More Charity Shop Bargains for 2018 & beyond!

Miró

DigForVictory wrote: »

I am just not looking forward to playing hunt the funeral outfit. The in-laws would be so pained if I didn't wear a skirt, so I have to sort frock, shoes - all the fuss.

I do hope the chazza fairy promptly provides you with some appropriate purchases....perfectly priced of course! (Lots of p's in that!!!:o) Although you cannot see us, hear us or feel us please know that you are being held in the thoughts of many of us on this thread and elsewhere on the site right now....

Miró

Mir! wrote: »

I just know I am going to be haunted by the missed purchase overnight now..... already thinking 'well, it's only the price of a couple of cups of coffee and a bun!' Will have to go back tomorrow and if it's still there try it on and then decide.:o

I did....and it wasn't:mad:

DigForVictory

Oh, Miro. Dashit. And sometimes the ones that get away haunt you worse than the most sensational frocks. Says she, dipping a respectful curtsey to the huntress who has carried colour swatches & belts to get the exact match sought.

Believe me, when I come back with a 1930s riding habit tailored for the hearty party who scared the stuffing out of the Hunt Master, here will be the first place I tell! As I'll have to hem the yards of skirting since I really cannot ride into a Crem. (That I can't ride sidesaddle yet is a Mere Trimming.) I'll even wear black jodhpur boots. Mother in law will have the satisfaction of seeing me "dressed as a girl", I'll have the sidesaddle habit I daydream of, just in black & needing a lot of adjusting to fit enough to walk & my menfolk will be torn between roaring with laughter & a very strongly muffled concern I'm going to wander over to a horse drawn hearse & TWOC one of their horses.

And my lovely son? Will be giggling & reminding me he left several rolls of mints... My little compadre in mischief, but not a fan of horses.

Miró

DigForVictory wrote: »

Oh, Miro. Dashit. And sometimes the ones that get away haunt you worse than the most sensational frocks. Says she, dipping a respectful curtsey to the huntress who has carried colour swatches & belts to get the exact match sought.

Believe me, when I come back with a 1930s riding habit tailored for the hearty party who scared the stuffing out of the Hunt Master, here will be the first place I tell! As I'll have to hem the yards of skirting since I really cannot ride into a Crem. (That I can't ride sidesaddle yet is a Mere Trimming.) I'll even wear black jodhpur boots. Mother in law will have the satisfaction of seeing me "dressed as a girl", I'll have the sidesaddle habit I daydream of, just in black & needing a lot of adjusting to fit enough to walk & my menfolk will be torn between roaring with laughter & a very strongly muffled concern I'm going to wander over to a horse drawn hearse & TWOC one of their horses.

And my lovely son? Will be giggling & reminding me he left several rolls of mints... My little compadre in mischief, but not a fan of horses.

I do hope the 'outfit' comes complete with beaver felt top hat and black lace veil to sit slightly askew over the bun!?

DigForVictory

If it doesn’t, I’ll just have to find them. The face veil covers hat & hair, so any mud kicked up doesn’t adhere to the delicate complexion... I might skip that at the crem, but never in the show ring.
Not that I’m anywhere near there - as I say, I can’t ride side-saddle yet.
Thanks for getting the idea, & the details, though!

Anything I probably do end up wearing is going to be such a letdown, but if you don’t aim high, you end up with what’s left...

dolly84

dfv - if you manage to find an outfit like that you need a broody thunderstorm type day so you can stride in sillouetted against the sky. Personally I think you should where whatever you like and are comfortable in and if possible avoids you having to go shopping for what is the most dreadful reason. I second what Miro said, we are all thinking of you.



Mistral - I always check the cases of dvd's. I too love Shutter Island, I love an atmospheric film and that definitely fits the bill.


Miro - think of the money saved on something you know you didn't need. I know it will bug you for ages, I'm the same, to the point where I buy things I'm not sure about just in case.

Magpie100

And my lovely son? Will be giggling & reminding me he left several rolls of mints... My little compadre in mischief, but not a fan of horses.

I can't presume to know what your son would be thinking, DfV, but feel sure he would approve of any funeral-outfit mischief. I hope your hunt isn't more upsetting than it needs to be. I'm in awe of your strength and calm and thinking of you.

I wasn't expecting to be posting today because I wasn't expecting to be going for a Wednesday wander...but. I only went to the local Sue Ryder (just as well I only have one CS I can get to on foot!) just on the offchance, but I really shouldn't be allowed out unsupervised. It is the week before payday, I am SO at the limit of my £££, and yet...:

A maroon handbag by a brand called 'Parfois'. Had never heard of them but they can be found online - not very high-end, but nice enough. This is polyurethane, not leather, but I wanted a slightly larger cross-body handbag for the commute everyday and this was £4 and looks unused. A nice deep maroon colour.

Another bag! Absolutely no branding or name clue on it. Mustard yellow, manmade material again, with a raised pattern in it. Great size with a maroon inside. Tote-bag style. I was really drawn to it and mustard yellow is great for accessories and I have two dresses for the sunner with yellow in them (have I justified this enough yet?!). £5.95.

