Charity shop wins

British Heart Foundation on Western Road, Brighton has become far and beyond my favourite local charity shop recently. Since picking up a Marni top for £4.99 (not even H&M X Marni either) I've found Cos bargains and an authentic Scandinavian jumper - always with plenty of change from a tenner, and often a fiver.

This weekend it didn't fail to disappoint and I returned from my trip to 'Waitrose' with a Paul & Joe Sister smock for £4.99 and a brand new Warehouse peasant embroidered top for just £2.99. Both to be packed away to be rediscovered with joy come spring/summer 2013.

On my Sunday charity shop round I also spotted a House of Wilde padded tie-dye gilet in Oxfam. Recognising the label, a quick mobile Google search confirmed that it was that of the bohemian Australian brand, whose pieces regularly reside in the three-figure bracket. Unlike Oxfam - one of the more expensive charity shops - to have missed the value of this piece, which I snapped up for just £5.99.

No delayed gratification with this beauty - it was straight on my, now very warm, back.

Other top spots of the trip - Ralph Lauren powder pink chunky knit jumper in Spiral (£4) and ceramic Hornsea coffee and sugar jars in Marlets priced at £5 and £3 respectively.

I love Brighton.

Marni charity shop super-bargain

Spotting a rare designer gem among the bobbly Atmosphere jumpers makes those hours of fruitless charity shop scouring so worthwhile. And this scoop-neck, bark-print Marni top, just £4.99 (un.believable) from British Heart Foundation, has truly helped keep the dream alive.

It's the type of piece that makes you nervous when taking it to the till in case someone realises that they've made a terrible pricing mistake. But not this time - my second charity shop Marni super-bargain was in the bag before the cashier could even clock the label.

Seeing double in See By Chloe

Today I doubled up on See By Chloe and layered these colourful cotton tops with black leggings.

See By Chloe is a brand I love, but can't afford full price, so as per these were bargain finds at less than £5 each. I picked up the yellow tunic top in a TK Maxx sale a couple of years ago for £4.99 and found the purple Peter Pan collar piece for £3.49 in Age UK charity shop on St James's Street, alongside a Carolina Herrera shirt for £4.99 (not my style, but still!).

As a happy coincidence, the colours work together well, with the light summer material keeping the look casual and fun.

Now, to hunt down one of See By Chloe's cat print pieces for pennies... One can dream.

Charity shop salvage - Marni & H&M

A rummage in my local Oxfam this weekend unearthed an exciting find - a piece from Marni's recent collaboration with H&M. This T-shirt wasn't actually for sale at H&M - instead worn by staff wardening the crazy shopping sprees - but I love those instantly recognisable oversized dots so snapped it up for just £1.99.

There was one slight problem: The colours around the neckline had run when washed by the previous owner. But I didn't much like the boxy shape of the large tee anyway, so chopped off the collar, tidied up the edges et voila.

A unique slice of Marni for a couple of quid - you've gotta love charity shops.

It's all in the detail

Prints and patterns are seducing the fashion world this season, making us all peer at little closer at what each other are wearing and hunt out quirky pieces worth a second look for ourselves. Here, four of my recent second-hand finds reveal their secrets under the zoom lens. Click on photos to enlarge.

Hunting shirt - £5, Emmaus Stockholm

Gap peplum top - £4.50, British Heart Foundation, Brighton

Kate Moss Topshop shirt - £5, Loved, Worn & Reborn

Laura Lees at Topshop - £4, Loved, Worn & Reborn

Upper Gardner Street Market

During the winter months I suffer from CBSW - Car Boot Sale Withdrawal Syndrome. It's a series business. Not willing to get up in the dark to face the icy cold and rain of a weekend morning, I need something to see me through. Charity shops go someway to scratching the bargain-hunting itch, but I still long for a good old rummage in boxes filled with random bric a brac, through rails of second-hand clobber and tangled piles of fabrics, accessories and shoes, and miss the thrill of the haggle and the amazing deals you can pull off.


My medicine comes in the form of Upper Gardner Street Market in Brighton's North Laine. Open from the respectable hour of 9am every Saturday, the residential road plays host to those selling furniture, second-hand and vintage clothing and accessories, books, CDs, vinyl and hand-made crafts. There's even hot food on offer, as well as cakes and organic fruit and veg.

