Confessions of an op shop addict

Have you ever entered a second hand store as a way to pass the time and start lazilly flipping through used shirts, hats and bags when your eyes suddenly focus on a current season leather handbag, vintage linen skirt or japanese made vase that has seemingly been waiting its whole life for you to enter the store and find it. Im sure that this scenario resonates with the masses looking for a bargain and qulity products but not looking to pay the double digit price tag.

I became extremely interested in op shopping when I was working in a Italian deli and a regular customer who i gauged was in her late 60s would enter the store wearing outfits that would make me weep imaginary tears of joy. We are talking corked dimond wedges, gold hoops, ripped jeans and linen wrap blouses paired with pink highlighted blunt bob and fringe, she was my dream and I her student. One day I got up the courage to ask her what influenced her style and she aswered me with two words that would change my way of thinking towards fashion, op shop. I then went off and perused the shelves of the many op shops in Perth and selected what I thought were high brow well made products wich i can now say looking back were mostly made up of danny minogue middle class designer target dresses, pleather shoes and a shirt that I fully believe someone had died in based off the fusty cat pissy smell that had made its home there. For all of the new to op shopping people reading this article, I can say that op shopping is like sifting the gold nugget out of a river of shit so if your patience limit is reached after 2 minutes of waiting for your soy babychino or having a breakdown if the traffic lights dont stay green for long enough then you should probably stick to online shopping.

Tips for op shopping include being prepared for other same age op shoppers who are highly likely to jab you in the ribs if you are both eyeing off that same leather jacket or the too close for comfort shopper who will end up shopping in your territory if you arent mentally strong enoughto give them direct stink eye and stare them down until they leave you alone. Trust me, op shopping is a contact sport and you need to be prepared for those who have no shame, manners or soul. If you are willing to stick it out, you will leave with leather, linen, silk and china and feel like one booshie guy or girl. There is truely no better feeling than getting compliments on an outfit that you paid less than $10 for, just remember you will get better and you will become addicted, trust me.