Fashion
I got a £1k Valentino dress for £1 from my local charity shop – my top tips for finding mega bargains
SHE’S got an eye for a bargain.
So when Monica spotted a Valentino dress on a £1 rail in a charity shop, she knew she’d hit the jackpot.
Monica knew she’d found something special when she got this Valentino dress for £1 in a charity shop in Notting Hill, Londontiktok/@themonicaway
It was quite severely stained, but Monica sent it off to be professionally cleaned and was delighted when it was returned to her in “immaculate” conditiontiktok/@themonicaway
The dress fit her like a glove and she teamed it with a Valentino belt as an added touchtiktok/@themonicaway
She’s a pro at finding gems in the charity shop, and also got this red dress for £20tiktok/@themonicaway
However, when she got it home she realised that the reason it had been so heavily discounted is because it had a “fair amount of staining” on it.
She considered dyeing it, or trying to get the stains out herself, but eventually decided to send it to be professionally cleaned – at The Village Dry Cleaners in Manchester.
“I’m really excited because I hope this dress is going to be wearable very soon,” she said as she sent the dress off to the company, who specialise in cleaning wedding dresses and other white dresses.
The TikTok video then showed Monica receiving the dress back from the cleaners, grinning widely as she opened up the package.
“It’s looking bright white, oh my goodness,” she said.
“I do not see a single stain and it looks so much whiter than when I sent it to them.
“There is not a single mark on it.
“If this is not testament to buying things second hand and trying to give them a new lease of life, I do not know what is.
“So here I have my immaculate condition £1 Valentino dress.”
She then tried the dress on, and styled it with a Valentino belt and jewellery, as she said: “I have a feeling you’re going to be seeing a lot more of this dress”.
The Valentino dress is undoubtedly Monica’s best secondhand find to date.
But she’s certainly got a knack for spotting the diamonds in the rough.
In other videos on her TikTok page, she’s shown off a stunning one-shouldered red dress she got for just £20, an entire Cos pink trouser suit and another £1 dress that gave total Princess Kate vibes.
But how does she find such amazing gems?
Well, Monica shared another video in which she revealed her top tips, kicking off with creating a mood board on Pinterest.
“Honestly, this helps me so much with pinpointing what my desired style is,” she said.
“When you’re out in charity shops, it can be really overwhelming and it’s very easy to veer off and get distracted by things that may not particularly align with the style you’re trying to achieve.
“When I’m out secondhand and charity shopping, I always refer back to my mood board to check that the things I’m looking at are in that board, or they have a similar look.”
Her second tip is to keep a list on your phone of the items “you feel you’re missing from your wardrobe everyday when you’re getting dressed”.
She then showed her own list, on which she’d written things such as “wide-legged black trousers” and “layering white T-shirt”.
Monica concluded her tip list by saying: “There are just some items that are really, really easy to find secondhand.
“Some of my favourites are stripey shirts, blazers and real leather goods.
“Not to mention always checking out the jewellery section. You would be amazed at some of the jewellery you can find.
“I’ve found real silver bracelets and rings, statement earrings… honestly don’t forget to check out those cabinets.”
She also managed to find this stunning Cos trouser suittiktok/@themonicaway
And this £1 dress that gave total Princess Kate vibestiktok/@themonicaway
Everything she finds, such as this floral dress, seems to fit her like a glovetiktok/@themonicaway
SHE’S got an eye for a bargain.
So when Monica spotted a Valentino dress on a £1 rail in a charity shop, she knew she’d hit the jackpot.
Monica knew she’d found something special when she got this Valentino dress for £1 in a charity shop in Notting Hill, Londontiktok/@themonicaway
It was quite severely stained, but Monica sent it off to be professionally cleaned and was delighted when it was returned to her in “immaculate” conditiontiktok/@themonicaway
The dress fit her like a glove and she teamed it with a Valentino belt as an added touchtiktok/@themonicaway
She’s a pro at finding gems in the charity shop, and also got this red dress for £20tiktok/@themonicaway
However, when she got it home she realised that the reason it had been so heavily discounted is because it had a “fair amount of staining” on it.
She considered dyeing it, or trying to get the stains out herself, but eventually decided to send it to be professionally cleaned – at The Village Dry Cleaners in Manchester.
“I’m really excited because I hope this dress is going to be wearable very soon,” she said as she sent the dress off to the company, who specialise in cleaning wedding dresses and other white dresses.
The TikTok video then showed Monica receiving the dress back from the cleaners, grinning widely as she opened up the package.
“It’s looking bright white, oh my goodness,” she said.
“I do not see a single stain and it looks so much whiter than when I sent it to them.
“There is not a single mark on it.
“If this is not testament to buying things second hand and trying to give them a new lease of life, I do not know what is.
“So here I have my immaculate condition £1 Valentino dress.”
She then tried the dress on, and styled it with a Valentino belt and jewellery, as she said: “I have a feeling you’re going to be seeing a lot more of this dress”.
The Valentino dress is undoubtedly Monica’s best secondhand find to date.
But she’s certainly got a knack for spotting the diamonds in the rough.
In other videos on her TikTok page, she’s shown off a stunning one-shouldered red dress she got for just £20, an entire Cos pink trouser suit and another £1 dress that gave total Princess Kate vibes.
But how does she find such amazing gems?
Well, Monica shared another video in which she revealed her top tips, kicking off with creating a mood board on Pinterest.
“Honestly, this helps me so much with pinpointing what my desired style is,” she said.
“When you’re out in charity shops, it can be really overwhelming and it’s very easy to veer off and get distracted by things that may not particularly align with the style you’re trying to achieve.
“When I’m out secondhand and charity shopping, I always refer back to my mood board to check that the things I’m looking at are in that board, or they have a similar look.”
Her second tip is to keep a list on your phone of the items “you feel you’re missing from your wardrobe everyday when you’re getting dressed”.
She then showed her own list, on which she’d written things such as “wide-legged black trousers” and “layering white T-shirt”.
Monica concluded her tip list by saying: “There are just some items that are really, really easy to find secondhand.
“Some of my favourites are stripey shirts, blazers and real leather goods.
“Not to mention always checking out the jewellery section. You would be amazed at some of the jewellery you can find.
“I’ve found real silver bracelets and rings, statement earrings… honestly don’t forget to check out those cabinets.”
She also managed to find this stunning Cos trouser suittiktok/@themonicaway
And this £1 dress that gave total Princess Kate vibestiktok/@themonicaway
Everything she finds, such as this floral dress, seems to fit her like a glovetiktok/@themonicawayFashion – Latest Style News And Fabulous Trends | The Sun
