I love op shopping. Op, opp, opportunity or thrift shops, whatever you call them, I love them. It’s like searching through a giant treasure chest – what will you find? Of course, you have to sort through the duds to find the treasures, but treasures are still to be found – you just have to know how and what to look for. On my op shop runs, I have uncovered many awesome finds including a vintage, authentic Burberry coat for $40 and a wool blazer by Camilla and Marc for $12, not to mention the perfect oversized white shirt I found for $2 and the classic navy military coat for $4.
One of my favourite tips for op shopping is to go when you’re travelling or on holidays – new destinations bring new finds, and sometimes small or country towns have the best bargains. This week I am on holidays with the hubby and bub, so I plan on making the most of the op shops here. I’ll share my finds with you, of course.
So, if you want to get cracking on finding some bargains, here are my 6 top tips:
1. Go often.
This sounds obvious, but the more often you go, the better chance there is of you spotting the bargains before others. I tend to go to my favourite local op shops fortnightly. This leaves plenty of time for new bargains to fill the shelves. Once you know what you’re looking for, it can often be just a 5 minute pop-in-on-the-way-somewhere trip too.
2. Don’t just stick to the women’s racks.
With all due respect, some of the volunteers or paid workers at op shops don’t really know their men’s shirt from their women’s shirt dress, so make sure to have a pick through every rack – not just the most obviously suited ones to you. For example, I found a silk evening dress in the dress-up costume rack; the Burberry women’s coat was on the men’s suit-jacket rack; and I once found an awesome buttery-soft vintage rock tee on the children’s rack. Don’t forget accessories too – I once found the perfect black clutch for 50c.
3. Be prepared to alter.
Found a skirt or dress in an awesome vintage print that’s just too long? Be prepared to have it altered to be shorter. The beauty of thrift shop finds is that they’re usually so economically priced that altering or mending does not make the item an expensive purchase. If you love it, and the mending or altering is not too extreme, go for it.
4. Look for quality fabrics.
Op shops provide a fantastic opportunity to buy clothes in good quality fabrics, such as leather or silk, at a great price point. Often, op shops have a leather rack – be sure to peruse it. Leather skirts are always making comebacks and leather jackets are a classic. With a bit of TLC and alterations (hello, leather glue!) they often come up a treat. Denim is another good buy – it’s so hard wearing that denim jeans, jackets and shirts have usually got a lot of wear left.
5. Visit the plus size rack.
Often where I’ve found my best bargains. Vintage sizing is smaller than our sizing now, so some vintage items in bigger sizes often come to this rack to die – revive them! Remember it’s usually easier to take something in than let it out. Also, oversized button up shirts are a staple in my wardrobe and the plus size rack is the best place to find them. (Oversized button up shirts paired with skinny jeans is perfect also for maternity or nursing wear, mums and mums to be.)
6. Know what not to buy.
Of course, a bargain is only a bargain if you’re going to make use of it, so even if the item’s super cheap, think carefully if you’ll wear it. Could you see yourself wearing to at least three different occasions? Do you have clothing or shoes to pair with it? In addition, if the item is stained, think extra carefully – if you can’t tell what the stain is, or if it’s been on the item a long time, you probably won’t get it out. Ditto if the item’s ripped – if it’s on a seam it’s usually quite easy to mend but if not, probably best forget about it.
And my last tip – good luck! X
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