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I fell behind with sharing our charity shop finds towards the end of last year, here's what we've found in the first week of 2025.
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A 1960s Tricel shift dress, made in England by Carnegie of London.
A vintage 1970s fake fur.
Vintage fully lined satin pyjamas, beautifully made in India. I haven't tried these on, I might fall in love with them if I do!
A 1970s maxi dress by St Michael (which was Marks and Spencer's inhouse brand until 2000).
USA-made cowboy boots, two x Harrington jackets and a pair of Dr Martens "Made in England" ox-blood loafers (original price £199!)
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1980s cagoule, two Pirate Dressing cosplay shirts with original £42.99 labels still attached, 1980s Men's Republic Casualties (love the name!) long sleeved shirt, 1960s psychedelic top by St Michael.
1980s Cassettes! Elvis Costello: The Man; Pet Shop Boys : Disco; Shakespear's Sister: Hormonally Yours; Swing Out Sister: Kaleidoscope World and saving the best till last...Flaunt it by Walsall's legendary Sigue Sigue Sputnik.
Back in the early 1980s, frontman Martin Degville and Boy George used to share a squat on Walsall market and we'd often see them out and about, dressed up to the nines. Sigue Sigue Sputnik's biggest hit was Love Missile F1:11 which was used on the Ferris Bueller's Day Off soundtrack.
And here's a proper antique, a Staffordshire Flatback, so named as they were made up the road in The Potteries and the backs were left plain as they were designed to sit on the mantelpiece flat to the wall. They were popular from around 1740 up until 1900. Ours dates to the mid-1800s. They fell out of fashion with antique collectors many years ago but was amazed to a couple of near-identical pieces fetching between £50 to £175 and a pair selling for £250.
Ours was £1.99!
The subject matter, a hunting dog with his prey, is a bit macabre but he looks rather handsome on the mantelpiece.
And he's in great condition considering he's almost 200 years old!
It's the colour that drew me to this brushed cotton blouse, made in India for Superdry and £3 from the Cancer UK Clearance shop.
It's the perfect match with my 1960s Forbidden Fruit cheesecloth maxi skirt and really cosy to wear. It's three sizes bigger than I normally wear but a size label never puts me off.
I remember drooling over this foil printed Indian cotton voile blouse on the EAST website a couple of years ago. They've got a similar one for £64.99. This was £2 (also from the charity clearance shop).
I've been after something to wear with this 1970s Greek hand-woven maxi skirt for ages and this fits the bill perfectly. I bought this 1960s Italian Tuscan lamb hat from a charity shop last year (£5, bargain!), a girl can never have too many sheepskin hats especially when it's below zero out there.
A great shopping start to the New Year, here's to the next 51 weeks of rummaging!
I think you should definitely try those pyjamas ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm very tempted! xxx
DeleteFor one shocking moment, I misread your Post-title as 'Bye bye charity shopping in 2025' and confess to mentally swearing and saying, "No ****way!!!!". Luckily, just my error!!!
ReplyDeleteOooh, your finds are rather delectable!!! I love the Super dry top and East blouse and DEFO the Pj's!!
Your chazzers are great!
Are there any brands you loathe seeing in charity shops? I AM Incensed when I see Shein and Missguided or Nastygal.fast fashion Internet grrs!! X
Never!! Hell would freeze over first!
DeleteThe PJs are amazing, the lady behind the counter said that she thought of me when they unpacked them knowing how much I loved exotic clothes! I was excited to find those blouses, they'll get worn a lot.
Oh yes, I'm sick to death of Nasty Girl, Missguided and Shein. I Saw It First & Pretty Little Thing are also horrible, horrible fabric and with weird cut-outs and ruching! xxx
Those PJs have your name on them, definitely a keeper. What annoys me most is the price charity shops put on cheap and nasty tat - it was probably cheaper in the shop in the first place. Its absolutely freezing here in Derbyshire, definitely much colder than Staffordshire. Stay warm. Xx
ReplyDeleteHello Gill! Our chazzas are still pretty reasonable although the manager of one of them was trying to sell me a grey puffa jacket for £150 today - apparently it retails at £1,500! I don't know why she thought I'd be interested!
