Dedicated "follower" of fashion....

Evening All,

Being the blog virgin that I am, I have been playing around and have finally added a button so you can follow my ramblings!  If you like what you see/read, I would love you to follow me and comment on any posts that you like. I would also love to hear about any favourite second-hand purchases that you have made, especially from outside the UK. It would be great to get some feedback so that I know that I am not just transmitting to a group of polar bears in Alaska!

Is anybody out there?...........
Mrs M

You never forget your ABC's....

Nothing to do with fashion but this is one of my favourite things. It currently lives in my downstairs loo. Not very glamorous I know but it's great to read when you are in there. It makes you think of all the really important things in life (other than shoes and dresses).

 

I found it in a charity shop in Weston-super-Mare about 5 years ago and have loved it ever since. John knows this off by heart which always amazes me and reaffirms the fact that he spends far too much time in the loo. The wording is so beautiful. It should be a mantra to live by don't you think? 

A little piece of time.....

I can't believe that I didn't post this under favourite finds. I bought it a year ago in a charity shop in Westbury-on-Trym. I think it was £3.50 or something like that and it wasn't working. Naively, I thought it just needed a new battery but when I took it to my lovely man at Timpsons he reminded me that it may actually be the mechanism that was dead. Thankfully, it was only the battery and it was brought back to life.  I wear it all the time despite the fact that the colour doesn't necessarily go with everything but so many people ask where I got it.  I never used to wear a watch before I found this.

Seeing Spots!

Wow, a week-end of spots! This is a Wallis dress that was one of our best sellers in the summer.....it came in blue, black, taupe and.............RED! I bought the red one for uniform at work. You put it on and you are automatically transported back to wartime Britain at a GI dance! Just add blood red lipstick and an eyeliner pencil up the back of your legs (remember cheap Primark stockings had not yet been invented).  It definitely has that vintage feel to it.  I love this type of 1950's look prom style look.

Unfortunately, we have sold out completely despite it being featured on a fashion website this week BUT I am hoping that it will be brought back next year with a twist as we do that a lot at Wallis.

Pic courtesy of :http://www.itv.com/thismorning/styleandbeauty/presenter-style/presenter-style-holly-phillip-120709/

This is the red one as worn by Holly Willabooby......requests for it in-store went through the roof when she was seen wearing this on ITV's This Morning.

Perfect Polka's

Isn't this gorgeous? It's my favourite colour and just the right shape for the curvy girl! I have one similar which I must put on here at some point as I have had it for years (despite it not being second-hand). I call it my fail safe interview dress although it let me down recently but that's another story! This one's a little too pricy for me but I would definitely consider it if I had a spare ton hanging around. It's £89 from the pretty dress company http://www.theprettydresscompany.com/.

I could imagine wearing it for tea at the Ritz, paired with a cream head scarf  ( a la Grace Kelly ) and some killer red heels. One day hey....an old woman can dream surely.

All that glitters......

Now, I blame my friend Sue for these purchases as she suggested that we go to the vintage fair together at Ashton Gate stadium. I was going to drag John along and if I had, I would have bought hardly anything as I would have been hurried along anytime it looked like I was getting my purse out! Having said that she knocked down the price on a few of the items (something I have never been able to do). My face lets me down unfortunately. It gives me away too much when I grin from ear to ear and race over to see something so the stall owner knows damn well that I have already fallen and will probably pay full price regardless. I had a lovely time though....not many clothes stalls at all this time. It was mainly jewellery, bags, household items, badges and pictures.   I went with the intention of finding a brooch to wear on a black dress for one of my Christmas meals.  Its a lovely long maxi dress with gathering on the side and I just wanted a statement brooch to pin there. 

It looks like I spent a fortune but I didn't.  I spent less than our meal for two on Friday night.  Does that justify it?  Probably not.

How lovely is this? I am sure its not real - not for £5 anyway but I shall wear it with pride!

I love the simplicity of this brooch.