Last winter I picked up this super cosy faux fur coat for just £20, and while I only get to wear it for a few weeks a year, it's a outfit essential on those days when the temperature drops below freezing.


Dressed in my teddy bear coat, this weekend I paid £5 for these Clarks heeled loafers - I love the fringe and link detail on the front - and was also taken by a faded framed Tretchikoff print. The Lost Orchid depicts what can be interpreted as the remains of a night on the tiles in 1948 (when it was painted) - a vibrant button hole flower with safety pin still attached and water droplet 'tear', cigarette butt, match and party streamers, all discarded on grey concrete steps. It's somewhat bleak - like an early version of those 'Drink Responsibly' adverts - but I fell slightly in love with it and am going to head back next weekend to see if it's meant to be.

Thrift finds - Whistles' winter florals

I just can't get away from Whistles at the moment - not that I want to if bargains like this keep finding their way into my wardrobe. I snapped up this yellow and pink rose print pleated dress in Hove's Oxfam for just £14.99, and plan to dress it down with thick black tights, block heel ankle boots or flats, such as these mustard loafers (£4.99 from British Heart Foundation), and a slouchy cardigan.


The Postal Service and British Sea Power CDs were £1.99 each from Oxfam, Western Road, one of the best local charity shops reasonably for priced alternative music - IMHO...

Silent Sundays: Camel cape

Camel cape mac - Elizabeth Lau via Oxfam
Black long-sleeved top - Peacocks
Leopard print trousers - Whistles
Cowboy boots - vintage via charity shop
Harrods bag - vintage via charity shop
Skull & crossbones heart pendant - Mawi via Cocosa

Silent Sunday - pink wafer

Pink waffle knit - Topshop via charity shop
Black mini - Monki
Boots - vintage via car boot sale

Think pink - outfit inspiration

Since its re-brand, Whistles has become one of my favourite high-end, high-street stores. Simple, contemporary items in every-day styles have been brought to fashion life with bold colour pops and spring/summer's Jackie O style pink waffle pieces were some of the most wearable of the season's ice cream trend.


Thanks to a bit of sun-damage, the skirt came home with me for £25, but sadly the slouchy jumper remained out of my price range, so I took an inspiration photo and vowed to keep an eye out for a similar gem.

Once again it was a charity shop to the rescue, as I snapped up this pink Topshop lattice jumper for just £4 in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, when visiting my granddad.


Patience is not only a virtue, it also pays off...

New year, same me

'New year, new you' - possibly the most over-used message peddled by the media, retailers and any one trying to sell you anything in January. Well, I don't want a new me thanks - I'm pretty good as I am. So when it comes to fashion, in 2012 I am going to continue to:

[This is my serious clothes-swapping face]

Wear black skinny jeans, even though I ‘shouldn’t’. A stylist this year told me that skinny jeans on those with hour-glass figures can make carrots of legs, as we carry most of our weight on our thighs and hips - not the best look perhaps. Yet while I can appreciate that this may be technically true, they're just too versatile to give up. Topshop's Baxter jeans are a real time-saver when it comes to throwing simple outfits together in the morning.

Invest in discount designer pieces. As I've written about previously, I'm all about investing in designer bargains on members-only sites, at pre-loved designer sales and via good old eBay. Much more likely to hold their value and great outfit focal points, my favourite designer bargains of 2011 were a Mawi skull pendant (£40 - Cocosa), Luella silk top (£45 - Rag Trade Sale) and lace detail T-shirt (£15 - eBay) and Alice by Temperley black lace dress (£62 - Cocosa).

Stock up on staples. It seems I can never have enough basic black tops, black cardigans or tights, as well as the aforementioned black jeans with which to pair colour pop pieces. I've experimented with many different looks over the years but am now, in my late 20s, leaning towards the sleek and simple Scandinavian-inspired aesthetic - hence the Monki lust. Although that's not the say the bold print dresses won't be making their usual appearance in the summer.

Rummage through people's left-overs. I don't think my love of charity shops, car boot sales and flea markets will ever wane. The thrill of the find is somewhat addictive, always a good talking point, and, most importantly, you can pick up unique pieces that no one else will be wearing at bargain prices - how would that ever get tired?