DeleteShefali's just said it'll be -6°c at 6am tomorrow, Jon'll be cursing me when we walk down to the baths for our early swim in the morning! Stay warm! xxx
Try the pyjamas on : ) Well you live and learn...hadn't known that Sigue Sigue Sputnik were from Walsall! Fond memories of that sort of shimmying dance to Love Missile at school discos back in the day! Did laugh re Shefali...of course we get her round here and listen to her weather reports intently! Des, too! Some fab purchases there and bet it's hard to put them for stock and not sneak them in the wardrobe! Roll on the summer! Louise (Mids) X
ReplyDeleteHello Louise! I might have to try those pyjamas on, could be useful on a day like today when I've no intention of venturing further than the post box!
DeleteMartin Degville & Boy George were a sight to behold back in the day. I remember George wearing an Elizabethan ruff around Walsall and being a big bloke, nobody ever dared to say anything derogatory.
Des and Shefali, they've been a huge part of lives for years, haven't they? xxx
Ooh lovely goodies! It amazes me how much people pay for new stuff and how much of it ends up in charity shops complete with price tags. Everything in my wardrobe is loved and worn and when it's knackered it gets chopped up and sewn into patchwork quilts or dusters. The PJs are divine! x
ReplyDeleteIt's mad, isn't it? If I'm spending loads on something I consider it for ages and have to really want it. The amount of things with tags is staggering, some are just horrible Chinese made tat & doubtlessly an online purchase that costs too much to send back but donating shirts like those Pirate ones beggar belief!
DeleteAnything unsellable ends up as patchwork or dusters, like you I hate waste! xxx
Love the blouse. I'm sort of in repeat for comfort and warmth, so haven't messed to impress for a while.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sam! Its all about the warmth here, too - its been very cold (for our island) for over a week now. I'm in thermals and a kaftan today! xxx
DeleteDo you sell your finds anywhere ?
ReplyDeleteFestivals and Vinted (link in my side bar)! xxx
DeleteOoooh such fab swag - I love your flatback hound - I am starting to manifest 1930s chalkware children lol - every time I open eBay - there they are. Not interested in 'perfect' - I like mine chippy and worn (and I don't mind if their heads have been glued back on). That glorious East top is rather Biba-ish (I think it's the black and gold) and quite a find! I'm trying to avoid the chazzers unless I'm donating - I'm feeling overwhelmed .....
ReplyDeleteElaine Anon
Hello Elaine! I used to have a real thing about those 1930s chalkware figurines and yes, the more tatty the better! I had that one with the girl reading sitting on my dressing table for aeons, I think I managed to decapitate her in the end and she's somewhere in the garden lurking in the undergrowth.
DeleteI was amazed to spot that EAST blouse, I love the foil print, it is very Biba! xxx
What wonderful finds! Here in the US Midwest such finds rarely show up! I used to find wonderful vintage stuff when I lived in the DC area- Versace jeans, Nina Ricci suit, Gucci skirt , Hermes jacket, Bonnie Cashin coats, and the most wonderful vintage Harris tweed coat. But I love seeing your finds as i am learning a lot about British fashion and brands to keep an eye on just in case!! And a type of pottery to keep my eye out -- love the Staffordshire Flatback.
ReplyDeleteHere's to more fun finds in 2025 no matter where we are!!
kirsten
Wow! You've certainly found some swanky labels in your time, Kirsten! Those Staffordshire flatbacks are a real relic of British social history, mass produced and very affordable at the time, they enabled the lower social classes to have beauty within their homes. xxx
DeleteOh, you found some lovely things here, Vix! Thanks for the tip on St. Michael's - I see a fair amount of Marks & Spencers here as we used to have a store (it closed in the early 90s).
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sheila! Good old St Michael, made so well I'm sure it would even survive a zombie apocalypse! xxx
DeleteYou have the best job, Vix! You get to find treasues all the time. X
ReplyDeleteYou can't beat shopping for a living! xxx
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ReplyDeleteThe pyjamas are absolutely adorable. <3 The dog is great, what a lovely find.
And the outfit in the last photo is my favorite.
You got some good bargains again.
Thanks, Andrea! I adore charity shopping, it makes a dull day brighter! xxx
DeleteThose pyjamas š
ReplyDeleteAlmost too good to wear indoors! xxx
DeleteI channelled Victor Meldrew when I read that you hadn't tried the pyjamas. They have your name on them!
