Frocking Fantastic

So here is the low down on frock swap shops; second hand shops that you can buy summer dresses at.In answer to your question Georgie, I'd probably recommend three contendors, close to Sydney Uni (if I haven't already missed the boat and you've been and gone from your workshop).

Broadway Betty - Paramatta Rd, Broadway, near the corner of city Rd and opposite the duck pond park. This one is a bit fond of the eighties, and is probably targeting people who barely remember the eighties at all because they were born in them. It is a good place to find printed t-shirts, and long bright maxi dresses, and you can probably find and ace pair of giant sunnies to go with said frock. On the down side they have somewhat inflated prices compared to the charity op-shops, but fairly reasonable in the whole world of vintage boutiques (do we count eighties as vintage?). Bonus features include funky music to listen to while you get changed, and the likelihood that your shop attendant will be boldy defining physics, biology and some might say taste in their choice of uber skinny jean, and likely have funky tats or good hair to admire.

The Salvos - this one is about half a block down from Broadway Betty, nestled on the corner of Glebe Point Rd and Paramatta Rd. This is a big store. A BIG store. This is seriously not for the faint hearted, as it has not just a sea of racks, but also eye dazzling array of homewares and strange baskets of new items like soap or cleaning products. This is a shop that you need to be well rested and endowed with great reserves of energy and bargain hunting vigour or it may end in tears. On the up side is that you are almost guaranteed a bargain, and the dress racks sport 60's, 70's and 80's as well as more recent frocks. If you sew and can take something home and alter it (as opposed to needing to wear it the next day as is) you are in even bigger chance of getting a gem.

St Vinnies - Glebe Point Rd (just before St Johns, a few doors down from Glebe post Office). Of the three this would be my choice. This is your standard charity op shop, but relatively small, and staffed by very warm and friendly older ladies with firm opinions on fashion, tea and local issues that they will be happy to share with you if you ask. Ladies dresses (as opposed to..?) are up the front on the RHS, and you are likely to find quite an amazing array of styles, in a fairly small space. Glebe as a suburb has a range of demographics and the stock reflects that - with older lady house dresses from the 60's, English labels from travelers, seventies exotic batwinged numbers, and last few years sensible work frocks. It's also a good place to see some of the local students, artists and 'characters' interacting over exciting finds of red patent leather shoes, or interesting hats. The homewares section is small and hidden, and there are even a half decent array of reasonable priced books.

Happy shopping!

Oh and PS - if you're going to the Vinnies, you might need a little coffee pit stop on the way up or back... I recommend Sappho's on the RHS past Glebe Books. It's a second hand bookshop with a fairly good range of 'literaray fiction' and looks and feels just like how a bookshop should (I reckon). There is a coffee shop out the back, and you can either sit outside in the courtyard in amongst nice tropical plants, enjoying the colourful walls from before the place was rennovated and it was constantly being covered in new tags and murals, or you can find a tiny little wooden indoors table in amongst the books. Both are good.