Jumble Fever

I cannot get enough of charity shops and jumble sales at the moment! Yes it is all my budget allows of late, but it also takes the guilt out of shopping pleasures as not only am I getting outfits upon outfits out of a ten pound squeeze, somewhere along the line, the money I’m spending is hopefully going somewhere slightly more worthwhile than Phillip Green’s pockets. I don’t however recommend charity shopping to the masses. I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t have a Sophie in my life to alter the size 24 gems I find into something I’m happy to wear of a night. She can pull a stunt comparable to Jesus’ water to wine.

Where the magic happens.

Shopping in charity shops isn’t easy though. You really have to be in the mood to trawl through rails of musty smelling stuff and have the eye to see past shapes and sizes. It’s really about shopping for the patterns, colours and prints. Of course what I’m saying is nothing new and that’s why there are vintage shops to do that for you. Rokit kindly organises its stuff into colours and patterns and generally caters for the smaller sizes whereas charity shop’s donators on a whole seem to be successful weight watchers members. This has its advantages nonetheless as it is a lot easier to turn something big into something smaller than vice versa. So if you do have a Sophie in your life or you are a Sophie yourself I condemn you to spend another half bar on the high street.

I spy that black dress just past the door, with the white collar!

But… you definitely have to ditch the “something in mind” approach when you go charity shopping. I sometimes make the mistake of looking for something which unless I am extremely lucky, will not be there which switches off the “eye” and is really frustrating. When you know what you want, and you have to have it (and you have the money), it is I suppose better to hit the high street. I am learning not to do that but when I do, I look to American Apparel for something plain and fitted in a block colour and neat material. Otherwise it is best to go shopping when there is no event in mind and stock up on stuff to turn into head turners for a later date.

Kylie's gold hot pants were 50p from an Oxfam- she insured them for £1mn and auctioned them for hundreds. See!

Then of course you have to find your charity shop. All of my friends have their personal favourites which tends to be the ones closest to them… a bit rep your ends style. Mine is the Salvation Army in Catford, which I have to admit outdoes my little Red Cross in Forest Hill. SE23 all day every day otherwise! ;) Anyway at the end of it all, the very best bit is if and when someone pulls the “wherdyaget thaaat” on you, you have lots to say.

Over and out xxx