Best opshops in Melbourne

Everyone wants to know where the best opshops are!
While often it is just a matter of being in the right place at the right time (and being able to spot a bargain), there are a few places which I can always rely on to provide good finds time after time.
I've listed a few below, and hope to add more when I get the chance. Feel free to check these out, and let me know if you find anything...
Also, please share your own 'fav' place if you dare to reveal it!

1. Animal Aid Opshop
Location: Canterbury Rd, Blackburn Sth, opposite McDonalds
Opening hours: Tues-Fri 10-4, Sat 9-12

This is a true gem! It just happens to be my closest ophop, and probably a third of my wardrobe comes from this place.
I once spent three hours in here, after which I walked out with $70 less in my pocket, and one of those big red, white and blue bags that the lady gave me to carry home everything I brought!

Some of the more memorable items:
- Black Kookai wool suit jacket (that did not look outdated!) - $5
- Black 'capsicum' flats (hard to explain what they look like - but they never fail to attract a compliment) - $3
- Portmans brown wool long pants (I cut off the bottom and turned them into winter shorts to wear with boots) - $4

Also, look out for 50% off days/weeks, which happen on a regular basis to shift stock.
The staff are also particularly friendly, and good fun!


2. RSPCA Opshop
Location: Cnr Burwood Hwy, Middleborough Rd
Good for: suits and dresses

The only opshop I know that is open on Sunday! (9-12/1 if I remember correctly) - which is really useful if you work during the week.

This place stocks a lot of vintage dresses, coats and suits, so check it out if you are in need of any of those. Perhaps a tiny bit more expensive than other opshops, but still worth it.

I found my 21st dress here!


3. Vinnies
Location: 53 Sydney Rd, Brunswick
Opening hours: Apparently it is open Mon-Fri 9-4, Sat 9-12 - however, every time I go it seems to be shut.

I hvae only been here once, and it was fantastic!
Unlike many other opshops, it seemed like they had sorted through the junk, and only put out good quality clothing.

They stock lots of winter woollies: skirts, jumpers and jackets.
It is all priced very decently, especially for Sydney Rd which sometimes charges more since there are lots of secondhand shops around.

Worth a look if you can manage to go when it is open!

Maggie Alderson in the Good Weekend

One of my favourite things to do on a Saturday morning is leisurely read the paper over a long breakfast. Eventually, I make it to Maggie Alderson's fashion column in the Good Weekend. Most weeks, it doesn't leave me particularly enlightened. This is particularly so since I stepped off the fashion bandwagon, and can no longer empathise with rants about the latest trends. However, to Maggie's credit, there have been a couple of good articles which have drawn attention to the need to curb our overconsumption - most notably the one which tracked her commitment to not buying any new clothes.

Today's article (28/7) highlights Jane Shepherdson, until last year the brand director of Topshop (UK shop that I imagine is similar to ValleyGirl/Tempt - perhaps a little better?), and who now intends to advise Oxfam on develop their chain of op shops - in an unpaid capacity. I'm impressed, and Maggie's conclusion that consumers are now looking for alternative clothing options which don't have the same kind of social and environmentally impacts definitely resounded with me.

This is only the latest one in a string of articles on clothes swapping, organic clothing and ethical fashion more generally, and each time I read them, I think how great it would be if I could blog about them - and after reading this article, I finally did!

Welcome!

I have been contemplating starting this blog for sometime now. So many people have commented that they can never find anything in opshops, or don't know where the 'good' opshops are. To me, that's rubbish, as I almost always walk out of any opshop with at least one item, and have a firm belief that there is no such thing as a 'bad' opshop - it's possible to find something if you look hard enough, or just apply your imagination.

However, there are certainly some opshops which consistently produce gold, and others which are particularly good for finding specific items. That's why I thought it would be fun to create a space where people could share their tips on the 'better' opshops, and what treasures they have found.

Although opshopping is one of my stable supplies of recycled clothing, there are numerous other sources out there such as going to markets (Camberwell market being my favourite), restyling old clothes discovered at the back of your wardrobe, and foraging through your Mum's and Grandma's old clothing collections. So please don't limit discussion to just opshops - it would be interesting to hear of other creative ways of recyling clothes!

So what prompted me to finally get this going? You'll have to read the first 'real' post to find out!