Sacred Heart Mission Op Shop, Windsor

Despite it's short span, there are several, excellent vintage and op-shops along the Windsor end of Chapel street. I call it my Sunday afternoon mile, a late breakfast, cranberry tea followed by a couple of hours of browsing.

There is this great juxtaposition of interesting clothes and reasonable prices in the op-shops along this stretch. Though the glittery vintage stores like Shag and the Chapel St Bazaar are fantastic sources of "high" vintage artifacts (and the occasional furry hat.)

The sacred heart mission op shop in Windsor is a clear favourite. Firstly, its open on Sundays, they often play sad, Johnny Cash country and rock-a-billy music (good for a reflective Sunday afternoon) and the furry, zebra-print counter-top is magnificent.

It's a big store, with high, arching roofs and wooden staircases and fittings. There are clothes, furniture and other second-hand wares everywhere, in the alcoves behind the windows, in parallel racks in the middle of the shop, and an open area at the very back, populated by ageing, but beautiful furniture.

The best selection of clothes is in the middle of the store, elevated from the entrance and the counter by a small flight of stairs. The collection is parted by a walkway, with men's clothing on the left and women's opposite. The jackets are beautiful and really textural. I loved a beige jacket from Harry Who, that was double-breasted and tied at the waist by a camel belt. There was a soft jumper made from alpaca wool, it was exquisite with zig-zag embroidery and tufts the fluffy wool threaded through-out.

A few average dresses (especially some plain, high-necked black dresses) are counterbalanced by some wonderfully 80s resort wear. There is an abundance of polka dots and shoulder pads amongst the collection, with a white fitted dress with purple polka dots and beautifully constructed collar and shoulder the highlight.

There are some interesting men's clothes, heavy woolen suit jackets, interlaced with skinny jeans and corduroy pants, flannel shirts and leather jackets. The quality of shoes are good, from scuffed, chunky lace-ups to delicate leopard print pumps there was a mixture of styles.

The staff are friendly, if a little perplexed by the workings of the eftpos machine! For a store that embodies that has such a strong "vintagey" vibe, the clothes are well priced. Sacred heart mission seem to present their stores in a way that the Salvos can't, inventive, old school but consistently affordable.


FINAL WORD: a Sunday (or any day) afternoon must.

where is it? 86-88 Chapel St, Windsor
how do i get there? Sandringham train to Windsor or Prahran
will i have to wait for a change room? there are 2
whats on the stereo? Rock-a-billy, sad blues and country and Barbara Streisand.
i'm hungry? The yellow bird a few doors down is a great cafe/ casual dining experience

Salvation Army Thrift Store, Ashwood

This is a relatively new incarnation for the Salvo's on the edge of Ashburton and Ashwood. Occupying two big rooms in a row of flat, square shops, the clothes are affordable and there are some really interesting items.

At the moment, the bulk of the clothes are half-priced, the special also extends to hats. I admired this blue hat made from felt, a bowler hat with a wide brim, it was brilliant and totally inspired by "Madeline" (the French orphan who is very very small... but inside she's tall!) The small collection of furniture is on display outside the shop, stools, oak tables and draws are generously discounted, if a little scratched and careworn. The was also a rather extensive collection of home wares and porcelain statues, vases and other kitsch collectibles.

There is a good range of clothes in the room adjacent to the counter. Amongst the t-shirts, blouses and brown lace shirts there were some inventive and colourful pieces. I found a quilted jacket, embroidered from blue and gold material with stretchy velvet sleeves, a ruffled, long-sleeved top that cinched in at the waist and a pair of mahogany tinged lace-ups from Rivers.

There were some long, discounted wedding dresses, made from taffeta, pearl and sequin and a lovely leather jacket with long swirly pattens carved into the padded shoulders. Shoes were showcased in a wide cabinet along the back wall. There were some impressive eighties pumps and sling-backs and narrow leather boots for men.

There was little joy to be found amongst a rack of $2 clothing, despite the engaging "$2 off, today only" sign in swirly black marker. However there were plenty of bargains and half priced clothes were good for buying in bulk.

The ladies at the counter are lovely. Salt of the earth, country netball mum's they were, dealing out advice, gossip and compliments while they worked the busy shop-front.

FINAL WORD: Not a brilliant selection, but some colorful pieces and unique pieces if you can take time to sort through the racks. Inventive window displays and great prices.

**Spend $10 or more and you get a "loyalty" card, after every 5 purchases you get $5 off - and, well a candy cane.



where is it? 401-403 High St, Ashwood
how do i get there? Glen Waverley train to holmesglen, then catch the 908 Altona (yes, the bus to Altona) to the corner of High St and Warragul Ashwood, walk towards Box Hill and turn left at the Subway corner.
will i have to wait for a change room? there are 2
whats on the stereo? No music on the stereo :(
i'm hungry? subway on the Warragul rd corner

Eurotrash, Prahran

I’m strangely terrified by the woman who manages Eurotrash, the slightly eccentric vintage clothes shop on Chapel St. With her alarming red hair, heavy make-up and Ivana Trump accent, her and the collection of clothes seemed to have escaped over the wall from East Berlin only yesterday.

