I have a secret. Ok, it's not really a secret, it's something I'm famous for amongst anyone I went to university with: I love a good charity shop bargain. I've just about grown up enough now to have stopped responding to all compliments with 'oh, this little thing, it was only £5 from [insert as appropriate]'. Back then, it would have seemed a little odd that I was trotting around campus around with a Chloé coat, DVF dress and some Miu Miu pumps, talking about bar work I was fitting in to make ends meet without that explanation so I'll allow my past self that at least.
Having spent a lot of time and effort searching the rails for elusive designer bargains in my size, my top 5 charity shop tricks are:
1. Buy leather: shoes, belts and bags are often more classic and also don't age like fabric does.
2. Go first thing in the morning.
3. Head to independents as well as known brands (the Oxfam and Cancer Research shops).
4. Look for standard flaws: yellowing armpits, a worn down or badly replaced heel, a poor fitting size (always try things on).
5. Look for flaws that a lazy person would give something away for rather than fix and fix them yourselves: stains on leather handbags can often be removed by oils or nail varnish removers, split seams can be stitched, coats can be re-buttoned (a trip to Marylebone isn't complete without visiting The Button Queen anyway).
The trick to charity shop shopping is to know where to go and even when to go too. I'm going to do a series of featurettes of the best ones in and around London in the coming months so keep coming back for more, but today let's have a peek through the window at the Marylebone Cancer Research, the legendary provider of Elle's wardrobe greatest hits such as the Chloé coat (bought in the same season it came out: RRP £1,500, Actual price: £35). I also once spotted an original vintage Chanel jacket in the window but was told by a very surly member of staff that window display wasn't available for sale and that I couldn't check the label. Prizes for guessing what was going on there then.
Flo and I went in there together to see what we could see and double check it was still worth letting you lot know about it. It turns out it was... have a sneak peak at our shoe safari afternoon:
Having spent a lot of time and effort searching the rails for elusive designer bargains in my size, my top 5 charity shop tricks are:
1. Buy leather: shoes, belts and bags are often more classic and also don't age like fabric does.
2. Go first thing in the morning.
3. Head to independents as well as known brands (the Oxfam and Cancer Research shops).
4. Look for standard flaws: yellowing armpits, a worn down or badly replaced heel, a poor fitting size (always try things on).
5. Look for flaws that a lazy person would give something away for rather than fix and fix them yourselves: stains on leather handbags can often be removed by oils or nail varnish removers, split seams can be stitched, coats can be re-buttoned (a trip to Marylebone isn't complete without visiting The Button Queen anyway).
The trick to charity shop shopping is to know where to go and even when to go too. I'm going to do a series of featurettes of the best ones in and around London in the coming months so keep coming back for more, but today let's have a peek through the window at the Marylebone Cancer Research, the legendary provider of Elle's wardrobe greatest hits such as the Chloé coat (bought in the same season it came out: RRP £1,500, Actual price: £35). I also once spotted an original vintage Chanel jacket in the window but was told by a very surly member of staff that window display wasn't available for sale and that I couldn't check the label. Prizes for guessing what was going on there then.
Flo and I went in there together to see what we could see and double check it was still worth letting you lot know about it. It turns out it was... have a sneak peak at our shoe safari afternoon:
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| Prada |
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| Hello Vera |
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| Nicholas Kirkwood |
