Flowers of London

I've been a bit quiet as we were hit by a bug here at Opshop towers. However I'm relieved to confirm that normal service (whatever that is) has now been resumed. Last week was half term and I spent a few days down in London with Mr Opshop and the little one. We stayed with our lovely friends who live in a pretty little house in Teddington with a very patient cat. Actually it's a different cat every time as they foster kittens (ahhhhh) and fortunately the current lodger was not frightened off by a very intrigued 13 month old toddler. They seemed to get on very nicely in fact.

Today's dress was another bargain from the rather wonderful Wellfair Shop in Moortown. It's a flowery tea dress and it cost £4. I wore it to go gallivanting round the South Bank, lunching at the Tate Modern and gawping at some art. We even spotted Bruce Springsteen outside the BFI at the film premiere of 'The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town', which I think made Mr Opshop's weekend. I'm able to report that, like all celebrities, he's shorter in real life.

teadress - £4, the Wellfair Shop, Moortown

grey top - Petit Bateau

black biker boots - Dune

necklace - Karen Walker

Tiger feet

This blog has been very coat-focused so far - must be the weather. Today has been all about the fur coat (fake of course!). I bought this one last winter from a charity shop in Shipley on one of my many, many walks while trying to get my reluctant, nap-dodging baby to sleep during the hazy newborn months. Normally, fur coats that I come across in op shops are huge but this one fit really well so I couldn't resist. I haven't worn it that much yet but I have a feeling it's going to be pretty useful this winter. I think it was about £12 - a total bargain!

I read an article recently which stated that there is no such thing as too much when it comes to leopard print and it certainly seems to be having a moment right now. Fake fur coats have been pretty much everywhere for the last couple of years and it's making me regret selling a fantastic vintage leopard print one on ebay that I bought when I was 16 and which I wore for my school's speech day in what I thought at the time to be a pretty big act of rebellion! I must bear that in mind when I berate myself for accumulating so much in my wardrobe.

My dress is also second hand today - it's a wool jumper dress and I bought it for £4 from the Wellfair shop in Moortown which is one of my favourite charity shops. I always find fab clothes in there which makes me think there must be a lot of ladies changing their wardrobes every season. It must be the only charity shop which has a window display in which the clothes are already sold within hours of them going up on the mannequins. The tiger print ballet pumps were, I confess, a Primark find.

fake fur coat - £12, charity shop, Shipley

charcoal jumper dress - £4, the Wellfair shop, Moortown

jeans - Gap

ballet pumps - Primark

A Bout de souffle

The last few couple of days have been so deliciously autumnal. It's a shame I had to work and wasn't able to make the most of them but I'm hoping that the crisp sunny weather will hang on until after the weekend so I get to enjoy it! Autumn feels particularly special this year as I didn't really get outside much this time last year as I was looking after my newborn baby and the year before I was in Sydney in the beautiful springtime.

Today's second hand item is this pink 1960s coat with round marble-style buttons. I wondered if I could include it in this blog as it's vintage rather than second hand and therefore cannot really be classed as a true bargain. It is, however, one of my favourite items of clothing and when I wear it I feel like I could be skipping down a Paris boulevard in a Godard film! I bought it several years ago from The Story of O, a vintage shop housed in a cellar on Hyde Park Corner in Leeds which also happens to be my hairdressers. Oh how handy - last time I had my haircut I also ended up the new owner of a pink sequinned top. I think the owner's onto a good thing there...

pink 1960s coat - £50, The Story of O, Hyde Park Corner, Leeds

vintage handbag - Newtown, Sydney

black patent shoes - marc by marc jacobs

mother of pearl bangle - Selkie, York

resin ring - Dinosaur Designs, Sydney (present from lovely Laura!)

Why SL!

I've always been a big, big fan of rummaging for bargains - be that in charity shops, vintage shops, those masquerading as 'posh' ladies' dress agencies, at jumble sales, fleamarkets, on ebay - you name it! I love the idea that clothes have a history, that someone chose and wore that dress or jacket before me, that someone loved it and had fun in it. I also love a bargain, and that feeling of having discovered something fantastic for just a few pounds.

The past two years have been kind of crazy for me: I took a career break from my job, went travelling, lived in Australia for a few months, came back to the UK, had a baby, took 9 months' maternity leave and moved house 5 times (yes really). Now things are just starting to settle and I'm back working part time. Having bought a family house, decreased my income along with the recession we're all currently enduring I'm finding that my love for second hand shopping is growing even stronger! I'm lucky enough to live in a great part of Leeds which has some fantastic charity shops and vintage fairs. I've set myself the challenge of wearing something second hand every day and posting about it on this blog.

So this gets me to today's entry. I found this jacket last week while browsing the charity shops of Headingley having spent the morning at playgroup and lunch with a friend and her little boy. Headingley is jam-packed with charity shops and is the place to go for a happy couple of hours' bargain hunting. It was on the expensive side for a charity shop - £15 - but it's YSL and I simply could not resist! Who could? Perfect size, silk and cashmere mix, peacoat style in navy blue with brown wooden buttons. Wow! It's really versatile and it's definitely my Autumn coat of choice at the moment. I wore it today for a perfect Autumn morning walk with my daughter, a messy morning at playgroup and a long leisurely lunch with some friends at Salvo's Salumeria (yum!).

So today's outfit:

YSL silk and cashmere mix jacket - British Heart Foundation, Headingley

tan leather belt - present from an aunt when I was about 12

denim shorts - Witchery, Sydney

Breton top - Armoir Luxe

leopard print scarf - Magic Number 3, Saltaire

boots - Dune