Labels

Every week a bundle of the student newspaper arrives in the library where I work. I like to have a flick through it as it’s refreshing for something to arrive that I have a fighting chance of understanding. I’m usually dealing with physics journals. This week a particular article caught my eye as it was about charity shops – now, that’s something I understand.

I was pleased to see that the tips it gave were similar to ones that Ingrid and I talk about, that is: try things on, be adventurous, shoes are difficult. But there was one I did not agree with at all. Don’t look at the labels. Yes, look at the labels! How else are you going to find out the size? Charity shop volunteers don’t always get it right. You get to know which labels you like and suit you, I never buy Per Una. You also know what size you are in a particular shop because, as we all know, it varies.

But, most importantly, you shop in charity shops to get a bargain and to find clothes you could not normally afford. There’s not really much point in trawling round second hand shops just to buy clothes from Primark. You need to be rewarded with the biggest bargain possible. Which leads me on to tell you about my latest finds (yes, I would have told you anyway). I found a French Connection silk shirt dress for £1.99. Googled it and the exact same one was £110. It made me like it even more. I also bought a Superdry shirt for a pound. Funnily, it turns out it used to belong to Ingrid and she’d got it in a charity shop in the first place. How’s that for recycling!

When I looked back at the article I realised it actually said “don’t look at the labels, look at the piece” which I have to concede is a valid point. I’m sure both Ingrid and I are guilty of buying something just on the value of the label rather than anything else – I’ve still not worn those Jean Paul Gaultier shorts. It doesn’t matter how much of a bargain something is if you’ve got nothing else to go with it or don’t actually like it. And why not buy something with an Atmosphere label if you really like it.

One thing the article did teach me is that Cambridge is a treasure trove of charity shops and I can’t believe that I’ve not visited them before. Fancy a day out, Ingrid?

The post Christmas clear out

I recently read an article about the post Christmas clear out. I know I’ve sent some stuff to the charity shop to make way for new toys and clothes for the kids (obviously not for me as I still love to hoard). I’ve also been out and bought some new storage, which makes it look like I’m clearing out, but I’m just using the space more effectively…

So, according to this article, in that there London they are taking the clear out to a whole new level. The article showed a rather fancy looking tip / recycling centre where people were happily throwing TV’s, IPads, bikes into a skip, yes a skip! Now I’m sure they had their reasons, they’d got a new telly, a newer model IPad and the kids had new bikes but taking it to a recycling centre and throwing it in a SKIP?! Now I’m a bit confused, maybe this is the best way to get rid of things in the metropolis but something didn’t quite sit right with me.  The pictures of the overflowing skips were staggering, I’ve put a link to the article below, as I really couldn’t believe my eyes.

Having calmed myself down, I continued to read and I was relieved to find out that all of these items weren’t heading to landfill. They were to have a new life! Hurray! Thankfully the company that runs this tip, sorry recycling centre, (Western Riverside Waste Authority) have an amazing plan all of this unwanted waste. Some proper rubbish was sent down the river to landfill, plenty went to be recycled and thank goodness some went to charity shops.

What really caught my eye and put my faith back in human nature was a fab charity called www.shopreworks.com/shop/.  This is an online shop where some of the items that were surplus to requirements went to be given a new lease of life. A brilliant example of upcycling – love it! I particularly like the messenger bag made from seatbelts – I do need a new handbag honest.

So here is the article, have a read and decide for yourself. I’m relieved that many of the items found a new home.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3380466/From-new-iPads-working-wide-screen-TVs-hairdryers-wrapping-shocking-waste-thrown-rubbish-dumps-post-Christmas-clear-out.html

PS, this is probably the only Daily Mail article I actually quite like……

I've come back into fashion!

It’s official – dungarees are back in fashion*. I’ve had my suspicions for a while as I’ve spotted a few people wearing them who didn’t look pregnant or under three years of age. They’ve even cropped up on the telly. The Great Pottery Throw Down and Tattoo Fixers have both had people wearing dungarees on them and if that doesn’t cover a wide cross section of society, I don’t know what does. But it was finally confirmed when I popped into New Look sale and saw dungarees to buy, not in the sale but new stock. This included a cord dungaree dress not at all dissimilar to the one I bought in Barnardos for £1.99.

“Brilliant” I thought, “I’ve come back into fashion, I can wear my dungaree dresses with pride, (yes, I have more than one) and may even dig out my denim ones from the loft”.  I was then aghast. Since when have I been worried about being fashionable? You can’t spend your life dressed in second hand clothes and be influenced by fashion, it’s just not possible. So why am I thinking about it now? It’s ok, I thought, I’m still a geek, I wear cords. But my cords are no longer flared but skinny. What has happened to me? 

It got me thinking about how influenced by fashion we all are. My dad would claim never to have followed fashion and wears socks and sandals yet even he wore flares in the seventies. We just can’t help it, it’s down to availability. Also, if you keep clothes as long as I do it’s inevitable that you will come in and out of fashion.

I also started to wonder whether someone in the fashion business reads this blog and I am not actually following trends but setting them. It can not be coincidence that I write about dungarees and then they appear in the shops. Can it? Please don’t burst my bubble.

So, fortunately I’m not a fashion victim, the problem now is that if I’ve come back into style I won’t be able to find dungarees in the charity shops for a couple of quid.

I did go up the loft to put the Christmas decorations away and found my dungarees. I’m wearing them now. Gosh, they’re comfy and my husband hasn’t commented on them so I can’t look that ridiculous either – oh hang on, Everton are on the telly, I could be sat here in my pants and he wouldn't notice…..

* I've a bit of a thing for dungarees, see earlier post -
http://theprudentpair.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/the-true-confessions-of-dungaree-lover.html