Opped till I dropped.

Sorry about the lack of updates recently, I have been busy opping up a storm! 1 skirt, 1 pair of pants, 1 jumper, 1 jacket, 3 bags, 2 pairs of shoes, 5 belts and $89.50 later, I was pretty exhausted by the end of it. I have to say though, I did pretty well - 18 items for under $90 bucks! It was so worth it! Check out my finds...

I bought this red midi length skirt for $8 at St Vincent de Paul Society in Annerley. This place is supposed to be really good but I found it a little hard to find anything interesting. I was probably just in at the wrong time. As I walked toward the exit, I spotted this cute skirt. It was a very lucky find! I love the colour, length and buttons as it makes the skirt look vintage but still modern. Like most of my vintage finds, I will have to take this in. Not a big job though as I will only need to pinch out the sides. 

I love this high-waisted wool pants! They fit me perfectly, which is rare when I'm op shopping. Can't wait to team them with black pumps. I found them at Citipointe Church in Durack and it set me back a cool $5. I love this place. I'm always guaranteed to find something cheap every time I visit.

I've been looking for the perfect navy blazer ever since I lost my favourite Cue one a couple of months ago. I was a tad excited when I spotted this. It's hard to find one with the right tone of navy, lapel style and fabric. I found this one at Citipointe Church in Durack for $5.50. However, it needs some altering at the shoulders. I guess if it fitted, it would have been too good to be true. I'm used to altering my clothes though,  I actually enjoy it. I think a navy blazer is an essential in both a girls and guys wardrobe, as the colour is not as dressy as black, so you can dress it up or down. It goes with as many colours as black and no matter what fashion myth you've heard - it can definitely be worn with black. I personally love teaming navy with black. Being a blazer it can dress up any outfit in a cool understated way.

This jumper is pretty awesome. I found it randomly in the kids section at Citipointe Church in Durack for $3.50! I will be wearing this on a lazy cold day. The neck is my favourite part as it's different and funky and the print and colours are perfect to team back with contrast bold colours eg. red lipstick, bold coloured shoes or handbag. 

I'm loving this colour at the moment. So vibrant and elegant, and according to WGSN, it's going to be the next big hue. This piece is a little big for me so again, I will have to take it in. However, this also means that the length is longer than normal waistcoats so I can double it as a dress. I got it for $4 at Citipointe Church in Durack.

I found another waistcoat for $4 at Citipointe Church in Durack. With prices like these I couldn't say no. Plus this one fits perfectly! I can think of so much I can wear it with. 

... and another waistcoat. This one is different though as it's cropped and loose. I like that its a girly subtle colour and the looseness adds casualness while the lapel adds dressiness. Good piece for dressing up or down. I would wear it with high-waisted wide leg pants or anything high-waisted.  This waistcoat was a bit more expensive than the others setting me back $5 and in not as good condition. There is a bit of seam slippage on the front panel but I'm going to be taking it in a bit anyway so I can fix that up no problemo.  I also bought it at the Citipointe Church in Durack.

Blush pink - this is another favourite shade of mine to wear. It's a pale colour yet on the right skin tone and makeup, it can make the skin look so vibrant and glowing (with a touch of blush of course). I always wear blush or a bright lipstick when I'm wearing pale colours to avoid from looking 'washed out'. My favourite part of this blouse is the unusual collar/lapel. I'm a sucker for collars, so this one was a definite purchase. I bought this blouse at Citipointe Church in Durack costing me $5.

Now to accessories. This one was basically a steal. Patent leather, made in Paris and $3! It was a bit dirty in the shop but after a good clean it looked as good as new and the interior looked untouched. This one was bought at St Vincent de Paul Society in Oxley.

Another find from St Vincent de Paul in Oxley. This one was $5 and made in Italy. It was also still in pretty good condition with only a few scuffs on the gold hardware but everywhere else looked brand new.  I've been looking for a good casual black bag for a while so I think I will be getting a lot of wear out of this. It's a satchel so it will be comfortable and practical to wear. 

