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!

Fashion Diary - 20th December

With a £20 purse already on my christmas list to my parents, I am especially pleased to find this never been used leather purse from Geranium Shop for the Blind for only £3!!!!  I dont know who is happier about the saving, me or my mum!

Do The Green Thing

So following my very exciting appearance on Do the Green Thing's website this week (click here if you missed it!) I thought I would redirect all you charity shop lovers to their insight into the weird and wonderful world of the gigantic Oxfam warehouse in Milton Keynes..

If you think charity shops just run on local donations.. you're in for a real shock. Honestly IT'S ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING!! Click here to reveal all!

Just to get you in the mood here's a few stats showing just what goes on behind closed doors

• 3 skips a week are filled with paper to be recycled

• 35 bales of clothes get sent to become car seat stuffing each week

On average, every single day:

• 5,800 books arrive at the warehouse

• 400 bags of clothes containing 1000's of items arrive

• 200 books are sold

 

3 Days, 3 Outfits

In order to get into the festive spirit, over the next few days I will be sharing with you my top three charity shop outfits for all those Christmassy occasions.

Here is

Outfit Three - The Christmas Day

I always like to judge a Christmas Day outfit on how well you can do a number of  'forced family fun' activities.  These include bending over a board game (lose the low cut top),  lunging in preparation for scoring a strike in Wii Bowling (lose the too tight skirt) and generally having the mobility of a three year old as you are roped into chasing them around the room playing with their new toy tractor.  I personally think this vintage Jaeger skirt from Peace Hospice in Chorleywood for an incredible £8.00 covers just about all of that don't you?