My month of thrift and trip to London

So as you know from my last post I embarked on a sacrificial crusade not to buy any new clothes for all of January. Tough considering the sales are on everywhere.

The first week was difficult..particularly as I use Penney’s as a detour to work.. but after a while it became easier and I didn’t miss shopping as much as I feared.

Anyway I got through the month and for once wasn’t completely broke by the end of January (what a coincidence!) and also found a few gems in the charity shops.

The first gorgeous item I found was this amazing pale cream lace blazer in an Enable Ireland charity shop for €10.90.  I love the detail of the bow and it’s in perfect condition.

I found this gorgeous real leather rucksack for €5!! It’s super soft and so beautiful!

Over in London I scored some awesome charity shop bargains. En route to  Camden market  we saw an interesting charity shop and immediately jumped off the bus to investigate!

Mind in Camden – a brilliant charity shop that supports mental health awareness.

Here I found a really cute winter/Xmas jumper (it was freezing in London and I needed something warm!) It will serve me nicely next Christmas anyway at just £5! I also picked up a beautiful beaded halterneck top for £5.

Halternecks can be hard to pull off but this was perfect with my Zara fitted leather pants and black brogues.

Yes I wore a jumper with a reindeer in February…. The oversize denim jacket was a €9 bargain from Enable Ireland and was new with tags on.

This top is amazing!

Then we headed to the market to browse the stalls. I’ve been once before in 2o1o and loved browsing the stalls.

We saw some really cute hand painted shirts and cool printed t-shirts and crop tops. Also all of the stalls were selling hoodies and jumpers with Banksy prints. I’m a huge fan of Banksy’s art but I don’t know how he’d feel about all the unlicensed merchandise flying around London! He is known for his anti-corporation views and does not sell photographs or reproductions of his work.

I may buy this jumper..what do you think?

If you want to get your hands on some Banksy-esque clothing try here. To find out more about the world’s most infamous graffiti artist check out his book Wall and Piece.

Love this shirt!

Unfortunately it’s not crop top weather! 😦

It was lashing rain and very cold so we headed indoors to Urban Outfitters to check out their new spring merchandise.

 

Hippy flasks!

Will it ever be warm enough to wear these bad boys?!

The next day we went to Notting Hill to the Portobello Road market. There was so much choice at the market which takes place every Saturday and is very very crowded! Everything from food, souvenirs, art, jewellery, crafts, vintage clothing and charity shops to peruse! Needless to say we spent forever there!

I ❤ vintage handbags.

Goldsmith vintage store.

Amazing jewellery!

While at the market I dropped into a Cancer Research charity shop and picked up two tops for £11.  I was so happy with my bargains as normally I buy new clothes abroad.

A selection of my charity buys, the grey top was just £4 and the pink and black jumper £7.

Of course when we got to Oxford Street I headed to Primark  to browse their new collection and buy some new accessories. (My challenge was finished by this point!)

There were lots of candy and pastel colours in Primark’s latest collection. Polka dots, daisy prints and slogans featured prominently also.

I think these soft rucksacks will be a bestseller! I almost bought the black one but decided on a black satchel instead as I’ve wanted a satchel for a long time and it was only £9!

In the spirit of not shopping I looked through some of my mam’s old things and found this cute tapestry handbag above! I absolutely love it and was delighted she let me have it. The satchel was my first new purchase at the end of the month!

Denim shirts get a spring update in the form of bleached styles and polka dot prints. The androgynous look is back in fashion also with lots of stores stocking brogues and braces for trousers.

Stradivarius Spring 2014 lookbook -love this look!

So one month of no new clothes really didn’t hurt at all…I don’t know if I could say the same about a year! I’m not a shopaholic despite what this post suggests but it didn’t do me any harm to spend less money and think about my consumption habits.

Lots of people (myself included) cannot afford to buy new clothing regularly but still want to express themselves…charity shops, swapping clothes with friends and family and upcycling old pieces are all ways you can do it!

Disclaimer : Shopping in charity shops does not guarantee you will spend less 😉 Use common sense and remember that most charity shops will not accept returns so make sure clothes fit and are functional!

Thanks for reading as always and don’t forget to check out my Instagram, Twitter and Facebook page here.

Edel