Charity Shop Haul – My Recent Bargains

I love clothes and I love shopping. That’s no secret. But if I was to spend all my time shopping on the High Street or online, I would quite frankly need to remortgage my home. Which is why so much of my shopping time is spent visiting charity shops in market towns, the sort of places where you can pick up great bargains and unusual pieces when you are on a strict budget.

I love charity shops, the idea that you can find something that has been preloved and give it a new lease of life. Charity shops serve a great cause in raising money that is much needed, and also work well in recycling clothes that could otherwise go to landfill, hence helping the environment too. They can also be the cheapest option when searching for vintage clothing, definitely cheaper than dedicated vintage shops or ebay.

Charity shops can also be hiding designer bargains too. Recently I have found pieces from Louboutin, Vivienne Westwood, Dries Van Noten and Calvin Klein – all for under £25.

Here are some of my most recent charity shop finds, along with a few more tips on what to look for if you are charity shop shopping.

Look for classic shapes and prints

Animal prints, stripes and polka dots or plain, block colours, all these are perennials that never really go out of fashion and are worth picking up. In a similar way, a shift style dress is always a winner, with 1960s shift shapes like the striped M&Co dress below being a great option for dressing up or down.

F&F Dress £4.49 from BHF

M&Co Dress £4.50 Katherine’s House Hospice Shop

Kaleidoscope dress £5.99 Acorns Hospice Shop

Look for Vintage

Vintage is so much cheaper if you can pick it up in a charity shop, and there are some brilliant finds out there. 1970s and 1980s labels are the easiest to find, but you may pick up something earlier, like the 1960s yellow dress that I snapped up for £6.99.

1980s dress £4.99 BHF

1970s print skirt £3 and Hobbs shell top £3.99 Katherine House

Tea Dress 1970s £3 Salvation Army Shop

1960s dress £6.99 Giles Hospice shop

1960s suit £4 Save the Children

1980s jacket Giles Hospice shop

1960s dress £4 Fresh Fields

Look for Designer and Quality Labels

Charity shops are not just about ‘old clothes’ and High Street Labels, you can also find premium High Street labels and Designer labels – you just need to look!