I can't wait to wear this, its so unusual. I have often seen snake brooches but never with a gemstone in its mouth

 

This reminds me of the shape of the sentinels from the film the Matrix! I thought it was unique with the side droplets.  Sue seemed to think it was very "Butler & Wilson" in design.

Now this little beauty is a bit of an oddity as I HATE spiders.  I had been known in the past to move out for a couple of days if there was a sighting of one in my flat but I couldn't resist it.  Its on a long chain at the moment as a necklace but I'm going to cut it off and wear it as a brooch on the side of a dress. Although it would look nice I think left as a necklace if you had a backless dress and wore it as a back necklace.

 

The one item of clothing I bought (it was all about the jewels today).  I feel a bit guilty as Sue loved it too but all's "fair" in love and shopping. It fits like a glove and will go perfectly with my green cowboy boots (bought at a "brocante" in the South of France).  Love it!

 

This is what I wore....my favourite leather jacket which I think I bought about 20 years ago and its still going strong.  Its got lovely pleats all down the back.  My favourite cowboy boots that were £6.50 from St Peters hospice and a cream vest and Wallis jeans.  Dog?  He stayed at home.

 

 

Sweet Charity

This is a really intesting article from the Guardian back in March about why charity shops are beating high street stores in terms of sales despite our recession at the moment. People are definitely starting to take an interest in second hand buying, some purely because they cannot afford the likes of overpriced retail stores anymore.  During a recession, non necessity purchases are the first to go but by buying second hand, you can still afford to have a treat once in a while at massively reduced prices. 

It supports the idea that second hand doesn't have to be second rate as I have always said.  If you are not a charity shop convert - add it to your to do list this week......  You never know, you may just find that perfect little item that you never knew you wanted!

Click here for article Sweet Charity

Fab Friday....

 

Well as usual, I couldn't come out of M&S empty handed.....I bought this gorgeous viscose skirt for £7 !!!!!!!! Its a gold colour and has a split length so its much lower at the back than the front and its so silky - its really lovely to wear. The funny thing is that I bought the silver version back in September for the full price (which I am not going to disclose in case Mr M reads this post). But I was so happy with my bargain.

We went our Friday night with some friends to ZaZa Bazaar which is a huge restaurant on the Waterfront in Bristol centre so I used the excuse to wear it!!! I have to say, after we stuffed ourselves at the buffet, I was very glad for the elasticated waste.

 

 

John was larking around in the carpark with the camera.  Not the most picturesque of spots. I am wearing my very old Jaeger velvet jacket, second hand black boots and maggie bag is of course there.

The lovely Miss Michala wearing her charity shop crochet cardi!

My friend Lenka who is also wearing a second-hand top

 

The gorgeous Ewa. This girl never takes a bad photo, its depressing.

 

Marvellous M&S

Roll on 4pm!......I am off on my quarterly pilgrimage to the M&S style event. They do regular fashion shows of the seasons trends. I know it's not second hand but I do love M&S. I could die a happy woman in that shop!

Happy hands....

I thought I would post a pic of all my leather gloves that I have collected over the years. I love them and I am determined to get a pair in every colour if I can. Luckily my mum works in M&S and gives me insider info when they have final reductions and they are reduced to around £3! Other than that, I am always on the lookout in the charity shops for more colours.  I keep them stored in a lovely old suitcase that I bought from a vintage shop in Clifton Arcade in Bristol. The other one was my Nan's and I always try and use it if I am lucky enough to go away anywhere - it's great for hand luggage with an old-world edge.

Goodbye Tom!

My lovely stepson left this morning to start his army training so we had a bit of a do last night for him to send him off in true family style.......hungover. We will miss him terribly but we are really proud of him.....

Not a pic from last night....unfortunately it wasn't fit for the viewing public so I had to post a different one!

This is last night. Me and hubby before we had too many falling down waters.

My gorgeous dog who was so excited to have so many people round the house 

Winter wonderland.....

I had great fun at the Christmas event in Winterbourne on Thursday night. I raced there straight from work to see my friend Kerry and the team. Disappointingly they weren't that busy which was a shame for all the hard work they put in. But, I still managed to find two little beauties! 

