What's your best ever charity shop clothing buy?

[Bluesheep8]

I noticed on my "What are you wearing etc?" thread that quite a few people were wearing things from charity shops (as do I). Someone mentioned that they never find anything in charity shops and I know a few people who say this. Me, I can't walk past a charity shop without popping in "to check"...so I just wondered, what's your best ever charity shop buy?

A brand new with tags cashmere mix coat £15.00 I was thrilled!

A Burberry Mac, made in England and absolutely immaculate, with the detachable lining, for £10.

Probably my Margaret Howell shirt. £6.99 I think. It didn't look that special on the hangar but it's linen - linen I tell you and yet it doesn't crease or go droopy and still looks freshly laundered at the end of the day. It really opened my eyes to the beauty of simple, well made clothes.

I've been known to moan about charity shops but since I upped my game I've done better. It's time consuming though - there are some I go in twice a week and more often than not I come away with nothing.

Wow-both sound brilliant! There is something extra satisfying about finding a gem in a charity shop (plus of course, the knowledge that your money is going to a good cause) thinking about it, I've actually paid much more to have things altered than I have for the actual item before now but pence per wear has more than justified this. Hopefully this thread will encourage/inspire others to have a good rummage around their local charity shops

Brand new with tags monsoon dress in my size, colour and style retailing for £50 for £12

I've had a few recently. A Cos dress for £8, a lined Espirit coat/mac for £24 and a red Kipling bag for £10

A ysl leopard print scarf for £1.50, they were using it as a table cloth.

Popped into Oxfam to drop off stuff. A skirt in my size caught my eye, then a similar one. Both my my size, Hobbs, £2.50 each. Perfect.

A few days later I was wearing one and my friend said, "I used to have that skirt, but it got too tight". I said "did you have a similar with spots?" Yes, I'd bought her skirts! They were a very good buy and ideal for work. Happy to give Oxfam a fiver.

Cream silk vintage Hermes shirt with pewter buttons

Fiver

Not a charity shop, but I got a Nicole Fahri jacket for 30p at a jumble sale.
I wore it for ages, but left it in a pub when I went to the seaside for the day. I still mourn its loss.

A never been worn Karen Millen dress, fishtail silk gorgeous number which fitted me like a glove - £30!! Not sure how much it would have been new, but it honestly made me feel a million dollars, it was simply beautiful.
Also a barely worn Harris Tweed hacking jacket - £15, which retailed at about £200

A very beautiful chiffon wedding dress for ten pounds that I used as a basis for a costume I made.

Two decent suits for a pound each that I turned in to a costume for a fancy dress outfit.I cut them up and made a Jekyll and Hyde suit. One was brown and one was a blue pinstripe.

A Karen Millen dress for ten pounds, I didn't cut that one up.

Oh god,masses. I'm presently looking forward to wearing the v on-trend pure wool Windsmoor bright red coat I bought for £6 on a trip to see friends in the midlands a couple of months ago..

I found a beautiful new pillarbox red cordouroy coat from Boden in a charity shop once. It was £25 which is a lot for a chazza but still a bargain. Ive worn it a fair bit

Aquescutum camel wool/cashmere coat two years ago. God knows why but, it was unworn or at lease had no visible sign of wear whatsoever. I love it and always get complimented in it.

I have mentioned before about the Hermès scarf I got when I was a teenager - pence probably. Wore it as a belt and ended up cutting it off as the knot was too tight

I also got an amazing tan leather 70s trenchcoat for a fancy dress thing for about a fiver. Totally Jackie Brown and it looked amazing (because it probably was genuine 70s!)

A large Dannimac coat for £4.99.

It was black around the cuffs, the fake fur collar was green and matted, it truly stank,. The coat was so rank, no one searched the pockets. I got a free pair of gloves.

It needed a good clean (easily done) and adjustments, but it was easily the classiest thing in my wardrobe for 2 years until I lost weight and I had to pass it on.

Loads here too - I get such a thrill! The Hospice Shop near us has a warehouse out back with 3 kids items for £1 & brilliant adults clothes for £1. They often have things still with tags on. My best is a stunning floor length backless gown in midnight blue sparkling velvet for £5. That was from the smaller Hospice shop in town which gets quite a few labels. I feel like a film star in that dress! Have found some beautiful jewellery for around 30p too. You can't go wrong.

I'd always wanted to have a look in charity shops but was worried id never find anything. Reading this though I might pop into a few!

A beautiful cream faux fur (not the shaggy type) cape with hood from a charity shop in Southgate in 1993.
I also got a cream wool cardi covered in intricate seed pearl embroidery from Blackout Ii in Covent Garden around 1998.
They are my "Going Out" staples (not together) but sadly havent been worn for a while.

Too many
leather Billy Bag bag which retails at £150, bought for £2.50 because zip broken.
Accessorize bag NWOT, £2.99 - just yesterday, leather rucksack also £2.99
Boden dress, river island leather jacket, ASOS dress for £1.99 each.
3/4 of my wardrobe is charity shop, as well as crockery, dishes, cups etc. Also found denby cereal and pasta bowls for £6.

I go to the charity shops in local and surrounding areas once a week, now more regularly as youngest at school full time.

My favourite has to be a red v nursing pillow, hardly used, 4 years later I still use it as a reading pillow. Bought it for a 99p, went to boots on same day and saw a brand new one for £20!!!!

I live in an area where most charity shops sell Primark/ M and S/Next clothes.

I did get a brand new pair of Next wide leg black trousers that clearly hadn't been worn, for £4.They still had the label attached and the pockets were still sewn up.

So many things I have come from charity shops, I live in a very MC area so there's a lot of the better end of the high street stuff. DD went off to school today in a Polan O Pyrat (sp?) coat I got for £3, its immaculate and they're £60 new. I've got a 'new' Joules winter jacket I'm just waiting for it to be cold enough to wear, that cost me £6. Probably my favourite ever thing was a vintage fitted grey wool coat, it was beautiful and I wore it for years, literally until it fell to pieces, I think I paid £10 for it.

DD is a big reader and I get the majority of her books in charity shops too. Recently I got a ten book series by one of her favourite authors for £5 (it was 50p a book). Bought new the whole lot would have been over £50.

Right next to a high end dress agency (Deuxieme ) on New Kings Road there is a Fara shop .
I think it receives a lot of donations from people whose clothes/shoes aren't high end enough or don't sell in Deuxieme.
I have found some amazing clothes there, max mara cashmere coat (£12) , new Chloe shoes (£20) , a man's Yves Saint Laurent dinner suit (£40) and lots of Brora jumpers.
Similar success on the Fulham road where there are a cluster of charity shops including a brilliant Kids Fara.
St John's Wood high street has Hospice shop in which I bought some fantastic vintage ball dresses including one from Bruce Oldfield.

I love a proper thrift shop .