There is an urban myth that the charity shops in St Andrews are brimming with designer cast-offs donated by rich overseas students.
People say you can get high-quality items for next to nothing in the affluent Fife town.
As a lover of both fashion and bargains, I was eager to find out if the rumours were true.
So, in the name of journalism, I visited all six charity clothing shops in St Andrews to investigate.
This is how I got on.
1) Save the Children, Greyfriars Garden
I started off strong with a visit to Save the Children on Greyfriars, which feels more like a luxury boutique than a charity shop.
The St Andrews charity shop, which was rebranded last year, is clean and well-organised, with rails of clothing categorised by colour and size.
It features heaps of brand-new items donated by high-end brands including Dune and Hobbs.
This is where I lucked out, discovering a beautiful new linen dress from Hobbs (see above!) for £35 as opposed to its retail price of £149.
There is also a curated collection of vintage clothing, which I loved sifting through.
2) British Heart Foundation, Bell Street
As I approached the British Heart Foundation on Bell Street, a group of cool students dressed farmer-meets-golfer entered ahead of me. I figured I was on the right track.
It was busy, another good sign. Everywhere I looked, people were swooping, swiping and sifting through items.
There was a huge selection of clothing here, with a particularly good range of summer dresses and, randomly, wedding fascinators and hats.
Clothing labels included Asos, H&M and Zara.
This was also where I saw the best range of menswear – poorly stocked in comparison to womenswear in every shop I visited – which featured good quality fleeces, shirts, jackets and chinos.
3) Cancer Research, South Street
In Cancer Research on South Street I was excited to see lots of items helpfully labelled ‘brand new’, including a gorgeous slip dress from Zara.
Carefully categorised by clothing type, there were rails of lovely linens and pretty florals.
This St Andrews charity shop also had the best selection of jeans that I saw, in every shade of blue and a range of leg widths.
Most items were from the high street, including Monsoon, Zara, Primark, Bershka and Topshop.
3) Oxfam, South Street
Just two doors down from Cancer Research on South Sreeet is Oxfam.
This St Andrews charity shop had a lovely selection of summer tops, which come from stores such as New Look, H&M, Phase Eight and M&S.
There was also a great range of jackets, including blazers, raincoats and bombers.
Oxfam had the best selection of books that I saw on the day, too.
I was excited to buy a signed Waterstones edition of Really Good, Actually, by Monica Heisey, which has been on my reading list for a while.
4) Barnardo’s, Bell Street
Ah, Barnardo’s. This charity shop on Bell Street is a gem.
It was here that I finally found, and subsequently bought, my first designer item: a Jasper Conran summer dress for just £13.50.
There was no changing room at this St Andrews charity shop so my purchase felt like a gamble, but I was told that I could return it to any Barnardo’s store if need be.
Thankfully, I discovered when I got home, it fits perfectly.
There was also an impressive range of men’s shirts and jumpers here, as well as women’s denim shorts.
6) Salvation Army, Church Street
The first thing I noticed about the Salvation Army on Church Street was the music, with Most Girls by Hailee Steinfield blasting out of the speakers when I arrived.
This made for a lively shopping experience.
I started with the dresses – most of which featured sequins and glitter – which came from shops including Primark, Warehouse and New Look.
This St Andrews charity shop also had a great selection of trousers, including cargos, linen trousers and jeans.
There was a great range of trinkets, too, including homeware, artwork and books.
7) Sense Scotland, Greyfriars Garden
Just next door to Save the Children is Sense Scotland.
It’s probably one of the smaller St Andrews charity shops, but I still found plenty of nice bits from the likes of Primark, M&S, Zara and Daisy Street.
There was also a great range of shoes, including heels, trainers, brogues and even ski boots.
If you have kids I would definitely recommend a visit, as there were drawers upon drawers of toys for 20p.
There was even a wall of colourful yarn up for grabs, if knitting is your thing.
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