A woman in her 50s has revealed how she has thrifted her entire wardrobe from charity shops for the past three decades, saving her thousands.
Victoria Abadi, 55, from Altrincham, Manchester, began shopping in charity shops in 1989 after struggling financially as a student, but soon found a passion for shopping second hand.
Since then, the mother-of-three has vowed to only shop sustainably, with 95 per cent of her wardrobe consisting of one-off charity shop finds.
Victoria, who works as a psychotherapist, currently has a wardrobe worth £5,000, but only paid £500 thanks to her weekly charity shopping sprees.
Revealing she finds shopping ‘theraputic’, she said: ‘There used to be a stigma about anything preloved; the clothes would often smell, and they still do but people are beginning to look at second hand items differently and more people are wanting to shop sustainably.’
Victoria Abadi, 55, from Altrincham, Manchester, began shopping in charity shops in 1989 after struggling financially as a student, but soon found a passion for shopping second hand
Since then, the mother-of-three has vowed to only shop sustainably, with 95 per cent of her wardrobe consisting of one-off charity shop finds (pictured, left and right)
Victoria, who works as a psychotherapist, currently has a wardrobe worth £5,000, but only paid £500 thanks to her weekly charity shopping sprees (pictured)
Victoria has managed to bag second hand clothing for a fraction of the price from brands like Gucci, Topshop, Miss Selfridges, Asos, River Island, and more high-street stores
Victoria has managed to bag second hand clothing for a fraction of the price from brands like Gucci, Topshop, Miss Selfridges, Asos, River Island, and more high-street stores.
Victoria explained: ‘I’ve been shopping in charity shops since the 80s and began after having a bit of a hard time financially.
‘They were all a bit stinky and smelly back then but I found some good pieces and that sparked my passion for it.
‘Now, I choose to shop in charity shops because I find it therapeutic, and it makes me think outside of the box when creating outfits.
The mother-of-three now chooses to shop in charity shops because she finds the process therapeutic, and said it helps her ‘think outside the box’ when creating outfits
‘I go to charity shops twice a week and the closest town to me has a row of eight to nine charity shops so I love spending a few hours going in and out to see what I can find.
‘My favourite charity shop is Shop with Sue Rider and Barnardo’s where everything is £1.’
Victoria started an Instagram account called ‘My Trendy 50s’ to showcase some of her favourite fashion finds.
The fashionista has managed to rake in more than 20,000 followers.
Victoria now goes to charity shops twice a week and spends a few hours going in and out to see what she can find (left and right, in garments from the charity shop)
Victoria started an Instagram account called ‘My Trendy 50s’ to showcase some of her favourite fashion finds and has managed to rake in more than 20,000 followers
She revealed she ‘loves’ showing her followers how to find similar pieces that are for sale on the high street but from a charity shop
She added: ‘I love showing how you can find similar pieces that are for sale on the high street but from a charity shop.
‘I get a buzz from it. A lot of my followers are also interested in thrift shopping and charity shopping.
‘We can look good on a budget, and I love spreading that message.
‘Whatever I spend is typically 5 per cent of the full cost of the item.’
Victoria revealed she ‘loves spreading the message’ that anyone can look good while on a budget (pictured)
Victoria hopes to inspire other women in their 50s to feel comfortable in their own skin and experiment with fashion
‘One of the first pieces I got was a vintage Biba suede waistcoat that stood out to me, and it was beautiful and only cost me £1.’
Victoria hopes to inspire other women in their 50s to feel comfortable in their own skin and experiment with fashion.
She said: ‘I love feeling good in my 50s – I dress up for work. It’s inspirational for my clients.
Victoria said she hopes to inspire others to shop more sustainably and said she continues to ‘recycle everything’ she has
The psychotherapist predicts she has saved £4,500 over the years by shopping in charity shops to build up her wardrobe
‘You can still feel amazing in your 50s and I love experimenting with fashion.
‘I want more people to shop sustainably; I recycle everything I have.
‘My daughter is also following in my footsteps and loves charity shops – her favourite is the British Heart Foundation.’