Changmoh
  • About
  • Buy Book
  • Fash
  • Dash
  • Travel
  • Contact
  • Hire Me
  • Press

Can You Really Buy a Decent Dress in Singapore for SGD$10?

By Changmoh • Tuesday, 6 November 2012 • Fash, More Dash than Cash

I love this place for the shop name alone: Granny’s Day Out.  I found it quite by accident as I was wondering around the weird and wonderful place that is Peninsula shopping centre looking for a lady called Sally who, I had heard, does amazing lymphatic drainage facials.

This shop, Granny’s, must be the touchstone of all things vintage, retro, second hand* and dress-up as well as…sadly…polyester, here in Singapore.

A treasure trove of everything I will never ever wear, (I like retro but up to a point, I don’t actually want to look mad) it is still a wonderful shop that is bravely doing its own thing – it has been here for an incredible eight years – in a country where vintage is not embraced in the same way that it is in, say, the States or the UK.

2012-04-10 no2

Granny’s Day Out does carry some designer pieces and when I was browsing through the rails last week, I saw a fabulous and very wearable Dolce & Gabbana long black skirt for $250 that I was tempted by before I remembered that I am on a wardrobe austerity drive until I do a full de-junk: I have so much in it that I never wear. Also I am mean and horrible and like to pay peanuts for second hand clothes, regardless of the label.

Their collection of retro sunglasses were very hip but we are talking $150 a pair, so by no means a bargain.  But the mark up is actually not all that unreasonable when you consider the person who owns this store has gone overseas and sourced everything before flying it back here.

Essentially, Granny’s is a charity shop that someone with a good eye has picked through, cleaned and made cool.   My problem, I think, is that I want to be the person doing the picking.

So in my bid to find a second hand shop I can make my own hunting ground, I went to check out the ‘New to U’ charity shop which I had read about ages go and never got around to visiting.

Just like charity shops back home, things are badly displayed in buckets, on wonky rails and in corridors. Depending what day it is, different things are reduced: on the last two working days of the month, everything is half price and on certain days you can pick things up for as little as ONE DOLLAR. There is ‘T-Shirt Monday’, ‘Skirt/Trouser Wednesday’ etc.

I did spot some designer pieces on the rails but all unfortunately unwearable/from the 80’s/fake.  The silk dress below gives you an indication of the price of most things here….yes, the price tag and labels really do say $8, along with the words ‘Made in Paris’ and ‘silk’.

There was one beautiful – albeit crushed – dress (no label and a terrible picture of it below) which I was sure was my size:

Priced at just $10, of course I tried the zip several times before admitting defeat but not before making the nice lady on the till try too; for that price I wanted to be absolutely sure it didn’t fit.

New To U is not worth a trip with a view to getting lucky with a vintage steal but definitely worth going to if you are passing. It’s only open in the mornings, (10.30am-2.30pm weekdays) so don’t get caught out by turning up in the afternoon like I did initially.

*I can’t stand the term ‘pre-loved’. The person who owned whatever it is that has now ended up in a vintage/charity shop most probably hated it…which is why it’s there. Call it what it is: second hand!

Image featuring rails of clothes at Granny’s Day Out is courtesy of the Tanjong Pagar Guide

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google+
  • E-mail
Tweet
Christmas Comes Early
Beauty Steal

You Might Also Like

  • photo-4

    Somerset House, London

  • swing viewphoto

    Raffles Place Transformed into a Playground

  • Vogue and Sunday Times Style etc

    When Someone with an Empty Suitcase Comes to Stay…

  • retro rollers

    Hair-do-you-do?

    As featured in:


    Singapore Tatler
    The Independent on Sunday
    Liv
    Telegraph
    Expat Living

    The Chinese Angmoh

    The Chinese Angmoh
    Why the strange name? Changmoh is an amalgamation of the words Chinese & 'Angmoh' (local speak for Caucasian should you be reading this in a country other than SG) // I'm an English girl living in Singapore and love the local way of life so much that I actually think I’m half Chinese. Maybe even three-quarters // Freelancer writer, author and editor ... you read it here first.

    Follow Changmoh


     

    Search Changmoh

    Recent Comments

    Re: My book! A Helping Hand:...
    Changmoh
    Thanks so much Giselle!
    Re: My book! A Helping Hand:...
    Changmoh
    Thanks so much. What a lovely review and yes - I need a child-rearing manual too! Pls do tag your...
    Re: My book! A Helping Hand:...
    Changmoh
    Thanks so much for your comment. Thrilled you like it! Please do tag any and all recipes successes with #helpinghandsuccess...
    Re: My book! A Helping Hand:...
    Elizabeth Hay
    This book is amazing! Such great recipes which are useful for everyday life and we especially love the banana...
    Re: My book! A Helping Hand:...
    Textpat Wife
    What a fantastic idea - and a gorgeous book. We have a mutual friend who told me about both...

    Click the pic to follow Changmoh on Bloglovin’

    Categories

    • Art
    • Beauty
    • Brit Stuff
    • Buy Book
    • Charities
    • Competitions
    • Day in the Life
    • Day Trips
    • Doggy Stuff
    • Fash
    • Festivals
    • Food & Drink
    • Health & Fitness
    • Hotels & Places to Stay
    • House & Home
    • International Sites – No Shipping Charges
    • Lobang City Guides
    • Local Issues
    • More Dash than Cash
    • My Edits
    • My Holidays
    • Online Shopping
    • Parties and Premieres
    • Recipes
    • Restaurant Reviews
    • Shop Local
    • Tech
    • Things I Have Noted
    • Travel
    Expat Interviews
    Blog in Swiss

    @changmoh on Instagram

    Channel Changmoh

    Latest News

    • When the air in Singapore was labelled hazardous, this was the look!

      You may think you don’t smoke but, actually, you do: Air Pollution Quantified

      Thursday, 3 May 2018
    • Changmoh Topshop haul

      French-Girl Chic (at Topshop – sssh)

      Tuesday, 6 February 2018
    • Paris-worthy dressing. Only at Tiong Bahru Singapore x changmoh.com

      I bought it in a wet market…

      Tuesday, 15 November 2016
    • Hemes bracelet in the upcoming hotlotz auction changmoh lifestyle

      Luxe auction

      Wednesday, 12 October 2016
    • Roberts retro radio

      On the air: white wobbly stuff

      Tuesday, 4 October 2016
    Tweets by @ChangmohGirl
    Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube Pinterest RSS
    Changmoh

    Made with in Singapore

    © Changmoh Consults. All rights reserved. Web Design by Inspireo Media