While I was in the Women's Tops - Sleeveless section I overheard a girl complaining to her friends that she could never find anything good at op shops. And I thought of the advice I'd give her if she asked me. But she didn't ask me, so I'm posting it here.
Look for colours you like. Op shops don't display things in attractive ways like regular shops do, so you have to try harder to spend your money. Searching for colours you like to wear is a good way to start.
- Be creative - don't just view the clothes as they are, think about what you could wear them with, or how you could alter them to make them more attractive.
- Try stuff on. A lot of clothes in op shops have weird styles, so it's hard to know if they'll look any good til you've tried them on.
- Be patient, and go often. It's the only way to find the best stuff.
In hindsight, it would have been pretty random if that girl had asked me for advice on op shopping. Nonetheless, I was ready to answer her questions if she chose to direct them to me, as I have demonstrated above.
* As a post script, I should probably add that it's important to note that there are certain things you can't get at op shops (and not just underwear). Nice, plain, simple tops in classic colours are really hard to find because no one ever throws them out, they just wear them til they fall apart. And yep. That's all my advice. In case anyone's interested.
