At the Dover Street Market Market

Having been holed up at home for most of the bank holiday weekend with an evil chest infection that is still lingering on, I finally braved the outside world for the promise of affordable Lanvin.
The Dover Street Market Market was really quite something, and possibly goes down as my favourite sample sale yet. The first one took place two years ago at art dealers Phillips De Pury and was basically a way for DSM to shift its old stock in a fun, and relatively cheap, manner. They saved up enough stock to run the sale for three days and obviously did well enough out of it to want to do it again so have been squirriling away loads of Commes des Garcons (of course) as well as some of the other fine designer goods that have failed to shift on, or possibly never even made it on to, the shop floor.
The main bonus of this for me, aside from the clothes actually being vaguely within my price range and the event appealing hugely to my general love of market rummaging, bargain hunting and beautiful clothes, is that the sale takes place in much less intimidating surroundings than the actual DSM shop on Dover Street, which, as we have discussed before, is quite a scary place as far as I'm concerned.
Anyway, I was there on the final afternoon and worried that a lot of the best stuff would have gone. On the plus side the queue wasn't too long, on the minus side the queue was outdoors and it began hailing just as I arrived. Of course the sun came out just as I was about to step inside.

The queue

The queue's shoes

The queue jumper

Inside was a treasure trove but sadly my camera battery died so I can't prove it to you.
I spent three hours rummaging through and trying on and more money than I could afford, naturally. No Lanvin, and sadly a number of gorgeous Boudicca dresses were still too expensive even at 80% off. The saddest moment of the day was giving up on a pleated pale chiffon goddess dress by Giambattista Valli  which would have necesseitated having a rib or two surgically removed if I was ever going to get it to fasten all the way up. Realistically it was too expensive anyway, and also very very impractical. One of those occasion dresses you fall in love with even through you know that you are deeply unlikely to ever be invited to that kind of occassion (for me this is summer weddings - I have never ever been invited to one but have at least two 'summer wedding' dresses).
But I did come out with a beautiful bright red, knee length, stiff silk YSL for Dover Street Market skirt with round pockets on the front and a tie string waist (£80), a swishy short Alma Aguilar black skirt with a thick balck velvet wasitband tied with a bow (£60) and a transparant, beautifully light and palest pinky lavender Phi (RIP) top (£20), all of which I completely love. And there was no fighting, no flinging of clothes and no elbowing.
I wish all sample sales were as civilised and successful as that.

Lovely things for sale - Chanel, Max Mara and YSL on the cheap!

Moving seems to inspire the urge to cleanse in even the most hoardy of hoarders. And for me it's been like shedding a skin, I've got rid of enough stuff to fill most people's lives already. However, with a clothes habit like mine there's always something more that could go and so it is with these pieces. Sad as I am to bid adieu to designer clothing, they deserve a better life - one in which they will get worn instead of sit in storage or at the back of a sad Argos plastic rail being ignored. Like the not-always-bright person that I am, I have decided to get rid of some decidedly wintry pieces just as it finally feels like its time to start thinking about sandals and flippy skirts. So I thought instead of putting them up on ebay and getting less than they are worth, I would offer them to you, my beloved blog readers, for cheaps with the knowledge that they will go to a good home.
I apologise that my photography leaves a little to be desired and hasn't captured any of the vividness of the colours properly, especially on the YSL, but hopefully it will give you some idea of what each piece is. Please do email me and make me an offer if you can't afford the prices I'm asking. I take cheques or paypal and postage is £2.95 per item. Plus you'll also get a surprise bonus gift (but don't get too excited, it might be a perfume sample you hate).
Also, I promise that all the funds raised by the sale of these items will not be spent on anything at all sensible.

Item 1
Here we have a beautifully thick chocolate vintage velvet pencil skirt by YSL, with, and this is very important to people who like them as much as I do, nice pockets on the hip.

The label says Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche and the size label says 44, which is some sort of code for roughly a 12, although I'm happy to be proven wrong. I'm not an expert on these things, but I'm fairly sure this skirt dates form the era when Yves was still doing the designing and it's cut beautifully.

