The Summer Student

A lot of my favourite clothes come from second hand shops. There’s something I like about knowing that what I’m wearing has been worn by someone else before me. Also, generally speaking, second hand stuff is pretty friendly on the pennies.

Unless they dress it up as vintage and charge you double what it’s really worth. There are a lot of places in London that do this- as much as I hate it I fall for it time and again when I see something particularly pretty. HOWEVER there is a way around this. Charity shops for a start are run by people trying to make some money for a good cause, rather than making a fat profit. In Farnham there are two particularly good charity shops; The British Heart Foundation, and Oxfam. 

With charity shops, finding a good bargain is never a certainty. You really have to look; and even then you might not find anything. Also any money you spend there is automatically donated to a good cause, which is nice. 

A couple of my favourite second hand shops are in Notting Hill Gate in London. Retro Woman is one if my favourites with some really really old pieces and some incredible finds. This is one of those places where you are guaranteed something awesome. They stock all kinds of things, from Gucci loafers, to Jimmy Choos to designer handbags, to really beautiful dresses from decades ago. 

And just next door is Retro man; the men’s version. This is definitely worth a look. You can buy a 3-piece-suit here for about £25 if you’re lucky.

In FACT, I took the liberty on doing a search of second hand and charity shops in London; so here is a link to 1,000 different second hand and charity shops all over London. No excuses!

Shopping second hand will save you money, and could provide a completely original, beautiful addition to your wardrobe.