Clothes swap. Even better - if you can imagine - than the above is clothes swapping. Free clothes, yes FREE! I resolve to acquire yet more free clothes next year, and the year after that, and... you get it. But it'll be hard to beat the Marc by Marc Jacobs sun dress I snapped up at Brighton's first vintage and retro swish.

What are you going to continue to do in the new year?

Photo by Anj Daskarolis

A confused closet

Unless it's pants and socks, I never buy clothes at full price, and I'll even hunt those essentials down on sale a three-for-two deal. Charity shops, car boot sales and second-hand boutiques are my bread and butter, topped with the occasional spreading of high-street sale and designer bargains.

The thrill of picking up wearable vintage or second-hand high street pieces for a few pounds will never leave me, or at least I hope it won't, but as I've started to become more knowledgable about high fashion, the investment potential of designer bargains has seen me break through my £30 one-item-spend ceiling on a more regular basis.

So, my wardrobe is now an odd mix of designer dame and charity shop chic, see exhibits A and B below:

Bottle green velvet beaded collar dress, £12 - Cardiff charity shop (taken up by my lovely friend Sarah) and Alice by Temperley black lace dress, £62 - Cocosa.com

Luella silk black and floral panel top, £45, The Rag Trade Sale and John Lewis floral silk top, £3.99, British Heart Foundation, Western Road

It's great to have a few really special pieces for occasions that warrant them, and to know that these are likely to hold or even increase in value over the years - I may even pass them on to my children if I have any, and they give a four-letter-word about pretty tops and dresses.

What type of pieces is your wardrobe made up of?

Reiss coat

It's going to be tough to top this charity shop find this month - a great little boxy Reiss coat, bartered down from £20 to £15 at British Heart Foundation, Western Road.

I love Spiral

If you read this blog regularly, you probably know that already, and to be honest I shouldn't really be talking about it so much, because I want to remain the little-known treasure trove that it is. But I can't help it - it's just too good not to share!


Yes, there's a lot of crap to sift through, but the gems make it worth putting in the time (and I admit I do pop in or at least have a gawp in the window most days on my way home from work).

Recent finds include a Fred Perry cobalt blue jumper dress for a fabulous fiver, this 1970s coffee set for £2.50 and a Midwinter side plate - just 50p!


So, keep it quiet, but listen up...The charity shop is located on Bedford Place, Brighton, just a few streets along from Waitrose if you're heading towards the sea, and sells an ever-changing variety of second-hand furniture, clothes, crockery, books and CDs. Look hard enough and you're bound to find some mid-century gems.

Charity shop & car boot bargains

Meakin poppy bowl, £2 and red 1970s pan, £2 - both from Spiral charity shop


Sadler Staffordshire jug, £2 - Brighton Marina car boot sale. Metal teapot - wedding present


1980s colour-block dress, £9.99 - Oxfam, Western Road


Embroidered cheese-cloth tunic, £5 - Brighton Marina car boot sale

Minxy milk maid

Husband: "Where did she come from?"

Me: "She's a fairy, she arrived last night."

Husband: "She looks like a hussy."

Oh.

Minxy milk maid - £1 from British Heart Foundation, Western Road

Vintage Paris painting

The latest edition to our walls - a vintage Paris tourist painting, picked up for £4 at the brilliant Spiral charity shop on Bedford Place. Shhh, don't tell too many people it's there...

Charity Christmas cards

Of course we all know that sending Christmas cards isn't considered very eco-friendly, but if you're a little bit obsessed with greetings cards, as I am, choosing charity Christmas cards helps to ease the guilt. My favourite this year are these vintage designs from Scope - just £2.99 for ten!

Tea cosy

I don't drink tea that often, but somehow I've managed to acquire more than one woman's fair share of tea sets and tea pots. They make for great kitsch decoration and I now feel like a proper hostess when people pop round. Milk and sugar everyone?

Rose print tea set - £4, Shelter, George Street

Tea set - £4, Sussex Beacon, St James' Street

1960S coffee pot - wedding present, floral tea pot - 99p Age Concern, St James' Street

1950s striped coffee set - 10 Euros, Amsterdam

Art Deco tea cup and saucer - £2.99, Ebay

Red metal teapot - £2, Shelter, Westen Road, coffee cup, part of above set

White metal teapot - wedding present