Are Charity Shops the Way Forward for High Street Shopping?

I finally managed to get myself to the Vintage Section in the Douglas Macmillan Hospice shop in Stoke Town Centre.

On 14th February 2013, the Stoke Town Centre branch of Douglas Macmillan Charity Shops opened their back room to the public; a tiny little wonderland of Vintage loveliness. The items ranged from all kinds of lovely stockings (still in their original packaging) to a 1960's oven and hobs!

It's decorated in a brilliantly eccentric manner; with all the stockings and lingerie displayed in a gorgeous Vintage bedside dresser, all jewellery and small accessories hung on a lovely larger dresser, with a board and hooks and Vintage vinyl records lining the walls around the displays. On top of the lovely atmosphere and selection, everything is also incredibly low in price.

This is the amazing haul from my first trip! Everything came to an incredible £22 together.

 

I managed to find a gorgeous Red, wide brimmed hat, decorated with an absolutely darling oversized bow and wide spaced netting and a gorgeous cherry red colour.

Very fairly priced at £4. My 10 month old kitten, Odin, just could not resist the sound of my camera shutter.

Lovely bright red, real leather, sling-back, kitten heel shoes.

With a quaint little pin-prick pattern over the toes, also £4.

A gorgeous dark cream/ coffee coloured ruffle and pussy bow shirt.

A little bit stained, but some TLC will sort it out, £4.

A large, black, lace shawl that is soft as silk.

And may well be silk, a steal at £2.

A Handmade headdress.

Due to the nature of handmade objects and my only just budding knowledge of vintage clothing, I cannot tell if it would be "vintage" or vintage-styled... Either way, it was far too beautiful to leave in the shop; £2

And  four pairs of different colours, real vintage (and still in original, unopened packaging) full fashioned stockings!

An unbelievable price at £1.50 per pair, considering similar items easily reach 10x that on eBay.

I wholeheartedly believe that charity shops are one of the most amazing places to buy clothes and accessories. Besides the fact that you may well be donating your money to well deserving causes (in this case, The Douglas Macmillan Hospice, who do fantastic work caring for local terminally ill patients and their families), the clothes are in fantastic condition and just imagine the amazing stories that could be behind them?... Then there is the matter of cost. 

In this case I got an incredible selection of goods for only £22; had I bought them from online Vintage boutiques it would have cost me an arm and a leg (or a whopping great mark on my credit rating). The only downside is, unless you are an expert or have previously done all appropriate research, it can be incredibly hard to accurately date your new purchases. I haven't yet attempted to date my new goodies as I simply have not got the knowledge... But keep reading on as I attempt to improve this, and hopefully impart some wisdom ;)

Product Review: Corsets UK

Welcome to my new blog! If you're interested in Alternative and Vintage clothing, Club and Band Reviews, and just the occasional musings on life, then please read on.

I thought I would kick this off with my one true passion; Corsets. 

I am a Tight-Lacing enthusiast, and in future posts will be discussing where to buy and how to treat the corsets, choosing the right style/ boning for you and your lifestyle and the best methods to lace-up.

This entry is a review of my latest purchase from the fantastic Corsets UK.

If you are just starting out with tight lacing, are after something special to really set off that favourite outfit, or are even a Burly girl (or guy) looking for costumes for your latest routine; then Corsets UK are a fantastic choice for your first purchases.

They have a large range of products in varying styles, and to suit various budgets. Their corsets range from under £10 fashion corsets (or basques) through to their made to order, luxury Couture Range, with accessories in many colours and styles to match.

My latest purchase was a treat to myself, with their Brown Brocade Buckled Long Underbust (CD-662) in 20". I had been apprehensive about ordering this corset at the time, as it was on a "Made to Order" status, meaning there would be a wait of up to a month for delivery (up to three weeks to be made plus one for delivery).

Gorgeous model Eve Elle shot by the very talented Danniella Jaine;
with custom accessory credits detailed below.

I'm glad I finally bit the bullet and paid, as the process was fantastic throughout! I was kept updated throughout the process which really put my mind at ease (nice to know I hadn't been forgotten). I was utterly shocked however, when a garment I had been expecting to wait up to five weeks (to allow for bad weather and postal delays) took exactly the three weeks stated on their site. My corset arrived exactly 21 days from ordering.

This was made even better by the quality of the item; which lives up to my expectations based on their service.

The corset is well structured, well made, fits like a dream and gives the loveliest shape of any that I own. It has double layered flat steel boning which gives the most lovely support and sensation of restriction. It features the most wonderful antique-style brass buckles, high quality waist tape, strong cord and cotton twill lining, all of which contribute to the fantastic waist reduction you can gain from a high quality corset.

Overall a 10/10 purchase.

All pictures are taken from a recent photoshoot featuring three items from my Corset collection, all of which are from Corsets UK. I will soon be discussing the pictures, products and all the other lovely ladies involved in making the shoot possible very shortly.

Eve Elle wears Brown Brocade Buckled Long Underbust in 20" (CD-662).
Flower eye-patch created and Designed by Reinka
Skirt and leg-warmers made and designed by Flutterbydaisy
And Photography by miss Danniella-Jaine Photography.