SOME people spend hundreds trying to find the perfect dress for their work Christmas party.
So you can imagine the surprise of one woman, who came across the ideal ensemble for her festive gathering – in the charity shop bargain bin.
Francesca is no stranger to finding a cut-price deal, and regularly hunts in charity shops and at car boot sales to see what bargains she can get.
And it was during her latest charity shop outing that she managed to find the sexy black dress.
“I think I might have found my work’s Christmas do dress, for 50p!” Francesca began her TikTok video.
“My favourite charity shop was having a ‘fill a bin bag for £10’ event and I jam packed it.
“I found an Oh Polly dress.”
She then showed a screenshot of the dress in question – which retails for £52 on the Oh Polly website – before trying it on.
Francesca re-emerged on camera wearing the one-shouldered black dress, which looked show-stopping on her slim frame.
“Wow,” she said, admiring her reflection.
“Who’s gonna even know that this dress was at 50p?
“Other than everyone that I’m telling on the Internet right now, but you just wouldn’t even know, would you?!
“I think this could be a contender for my works do.”
“I think I’ve found my works Christmas do dress for 50p from the charity shop!” she captioned the TikTok video.
The comments section was almost immediately filled with people praising Francesca’s incredible find, with one writing: “You look absolutely stunning, thrifty sis!
“It’s super elegant.”
“Seriously, you’re so jammy with a bargain! You look AMAZING,” another added.
“Definitely wear it,” a third insisted.
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.
“What a find!” someone else commented.
“Thank you, I really love it,” Francesca replied.
“50p for that is INSANE!!!!” another wrote.
“Holy cow you looked beautiful in that dress,” someone else said.
“100% yes! Looks amazing on you!” another gushed.
As well as a potential Christmas party dress, the outfit could be good for New Year’s Eve too.
On the Oh Polly website, they write of the maxi dress: “Get in the holiday spirit with our one-shouldered maxi dress.
“Styled with a full-length thigh split and ruched waist, it’s the ultimate occasionwear piece.
“New Year’s Eve is calling us…!”
