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This post first appeared on the new Oxfam Vintage Blog.
Now that Spring is upon us, the weather is just perfect for wandering London’s streets in search of new vintage treasures. This weekend I set out on foot from Kilburn to Hyde Park, ostensibly to make the most of the sunshine, but knowing full well there would be plenty of charity shops along the way!
I’ve taken to setting myself a budget before I cross the threshold of any charity shop, which is actually far less of a constraint than you may imagine. These shops, after all, often hide the most marvellous gems priced in pennies.
The purpose of the budget is twofold: my closet is full to bursting point (but I’m unwilling to sacrifice the assortment of goodies that I’ve amassed over the years), and I’ve set myself a personal maxim of ‘Elegant Frugality’ for 2010 and beyond. This has forced me to choose my vintage pieces carefully, often reluctantly returning something to the clothes rail (oh, the saddest of partings), but taking home another item that’s all the more treasured.
In Oxfam on Kilburn’s High Street – budget, £10 – I discovered a pleated 1980s tartan skirt and a starry-printed 1970s Dorothy Perkins halterneck dress. But both went back on the rails in favour of two sweet hand-painted tea cups (a steal at 99p for both) a hand-painted cake plate (99p), a pair of 1980s two-toned leather heels (£2.99), and a warm woolly picnic blanket (£3.99) that will work equally well at a picnic or draped on the couch. Grand Total: £8.96.
With the lovely new-old blanket in my possession, I abandoned my charity shop hunt and headed straight to Hyde Park to nestle on it under the trees with my Sunday paper. But if anyone’s in Kilburn and is a size 8 to 10, you could pop into Oxfam for that tartan skirt or halterneck dress I reluctantly left behind.
It may be widely assumed that owls represent wisdom, but I find them compelling for the sense of vulnerability that hangs about them. They call to mind faded childhoods spent girlishly skipping around Brown Owl in crisp linen uniforms, yet those sorrowful eyes hint at grown-up secrets. On the bus home this evening, I picked up a copy of Stylist magazine, and Hannah Turner's cheeky winking owl reminded me of my very own owl that sits atop my bookshelves.Mine was purchased on the cheap from a charity shop, of course, and has the rather odd feature of a wobbly removable head. Just look at those eyes! And here's the proof that I'm not the only one feeling the owl love...Found at: North London Hospice, Crouch EndPrice: £3.00Usability Factor: 5/5Accessorise with: This owl needs friends to stay awake with him at night. I'll try Etsy for more.
How very learned I feel wearing this blazer! So learned in fact, that when I was asked to be photographed for the Time's feature on the London trend for 'brainy chic', this item immediately sprung to mind. With its blue and navy check and little breast pocket, I feel like the private school girl I never was but secretly longed to be, if only for those prim pleated tweed skirts and chunky brown lace-ups.The jaunty sling of the jacket over my shoulder does not show it to best effect but my arm was in a cast on this day (note the puffy face from the painkillers!) and we did our best to disguise it with a pile of philosophy books on my lap. Scatter a few more books on the floor, add one 1950s school chair, and the result is pure geek chic.Found at: Crouch End charity shopPrice: £10.00Wearability Factor: 5/5Accessorise with: aforementioned philosophy books, old school chair, modern drainpipe trousers for a fresh look.
