Charity shop shopping in the UK
Charity shop shopping in the UK is the best. You never know what you will find. Where ever I go, one of my first stops in each town is the local charity shop. For designer bargains you can’t beat London but I’ve found that outside of London you pick up the best bargains. I’ve brought gorgeous clutch bags for 50p, a 50’s style dress for 2 pounds and one of my favourite finds, a sparkly silver 60’s dress for 5 pounds. The secret to charity shop buying is be prepare to rummage and don’t give up if you don’t find anything in the first shop. Sometimes I’ll not find anything for a couple of weeks then find 3 or 4 treasures in a row. It’s the excitement of not knowing what you will find and the buzz when you find a hidden gem. Don’t forget too that you can change the look of a piece by simply shortening it, changing the buttons or adding a belt. It’s a great way to practice your customizing skills without risking one of your more expensive pieces. There’s nothing better than getting a compliment when wearing one of your finds and at least you know on-one else will be wearing the same outfit plus you’re helping a charity.
I’ve found this site a great way to find charity shops in your area – happy hunting.
Spitalfields/ Sunday Up market
located In the East End of London between the vintage shops, galleries, pubs and graffiti of trendy Shoreditch and the nearby the spic and span outlets of Liverpool Street, Spitalfields market is a great place to pick up antiques and collectables of all kinds while Sunday Up Market nearby, close to Brick Lane, offers wonderful [...]
Camden Market
Camden market, located in the infamous center for alternative culture in North London, Camden market is a regular pilgrimage for many an English youngster. There’s a vast selection of things you can pick up here, but it’s particularly good for clothes, jewellery and collector’s items.
London A to Zed
A typographic survey of London. I said I’d do it in some form or another and here it is! Plenty of choice - do I choose a classic Picadilly P or utilise the rad P spray painted by the skaters at South Bank? Which flashing Ritz letter is most worthy? Banksy or anonymous sticker slapper? [...]
London Fashion Week.
I set off to the Natural History Museum - not for natural history - but for the first day of London Fashion Week.
I don’t understand fashion very well, so perhaps it was ultimately wasted on me (see photo below), but by lord, I love looking at all the people. And all the people love looking at [...]
Alternative shopping
Shopping in the UK is amazing. Cheap (even with the crazy crap exchange rate working against us), massive selection and friendly helpful staff in almost all stores. I am not going to bore you with the details of all the regular shopping though, suffice to say it is rad. Jump in for my summary of crazy shopping destinations in the UK..
Somewhere in Time
If you are ever in Liverpool take a wander up Renshaw street where you’ll find some amazing vintage shops. I stumbled across Lessas shop up some stairs- seem to have lost the address, but if you do find her she is a tough nut to crack, but once you do, you’ll be blown away by her knowledge and passion.
Vintage Manchester
Vintage shopping in new cities is always a lot of fun, especially when you are given a personalised itinerary complete with coffee breaks. These shops are in the Northern Quarter of the city - the creative indie hub of Manchester.
#4: Brian and Capes
Capes are amazing. I’d forgotten how amazing until I went on a tour of haunted Edinbugh sites with Brian. His cape tricked me into cultivating a crush on him. In the freezing, misty air a cape cuddle would have been like finding a unicorn in your back garden.
#6: Noel Edmonds
I lived in London until I was 10, and as a result experienced many of the annoyances of London life, and few of the pleasures. Thanks Mum and Dad! But one of those I did get to experience while I wasn’t doing drugs and going to the pub was British TV. Specifically Noel’s House Party. [...]
No emos in the UK
Right, so I’m not really one for clubbing, but went along to Optimo last night because it’s the place to be on a Sunday night. The other guys on the team who love that sort of thing will no doubt give a detailed breakdown, but I just wanted to point out one thing: There were [...]
