A woman was left stunned after spotting a designer dress worth thousands of pounds in her local charity shop - and she couldn't believe it when she saw the £12 price tag10:09, 12 Aug 2026A mum-of-two was left stunned while browsing her local charity shop – as she found a gorgeous dress for just £12 that was worth a lot more.‌Ruth Kornatz has been a keen charity shop shopper since she was a child, having grown up watching her own mum search for hidden gems. She was taught to enjoy the thrill of finding something special while also recognising the benefits of buying second-hand.‌She said: "You learn quickly that one person's trash is another person's treasure." Ruth, who lives in an area with plenty of charity shops, has even passed her love of bargain hunting on to her two children. However, despite years of searching through second-hand rails, she had never come across anything quite like her latest find.‌While browsing her local Goodwill, Ruth noticed a newly arrived rail packed with dresses and immediately began looking through it.The store allows shoppers to browse rails before they are moved into their designated sections, so customers can sometimes get first pick of new donations.Content cannot be displayed without consent‌The bright orange dress, covered in butterfly detailing, immediately caught her attention. She told Newsweek: "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and noticed the butterflies."At first, Ruth thought it might be a costume and imagined her daughter wearing it, but she soon spotted the designer's name on the label.She recognised it as Carolina Herrera, who is a legendary Venezuelan-American fashion designer. Ruth decided to do a quick Google search – although she wasn't expecting to discover just how valuable the dress actually was.‌The dress was an authentic piece from the luxury designer's 2025 Resort collection and had originally sold for $4,900,(£3,800).Ruth, meanwhile, had just been asked to pay $14.99 (£12). She said: "I thought it was a costume at first and immediately thought of my daughter.""I recognised the designer's name right away and did a quick Google search, not expecting it to be one of her couture pieces."‌The discovery left her in disbelief, particularly because the dress wasn't an older vintage piece that had simply been forgotten about.She added: "This dress retailed for $4,900 when it was new, and my sticker price was $14.99, so you can imagine."Ruth now faces a dilemma about what she's going to do with the luxury frock. She could sell it for a significant profit, have it altered to fit her better or keep it to pass down to her daughter.Article continues belowBut for now, she's simply enjoying the fact that she managed to uncover such a special piece for a fraction of its original price. She gushed: "It just feels incredibly special to have. The little girl in me is beaming with excitement."