nifty thrifty

A while back, I posted a picture of some shoes and whatnot on Instagram, and mentioned that I was selling off half of my wardrobe to fund lovely new buys. In the last four years I’ve had two babies, and two doses of anaemia, which means my weight has yo-yo’d and most of my clothes were miles too big – what better reason to buy lots of nice new (old!) ones?

Everything was, as usual, found in either charity shops or eBay, and the most expensive thing was my ace new coat, which was a teeny tiny £25.

1980’s leaf print dress – eBay, £4

This red leaf print dress was a £4 bargain from eBay – it’s 1980’s Dorothy Perkins, but shaped like a 1940’s number, and I loooove it. It’s got a lovely nipped-in waist and a tulip shaped skirt – obviously I’d have preferred it to be genuine 1940’s, but I’m skint and beggars can’t be choosers!

Cable cardigan – The British Heart Foundation, £3.99

I love a good bit of ‘Nan knitwear’, like this cabled, patterned cardigan-wonder. It was £3.99 from the British Heart Foundation shop and is actually a lovely mint green colour, which is one of my favourites (after mustard and teal!).

Lovely tweed-y 1980’s Dorothy Perkins jacket – Salvation Army, £5.99

Knitted sleeveless cardigan thingy – Brain Injury Charity, £3.99

Lovely green pleated dress – eBay, £4.99

The green pleated dress above was another eBay bargain – it looks pretty big, but is actually a size ten, and fits perfectly. It’s sort of drop-waisted, which I don’t usually bother with, but I was sold by the lovely colour and gold buttons. I’m thinking I might wear it with my faux fur coat and 1940’s style shoes. As much as I love vintage, I find it hard to stick to one era – I often seem to end up mixing it up quite a lot, and then sticking on a pair of modern boots to finish it off. I’d love to spend more time in authentic outfits, but a lack of time (hair curling with two children anyone?) and money (from my research, a genuine 1940’s dress usually costs around £65. I usually manage to spend about a fiver on new clothes) makes it near on impossible. One day!

1970’s Tie-neck Dress – Brain Injury Charity, £4.99

1970’s Floral Smock Dress – Brain Injury Charity, £3.99

The Brain Injury charity shop that opened near us was a goldmine a couple of weeks back – they’d actually created a proper vintage section (albeit a small one), which I made a serious dent in. There was also a vintage vanity case that I’m still thinking about now, which you might end up seeing in a future post….

One of my favourite finds was a dress from a New York flea market (via eBay), that was apparently from the 1940’s (which I’m a leeeeetle suspicious of, but I love it regardless). There’s beading, there’s a fitted waistline, there’s buttons and it’s a beautiful jade colour. I wore it to my work Christmas party (I’m on maternity leave, but still very much a member of staff, ha!), with some shoes I found on eBay and a Paul Smith cardigan – I actually found enough time to take some pictures before I went out, so there will be an actual outfit post coming up. But for now, behold. The dress:

I’ve saved my absolute favourite find for last – I think everyone has one vintage item that they’re constantly looking for, and stays in the back of their mind whenever they’re shopping. Ever since I started buying vintage clothes (about ten years ago now, crikey), I’ve been desperate to find a mustard coloured coat with a big fur collar. Two weeks ago, on wonderful eBay, I finally found my long lost love for a bargain price of £25. She’s a beaut, and I’ve worn her everywhere since – with dresses and jeans, shoes and boots, and even my old battered Converse. I love her. I think we’ll be very happy together.

Look at that collar!

PS: If you haven’t entered yet, I’ve got a giveaway going on at the moment. A £30 gift voucher, redeemable against any item on AskHerFriends. Quick, go and enter!