I try to stay away from eBay. It’s filled with these highly styled eBay vintage stores and for some reason people are willing to pay silly amounts of money for what can be picked up for a few quid in a charity shop, thus jacking up the prices.

Gone are the days of £5 eBay bargains. This isn’t the sellers’ fault of course, particularly when there are shops like Kuku Vintage who do find incredible, ornate and highly unique pieces. I only hope and pray they too go the way of Nasty Gal Vintage and the Urban Collection and set up an actual online shop so we need not bother with the irksome bidding wars.

But you know the kind of ordinary vintage that sells for such silly prices on eBay - generally anything oversized and 80s? With some clever styling and a tag line of “avant-garde”, it now sells for ten times higher than what was originally paid for it. Avant-garde clearly is a big money spinner in eBay land.

Persistent charity shopping can be a great way to source some fab vintage. It just takes a bit of dedication.

For example, I picked up this 80s top (see above) at the weekend for £5. It has huge, ruched sleeves but also comes with a naff sweetheart neckline. On the hanger it looked like it belonged to a cheap prom queen.

But with some eBay Avant-Garde Styling™, it’s now transformed!

This is the knack of charity shopping. It’s honing in on details, like these amazing sleeves, and seeing the potential even if that means ignoring the stuff that makes you cringe. If there is something that is drawing you to it, it’s worth buying. It may need slightly altering or it may just need to be worn in a different way, like this blouse above –

I will never button it up because it looks horrible that way, so when it’s left open the hideous sweetheart neckline isn’t a problem.

So there you have it, it’s easy to come across amazing vintage finds in charity shops in many, many towns. You just need to get your eBay Avant-Garde Styling™ goggles on to find them.

QUEEN MICHELLE