Tips For Finding Unexpected Sartorial Glee!

♥ Look in stores that don't aim at your age group. Kid's stores have very cute accessories; boutiques marketed to older women can carry beautiful, timeless pieces and great basics. For example, I picked up a gorgeous coat from a boutique aimed at women 35 plus - I'm not saying I'm surprised that women over 35 have style, but the boutique obviously wasn't aimed at my demographic and I found something amazing! It pays to look around!

♥ Be creative with sizes. Wear a shirt as a long dress with tights and boots, wear a skirt as a dress, wear a larger open cardigan for a grungey look.

♥ Look in the accessories baskets at op-shops. I always forget this once I'm there, and then see other people picking up beautiful vintage necklaces, brooches and earrings. The most I have found is a necklace which literally said "Leonardo Dicaprio". Uh, score?
♥ Similar to the first tip, don't be afraid to look in utility stores. You can pick up good satchels at army skirts, suitably baggy pants at uniform stores, and cute nurses's dresses. Plus, they are usually cheap. And everyone will ask where you got them. Hooray!

♥ Trawl Etsy. A lot of bloggers have Etsy stores, so it's a good way to see what kind of items will be in the shop before you go looking, and you'll be able to see if it will fit in with your personal style. These are from Lady Melbourne's Etsy store:
♥ Look at the accessories wall in men's clothing stores. You can get some good leathery cuffs, hats and scarves that are good quality and usually cheaper than what you would pay at a chain store. On that note, borrow your boyfriend's clothes! Boy has a pair of shorts that are actually excellent three quarter pants on me.

♥ Look up swap meets and one-day vintage sales in your area. In Perth there are actually TWO on this weekend, the Two Bucks 'Til Wednesday sale, which is famous for being, well, excellent, and the Sugar Blue Burlesque Retro Market, which I have been too and can vouch for its awesomeness.

♥ If you're a bit broke (AND WHO ISN'T in these times, economic crisis, IMPENDING DOOM etc), get some accessories. Although I prefer to get accessories from Etsy, because I like having stuff you won't see on every second person, Diva (sorry Americans!) is a good place to go for cheap accessories for an instant mood and outfit lift.
♥ Get to know all the little boutiques in your area. Trust me, you will be surprised at the range they carry! I had no idea that stores in Perth carried Vivienne Westwood until a girl I worked with told me. Not that I can afford it, but it's still nice to know it is there and I can drool all over it.