Have you got a good eye if you pick up things from charity shops?

[Niftythrifter]

I think in general I do have a good eye for quality items. Today I purchased another Whistles silk blouse which I also did a few weeks back ( same style I think and same price) and have picked up other Whistles pieces and good labels like Levi’s.

I would say you're lucky. In my area I hardly ever see nice labels. I did get a new swavowski necklace for £10 though new in box.

@Zooeyzo this silk top was bought from a shop out of my normal hunting ground. Had it of been then it might have been cheaper as I did get a Whistles blouse for £3.99 from a shop within walking distance.

I'm very jealous 3.99 is a steal! I only started looking at charity shops in the last couple of years when I realised I was donating lovely stuff i never wore and some with the tags still attached.
Before then I only ever bought books from oxfam.
I would love to find vintage levis.

I'm not sure to be honest. I buy a lot of my clothes this way and I've certainly had some great finds: a Margaret Howell coat, all my silk shirts, menswear from Savile Row. But I've also bought some utter, utter shite.

@Zooeyzo There are regular markets near me where the same seller turns up with a stall of second hand Levi’s but whether they are “vintage” as such I don’t know in terms of what you would consider vintage. I regularly see Levi’s in the charity shops although hardly ever 501s.

I’m a size 14/16 and the nice stuff always seems to be in smaller sizes.

Yes I've got a few cashmere jumpers for next to nothing.

Yep, tons of high end labels for ££s - Liberty, Sezane, zadig & Voltaire, toast.. it's so much fun!

My mum used to be fantastic at finding things. She’d go to all the posh areas and go round the charity shops there. 😁

I am rather rubbish at finding the good stuff - but my DD has a gift! She found an amazing vintage long black tailored wool overcoat - for under £20! She has found me lots of designer labels for very little. But her part of the world is blessed with good charity shops and she really has got her eye in now.

Where are all these charity shops?! I’ve occasionally found a good label but they’re not amazingly cheap. Many shops sift through and put the decent labels and fabrics for sale on line.
im not sure it takes a ‘good eye’ to identify these things if they’ve got a label in them?

You would need a magic eye to spot any good women's clothes in the charity shops around here!

Stands to reason really, if people here buy most of their clothes from supermarkets (frequently including me) the Oxfam won't be full of cashmere and silk.

I have some lovely things for charity shops, but have been popping in for decades. I also suffer from being 14/16 - larger than the average donator. I don't live in a particularly affluent area though. We get the odd bits of Joules and Boden come up, but 4 out of 5 times I'll not see anything labelly.

I bought a cashmere scarf this week. £2. Still on M&S at £69.00.
I don’t feel too bad as I donated a big bundle of scarves (that was the reason I went in!)

Absolutely do,
Friends often comment they like my style of clothes all courtesy of thrift local shops and occasional also those swish free clothes swap parties spring up every so often in places,

I used to many moons 🌙 🌚 yrs ago
Shop in charity shops out of necessity,
Now it's definitely choice and so much fun you can pick a mix an eclectic style

I think charity shops obviously are more switched on/cottoned on what stuff is a brand clothes /handbags shoes that are worth something, now ,
But still plenty of bargains if you know where to look,
especially in .more Affluent areas

I do sometimes think certain charities shops compared to others have disparity of prices range,
Which does leave you thinking that 🤔 that sometimes better off looking at conventional mainstream chain stores

I have worked in a few charities shops,
Surprisingly sometimes or now and again unexpected things bring in you wouldn't expect someone to bring too,

I tried on a designer coat in a posh branch of a charity shop I like. What was so surprising to me was that I’d expect a designer coat ( it was wool) to be lined and it wasn’t. Loved the shape of the coat however it had been sized wrong and so it would have been too big when I took my thick jumper off. The price was pretty decent however you’d have been able to get a lined coat with some wool content for the price at the price the charity shop were asking which to be honest was really good.

I’d expect a designer coat ( it was wool) to be lined and it wasn’t.

Oh this is a MASSIVE bugbear of mine. If they can't be arsed to line it, I will not be buying it. It is becoming routine now, even for high end brands.

@TheYearOfSmallThings It was bobbled on the inside which would not have happened if it had been lined. The charity shop price was less than £100 and I was surprised at the lack of lining. I imagine the full price would have been nearer the £1000 mark and for that O would definitely expect a lining!

I bought a lovely never worn wool jaeger coat for £25. Was very chuffed. Most of the clothes are supermarket brands in my local charity shops.

I never have any luck. Always come out of charity shops with bloody jigsaws! 🧩 🧩

Yep, tons of high end labels for ££s - Liberty, Sezane, zadig & Voltaire, toast.. it's so much fun!

This, but not necessarily those labels

im not sure it takes a ‘good eye’ to identify these things if they’ve got a label in them?

The good things tend to be hidden amidst a full rack of boohoo, shein, primark type stuff. I've 'found' brands I didn't know about, by recognising that it isn't any old rubbish.

The shops local to me are full of rubbish yet I usually find something.

I think so. I'm a size 14/16 so have to look a bit harder but I have turned up some good labels - Boss, Jigsaw, Ilse Jacobsen. I look in charity shops wherever I go and the one in our village regularly has some good offerings.

I have a great eye. Cashmere jumpers, silk shirts, leather jackets, pure wool coats - I've had all of these. Not to mention several designer labels - J Brand and 7 For All Mankind jeans, Ralph Lauren tops, an Armani jacket, Christian La Croix shoes...

I very rarely buy new anymore, and I know all the best charity shops to scope out.

You are going to hate me - but I have a great eye. I've honed it over the years.

Last week got a Joseph coat - £6
Sonia rykeil jumper £3
Emma hyacinth trainers - £5
Margret Howell trousers £4.50

Last month got a dries van noten jumper for £3.25 and a Nicole Farhi coat for £20.