The new exclusive and utterly fab boutique at a high street near you.

 

 

I remember when I was 10 years old, dressed in leggings, ‘Take That’ T-shirt and frilly socks, I used to stay at my aunties house every weekend.  My Aunt had a penchant for second-hand things, and although she always looked good (unlike my other Auntie, who insisted in dressing in clothes designed for a 15 year old), the thought of wearing second hand clothes sent shivers down my spine and was an ultimate no no.  I mean come on, I had a rep to protect and the thought of wearing someone else’s clothes made me recoil in horror, I was like nearly 11 years old gimme a break!  However, my Aunt would somehow tempt me in there by threatening to hide my Take That video.

 

So there I was, standing in a shop run by a mob full of grannies looking for the nearest exit door.  My Aunt loved it and would always be on the look out for a new bargains, whether it be used books, cd’s, skirts and tops, even shoes but she (thankfully) drew the line at underwear.  Every time I would see her she would have a new top on which looked great but cost 50p, so I suppose you could call her the bargain queen. And besides, the money was going to charity so at least there was some explanation for buying them.

 

 

However, as times have changed and I have grown older, I have begun to realise that my Aunts love of second hand clothes is beginning to emerge as one of the biggest trends to hit the fashion world this year.  I realised this when shopping in Topshop a few months ago and stumbling across the Vintage collection downstairs and gasping in disbelief.  There were millions of young women scrambling through the vintage rails all searching for something old and worn by a selection of very cool grannies who donated them. 

 

I found myself drawn to it, fascinated by its popularity and the fact that these people were doing what my Aunt did 10 years ago, except this time around it’s considered cool to be wearing second hand clothes!

 

The stuff I came upon were fabulous, with everything beaded and sequinned, sparkle and shimmer all in the style of cocktail dresses, capes, skirts and many more.  Jeans were ripped, worn looking, some Levis and others unknown, prom style dresses and feathered hats.  All the items I found looked like costumes from a 30’s, 40’s and 50’s tribute pantomime, and strangely enough very familiar to what my Auntie used to come home with, except it didn’t cost her £40. 

 

With everything old being the thing to be wearing this season, it is obvious that every designer, high street store will be falling over themselves to catch a piece of the action.  We have already seen vintage Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Galliano and Westwood, so it’s no surprise that one of London’s most established fashion stores, Topshop have collaborated with the coolest grannies around in order to give you vintage chic.

 

It seems that the older the garment, the more fabulous it has become. However, retail stores are raising the prices because everyone wants to look like a vintage queen (or glamorous grandma).  Therefore, I decided to take a trip down memory lane, and look for original vintage bargains where something utterly unique will not set you back £40.  Yes that’s right, I went back to the good old charity chops to see what I could discover.

 

First of all, I took a visit to Scope.  From the outside it looks rather dingy and well, like a charity shop, however when I went inside I immediately spotted 2 things I liked.  First of all there was a black cashmere jumper ( oh and in my size!) with black sequins stitched around the collar and shoulders.  It looked exactly what is in store in many retail shops but it cost a staggering £2.50.  An absolute bargain, I held on to the jumper tightly and began my search.  I begin to get excited when I spot a beautiful gold Chanel over sized bag which is worn across the body, and it cost £1.50. 

 

 

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The ladies in the shop start to look at me strangely so I make my way to the counter to purchase my goodies.  Then, under the counter, in a glass cabinet box lays sparkling jewellery, from brooches, earring and necklaces.  I notice the sign ‘All jewellery 50p’ and immediately ask the lady to get it out.  I picked out a lovely jewelled brooch with green stones in it and a pearly necklace to complete my lady like chic phase I’m going through.  All together my items come up to the price of £4.50 and I couldn’t believe how many items of clothing in the shop which are all ‘in vogue’ now but priced at more than a fraction cheaper. 

 

Jumpers, trousers, shirts, hats and hand bags are all new looking, clean and labelled size and priced just like every normal shop.  Of course not everything will tickle everyone’s fancy as there are a few very naff cd’s, men’s ties and underwear which have clearly been worn a lot, but other than that, everything was really up to scratch, in fact I even forgot that I was in a charity shop!

 

{mosimage}Then off to my next charity shop, Barnado’s.  This was one of my Aunties favourite’s as she felt strongly about the charity’s cause and said that they provided the best stuff.  She wasn’t wrong about this one as again, as soon as I walked in, I spotted a pair of shoes which I just had to have.  I haven’t always been a great fan in buying second hand shoes because I thought it was unhygienic and I like it when you buy new pairs, as you get the box etc.  However, I asked the lady behind the counter and she said that all shoes are cleaned up and disinfected for feet infections, which I thought was great.

 

The shoes were gorgeous.  They were gold trimmed, peep toe style with a big bow on the front with a mesh/see through material on the sides.  I tried them on and they looked brand new and cost…£3.00.  Sold.  Next I picked up a gold belt for 50p, Levi jeans for a £5.00 ( the narrow legged type which are ideal to wear boots over), another brooch, purple beaded jumper and a big rimmed, boho hat for £2.  By the time I got to the counter, I couldn’t help but feel smug about all the bargains I just bagged.  This is because thousands of young women are rushing to Topshop vintage boutique and spending three times more than I did for something exactly the same.

 

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It seems hard to comprehend why people, especially women, would want to give away good items of clothing for free which are now sought after and the style of the moment.  However, it isn’t so hard to comprehend when the clothes that are given in are all in the name of charity.

 

I think that it is a great idea to donate unwanted clothes to charity shops as it proves in my case, that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.  Each charity shop has a cause behind it and all the people working hard inside are all doing it for nothing.  Every penny that is brought into the store is donated straight to the cause, making shopping in charity shops more appealing.

 

Scope is the largest disability charity in the UK.  They exist to enable men, women ad children with cerebral palsy and associated disabilities to claim their rights, lead fulfilling lives and play a full part in society.  Scope works throughout England and Wales offering education, care, housing, training and support services to these people who feel that they don’t get equal rights.  With 300 shops around the country, the shops raise more than 25% of Scope’s income and spread the message of it’s cause and gives people a reason to buy clothes without feeling guilty about the cost.

 

Barnado’s has a history of child care which stretches back more than 130 years.  The cause is aimed at children and their carers who want to live a normal live but have trouble because of unfortunate circumstances.  Children who have mentally or physically disabled parents, have to fend her themselves at such a young age are helped out by Barnado’s and given the support they need.  Equality of opportunity is also funded to give children the same rights and opportunities in life than a child who can use their legs, arms and feet.

 

Every charity shop has a cause which is important to contemporary life and in red to help, all you have to do is go into the shop, purchase a few bargains, or even volunteer to help.  Any unwanted clothes which have gathered dust, can be donated to your nearest charity shop and help improve the life of someone else.

 

If there has ever been a good excuse to buy clothes, this is it.  So get down to your nearest charity shop now.

 

Kyrsty Hazell