Bindaring Red Cross Sale - Outfit 1

Last week I was lucky enough to be given a sneak peak at all of the amazing stock that has been donated for the Bindaring Red Cross Sale. The lovely ladies from the sale asked me style a few outfits from the Op Shop section and share them with you, so you can get a good idea of what you'll be able to find this Saturday. I was certainly up for the challenge and spent a very enjoyable lunch hour rummaging through hundreds of piles and racks of clothes. I could have easily put together 10 outfits but I had to narrow it down, so this is the first of three. 

This dress is an absolute no brainer. Great pattern, 100% cotton and perfect fit. I literally saw it from about 100m away and ran to it (more of a waddle really, I was laden down with clothes by this point). The best thing is you can purchase this entire outfit on Saturday! My dress, shoes, belt, clutch and bangles will be going back to Robinson Pavilion and into the Op Shop section of the sale (where everything is $10 and under!).   

If anyone is interested, the dress is a (big) size 12 and these gorgeous Boden wedges are a 41. You'll have to get there early though because I'll be racing in to try and snag them too! 

My dress, belt, shoes, bangles and clutch are all from the Bindaring Red Cross Sale 

Sunglasses are Miu Miu via eBay

Bindaring Sale - Tips and Tricks

The Bindaring Red Cross sale is only one week away! Is any one else counting down like I am? Next week I’m going to share some of the amazing pieces that will be available for you to buy at the sale (seriously there is SO much good stuff!). But today I thought I’d share some hot tips for getting the most out of the Bindaring Sale…

Get there early

The vintage Emporium, Op Shop section and Fill a Bag for $1 area all open their doors at 9am with the designer Boutique opening at 10am. People have been known to start queueing up from the wee hours of the morning so they can be the first people to rush in and start rummaging. If a 5am start isn’t your thing then don’t worry, there is seriously so much stuff so you are sure to find a treasure regardless of when you arrive.

Wear something easy

My top tip for tackling the Bindaring Sale is to wear leggings, a fitted top and slip on shoes. This will allow you to try most things on over your clothes and means you don’t need to wait in line for a change room. Leave your accessories at home (they’ll just get in the way) but make sure you bring an over the shoulder bag. Being hands free will make it much easier to quickly flick through the racks and lug around your favourite finds. This probably doesn’t sound like the most fashionable outfit to wear to a fashionable event, but you’ll thank me when you’re not peeling off your skinny jeans and re-lacing your ankle boots for the 50^th time.

Have a plan

Op shops can be overwhelming when you don’t know what you are looking for or what you want. The Bindaring sale is like an op shop on steroids, so it’s good to have a rough idea of what you hope to find and where you want to go first. I’m planning to check out the vintage Emporium, Fill a Bag for $1, designer Boutique and finally the Op Shop section in that order. I also have a small list of items I’d love to find so I know roughly what I’m looking out for (flared jeans, leather skirt, vintage hats)

Bring cash

The sale is cash only! There are ATMs at the show grounds, but to save yourself from standing in a queue for ages (when you could be rummaging for treasure!) withdraw some money before you arrive. This is also handy for budgeting, I can get very excited when faced with so much vintage, so limiting myself to only spending the cash I bring is a good way to ensure I don’t go overboard with my purchases.

Bring a reusable bag

Not essential but I always try to bring reusable bags when I go op shopping, they fit more in than plastic, are easier to carry and are better for the environment, it’s win win!

This is what I'll be wearing next Saturday! Something comfy, fitted and super easy. So there you have it, follow my advice and you’ll breeze through the sale like a pro!

Leggings: Hand-me-down from mum

Jacket: Salvos Osborne Park $10
Jumper: Good Sammies Osborne Park $1

Bag: Mimco

Singlet: Op shop (worn under my jumper)

Shoes: Target

Sunglasses: Ray Ban

Street Style Steal

I have a new Street Style Steal for you! It’s been awhile and I have a few more in the pipeline but I’m just finding it really hard to take outfit pictures at the moment, there just aren’t any good photo op spots near my parents house. It’s the worst! Anyway, on to the street style snap I’m recreating…

This look is waaaaay out of my comfort zone. Number one; it’s androgynous, with hardly any shape or body definition at all. Number two; it’s all black! This is totally a departure from my usual style, but it was fun to try out for a day. Just from looking at the above picture you can tell this is an easy to wear no-fuss outfit, but seriously I don’t think I have ever been this comfy while sitting at my work desk.