It’s an amazing collection, luxurious, if slightly edgy and definitely not prim and proper. There are some beautiful recycled clothes from labels like Chanel, Miu Miu and Versace amongst the leather, fur coats and spandex – plastic gold pants.

The best items are not featured on the walls or in cabinets they are amongst the crowded racks of clothes and shoes in the narrow shop. Beautiful faux (and some real) fur coats stood out from a predominately dark collection. Thigh length and heavy with fibres, they are coloured in deep chestnuts and black. I loved the inventive selection of leather items, especially this smock jacket made from pieces of fine, thin leather studded and layered together with a final piece draped from around the neck. There were some great little vests, leather skirts and a baby-blue leather mid - rift top with elbow-length sleeves.

Circular racks bursting with tops and pants obscured the narrow walkways, there is definitely a theme of black, lace and leopard print and there were a few items held together by studs and layers of fabric. There were some lovely long dresses, made from a mixture of fluffy white tulle and heavy stretchy fabric around the bust and some fantastic mini-skirts and shorts.

There was a beautiful purple coat with feathery embroidery on each breast pocket, on closer inspection it turned out to be Miu Miu and had been reduced from $1200 to $300. Shoes were in an elevated cabinet, there were some delicate and white heels with think straps and sandals, the feature being a pair of Chanel sling-backs. In the crowded, glittery window a black Chanel purse/bag flashed at me devilishly, though I'm not 100% sure of its authenticity.

There were some amazing pieces, and some trashy ones, which made the collection really diverse. Studded, flared jeans, red latex hot pants and a sequined vest made from long, fringy tendrils were interesting additions to an eclectic mix of vintage clothes

FINAL WORD: There are some serious European brands and quality items at Eurotrash. It’s expensive, but unique second hand shopping.


** Note – Eurotrash is a unique place for vintage fashion and a haircut ...
there is a small hairdressing salon at the rear of the shop.

Salvation Army Op-Shop, Bourke St, Melbourne

The Salvos in Bourke St, Melbourne is relocating and closing down. It’s closing down so soon (Christmas Eve, 2009) you may read this post and all the second hand items may have already been shipped off and recycled to other stores across Melbourne.

It's one of those rare op-shops on a main rd in central Melbourne, and the facade is now obscured by scaffolding and plaster board.

It’s impeccably organised across two levels in a narrow space towards the Spring St end of Bourke St. Everything is 50% off until closing, and it does have that empty half-lived in feel of a house that is being moved out of.

There are some ok pieces amongst the clothes and plenty of basic shirts, slacks and pants. I liked a narrow, sleeveless dress that was crocheted in multi-coloured fibres, there were also a couple of sparkly shift dresses and a cream, transparent baby doll top with crepe rosettes around the scooped collar.

There were some interesting shoes in an alcove, towards the back wall of the lower floor. Leather pumps with little gold studs across the top of the foot, camel mary-janes with cork heels and white-peep toe heels with brass sequins stood out in a well put together collection of vintage shoes and lace-up boots.

Heavy suit jackets, boot-leg jeans, shorts, bright button up shirts and a lycra marcel morceau one-piece rounded out what was left of the half-priced clothes.

Upstairs had been almost emptied. The shelves of homewares were half-bare but there was a gorgeous floral serving tray with little porcelain cups and a milk jug from the same pattern. There was a big, but diminishing collection of cookbooks, novels, sports books and children’s books in wide bookshelves along the back wall.


FINAL WORD: Not an outstanding collection, but a few good items and books amongst the thinning collection. The half-priced items make an already reasonably priced collection, even more reasonable. The shop does close at the end of the day on the 24th of December (Thursday.)

Yooralla Carlton Bargain Shop

It's big wide windows, facing out into Elgin St, Carlton, are crowded with old electrical appliances, dvds, vhs tapes, vases and grand fur coats. The jumble is a fitting precursor to the grungy op-shop inside.

It's a big, mostly flat shop with old wooden ceilings. There is a bit to sort through and the collection of secondhand items is pretty diverse. While there was a lack of incredible vintage finds, there were some really cheap, functional pieces. Men's and Women's pants, jeans, slacks and trousers were $5. I liked a pair of seem-less navy slacks with no buttons or hooks but wide flares at the heel.

T-shirts were $3, and they could be ripped, cut or modified with embellishments or into mid-rift tops (think American Apparel.) There was an eclectic jumble of dresses, I'm all for wearing nightwear as evening or day wear, especially if its a beautifully well made as this cream nightdresses cut from a ruched stretchy material, with fringing around the curve of the hip and sheer, long white sleeves.

