I was surprised to learn this morning that this week is National Op Shop Week. Firstly, surprised that I wasn’t given a crown and sceptre and the title of ‘Ambassador’ and secondly, surprised that we have no public holiday to mark the occasion.
Moving on. Apparently op shops nation wide are currently experiencing their lowest stocks ever. More and more people are shopping at op shops, but not as many people are donating. We live in scary times! Start donating, people! Share the love! Redress the balance!
To celebrate I thought I’d go back over some of my most prized op shop purchases of all time.
Coat & Scarf this deliciously warm wool/cashmere blend coat I bought from Savers for $16.95. The scarf was about $4 from Vinnies.
Dress I blogged about recently. An excellent vintage find from Savers in Melbourne.
Jacket, shirt & skirt an entirely thrifted outfit, including the brooch. White shirt is a staple I wear all the time. Leather skirt is all kinds of versatile.
Jacket & shirt tweed black and white jacket I bought from the now defunct Savers in Shepparton. That place was a goldmine. Lest we forget.
Blazer floral goodness! Also blogged about recently.
Now for some National Op Shop Week resolutions:
- I will stop buying coats. I have at least 10 and I live on the edge of a desert.
- I will dabble in second hand footwear. I’ve yet to go there but I know I am missing out.
- I will get around to altering all those op shop finds that are too long/short/shoulder-paddy.
Click here for my handy guide for op shopping success.
Tell me, what has been your best or whackiest op shop find? Got any tips for success?
My Bloggable Day 
I’m a dabbler in op-shopping, I really should spend more time on it! You’ve found some amazing things!! I love the hawaiian floral dress in particular. Gorgeous! xx
Thanks lovely! I’ve found its much easier to score great clothing in the major cities. The days of the great country op shop seem to be over, sadly xx
Unfortunately I think you’re right. I used to find the most amazing designer items in little country towns when I’d head up to visit my parents in the Hunter Valley, but they’re scoured clean now!!
Best op shop buy was a black and white halter dress that looked very fancy and non op-shop on – wore it to the races, a beach wedding and several other occasions. Wackiest… Probably a god-awful gown-type thing bought for a 70s themed Christmas party. Looked like something out of Jesus Christ Superstar 🙂
Both of those things sound excellent! Hope you haven’t disposed of the 70s gown!
Thanks for the reminder. I have a bootload of stuff to drop off.
Also not sure what cities people are in but I found the outer suburbs good, eg, Asquith in Sydney. Also op shops in posh but daggy suburbs. When I used to live in Melbourne, I used to find places like Carnegie, Bentleigh, Oakleigh etc pretty good. Nothing like the 80s (my op shopping hey day) though!
Gosh, I know your pain with the coats… I have at least twenty coats and really need to stop buying them. Terrible!
Still, at least the charity shop will get a good haul when I finally clear them out!