Outfit of Love

Over Valentines weekend Luke and I had the pleasure of attending one of my beautiful friend’s wedding. I haven’t been to many weddings, but I’ve now worn this exact outfit to two of them… it just seems to be the perfect ‘love’ themed look! 

The event was mostly outside and it was a flawless balmy Perth evening, so the thin straps of my thrifted Alannah Hill dress were perfect until they both snapped off from excessive dancing… oops! Luckily my wardrobe malfunction went unnoticed and I managed to tuck the little straps in and keep dancing the night away. I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to rescue the dress and take it out for another spin.

My whole outfit it second hand, which I’m sure doesn’t surprise you, but it just goes to show that when you’re desperately wondering what to wear to a wedding or any special event, your first stop shouldn’t be Myer or David Jones, but Salvos or Good Sammies instead! You're guaranteed to find something cool and can almost be certain that no one else will be wearing the same outfit!

Dress: Alannah Hill, Good Sammies Subiaco $15

Bag: Save the Children Subiaco $3

Brooch: Op shop

Shoes: Vivienne Westwood x Melissa, eBay

P.S Apologies for the not super exciting photos, I was in a mad rush to snap some pictures before our Uber arrived. I don't normally take outfit shots before events, but seeing as this was the second time I've worn this outfit I thought I better make the effort! 

Buying Nothing New

I kind of stopped mentioning it in my blog posts, but a year ago I took a leaf out of Julie's book and pledged to Buy Nothing New for a whole year. I decided to challenge myself to avoid the fast fashion trap and only buy second hand clothing/shoes/accessories for a full 12 months. So how did I go? Well I think the fact that I didn’t even realise my year was up until two weeks after the date is a good indication that I did ok! I was already a keen second hand shopper before this challenge, but now I’m well and truly obsessed.

Over the past 12 months I only cracked twice, both times interestingly enough were to buy things I’d decided I desperately and urgently needed for a holiday (a bikini in March and a striped t-shirt in July). Aside from those two slips I stuck to my word and spent my year trawling op shops, markets, ebay and the odd consignment store for all my shopping needs. It was honestly so much fun and I didn’t miss Kmart/Sportsgirl/Country Road at all. The few times I did pop into those stores (mostly to torture myself) I did find things that I liked and if I wasn’t ‘buying nothing new’ I probably would have bought them, but I resisted, walked away and 5 minutes later I had totally forgotten about what ever item I had just reluctantly dragged myself away from.

So am I ever going to buy something new? Probably, but I don’t know if chain stores or department stores will ever be my first stop when looking for something. This year I've found outfits for weddings, dress up parties, office wear, work-out gear, beach cover ups and even some new swimmers all second hand. Why would I stop?? I love the thrill of the treasure hunt and knowing that it’s super unlikely anyone else will be wearing what I’m wearing. I also really like the feeling of shopping sustainably. The fast fashion hamster wheel is relentless and for a serious shop-a-holic like myself, I feel pretty good not to be contributing to that nonsense. Sure I buy a lot, but it’s second hand, the only people benefitting from my purchases are the op shop charities and the environment, which makes me feel ace!

I could rabbit on for ever about my love of second hand shopping (hey I made a blog specifically for that purpose!) but I’ll shut up now and leave you with this fully second hand look, which I’m totally in love with (and may or may not have worn 3 days in a row!)

Dress: Vinnies Claremont $7
Shoes: Good Sammies Subiaco $6
Bag: Vinnies Claremont $8
Sunnies: Salvos South Lakes $3
Necklaces: Assorted

Donate Back and Restyle Wrap Up

It’s the last day of winter and the last day of Restyle! Did you have a fun month following along with all the prompts? From what I saw on Instagram people were finding some fantastic things, I was a little envious at times! The very last prompt of Restyle is always Donate Back, which is a fantastic habit to get in to. As a keen op shopper, it’s very easy to accumulate a lot of clothes quickly. Fast fashion is completely the norm now, which means people (myself included!) want new clothes all the time. This means we often have wardrobes full of clothes, shoes and accessories which have been worn once or twice and won’t be worn by us again. These are the items which are ripe for donation! Put them in a big bag and take them down to your local op shop. Someone else will be able to breath some new life into them and a charity will gain some much needed funds for their important work in your community. I try to get in to the habit of taking one item out of my wardrobe for every new item I buy. This doesn’t always happen, but most of the time I’m pretty good. I keep an old IKEA bag in the boot of my car and just keep putting clothes in there, when it’s full I know it’s time to lug it down to my local op shop.

 

I had such fun following along with all the prompts this year. Not being an ‘official’ blogger has taken the pressure off and allowed me to just enjoy the month. I loved seeing everyone else’s outfits pop up on Instagram and on blogs. Encouraging and inspiring people to op shop is truly awesome, thank you so much Telstra Perth Fashion Festival for investing in such an amazing initiative. I’ll definitely be following along next year!  

 

 

 

If you missed any of my outfits you can just click on the pictures to take you to the post. My favourite look was the very first one! I just can’t get over my amazing tribal skirt from Good Sammies. I want to keep wearing it over and over again! Which was your favourite prompt this year?