As it wasn’t casual Friday I couldn’t wear sneakers to work (plus I don’t have any white ones) so I subbed in my white studded brogues instead which worked very well. I also couldn’t walk out the door without breaking up the fully black outfit in some small way, so I threw on this long silver tassel necklace which I think has worked wonders to add a little interest to a totally blank canvas.

At work no one blinked an eye lid at my outfit (little did they know I was basically wearing glorified PJs) and I managed to feel professional, put together and completely comfortable. Would I repeat this outfit? Definitely. Maybe not every week, but every now and again when I just can’t be effed getting dressed, this will be my go-to comfort outfit.

Jacket: Salvos Fremantle $10

Pants: Laura Ashley

T-Shirt: K-Mart

Necklace: Vinnies Osborne Park $3

Shoes: Asos

The Mens Section

I went on a little op-shop crawl through Fremantle with my friend Val on Saturday morning. We wanted to scope out the new Anglicare shop which just re-opened its doors on Friday. I generally try to avoid the op shops in Freo because I always thought they were more expensive and over-shopped, but I was definitely wrong. Val and I both went home happy with a bag full of goodies scored from the Anglicare, Good Sammies and Salvos, all which are conveniently located within 100m of each other.

I wasn’t looking too hard for anything in particular and ended up in the Mens section where I completely lucked out. I found this great wool knit and a super awesome Ghost Busters t-shirt. It just goes to show that thoroughly looking through every section of an op shop really does pay off.

These vintage Celine monk shoes and plaid Ralph Lauren blazer were also found in the mens section of various op shops. I’ve got to remember not to just stay amongst the dresses and skirts at the Bindaring Red Cross sale. While everyone else is wreaking havoc in the Designer Boutique I’ll be trawling through the boys racks for novelty t-shirts and vintage knits. You should join me!

 

Skirt: Good Sammies Freo $1

Knit: Anglicare Freo $5

Jacket: Ralph Lauren, Op Shop

Shoes: Celine, Red Cross Willagee $20

Sunglasses: Pared Eyeware

The Comfort Zone

On Wednesday I wore a crappy outfit to work. It’s happens to the best of us. I slept late so didn’t have time to assess my look before racing out the door, it was only as I arrived at the office that I realised my outfit was not particularly great. Anyway, to counteract a whole day of feeling a bit awkward, on Thursday I wore a definite ‘comfort zone’ outfit, guaranteed to make you feel good.

Everyone has a comfort zone outfit, for a lot of people it would involves jeans or a little black dress, mine always includes a dress, a brooch and a waist cinching belt. It’s fun to try out different styles (like my ill-fated high waisted pin stripe trousers from Wednesday) but having a fail-safe outfit formula to fall back on is important. 

What is your comfort-zone outfit?

Dress: Zara

Cardigan: Save the Children South Freo $4

Shoes: Vinnies Claremont $8 (they are vintage Bally!)

Belt: Op shop

Brooch: Op Shop

Sunglasses: Miu Miu, via ebay

Have you put the 16^th of May in your diary yet? It’s the date of the Bindaring Red Cross sale and it’s DEFINITELY worth a look in. In my last post I talked about tips for scoring designer gold on eBay, but at the Bindaring sale there will be an entire section dedicated to high quality second hand designer goodies. I’ve been following #WillYouBeMine on insta and have had a sneak peak of the sale stock and it looks amazzzzzing (think Prada, Kenzo, Isabel Marant, Valentino and more). Can’t wait!

