Wednesday 8 July 2009

Who knew thrifting would be so sociable?



Today I went all thrifty (the bank manager's idea not sure why?) and found this skirt in a charity shop in Bury St Edmunds.

One thing I love about shopping in our local charity shops is the random conversations you find yourself getting into. It's a very sociable thing to do evidently. Now, not wishing to totally stereotype, but, most of our local shops are manned by lovely elderly ladies, and boy do they love a good chat!

This skirt for example started an interesting discussion (which I was not entirely comfortable with, and is far too long to go into here), but resulted in the elderly lady knocking ME down on price... um, a strange haggle indeed, I was quite happy to pay full price but she wouldn't let me, there was a tiny fault on the zip you see.

One of my top tips for thrifting* is 'do not rely on the sizes they mark them up as'. Just because you are say a size 10, don't just look at the size 10 rack! This was marked up as several sizes larger than I would usually wear, although really it is a little snug on my waist! There was no actual size label in the garment, so they had basically guessed!

You may notice this look isn't as summery as previous posts, well, that is because the typical British Summer is being typically British, 30° one day / 10° the next – I have decided it is impossible to have a 'Capsule Summer Wardrobe' in England.

Total spent today: £4 (should have been £5 and I feel bad about it so may just donate that other £1 anyway)

*Why do you thrift?
1. Because thrifting is a Green practice involving the reuse, recycle, or re-style of a product and allows that product a longer life in its use thus diverting the product from a landfill.
2. Because more often than not, thrifting supports charity.
3. Because by definition of the noun, thrift, thrifting is a frugal practice that can bring significant savings to the thrifter.
4. Because thrifting diverts mass market spending into a market of one-of-a-kinds and originals.
5. Because socially speaking, thrifting is a lesson in the treasures a culture tosses and the junk people keep
6. Because I just want to alright? now please stop going on about it...

13 comments:

The Beauty Bargainista said...

love the outfit! I cant believe some of the deals you have snagged on ebay also! i never find clothes on there! What do you put in the search to find such great deals?

Unknown said...

On the opposite side of the ocean we are getting the same weather.

Pretty skirt and the lady was so nice to insist on giving you a discount LOL!

Anonymous said...

like the skirt ,it is a good length on you.As you say they often guess the size on clothes that arent labeled in charity shops.They usually will refund your money if they dont fit as long as price tag still on.Hope the weather is a little warmer on thursday.

LenoreNeverM♡re said...

Adore the skirt...I get butterfly when I go thrifting! Found some darling treasures along the way!
This has inspired me to do a future post on the subject...Thank you darling!

E said...

I totally agree about the charity shops, except I just hear bizarre interactions. Seriously, I need a tape recorder to share.

Unknown said...

aww... sweet!!! and i just realize how could thrifting be so nice..

xx

Kari said...

Okay, okay, you convinced me. I definitely want to learn to be a better and more patient thrifter.

I love your look today. The waistcoat and booties are so cute, and awesome to get the skirt for an even LOWER thrift price!

Sharon S said...

Hi there-thanks for the well wishes, much appreciated!!

A great thrift find, the skirt looks fabulous on! I don't need to be converted to thrifting, its already an obsession for me, LOL!!

Elizabeth Marie said...

I love thrifting! Great skirt!

I laughed at your comment about the zipper dress...I thought the EXACT same thing. :)

Vicki said...

Love this bargain of a skirt! Unfortunately there is no good charity shops near me or even in a 30 mile radius! Maybe i should try thrifting online?
Much love from Ireland
magpie-girl.blogspot.com

TheOnlineStylist said...

Wow.. that is a great skirt. You have inspired me to go thrifting! Did you watch Mary Queen Of Charity Shops... I would have loved to rumage through that particular shop after she turned it around... and don't even get me started on the Living & Giving shop in Westfield. Sigh... if only.... Love your blog!

love home|life|style said...

Thanks for all the comments guys x

Bargainista – I search very vaguely on ebay, so just by my size (or a size up or size down), I quite often go for items that have been photographed badly... it puts some people off! but sometimes you can be really pleasantly surprised by them...!

I'm glad some of you might go thrifting now if you don't already, I'd love to see what bargains you find!

E: what a funny idea, tape recording the old ladies...! lol

Vik: sorry you don't have a nearby shop... that's a bit pants! :-(

That Girl... yes I did watch Mary Queen of Charity Shops, it was hilarious, the oldies were not happy about change AT ALL, and that is exactly what all the staff are like in our shops too!

J. said...

The skirt is supercute!