourite charity shops and knew straight away I wanted to pair them with an oversized top, to counteract the skinny! I spotted this loose, chiffony blouse in Oxfam and as it was only £3 I snapped it up. It's actually a size 14, but I don't think you need to religiously stick to your size when charity shopping; not in tops at least. I always buy random sizes and they always seem to look ok-who cares if it's bigger or smaller than your 'normal' size; it's just a number on a label!
My next buy was one of my most favourite ever! I spotted this amazing sequinned waistcoat tucked away with some coats and jackets, and could tell by the shape and sizes of the sequins that it wasn't 'new' and as such I expected it to be pricey. However at £7, whilst at the higher priced end of my charity shopping budget, it wasn't ridiculously expensive so I thought I'd go for it. I love the kind of boho, festival vibe it lends to daywear, and lets face it, you'd probably expect to pay around £50 for something like this in Topshop, so I think it's a fantastic buy!
Another thing I was so excited to find were these little vintage ballerinas. They are so pretty and were barely worn when I got my paws on them-I've since worn them almost non stop! Shoes are always quite easy for me to find in charity shops due to my small feet, which means vintage shoes fit me well, so I always keep my eyes out for those!
I really love this look, I finished it off with a high street hat and necklace and I think it's super cute. I also don't think that you'd know any of these items were sourced from charity shops by looking at it!
What do you think of this look? Are you a chazza fan?
XO Amie
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