A NORTH FACE JACKET. Yes. I can't really believe my luck here. It's actually more of a 'shell' than a jacket - front and back are light quilting and sides are fleece. It has the silver hologram of original NF products on the care label. Great fit, looks unworn. Can't find the exact thing online but sticking the product code in to Google suggests it is from their 'Thermoball' range. I did not need this but I don't care - I had to have it! £5.25. Incredible bargain given what NF retail at.

A pair of BNWT Gap jeans. I picked these up without trying them on and I will redonate if they don't fit. I am really struggling with jeans at the moment - feel like skinnies suit me and I like them but are beginning to look a bit dated. I am curvy so stuff that clings to my curves (provided it fits!) works well but I really struggle with mom jeans/straight/more relaxed cos they make me look massive and shapeless. ANYWAY. These were RRP £44.95 and I paid £4.25. They are 'real straight' style, so we'll see what happens!

A Hush blouse. This is maroon with a lightning bolt pattern on it. I like Hush but not new as I think it is overpriced for the quality. And their sizing is crazy - this is a 12 and is massive on me. This is a nice spring workwear top though - quite quirky and was £4.25.

A BNWT Marella blouse. Having never heard of Marella till last autumn I now can't stop finding it! It's way out of my budget new. Cream blouse with blue anchors on. There is a tag but not one with a price. I've found the same blouse online for £50. I paid £3.95. :j

I also found the following pairs of trousers but couldn't buy any of them as they had clearly been donated by the same person and were all a size 12. They were from Reiss, Precis and Finery, which are all brands I LOVE but can't fit in a 12! Again, too curvy. Frustrating, but I can't complain.

I had a chat with the lady working in the shop and I was saying what nice things they had in there today. She said they had had some really nice quality donations in but that they were drip-feeding them out so plenty of people had a chance to buy. She did say that they get quite a lot of people buying to sell on - not that they had a problem with it, but that they felt it was fairer to spread bags of donations out over a few days if they could. I agree with them - obviously I'd love even more bargains, but I have had my fun!

Now I must STOP SPENDING. Happy hunting! M100 xx

DigForVictory

dolly84 wrote: »

dfv - if you manage to find an outfit like that you need a broody thunderstorm type day so you can stride in sillouetted against the sky.

If I find it, I'll be borrowing the biggest grey part-Shire and pretending the saddle is a sidesaddle for some stunning B&W photos that So Not say grieving mother at all but much more Hellion-is-vocation.... I even know a photographer who would cooperate, so first the outfit then borrow/twoc the hoss then be photographed. Simples!

Magpie100 wrote: »

I can't presume to know what your son would be thinking, DfV, but feel sure he would approve of any funeral-outfit mischief. I hope your hunt isn't more upsetting than it needs to be. I'm in awe of your strength and calm and thinking of you.

Cracking hunt, ma'am! My hunt will be hellacious as I am short, like sticky buns & dislike corsetry & that will all be Very Clear. Still, I need to find Something to placate Mother In Law (& indeed my parents.)

Daydreams of finding That riding habit are slipping but researches suggest a seriously tailored double breasted jacket with a major peplum plus a very full skirt in the same fabric will achieve some of the look if sock all of the functionality. Peplum detailing may even mean it looks sharp from the back. (Hey, it's not like I want to look utterly distraught and anyway, if it works I may even take to wearing it with a slightly less voluminous skirt to the office. <imagines the faces & grins wickedly>)

So. How best to achieve this? Pattern bomb the charity shops with basic query "I need a funeral outfit for a 5' 2" tall, rather too much round woman with what passes for a waist at a distance, what have you in stock" (seems reasonable) or combine playing hunt the fabric (and the experts are unanimous that the lovelier the wool cloth, the easier it is to create seriously period credible lines) with the have a bash at a complex pattern for the first time in decades with a time pressure. [Yeah. Reaches for phone book.]

After all, if I can find something in the right fabric with enough slack, I can always add the detailing touches, or at least get help taking it in so I can walk, stand, sit & kneel without snarling at the garment. (My knees are another game entirely.)

Why is it blokes can hire a suit, no fuss, whereas womenswear is made to be more awkward?!

Strength comes from posting when I'm "up" & hiding when I'm completely out of Dixie Voom. (There's a cookbook called "Being Dead is No Excuse" - learned through Nigella, and I confess I rather take the title to heart. Right now, rules seem amazingly reassuring.)

Miró

DigForVictory wrote: »

If I find it, I'll be borrowing the biggest grey part-Shire and pretending the saddle is a sidesaddle for some stunning B&W photos that So Not say grieving mother at all but much more Hellion-is-vocation.... I even know a photographer who would cooperate, so first the outfit then borrow/twoc the hoss then be photographed. Simples!

You are rapidly morphing into Brunhilda, (can't get the keyboard to supply the Germanic umlaut) in my imagination so might you also consider a magnificent golden breastplate, twoc the biggest grey FULL shire, (fully plumed), and ride magnificently in to strains of Ride of the Valkyries??

DigForVictory

As I, Pocket Valkyrie, walk in cowed terror of my mother in law. There is no way she’d accept even a parade gloss metal chestplate be it on a Sergeant trooping the colour at her grandson’s funeral.

We’ve had a very fraught struggle persuading her it’s ok to say “no flowers” & go for donations etc instead.

Ponders burnished leather, heels that snap along the flooring & <shrugs> - I will find something, even if it’s dismally weedy. Just I could have so much fun in that riding habit.