Designer on the Cheap

I’m going to take a wild stab in the dark here and guess that most of my readers (myself included) can’t afford to be dripping in Celine and Givenchy or touting a Chanel 2.55 in a different colour every day. I sometimes read style blogs and am totally baffled by how some of these young 20-something girls can have SO MANY DIFFERENT designer hand bags and shoes. Those things cost like $2k a pop, and these girls seemingly have a walk in wardrobe overflowing with them. I don’t understand!

Anyway, even though I don’t have the budget for some Valentino Rockstuds, it doesn’t mean I don’t lust over those beautiful things. I love a little bit of designer glam in my life just like the next girl. So I thought I’d share with you my secret for scoring designer goodies at a reasonable price…

If you go op shopping as often as I do you are bound to come across designer treats every now and again. Over the years I’ve amassed a great collection of YSL knits, a Bottega Venetta tote bag, Bally and Celine shoes, a Prada purse and even a Chanel necklace (the gold chained beauty I’m wearing), but they are few and far between. If you want some guaranteed designer action then eBay is the place to go. This is where I get all of my sunglasses from and most of my shoes, you can find some seriously great stuff for a fraction of the price (plus YAY recycling!). I guess it’s not quite the same as waltzing into Gucci on King street and picking yourself up a little treat, but that reality is SO far away for me that it’s not something I’d ever dwell on, plus even if I had the cash to splash I’m not sure I would (surely a holiday is better than a $5000 it-bag?). But if you still need to quench that designer thirst here are my top tips for trawling for treasure on eBay…

Search regularly for your favourite brands. I plug in Karen Walker, Miu Miu, Stella McCartney, Acne, Marni and Kate Spade fairly often to see what comes up.

If you are after a specific item then you can save the search and eBay will alert you when/if something matching your request is posted (I’ve done this for blue suede Acne pistol boots in a 41… just in case anyone has some that they’d like to pass on, hehe).

Search for Auction Only items, this will filter out most of the fake designer junk that is made in China and sold at a set (albeit very low) price.

Don’t be afraid of international items. The postage is more expensive but the US and UK eBay sites have a larger range of designer items up for auction.

Before you bid on an item ALWAYS check the seller’s feedback to make sure they are reliable.

So there you have it. Next time you feel like splurging I strongly suggest you check out eBay first! (and be sure to show me what you find on insta! @inthedressupbox). Also what do you think of my entirely second hand designer outfit? Not bad for a grand total of $112 right?!

Shirt: Equipment, Save the Children Mosman Park $15

Skirt: Armani, Vinnies Osborne Park $6

Necklace: Chanel, Melville Markets $5

Shoes: J Crew, eBay $34

Sunglasses: Karen Walker, eBay $52

Amorosa

Guys! The most exciting thing EVER happened the other day… I returned home from my Bali trip to find a package waiting for me from Amorosa Accessories, they sent me a couple of items from their shop to try out. How nice is that?! I’ve been blogging for almost two years and this is the first time I have ever been sent something for free. The items they chose for me suit my style perfectly and I’m so flattered that the lovely ladies at Amorosa thought I might like them.

While I do most of my shopping in op shops, splurging on accessories is a bit of a weakness (have you seen my sunnies collection?), luckily for me (and you!) all of the items at Amorosa are budget friendly and also great quality. I have to admit before Amorosa contacted me I hadn't heard of them, but I've been so impressed to learn that all of their jewellery is fairly made from natural products. Supporting local Perth businesses who are passionate about sustainable design and fashion is really important so I'm thrilled to be able to do my bit (especially when it's as easy as wearing some fab accessories!)

These colourful chunky necklaces and AMAZING embroidered clutch were just the things I needed to dress up my plain black tube dress. Seriously, who needs expensive clothes when all it takes are a few bright accessories to make a $1 dress look a million bucks?

Necklaces: Amorosa c/o

Clutch: Amorosa c/o

Dress: Good Sammies Fremantle $1

Coat: Save the Children South Fremantle $7

Shoes: Marni via eBay

P.S for those who aren't in the know, c/o = care of, it means the items were given to me for free (how awesome!) but I promise I'll only wear and share things on the blog that I actually really like and would buy for myself.