I spotted a gorgeous LBD in a charity shop for a fiver – when I Googled it I realised I’d bagged a £375 designer frock
SHE’S an absolute pro when it comes to finding a bargain.
So when Francesca saw a black dress hanging up in the charity shop, she knew instantly that she’d stumbled across something special.
While the price tag said £5, it was a “tiny size 6”, so it was a gamble whether or not she’d fit into it.
But Francesca decided to buy it anyway, on the off-chance that she could get it on.
“I don’t think it’ll fit me but how stunning,” she gushed in a video on her TikTok page.
“I don’t even think the camera is doing this justice!
“I’ve got to try it. I’ve got to get it.”
And when she got home, she popped the dress into Google – and was left blown away by the results.
The dress turned out to be a Halston classic, worth a whopping £375.
“This dress is absolutely stunning and I ummed and ahed about getting it because it was five quid,” she said in the next video.
“If you know me I’m used to paying like 20p for stuff.
“But this is actually a £375 dress so I am so glad that I got it.”
Francesca then re-emerged on screen in the dress itself, as she admitted: “This is going to be one of the best £5 I think I’ve spent in a long time.
“This is something I’d never normally wear but it’s stunning. I could just tell on the hanger that it was something special.
“I mean, I didn’t realise it was £375 special!”
Whiile she admitted she’d probably never wear it, she added: “I could just wear it down to Asda or Aldi.
“So if you see me wearing this, mind your business!”
“K…so it turns out this was an incredible investment,” Francesca captioned her video.
Top charity shop tips for bagging a bargain
Ross Dutton has been a manager for Crisis's charity shops for four years and currently runs the charity's Finsbury Park shop in London.
Choose your area – As a rule of thumb, the posher the area, the better quality the clothes that are donated.
Don’t hang around – If you see something you like, buy it, as it’ll likely be gone when you come back
Look out for cut-off labels – Some of your favourite high street stores will have deals with local charity shops to donate stock that isn’t sold during their own sales. Often part of the deal is that they need to cut the labels off the clothes.
Stay at home – While some charities have their own site, like Oxfam and Crisis. many also sell from dedicated eBay stores, such as British Heart Foundation and Scope. You won’t get the range of bargains that you would get in a physical store, but if you’re looking for something specific it may be worth checking online too.
And people in the comments section agreed that she’d done the right thing by buying the dress.
“It looks like it was made for you!” one wrote.
“That looks stunning on you, what a find!” another gushed.
“Never seen a dress suit someone so much,” a third added.
“It’s absolutely perfect on you.”
“So flattering, stunning !!” someone else said.
“You look red carpet ready in it!” another praised.