The lovely team of volunteers at Winterbourne (Kerry on the right and her mum in the middle!)

 This is the dress I bought which is strangely from Wallis where I work! I love cobalt blue lately. It's was £7.

This is a chiffon waterfall top from Topshop. It has a lovely soft feel to it and I think it looks slightly Oriental. I will probably wear it with black skinny jeans and nude heels.

Me and the lovely Miss East.

Glorious glassware !

Afternoon all....

Now just to prove that my love of second-hand goes a bit further than just fashion, I thought I would include some photos of some fave things from around the house. I love glassware whether it be unusual vases, perfume bottles or ornaments. TK Maxx is great for this kind of guilty pleasure as they always sell really beautiful items at really reasonable prices but all the items picture here are pre-loved and proud!

This is so lovely....I got it from the vintage fair. At Ashton Gate last month and it goes perfectly inspired Art Deco themed bedroom. It was £12 which is a bit much but I fell in love (again). I thought it was naively a one off and smiled to myself when the lady instantly pulled another one out from a box under the table!

This photo frame sits proudly on my bedside table with a photo of me and John at New Year. We went away to Cornwall for the weekend and had our photo taken at Lands End with the number of days until our wedding it on the sign. We were majorly hungover as it was New Year's Day but I still love the pic. The border is flush with the photo and it just looks so sleek. I think it was £4 from a charity shop in Westbury-on-Trym.

You can probably see that this is chipped but I love it so much any way. I was the guilty offender and managed to do it will it was wrapped up in the bag! I just threw it a little too hard on the sofa when I got home. Gutted.

Bud vase from St Peters (again)

Ok I know this isn't glass but its one of my favourite things around the house. It was 50p from a car boot sale and it looks great on the window sill in the kitchen

4 weeks and counting....And no dress!

Evening all....

Well, I have just scrolled through the entire Oxfam Christmas collection online in the hope of a perfect 1920's dress for my work Christmas do.....and no joy. YET. That said there are some beauties on there for the taking although I fear that prices have been slightly inflated. Stuck for a party dress? Take a butchers at the collection!

www.oxfam.org.uk/Vintage_Clothing

They just keep on coming........

Being the virgin blogger that I am, I haven't quite figured out how to better display all these pics so apologies for the schoolgirl posts one by one! I'll get there eventually!

This gun metal grey velvet waterfall jacket was on a mannequin in the window of the St Peters hospice  by St James Barton roundabout in the centre of Bristol. Only £6.50 and originally from New Look. It's quite short  but looks great with slim jeans and my over the knee grey leather boots and a silver scarf.

This little beauty is a recent one from a lovely shop in town called Rag Trade. I'm hoping to do an interview with her soon about her shop where you can buy, sell and trade your designer clothes at a fraction of the original cost. It's from LK Bennett and is such lovely quality, it hangs beautifully.  Still not quite sure what to wear it with but that has never stopped me before!!!!!

Another one from Rag Trade from her amazing £5 to £10 rail hidden at the back of the store. LK Bennett again with gorgeous satin appliqué flowers stitched diagonally on one side. It's so feminine! I have some maroon Victoriana lace up ankle boots that I wear with it and my denim jacket when I want to dress it down.

SORT IT!!!!!

My friend Gill gave me an interesting article that she found in a local magazine about recycling (the whole ethos behind this blog).

The South Gloucestershire council organised a Sort IT! fashion fair in Thornbury this September to show residents just how easy and affordable fashion can be. Oxfam and the British Heart Foundation showcased great quality clothing and accessories at affordable prices. Visitors also had the chance to take part in different workshops on how to update/embellish/decorate your old clothes. There were fashion shows and an introduction to "swishing"........(not what you think!). Apparently it's all about swapping clothes and restyling your wardrobe at a fraction of the cost! So you can swap clothes that you don't want for items that you do without having to hit the High Street!

