op shop experiment number one

This dress is a panoramic-camera-required kind of long. I could probably make another one out of the fabric when I take the hem up to the hussy-like length I generally prefer.

Mmm.... Polyester

Well. That wasn't quite as bad as I thought.

My first op-shopping expedition was small in scale - I just visited the two local shops while I was waiting to get my hair cut. I think it's more manageable in small doses as the idea of schlepping all over the city is probably a big factor in why I find it so distasteful.

I went to two op shops and came out with two purchases which doesn't seem like terrible odds until you remember how many clothes you had to flick through to find those two purchases. And those two purchases are hardly 10/10 perfect buys.

The positives: The best aspect is obviously price. The shirt cost $4 and the dress cost $8 which is less than I'd spend going out for coffee with a friend. I've also been looking for a pink blouse for awhile, which probably made me happy to settle for anything that was the right colour and not tent-like in nature. I'm quite enamoured with the pattern of the dress, and the ties around the waist mean although it's several sizes too large it will actually fit me.

The bad points: I have to say sizing - things fit only in the extremely general "my body goes into it and it doesn't fall off or bust out" sense. Both the shirt and the dress are slightly too big in the shoulders which makes me feel like I'm verging towards Bag Lady territory. There's a bit of sewing required, most obviously on the dress which will certainly not stay a maxi for long, which is bad news as I am lazy. But to sneak a positive into the negative paragraph, it's better to have something too long than to buy a dress of eBay that's been cropped already before sale and realise half your bum is hanging out the bottom and the hem is already fraying because it's been done so badly. (This has happened more than once. I get a bit worked up.)

To conclude, that wasn't so awful I'll never do it again, but it doesn't have the same thrilling appeal of shopping in store and getting things that are on trend and fit well, or the satisfaction of setting out to get something and finding it. (It's modern day hunting, for girls.)

I'm going to try to do a longer binge next time to see if more stops equals more loot.