I’ve been faffing about with how to best take photos of my purchases for this blog and have been getting a bit sick of the awkward selfie in the mirror. So I decided to invest £30 in a dressmaker’s model, readers.
She’s a good purchase, because I’m thinking about flogging some of my clothing I never wear any more and some of my vintage finds I don’t give enough love to via the medium of eBay or Etsy. So she gets dual use. She’s staying out of my bedroom, though. There’s something quite unsettling about having a torso in the house…
So let’s start with my least exciting of Blackpool purchases, but one I really like. This suede and satin waistcoat is a vintage effort from Marks and Spencers and cost me £2.50 in one of the many, many charity shops in Cleveleys down Blackpool way.
Staying with the theme of Marks and Spencers, this lovely shirt was a meagre £3 in Oxfam. The poor model doesn’t make it look very cool (and it needs an iron), but it’s a great fit and I’ve been wearing it with skinnies and a blazer to work.
Of course, these sensible purchases needed to be countered by some bizarre item I couldn’t leave alone once discovered. Welcome to my first Indian themed dress! I had to buy this; it was only £3 and the embellishments are worth the money alone. The dress is a little big for me, but even if I can’t wear it the fabric is worth the £3 spend alone. The diamantes are beautiful. You can’t see them glitter very much in the photos but they are lovely.
I had to have these fifties clip on candy stripe earrings when I saw them. Exchanging the grand total of £1 made me their proud new owner. I’m not sure if they’re original fifties efforts, but they are fun none the less and if nowhere else will sit happily in the fancy dress box.
The best buy of the Blackpool holiday goes to this swing dress, which I bought for a ridiculous £3. It fits me like a glove. Unfortunately, it’s missing a belt, but I’m sure I can muster up one from somewhere.
So what do you think? £12.50 well spent?
I would definitely recommend Blackpool for charity shopping. It was excellent when I was foraging; there were no people my age whatsoever. I was surrounded by older ladies and their despairing husbands as they trawled the rails. So zero competition from students, savvy vintage hunters or eagle-eyed bargain seekers. Blackpool is well worth a rake!
Oh, and what are you thinking about my dressmaker’s model? Too impersonal? Or a good way to see my charity shop finds?
Purse Full of Pennies 