A wee post about some of my favourite secondhand gems
I love clothes. And accessories. Handbags make me happy. Hair flowers make me smile. Summer dresses, winter woolies, sun hats or fluffy gloves - I love shopping and every season throws up endless possibilities to mix and match - tights, skirts, warm cardigans, cosy knits, little floral dresses and an ever-changing rainbow of hair flowers and head scarves.
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| At Vintage Nation - Sourpuss bag, Collectif shorts, T.U.K shoes and Gypsy top 50p from car boot sale |
What I don't have, however is a huge budget. Not even a big budget. Nope, I don't even have a medium-sized budget for clothes shopping.
Most of my money is spent on my fabulously fun toddler and family activities - which is exactly how I like it. But I still manage to refresh my wardrobe and dress in my rockabilly/pinup/vintage style, with something 'new' almost every month.
Because although I love shopping, I generally avoid the high street and instead, I find some cracking pieces by hitting Edinburgh's fantastic array of secondhand treasure troves.
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| Lovely vintage dress. £3 from the Edinburgh Flea Market. It was half-altered when I bought it & held together with pins! |
I'm not going to lie - I have ALWAYS shopped at vintage fairs and charity shops. Even when I was earning a great wage, I mixed expensive brands with thrifted £2 tops and cute secondhand dresses. Nothing beats a good rummage at a vintage event or car boot sale for me and knowing that I've stumbled upon a little gem - a pretty belt or a sweet bracelet that's not available on the high street makes picking a pair of earrings off the shelf in Claire's seem boring in comparison.
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| Handbags - £1 each from a charity shop £1 Outlet |
Now - my wardrobe isn't filled with only vintage items - I have a lovely collection of Hell Bunny dresses, Collectif skirts, Banned cardigans and gorgeous pieces from my other favourite brands, Miss Fortune and Lindy Bop. My favourie brand of shoes is T.U.K and I do like a bit of H&M and Primark for basics.
But rifle through my wardrobe and you're guaranteed to pull out something adorable and I'll gleefully tell you "That cost me 50 pence at a car boot sale!"
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| Cherry print ribbon 10p, Faux pearl earrings 50p for 2 pairs & vintage faux pearl bracelet 10p. 10p!!!! |
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| Cute gypsy top £1 from a car boot sale |
Edinburgh has hundreds of fabulous vintage, preloved, thrifty places to shop - I've been visiting Armstrong's in the Grassmarket for many years and there are three branches in Edinburgh. Greenside Omni Centre's Sunday car boot sale is a hustling bustling car park with hundreds of stalls, so busy with people that at some points you're shoulder-to-shoulder with bargain hunters.
Certain areas in Edinburgh are known for their streets filled with charity shops - Stockbridge has some excellent ones, all a couple of doors apart.
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| The leopard print top and vintage waist cincher belt were £1 each from a charity shop |
There are also regular vintage events throughout the year in Edinburgh and I can usually be found there - Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair, Lou Lou's Vintage Fair and The Vintage Clothing Kilo Sale as well as the fantastic monthly Flea Market at Out of the Blue Drill hall (which I wrote about in a previous blog).
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| My favourite bargain outfit - pink sweater £1 from a charity shop and the skirt was 50p at a car boot sale! |
So... if I was magically given £1000 to spend on clothes right now would I hit the high street where I could browse at my leasure and come home with a few carefully selected seasonal items OR would I rather pull my sleeves up and get down to a good rummage, up to my elbows in belts and bags, summer dresses mingling with novelty Christmas cardis, tatty old boots hiding pretty heels and - wow! - a vintage dress perfect for that special night out.
I'll see you at the charity shop.
Laura Dolly Cupcake xxxx