I think this one has to be my favourite find out of all. Its a beautiful tan coloured leather backpack and it is sooo cute, even better, it was only $10! I've never owned a 'cool' backpack or any backpack for that matter. Let's face it, typically, backpacks can look either nerdy, sporty or touristy, but ever since its comeback on the 2010 catwalks, celebs such as Rachel Bilson, The Olsens, Rumi Neely of Fashion Toast, Daisy Lowe and even male celebs like David Beckham and Kanye West have been spotted backpacking them around everywhere. This trend hasn't really 'caught on' as much in mainstream fashion but I think a trend doesn't have to be 'in' for you to be able to wear it. Anything can look good as long as you wear it with confidence and put your own style and spin to it. Backpacks can look super cute when worn correctly. Take some inspiration from these guys...

Rachel Bilson looks so cute in this tan leather backpack.

Rachel Bilson sporting another backpack. This one is by Pendelton. 

Daisy Lowe in a men's Louis Vuitton Bosphore backpack in Monogram canvas.

Mary-Kate Olsen sporting a vintage patchwork backpack. 

Ashley Olsen wearing an alligator backpack from The Row. This bag is actually the most expensive item from the twins luxury handbag collection retailing at $39,000! A tad more expensive than mine I think.

As you can see, the Olsens love backpacks. Mary-Kate has been spotted with at least three different ones. This one is by Alexandra Cassaniti in an 80s inspired Pinkeye pattern.

Rumi Neely of Fashion Toast looking stylish as usual in a black leather backpack by Alexander Wang.

Kayne West is a big fan of luxury goods and backpacks are no exception. This one was custom made for him by French luggage label Goyard, called 'Robot Face' in which he collaborated with designing. It even features the letter 'K 'and a 'Star 'on the front corner to further customise it.

Sporting another exclusively custom made backpack, this time by Louis Vuitton. It has been reported that it took one and a half years to make before Kayne could finally get his hands on it.

David Beckham - never fails to impress.  David has always worn backpacks in the past because he plays sport, but this one in particular looks less sporty and rather cool thanks to the tan leather trim and canvas style.  As you can see, backpacks can be worn by both sexes. I personally like men in backpacks. They just looks cool. Labels such as Louis Vuitton, Goyard, Paul Smith and Gucci are some labels which design backpacks for men. 

So, back to my fantastic finds... as you can see, I went a bit crazy on belts. They were all so cheap! From bottom to top: Brown plaited leather waisted belt = $3.50. Maroon patent leather waisted belt = $2. Brown and extremely soft embossed leather waisted belt = $2. Dark brown plaited leather waisted belt = $3.50. Brown leather plain waisted belt = $3.50. All up I managed to rack up 5 belts for $18! They were bought from Citipointe Church and St Vincent de Paul Society in Oxley.

I have never been one to buy second hand shoes as one of my fear is putting my foot in a shoe I know someone else's feet has been in - especially ones of a stranger. Actually, I wouldn't say it's a fear, but I find it extremely uncomfortable. Another one is sitting on a chair someone else has just sat on because of the body heat.  I have to wait for the chair to cool down before I can sit on it.
To justify buying my first pair of second hand shoes, I had to weigh out the pros and cons: Cons = Fear of wearing someone else's shoes. Pros = Love the colour, love the style, love the price ($9), love the height, love the fact that I can see myself wearing it with so many outfits, love that it is extremely comfortable and love that it still looked pretty new and in great condition plus I can always put a new inner sole in it. I thought the pros definitely outweighed the cons so I decided I had to buy them. They were purchased from St Vincent de Paul Society in Oxley. I felt a strange sense of relief with my purchase, as if it was an icebreaker for buying second hand shoes in the future.

Which brings me to my next second hand purchase - these awesome navy flats. They were just starring at me asking me to take it home. It was surprisingly easy as I had already broken the ice with the first pair, plus these were only $8 and I actually think they have never been worn. I could tell because the sole was un scuffed. I can also see myself getting a lot of wear out of these too. I like the gold hardware piece at the front and the shape of the heel. It gives it a really cool vintage feel. I've worn these once and they are so comfortable because of the soft leather. However, because it is so old,  the shoe caps cracked and broke into pieces while I was wearing them! I will have to get these re capped and re soled and it will probably cost more than the shoes itself.