The beauty is in the unknown

Despite not writing on this for a jolly long time, I don't want you all to think the world of charity retail has dried up, that all the good stuff has gone, that anything of any worth is now being sold on eBay and what's left cant even be shifted in the bargain bins.  That simply isn't the case!

If anything, the growing imbalance between supply and demand is making charity shops even more interesting as volunteers are no longer able to rely on the safe donations of a M&S jumper or a pair of corduroys, and are instead being forced to put out all sorts of donations onto the shop floor, on the off chance that they will catch the eye of some unsuspecting passer by.

Which is great news for us! - more variety of clothes, makes charity shops more unpredictable which is exactly my reason for going to them!  Whilst its nice to head over to Topshop, having already familiarised yourself with their whole winter collection on their website, there's nothing better than walking into a charity shop with no idea what you are going to come back out with.

And luckily for me my last charity shop venture didn't disappoint. A 100% wool black hat, a jaeger silk blouse and a (rather itchy I must admit) mint green jumper.  Did I need any of these things? No.  Have I worn any of these things. Yes. With pride. 

Now this isn't to say that you should all stop donating, quite the contrary. Charity shops are a two way thing. If you want the suprise of not knowing what you are going to end up with, bring something back and let others have just the same chance as you.

100% black wool hat - £5 Marie Curie charity shop, Potters Bar

Mint Green patterned jumper - £4 Cancer Research UK charity shop, Potters Bar

Jaeger silk blouse - £3.99 Oxfam charity shop, Potters Bar

Fashion Diary - 10th March

Who said the 70's are dead eh?  Well with a winter like we've had I can't think of anything I would rather wear than a nice woolly roll neck.  Paired with a high waisted skirt, it's smart, comfy and practical.

I found a whole range of jumpers like the one below at my local charity shop for only £2.50 each.  So of course I splashed out and bought 3! What are charity shops for after all? 

maroon roll neck jumper- £2.50 Isabel Hospice Cuffley Charity Shop

Fashion Diary - 26th January

I found these Carvela shoes in Isabel Hospice Charity shop in Cuffley for £10.00.  What a bargain eh? Unfortunately they are a size 6 so are too big for me but my mum swooped in and snapped them up for her instead.  I must admit, I'm a little jealous but least they have gone to a good home!

Camden Classics

Having heard such wonderful things from a variety of sources, this week I finally made it down to Camden to check out just how good the Camden charity shop scene really is.  Boasting names such as Oxfam, YMCA, Mind and the much anticipated Traid, I was excited to get stuck in, despite being a little hungover .

Here are my conclusions.

1) Camden has some of the most stylish looking charity shops around.

Look at this beautiful display in Oxfam's charity shop

Traid looks more 'back stage of a film set' than charity shop!

2) The prices were very reasonable considering that most of the shops have tapped into the 'retro' spirit.

Shoes for £8, and tops for £6! It's so refreshing to see such reasonable prices compared to many other London charity shops.  With Traid looking as 'hip' as it does, I was expecting everything to be marked up to the max but oh no, they sure know how to keep it real!!    

3) It still remains that some of the best charity shops are the least talked about!

Despite being very impressed by Oxfam, Traid and YMCA's beautifully 'decked' out shops, I will always be a rummager at heart.  Luckily, as I was about to leave, I stumbled across a very old fashioned Mind shop opposite Sainsbury's on Kentish Town Road.  It certainly had less of the glam of the other 3 shops and going inside was like stepping back a few decades. I immediately I felt more at home and began my delve into the unknown!  Despite the less than friendly service, it wasn't long before I picked up a white and gold jumper that will happily see me through these winter months for the measly sum of £4.00. 

It's no longer dear to buy cashmere!!

As you can probably tell from my previous posts, I'm a big fan of charity shop coats.

Well now I've added another one to my collection. Found in a Cancer Research UK charity shop in Potters Bar for only £8.50, this Giorgio Correggiari vintage coat is made from only the finest Cashmere, and  you can tell!! 

You'd be stupid to shop anywhere else!

Fashion Diary - 30th December

Over the Christmas period I've been lucky enough to find these gems which have already become staples in my winter wardrobe.

This wool jumper was only £4.00 from Geraniums for the Blind Charity Shop in Marylebone
(it's very 'log cabin in Colorado' don't you think!)

My new weekend bag was a measly £3.00 from the Isabel Hospice Charity Shop in Cuffley.
(I'm not sure where my friend's scarf has come from but it's definitely from a charity shop, i can promise you that!)

Sales? Who needs them?

This might sound obvious to some but there are certain times of year when the quality of stuff found on charity shop floors is, well, a lot better than others!!

The first is the change of season

Most charity shops have a storage system in which over the summer months they store all the winter donations ready to be put out on the shop floor as soon as the weather starts getting chilly.  The same happens during winter. Hence the reason why you rarely see a summer dress during December.  Now, if you manage to get to the shops just when they are changing over, you're sure to get the creme de la creme of the stock stored up as they are bound to roll the good stuff out first!

This was back in September - Look at all these fur coats ready to hit the shop floor!

The second is pretty obvious really.. it's after Christmas of course!!

It's incredible the amount of unwanted Christmas presents that gets hauled straight to the nearest charity shop after the festive period.  Normally as quickly as Boxing Day bags of goods start flooding in and the great thing is that most items donated are brand new!! My advice over the next few days is, stay well clear of those High Street sales and get yourself down to the nearest charity shop as you'll probably find something pretty similar for half the price and without the headache!