ReplyDeleteI still haven't tried them, Ruth! I really should! xxx
DeleteWell you have had some major successes there!
ReplyDeleteI love those pjs!! The orange and East tops are divine and get you with your antique hunting/hunting antique! xxx
The treasures are few and far between but they're great when they turn up! I love finding basics like those blouses and that flatback takes me back to my jumble-saleing youth when you could find Victorian treasures for pennies! xxx
DeleteHere's to hoping my first charity shopping trip of the year will be as successful as yours!
ReplyDeleteThe Superdry and East blouses have your name all over them ... so does those gorgeous pj's.
Macabre or not, I would definitely have brought that Staffordshire Flatback hound home as well. What a find! xxx
I predict some amazing finds on your charity shop trips if last year was anything to go by! I love finding things that fit seamlessly into the wardrobe and I'd love to know where that flatback's been over the last 200 years! xxx
DeleteWow you have done well . My mum has got me a huge Laura Ashley rug 2 metres £8.00!!! When she sent me the pictures i told her to get it straight away!
ReplyDeleteI love those blouses so pretty. She gave me some old photos from 20 years ago and it turns out my style hadn’t really changed as thought as much as I thought it had!
That rug sounds like an absolute bargain, Allie, your mum's got a great eye for a bargain.
DeleteFunny about the photos, no matter how much life changes we're still attracted to the same stuff. xxx
I had the 7 single (remember those) of Love missile. I only passed it on ten yrs ago when I moved continents. Boy George looks so pretty in that pic. I still had an LP of his too. Lise
ReplyDeleteI do remember 7" Lise, I've still got all mine! Boy George my my idol for many years, me and my friend, Liz, would plait our hair, wear hats and make clothes out of curtains we'd bought at jumble sales to wear to the school disco! xxx
DeleteYou have a good eye. I never find anything good at the thrift store. Cali
ReplyDeleteThere's times where we find nothing more than a book or two, but its the thrill of the chase which keeps us going back. xxx
DeleteHappy New Year Vix! So many nice pieces here!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Pilar! x
DeleteGreat start to the 2025 bargain hunting. I remember all the press furore about Sigue Sigue Sputnik before they brought their first single out. They seemed to disappear from view fairly quickly after that. Arilx
ReplyDeleteDo you remember how outraged the press used to get over him, Boy George and Marilyn? It made me love them even more! xxx
DeleteCan't say what's more exciting, the flatback or the tapes! You always find such great stuff.
ReplyDelete-Goody
There's always something hidden beneath the dross! xxx
DeleteHi Vix, what a great haul! The black and gold East blouse is beautiful, I have it in white its surprisingly got warmth in it and the more you wash the better it looks! Envious of your sheepskin hats. the little dog flatware piece is pretty, he must have been loved and treasured to be in such good condition. Im off to Brighton today braving the cold and scouring the chazzas, they have the best ones for miles around here. Betty x
ReplyDeleteMorning, Betty! I'm envious of your trip to Brighton and wish you lots of luck in the chazzas. I think I remember admiring your EAST blouse in the white version, they are clothes that get better and better with age.
DeleteI'm spending the day with Charles Manson (his biography, not the real one) and the wood burner! Have a lovely day! xxx
You look great on both of these looks. The orange blouse is to pretty.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I tend to ignore the size labels completely! Why be limited by them? If an item is too big, you can always wear it as an oversized item.
Thanks, Ivana! Yes, I'm not sure why b people get so hungry up on size labels, if you like something you'll always find a way of making it fit! Xxx
DeleteI wonder who's treasure that flatback was, it's in such good condition. Those blouses are perfect for you and I'm intrigued by the idea of lined PJ's I'm assuming they are for lounging and not bed. So far I have only donated this year I got so dishaeartened with all the cheap crap.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to know the origins behind the flat back, maybe someone unearthed it in an attic or cellar, it's in such good condition for something so ancient! Those pjs are fascinating, with the pockets and sparkly buttons they must have been designed to be seen in. Xx
DeleteOh, you have some fab finds there. I do like that flatback!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't believe that flatback, I wonder where its been all those years? xxx
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