No High Street, No New New Clothes, only New To Me Clothes for a YEAR!

I'm looking for a new challenge (not as if I don't have enough on my plate what with a new buisness, trying to loose weight, working, living etc.) and I am big into my charity shops and old clothes. My figure in particular suits the older style dresses. I have wardrobes full of them! Those lovely little collared, button down dresses with flared below the knee skirts just look so good on me and I have loads in different patterns, colours etc and I am always on the look out for them when I venture into thrift shops.

Now, as always for me, money is rarely flowing freely enough for me to buy the fancy clothes I love and pine for and I find most high street clothes uncomfertable, poorly fitting and quick to shrink or distort. So naturally I end up digging through bargin bins and sale racks and when they aren't available I found charity shops were great for a nice unusual piece etc. I admit to being a bit of a hipster but I am GOOD at thrifting! I love finding clothes that look hideous or outdated and turning them into something pretty and fashionable and I love nothing more than when someone compliments my clothes and I proudly tell them it was €3 euro! I am a scrouge at heart!

Now for the last few months, nay years, I've been mainly shopping in charity shops from birthdays to weddings to christmas day dinner I have been dressed predominently in "rescue clothes" as my boyfriend calls them. I love picking up a dress and knowing it had histroy and was loved and worn and now it gets to have a second life and do it all over again!It makes me love them a little more than the usual penneys clothes I live in the other half of the time.

It is just so satisfying searching through rails and rails of clothes and finally finding that piece of clothing that makes you squeel and makes your heart race!And to top it all off they rarely cost more than 6 or 7 euro!Now Waterford, where I'm from, has really started to embrace these little shops and we have quite a few wonderful treasure troves to be proud of. I am a regular customer in the 3 WASSA (Waterford Autism society) shops and I love nothing better than spending an hour rooting through their rails to come away with three new dresses, some shoes (I am not a shoe snob I will wear them!although I draw the line there..no underwear for me thanks!) and a nice little upcycling project all for under €25 euro!I have a few particular finds that I am so proud of..For example a 100% wool tweed blazer with a very in fashion leather collar made sometime in the 70s to 80s that I got for €3!!! THREE!!!I will attach a picture and I think it may just have been one of my all time favourite finds!

I've also got a penchant for velvet...(hides in shame) my friends laugh at me. I have a velvet sensor. If there is some velvet in a shop I will find it!And I will buy it...especially black velvet!I have *ahem* five...*ahem*..six...black velvet dresses with only the smallest differences!I cannot walk away from them. In fact I bought a new one yesterday...I have a problem. I cannot help it!But just in general I love velvet dresses and I have more than a few in other colours too.

Anyway long story short as I wandered around the shop yesterday I was thinking to myself how I could find an outfit for any occasion in a charity shop for under 20 quid!I was talking to one of the girls who was complimenting my lovely new chevron dress as we wandered around penneys and I just found it all so...boring.
Isn't it so pretty??

The thought crossed my mind that I'd be happy never to step into one of these shops again. And of course thats an exaggeration but myself and my boyfriend have vowed to live cheaper this year so we can travel more on the weekends and penneys is not as kind on your pocket as it seems so I've decided to try a No High street, No New Clothes Challenge for a year!

 I will have some basics, camis and one pair of jeans that I live in and replace whenever they wear out but aside from that I vow to shop only in vintage shops, charity shops more than the vintage but if I do find a dress I can't leave behind thats a bit more expensive than usual I will have to take it!Providing that it's new to me but not new new! I also do not plan to go this way for underwear as I pointed out above and I also think that this applies to gym wear and pyjamas but aside from these basics the rules are as follows:

1. No shopping in High street stores.
2. Clothes cannot be brand new (unless I'm lucky enough to find brand new in charity shops in which case I must have photographic proof of the item hanging in the charity shop!)
3. Clothes must be bought either online (I will provide links to verify their secondhandedness!) in thrift stores, second hand stores, charity shops or vintage shops!
4. I can alter or add to the clothes in any way I like!In fact I'd like to do more of this!
5. I can, if I really want wear my own handmade items!
6. Any items of clothes I already own that are not exactly Kosher can be worn but I cannot buy any new items and I must try to minimize these items!
7. I can (and most certainly will) buy new shoes but I will try to thrift most of them but I am a shoeaholic so I can not swear off them entirely!(Also I have big feet, size 8, so I often do not find these in charity shops!)
8. I must do this challenge from 03/08/2014 to the 03/08/15!

And thats that!

Here goes nothing!