You can request your own pack to get you and your friends started from the Sort It! Team by emailing sortitteam@sita.co.uk or calling 01454 868000

What a great idea!

More favourites.....

A Kenneth Cole New York mac, new with tags -$200, I paid £19.99 in a charity shop on Henleaze road, Bristol!

 Now, I think this is real and the person that gave it away must have been blind. It was hiding in a small glass case at the back of the St Peters hospice shop on Gloucester Road last November. John bought it for my Christmas present -£20!

My favourite scarf - £5 from a charity shop in the Cotswolds last year.

BeauFashion blog

Hi all,

My friend Gemma has published an interview on her blog that  did with me on my charity shop antics.....so check it out if you are interested!

http://facebook.com/beaufashionbygemma

I'm not sure I should have admitted everything I did but hey....too late now! She's also got interested recently in second hand and vintage and went to the same fair as me at Temple Meads and had an amazing 1950's hairdo done....so have a look at her other posts too.

Charity shop Christmas event!

Evening fashionista's!

It's been a busy and strange week for me but my friend Kerry has cheered me up today by telling me that her St Peter's hospice in Winterbourne are having a Christmas event this Thursday evening.

St Peters Hospice shop Winterbourne

The shop would normally close around 5pm but they are going to stay open until 7.30pm for a Christmas event where they are going to promote their best party season dresses just in time for all our Christmas do's!  There will be mince pies and mulled wine to get us into the spirit and no doubt the lovely team there will be on hand to give you a warm Winterbourne welcome. Thankfully I am not working a late shift so I will go along after work! (Much to John's annoyance). So stay tuned ladies.....pics of my truffle hunting will no doubt be displayed soon. Have a great evening. X

Flapper Envy......

How gorgeous is this dress???????? The price however is not gorgeous sitting at £329!  You can buy it at http://www.jigsaw-online.com/flapper-dress//jigsaw-clothing/fcp-product/5289.   I have just posted it as it would be perfect for our 1920's themed Christmas party at work but who can afford that kind of money for a dress?  Prices like that just make me realise that my way of shopping is much better.  There are plenty of beautiful second-hand dresses that just need good homes!!! (I make it sound like an adoption agency).

I shall therefore be truffle-hunting for a similar design for the party (despite the fact I have many many outfits that will "do"). But if a new (or old) little number happens to grace my path, then who am I to turn it down?

If you go down to the woods........

Morning Charity Shop Chics!

Hope you have all had a good week. I have been playing host to a horrible cold all week but I have not let it dampen my spirits.  With that in mind, I was determined to make the most of the fact that I finished work at 3pm yesterday and decided to cheer myself up by visiting the St Peters Hospice in Bradley Stoke (Baileys Court). I came across it by accident, giving a lift home to a friend the other night.

Now, I know that not everyone is into second-hand shoes and there are some seriously dodgy ones out there that you wouldn't even touch with gloves on BUT - there are some great ones to be found if you are prepared to put in the effort.  I always put innersoles in them anyway and use a deoderising spray anyway.  Having said that, most that are on display in the charity shops now are in really good condition. 

Its in an odd location really. Behind a pub and the only other shop I think is a hairdressers.  That said, it was a little jewel.  Its quite small but there were some big treasures to be found!!

 

I know, I know......animal rights will not be happy but I couldn't resist it

 

These little babies came with their own fancy Topshop shoe box - brand new.  They are baby pink which isn't normally my colour but I have a dress the same colour from M&S so I will probably where them together and accessorise with black.

 

I couldn't believe I found these.  Roland Cartier pumps with cut out detail - £4.50!  They are new-ish but defintely have that vintage feel to them.  They look very 1950's and make me think of 1950's American housewives, baking pies in their lovely prom dresses !

 

I think these are from New Look and have that brogue look about them - £4.

 

I feel very happy with the fact that I (for once) came clean and told John about my purchases (well most).  He only knows about 2 pairs not 3 and I forgot to mention the old vintage black velvet dress that I may have also bought - pics to follow!