The East End Vintage Clothing Company - 50p sale review and haul

As many will have gathered by now I am a bit of a bargain hunter. I wasn't in the market for new clothes but I was lacking in some Autumn and Winter woolies and when the 50p sale at the East End Vintage Clothing Company presented itself I just couldn't resist.

The venue: This company is usually a fill-a-bag store, you can spend £10 or £20 on a bag and fill it with as much as you can. These sales are a popular alternative to kilo sales. These companies generally buy their clothes by the tonne and it's a game of chance as to what you might find.

These types of companies also do £1 sales to clear the decks before a new shipment but I hadn't seen one as low as 50p before.

At this particular company there is the actual shop area, in which things are hanging up and generally more organised. They also have fitting rooms which is a great investment for any venue hosting this type of thing! Then, during these types of sales there are piles of clothes to be rooted through and rails in the yard full of stock.

The stock: Don't expect anything to be sorted in any way, your paying a low price to do the donkey work yourself. You have to dig to find the good stuff so if that's the kind of thing that fills you with dread these types of sales are not for you.

I will admit there is a lot of stuff that you just won't want. I wanted things that could be 40's/50's appropriate and with autumn and winter in mind so I rejected all the 1980's band t-shirts and cut off Levi's, but they will be someones cup of tea so rooting through is the key to success.

Look out for the boxes of bags and hats that are littered around, I am going through a bit of a beret phase at the moment and find lots of great hats at this place.

Look closely and you will find labels - I saw this Ralph Lauren jacket and a DKNY jeans dress which still had the labels attached with the price on it, and they were both 50p!

Tips and tricks for £1/50p sales

Sew into it: Budding seamstresses could do well here for fabric, which is so expensive these days, even leather jackets were 50p and if slightly damaged the rest could be salvaged.

The ick factor: Ok I won't lie, some of the contents of these sales are icky, it might have been sitting around in a warehouse for a while, it might have a mark or stain on it. It might be downright filthy. Take plastic gloves with you and hand sanitiser.

Shop till you drop don't dress to impress: Wear your most comfortable clothing, I mean carboot sale comfortable, can hang on for dear life over the edge of a three foot bin to retrieve treasure comfortable. Realistically you need to be able to crawl about between the piles to find stuff.

First in or miss out: This sale was the busiest I have ever seen so get there just before the opening time to get the best picks.

Cash benefits: This particular company takes payment by card (extra points for that) but some won't so check before you go to these kinds of sales.

My Haul 

Checked high waisted skirt - I love this wool skirt and the fact that it is high waisted means it will keep me super warm in the winter months, it's also lined which is an added bonus.

V neck knitted vest - I thought this would come in handy for a 40's look, it's got a slight mixture of colours and the fact that it is sleeveless means it will do well on days when it's too warm for a coat but you want to keep yourself cosy.

V neck knitted white vest - I liked the detail on this vest and felt it was a little more feminine than the other one. It will go with plenty of outfits and keep me warm in the colder months ahead.

Purple Beret  - This goes without saying really, I just needed this in my collection and the plum colour is something I wear a lot in the autumn and winter months.

Purple dress - This is a little out of era for me but what stood out was the lovely collar and it's unusual shape, this needed a little sewing on the sleeves but the deep purple colour will be great for the season.

Shorts - I took a risk on these as I wasn't at all sure about them, these are actually made from trousers which have been cut but I have a thing for mustard colours and love to wear shorts with contrasting coloured or black tights. I think they are fine for a more modern, vintage inspired look.

I also picked up a white cotton blouse, a snood, a pinny and a nautical dress which is a gift for a friend.

Total items: 10
Total cost: £5.00

I'm going to do a look book post on how I dress these in different ways soon so be sure to check it out!

I hope you enjoyed this haul and advice on these types of sales, it's getting a little bit cold for outdoor sales these days which can mean only one thing... vintage christmas bazaars! 

Until next time 

Love 

Lucy 

xx