Driving home after a stressful shift last Friday, I noticed that an Op Shop was open on my way home. I had always seen the sign for this one- 'Op Shop, Open Fridays 10am-3pm' but had never been able to go due to never having Fridays off at my previous job! So when I noticed that the little doors of the church it is held in were open last week- I'm not gunna lie, I pulled a pretty sassy U-Turn- and went in to check it out!
I am so glad I did! It was like I had stepped through the charity shop version of the wardrobe to Narnia, into a land full of funky clothes at old-school Op Shop prices! As much as I love Op Shopping for many reasons other than the prices, I do get frustrated when I see clothing that has been labelled according to its brand in a charity store. Sometimes the prices are no different to what you would pay in a normal retail shop these days, and I think that kind of defeats the purpose for some people.
But some Op Shops, like the one I visited last Friday, are still what I consider 'traditional.' I'm talking about clothes that have been roughly sorted into size order, items that have been randomly priced at two or three dollars, racks and racks and racks of cardigans that you have to sift through to find a vintage treasure. That is what I really like about the whole experience of Op Shopping- it actually takes a bit of mental effort.
I found some cool stuff last week, and it gave me that little bit of retail therapy that I was so desperately craving but could not indulge in due to my mission of saving money before June. Thank the shopping Lord for charity stores, that is all I can say. I got a lovely little red jumper with beaded flower detailing across the chest, a daisy-printed scarf, a red floral wrap dress and some Calvin Klein high-waisted jeans...all for the grand total of... $13 !!!!!!! Stoked level= one million.
Call me pathetic, but whatever- I know a lot of you girls (and maybe guys) out there do it too. Whenever I buy new clothes, I like spreading them out on my bed and leaving them there for as long as I can. Coming in and laying out different items that would go with them and then standing back and admiring them. Ok, that is probably the most materialistic statement I have ever made... go ahead and judge me.
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| Red dress, red lipstick, red wrapping-bow and a red love-heart card (which I made myself!) |
The discovery of the red wrap dress was just in time- I had a baby shower to attend on Sunday and it strangely matched my gift-wrapping! I promise it was not planned!
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| Clearly excited about my bargain dress... at $4, who wouldn't be? |
The baby shower was the first one that I have ever attended, actually! The expecting Mum looked gorgeous with her beautiful belly, even if it was strange to see a friend pregnant! She is the first one of my friends to have a baby. It was good to catch up with friends that I have not seen in years, even if it felt strange to be sitting with old school friends that are now engaged, married or having kids! While I'm over here just getting excited about my Op Shop bargains! It was a strange, but very nice feeling to see everyone making different life choices.
The baby shower was also a good excuse to wear my new dress. I really love this one. The length and the sleeves give it a 1940's look, and the wrap style accentuates allllll the curves! Haha! I further justified it to myself by noting that it will be a good winter dress, too- perfect for stockings and boots. But also perfect for European summer in June- win win!!!
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