Measurements when laid flat are; waist 15"/38cm, hips 20"/51cm, length 21"/53cm, depth of pockets (very approximately) 9.5"/24cm
I'm asking £50, but if you fall in love and really can't afford it send me an offer.

Item 2
You know how the 90s are back? Well I can guarantee you that these emerald green and black Chanel shoes were there the first time round and have some pretty amazing stories to tell. They weren't originally mine, but belonged to my best friend B's incredibly glamorous mother who is still incredibly glamorous in a completely effortless Jane Birkin kind of way (no make up required).

They're still in good nick, the elastic in the straps shows no signs of deterioration and the stitched CC logo on the front is perfect with no scuffs to the leather around the toe, but we no longer have the box and the soles are a bit worn.

They're a size 41, which is a true UK 8.
I'm asking £100, and I promise to spend at least some of it on more Chanel.

Item 3
Originally part of a skirt suit that I found on one of my early-morning bargain hunting expeditions, this Max Mara Weekend jacket is a bit of a classic piece, but how many fitted wool jackets does a girl need? It is a bit sad to break it up from the skirt, but that's just how life is sometimes. Unless you are desperate for a matching wool tweed check skirt suit and want to offer me more money accordingly, I'm keeping the skirt.

Anyway, the jacket is a bit of a find. Obviously it's made in Italy (a country that makes great clothes and disquietingly pervy young men), but it's a bit like what would happen if an amazing deisgner saw a Harris Tweed jacket at some hunt in the English countryside and though, I could make that MUCH better in some lovely shades of deep warm brown and brick red. Which I suppose is probably what did actually happen. This also has great pockets.
The label says size 38, which is a pretty true 12 I believe.

Measurements when laid flat are: shoulder to shoulder 16.5"/42cm, chest 18.5"/47cm, waist 16"/41cm, hips 19"/48cm
The asking price is £70, but I will consider swapping for something equally lovely.

All of these together would make an amazing outfit, if you don't mind rocking a bit of a royal family look. Just add headscarf. However, I would recommend not doing that unless you want some pretty odd looks or Scott Schuman or some other hopeful with a camera to follow you around Broadway Market.
If you would like to buy things from far, far away (i.e. outside of the UK) drop me a line and I'll let you know what the postage costs will be.

A new discovery - Seconda Mano, 114 Upper Street

For a compulsive charity shop fan, ebay shopper and jumble sale connoisseur like me, regular wardrobe clear outs are very important. Many of my friends have reason to be thankful for this, because usually I like giving things away to people I know will enjoy them rather than faff around on ebay.
But in the last couple of years, as my fashion knowledge has evolved, I have become far stricter with my shopping habits and I have also begun buying things to sell to help cover my costs. This can be quite hit and miss. Ebay is a pain in the backside and can be unpredictable - some gorgeous designer clothing won't even sell, let alone sell for what it's worth.
The easiest way to sell designer clothing is via clothing exchanges, but many in London don't exactly offer a fair deal. The worst culprit is the clothing exchange in Notting Hill where they will offer you £30 for something they will sell for more than £100. Which sucks. And they won't take anything they deem too 'classic' or by niche designers.
But, if you don't mind waiting for your money, there are some who will sell your unwanted designer clothing and accessories on your behalf with a 50/50 split.
My new favourite, Seconda Mano, is on Upper Street in North London. The shop itself is hidden away under a Giovanni's hairdressers at number 14, but the window is filled with incredible finds including a hot pink Chanel suit jacket and a brand new swoon-worthy Chanel Cocoon bag.

Downstairs is a virtual treasure trove of lovely things, today overseen by a nice man called Adam who gets almost as excited as I do about Christopher Kane.

I have just added some of my own pieces to their stock, including a vintage 70's emerald green satin YSL cummerbund, pale blue perspex Stella McCartney Belt and a pair of gorgeous black silk wide legged Jasmine Di Milo trousers which are sadly too short for me but will look spectacular on the right person.
This is my new place to sell on my best pieces. And might also have to be my new place to go to treat myself when the sample sales, garage sales and jumbles let me down.
One day when I have my own house and don't have to have such regular clear outs, I'd quite like it if my basement looked a little bit like Seconda Mano.

Oh, and did I mention the shoes...