 

 

I only missed two prompts, Blazer and Metallic, and on both days I did actually wear something that fit the prompt I was just too sick (blazer) and busy (metallic) to snap a pic! Thanks for following along with my Restyle attempts this year! I hope some of you were inspired to hit your local op shops in search of treasure (if you weren't already doing so!!).

P.S I’ve donated a few huge bags of clothes to Vinnies in Claremont, this is the op shop I visit most regularly so I figured they deserved my gear the most! If you are interested in having a rummage then definitely pop in, they are at 26 Ashton Ave in Claremont.

 

Buy Nothing New

So you may remember back in January I pledged to Buy Nothing New for a whole year. Well, I’m half way there!! It’s officially six months of buying nothing new, and I’m pleased to say that except for one tiny slip up, I haven’t bought anything brand new for six whole months. So have I actually learnt anything? YES I HAVE...

1. I love to shop (duh) and even though I’m not buying new stuff, I’m still getting my retail fix through op shopping. Plus I get the same buzz out of shopping for other people as I do for myself. I JUST WANT TO BUY ALL OF THE STUFF (I’m a terrible consumer).

2. You can find almost anything you want second hand on eBay. Seriously, whenever I’ve suddenly decided I MUST OWN a certain piece of clothing or a particular accessory I’ve been able to track it down on eBay for a fraction of the price. That’s how I’ve managed to almost double my shoe collection this year… oops

3. If you don’t want to buy things then don’t look. This is an obvious one. A few weeks ago I found myself at Garden City looking for a birthday present for a friend. I was in Collette casually sifting through all of their sale jewellery and before I knew it I had bought myself a new necklace and a massive cocktail ring. It was only as I was walking out of the store that I realised I’m not meant to be buying anything. So the necklace and ring were gifted to my friend and I vowed to not go back to Garden City and tempt myself again.

4. This challenge isn’t about money. I thought I’d be saving heaps of coin, but I’m not really and that’s OK. This challenge is teaching me that I really don’t need to rely on shopping centres and department stores for anything. I can find everything I want second hand and I love that. In the past 6 months there has not been a moment were I’ve desperately wanted to hit up Kmart, Myer or Sportgirl. Salvos, Good Sammies and Vinnies maybe, but definitely not the high street chain stores.
 

5. Shopping from your own wardrobe is fun! This challenge has forced me to look at my existing wardrobe with fresh eyes and style pieces in different ways. I've been wearing items that haven't seen the light of day for ages, like this amazing vintage blouse that was nicked from my Aunt's fabulous collection. It's such a cool top, but also a bit crazy so I don't wear it much, but I'll never part with it. Seeing it sitting in my cupboard collecting dust was all the encouragement I needed to whip it out and wear it to work a few weeks ago!

So that’s my six month challenge up date. It’s never to late to join in the fun and pledge to Buy Nothing New. It’s not that hard, I promise!

Top: Vintage

Skirt: Claremont Vinnies $4

Shoes: Melissa x Karl Largerfeld

Sunnies: Ray Ban

 

Goyard or Garbage

What do you think of my Goyard tote? I bought two of these (the other one is a white pattern and slightly smaller) from Claremont Vinnies for $4 each. I thought the original  ones were leather so I didn't think these were the real deal, but liked the style anyway (and one can never have too many tote bags), hence I bought them home. BUT after doing quite a bit of Google research, I think I have actually stumbled on the real thing. It's definitely not the first time I've found designer gold at Claremont Vinnies, but I was still pleasantly surprised! 

I don't necessarily think they are worth the $1000 price tag, but my two Goyard totes have been extremely useful. They are perfect for lugging around all my stuff (camera, multiple pairs on sunglasses, iPad... all the essentials). I actually didn't plan to include the bag in these pictures, but seeing as I was actually using it with this outfit anyway, I thought I may as well. 

This is one of my extremely comfortable weekend brunch outfits by the way. Layering skinny jeans under a dress isn't something I've done before, but it worked perfectly with this loose trapeze dress from Seed (op shopped of course) and was a great for a chilly but sunny Saturday. 

Dress: Claremont Vinnies $12

Jeans: Cotton On

Shoes: Red Cross Willagee $5

Bag: Goyard, Claremont Vinnies $4

Necklaces: Both op shopped $3 each

Cuff: Opportunity Knocks $4

Hat: Glebe Markets

Sunglasses: Karen Walker 

Never Ever Pay Retail

By far the most common question I get asked is 'what is your favourite op shop?'. It's like asking me which of my (non-existent) children I like the most! Well maybe that's a little exaggeration, but it is hard! The lovely Hannah from Never Ever Pay Retail is also a thrift-a-holic just like me and as she is based in Queensland, she asked me to share my five favourite Perth op shops on her blog. It was a tricky task, but I think the five I've chosen really are my favourites (at least for now!)

Head over to Never Ever Pay Retail to get the scoop! And if you end up visiting any of my recommendations please share with me the treasure you find, either on Facebook, insta (@inthedressupbox) or in the comments below, I LOVE hearing about others op shopping success.

P.S If you're in the mood for a bit of Flash Back Friday, just click on the photos above and you'll go to their corresponding post from my blog archive... also from looking at these photos it seems I really like hats... so many hats!