The other dresses were plainer and had simple cuts. But some chunky 80s jackets in neon pink and blue and impressive shoulder-pads rounded off the collection. Despite the low-key display, the shoe collection was inspiring. Highlights we flats with round metallic toes, little burgundy heels with laces and a bright green instep and navy, slip-on ankle boots.

Scattered through-out the shop is a big collection of miscellaneous items. Cutlery, glass-wear, vhs video tapes (including the entire die-hard movie collection), boxes of records and cds, cricket jumpers, thermos flasks, handbags and an old clock radio - Like an elephant graveyard, its where electrical equipment from the 80s and 90s goes to die (and possibly be reborn?)

Oddball highlight were two George Foreman grills, from $30, they looked about 10 years old (judging by the picture on the box) and seemed to be in good condition.

FINAL WORD - Lots of secondhand clothes and items, its a little overwhelming. A couple of top of the notch finds (shoes and jackets the best) and scores of random electronic artifacts from the 80s and 90s. Also the place to go for second-hand Christmas decorations.

where is it? 134-136 Elgin St, Carlton
how do i get there? Catch the no.1 and no.8 tram to the intersection of Elgin and Lygon St
will i have to wait for a change room? there are 2
whats on the stereo? No music on the stereo :(
i'm hungry? there is a fantastic sushi shop I'd almost recommend to anyone a couple of stores up on Elgin street towards Lygon.

Emils Shoe Repairs, Windsor

Yes, I know it's an unlikely title for a vintage shop, but Emils shoes at the Windsor end of Chapel St has an impressive display of second hand boots and shoes.

Doc Martens are being embraced again as fashion from the nineties is coming back. An older, worn pair of docs has more appeal than a shiny new pair. In it's sidewalk collection, Emils' have docs with covered in craft glitter, coloured laces, scuff and texta marks and blue and snakeskin material.

There are chunky ankle boots and blundstones (for men and women) with and without laces, and cowboy boots with reinforced toes and elaborate carved patterns from the foot to calf.

Emils does have a substantial collection of new shoes, which are displayed inside the store. The rows are vintage shoes are on tiered racks on the sidewalk and are a worthy, but expensive (a pair of second-hand docs will set you back $95 minimum.

In the window were a pair of Bally pumps with a white leather around the side and heel of the foot, bleeding into a beige material around the toe. There were also a pair of little leather ankle boots, the leather was so soft it looked like felt.

FINAL WORD: excellent range of vintage footwear, but it will hurt price wise!

where is it? 153 Chapel St, Windsor
how do I get there? catch the Sandringham train to Windsor station, walk on the same side as the station, down chapel street towards High St rd.

Josie's Opportunity Shop, Balaclava

Josie’s is a Carlisle St cultural institution. It’s not pristine and it’s not particularly “vintagey”. In fact it’s utterly disorganised and cluttered, but it’s charming and a clash of old world, kitsch and the 80s.

“Josie,” I assume is the upfront brunette lady at the counter. She and another rather sweet lady with a blue rinse discuss the best kosher butcher on Carlisle St, while people swing in and out of the shop on the main strip of Balaclava.

Piles of objects (plates, statues, knitting needles, pots, vases etc) swell around a few racks of clothes. At the rear of the shop, I found an old-fashioned bill and letter holder, with rusty hooks and faded gold lettering on top of a pile of old comics and knitting magazines.

It’s an eclectic collection, there are heavy men’s coats and trenches with wide belts and brass buckles and leather pumps from the eighties made from soft leather and vinyl.

The highlight was the beautiful selection of jackets made from Italian leather in brown, black and suede. They had different lengths and textures, I admired this black leather jacket with thick tubing around the collar and lapels. Knotted around the front counter were those patterned silk scarfs and a couple of faux fur wraps.

There were plenty of tight alcoves in the shop and bags, shoes and accessories seemed to overrun every spare inch of shelf space. I wasn’t overwhelmed by most of the items in Josie’s but there were some unique and fascinating pieces in you’re patient enough to sort through the jumble.

Josie’s had a great collection of jackets and skirts from some Australian designers that were big in womens wear in the 80s. Picture bright, coarse fabrics, shoulder-pads, sparkles and opaque buttons on coloured lapels.

FINAL WORD: Josie’s Opportunity Shop is messy, but a must on Carlisle St. Also, most of the prices are set (and good value) but you can haggle on some of the smaller pieces.

where is it? 255 Carlisle St, Balaclava
how do i get there? Take the Sandringham train to Balaclava station or the no.16 Tram to Kew (via Acland St)
will i have to wait for a change room? there are 2
whats on the stereo? No music and plenty of silence
i'm hungry? you can't go past Glicks for bagels on 330 Carlisle St, Argie Bargys is also worth a go, especially for it's inventive pizza menu.