Northern Star

I love my sister. She's clever, interesting, funny and... impulsive. On Saturday, we were heading to a family do across town, making great time. Now, we both subscribe to the idea that rolling up bang on time to any event is naff, and it's far more beneficial to arrive a little late, after the early comers have warmed the place up for us. I'm not talking 3 hours late, just about 30 minutes, when it doesn't occur to anyone that you're late. If you roll up after cake and speeches, you've missed the point of the exercise. By that stage everyone is drunk and emotional and you have to play catch up. Before you know it, you've surpassed all of the guests and find yourself slow dancing with a glass of warm champagne on a tabletop and crying to yourself while well-meaning friends try to coax you down with chocolate and the promise of a hug. Not that I have ever done that.

So there we were, humming down Main North Road in a tiny 3-cylinder when all of a sudden there's a cry of "OP SHOP!!" and much to the surprise of the soccer mum bearing down on us (in a car that can only be described as an urban tank), my sister hit the breaks and screamed into a non-descript collection of shops. I was disorentated for a moment, and more than a little dazed by our near-death experience before I saw it, crammed between Aussie Muscle and a pet store: In Vogue Op Shop.

If you love the Northern suburbs, scroll down here. If not carry on and prepare to nod in agreement

I didn't hold out much hope. A tiny nanna op shop in the heart of the North? Not exactly going to be a gold mine, right? Wrong! Helloooooo, Nanna!

You have to love a shop that has carefully labelled baskets: "Tupperware", "Kitchenware", "Rollerblades"... It's a sweet store with some sweet treasures. I picked up a beautiful, crisp white shirt by Basque for $8.00 with strategically-placed pleats that make me look a size smaller, as well as a great little 50's style skirt - purple with little white polka dots for $4.00. Very Stepford Wives. But just in case I was getting a little too girly and pretty, I also bought an awesome pair of slouchy ankle boots with buckles x3 for $5.00 (as new).

My sister scored nicely: a blue and white striped Miss Shop dress, a funky vertical striped number (blast! Got to those before I did!) and a lovely pink and yellow dip-dyed blouse. The best bargain of the day was her Harry Who business skirt with the $250 tag still on it for $3.00. Yes, $3.00. I know.

If you are interested, there's still a lovely white Veronika Maine shirt with pin-tuck detail for $8.00 that didn't suit me or my sister. This act is in line with the 11th Op Shopping Commandment is never buy something for the hell of it. Remember that there is someone else out there who will fit it perfectly, and it will make their day when the find it. Alls fair in love and shopping, after all.

Whilst I wouldn't recommend a trip into the deep north for an op-shopping spree, if you happen to be on that side of town, drop into this great little nanna op shop.

Shop here
In Vogue Op Shop
1700 Main North Road
Salisbury Plain
Ph 8258 9382
(Please contact them for opening hours. We were legging it
with our crazy bargains and I forgot to check their sign)