by Bex
Before Christmas I was invited to be the case study for a style feature for the Evening Times to promote promote second hand shops and charity shops as an alternative to buying new things as part of the Scottish Government's Greener Together campaign (which I have talked about previously when I made this seasonal soup).
I had a great day with Adele from Stripe helping me select outfits and Ross from Imagine Wedding Images taking the photos. We went along to Oxfam on Byres road who kindly let us browse around their shop taking photos. At the time we were looking for things you could wear to a Christmas party instead of buying a brand new outfit, it's better for the environment and saves money! We found quite a few great bits but actually there were a lot more than just Christmas party options.
And this print dress (£14.99) and sparkly blazer (£9.99 - I bought this!) looked fab together...
I LOVE browsing the trinkets you find in charity shops and I came home with yet another vase, sorry Nik, for just £1.99, a lovely wooden star Christmas tree ornament and these cute little stainless steel ice-cream bowls, £2.99 for the set.
I've worn it LOADS, I'd even go so far as to say it was my new favourite - worn open to show the oversize style or closed with a black belt to cinch in my waist. I love thinking of ways to style second hand pieces to you get more use out of them.
Before Christmas I was invited to be the case study for a style feature for the Evening Times to promote promote second hand shops and charity shops as an alternative to buying new things as part of the Scottish Government's Greener Together campaign (which I have talked about previously when I made this seasonal soup).
I had a great day with Adele from Stripe helping me select outfits and Ross from Imagine Wedding Images taking the photos. We went along to Oxfam on Byres road who kindly let us browse around their shop taking photos. At the time we were looking for things you could wear to a Christmas party instead of buying a brand new outfit, it's better for the environment and saves money! We found quite a few great bits but actually there were a lot more than just Christmas party options.
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| Photo by Ross Brownlee |
I spotted a couple of sparkly tops, maxi skirts and this cute black beaded bag which was just £5.99...
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| Photo by Ross Brownlee |
We ended up with quite a selection to try on for some photos (although sadly the purple dress was a size 10)...
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| Photo by Ross Brownlee |
And this print dress (£14.99) and sparkly blazer (£9.99 - I bought this!) looked fab together...
 |
| Photo by Ross Brownlee |
After we'd finished scouting out the glitzy evening ideas I stayed and had a look around and soon spotted some other gems! I have always loved charity shops for trinkets, ceramics and glassware. I had great fun collecting mis-matched glass & crystal vases for our wedding and I found some great decanters and bottles for my Halloween party 'Poison Bar' too! I've never spent much time looking at the clothes though but this time I found so much great stuff! I'll definitely be exploring more of my local charity shops and scouting out more clothing finds after this experience. (Although they've always been great to find stuff for good old pub golf!)
I fell in love with these Oxfam cards which, although new, are super cheap (most were around £1-1.50) and there were loads of great designs and they're all for charity :)
I LOVE browsing the trinkets you find in charity shops and I came home with yet another vase, sorry Nik, for just £1.99, a lovely wooden star Christmas tree ornament and these cute little stainless steel ice-cream bowls, £2.99 for the set.
Of course, I couldn't resist some accessories and had to purchase that cute little bag and these gorgeous chunky beads (£2.99).
But by far the best purchase was this Gannex camel wool coat which I snapped up for a mere £24.99! One of the fun things about shopping in second hand shops is looking for things you can style differently or even upcycle into a completely different garment. (You know I love a bit of upcycling!) I've styled this coat so many different ways already, adding a different belt and wearing it open with both dressy and more casual outfits. It's so versatile!
I've worn it LOADS, I'd even go so far as to say it was my new favourite - worn open to show the oversize style or closed with a black belt to cinch in my waist. I love thinking of ways to style second hand pieces to you get more use out of them.
So, do any of you shop in charity shops? Any great finds recently? Let me know in the comments, I love bargains, especially 2nd hand ones :)
2 comments:
I used to shop in charity shops all the time (I don't so much now as I live out of the city, and it's more of a mission to make a trip into that part of town). I have many outfits from there, I got a great Karen Millen sequined black shrug for about £5 once! I usually manage to find tops, cardigans and a few accessories. Often what I buy isn't that fancy (sometimes it's even Primark!) but when it's still cheaper than buying it in the shop, and you're doing your bit for the environment and charity, what's not to like?! My sisters-in-law all love to shop and would never consider shopping in charity shops, but often compliment me on my "new" top, and are always surprised to hear it's from Oxfam, or British Heart Foundation. But you can find some real gems! xx
I miss shopping in charity shops - your finds mean I think I need to get back into it. I used to have some fab finds from back then and was pretty stylish (I think).
That coat is so fab on you. I love it.
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