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There is an urban myth that the charity shops in St Andrews are brimming with the 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. 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 gorgeous 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. As I approached the British Heart Foundation on Bell Street, a group of 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 .

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