Almost back...

Some frankly weird things have been happening during my break from blogging...

Jimmy Choo announced a collaboration with Ugg, which when you actually think about it probably won't result in a product any more horrible than those already created by both companies.

V launched its curvy issue, including a shoot by he-of-the-fatty-hatred Karl Lagerfeld.

Many of my favourite blogs went suspiciously quiet.

Among the less surprising but more depressing events are Primark reporting a 19% profit increase; my birthday and the abject failure of my family to do anything about it; the delay in my pay which means I've been living off two weeks salary since December 4th and have done precisely zero sales shopping despite wanting many things like this and this and oh so many other things; Cristiano Ronaldo taking off his clothes to pose in tiny pants again.

Some good things have also happened - JFK bought me a lovely piece of Alex Monroe, making himself very poor and me rather happy. Three of my favourite people in the whole world were at my self-organised and quite subdued birthday drinks even though two of them are rarely even in London and one of those was actually supposed to be working that night. The birthday dinner that EDF trekked across a snowy London to cook for me which entirely made up for my family being rubbish. I found a vintage Pierre Balmain polka dot skirt suit for £15 in a charity shop and discovered truffle salami on the same day.

This evening I will be finishing off my Masters application, which I will be taking in person to the University via a two hour train journey tomorrow to meet the deadline. Cutting it fine I know. After that things should return to some semblance of normalcy around here... thank you for bearing with me and a special thank you to two of my favourite bloggers who commented on my absence. It's nice to be missed.

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...

Bargain Hunt

It is rare that a week goes by Chez Magpie without a visit to a car boot sale, jumble sale, swap shop or charity shop. The vast majority of my wardrobe has been bought second hand in these places or on ebay - although ebay has been a bit rubbish and expensive lately.

Everything from Jasmine di Milo dresses and APC coats to vintage bags and belts can be found for less than bargain basement prices if you are persitant, although luck does have a large part to play.

So here, in a first in what promises to be a simply fascinating ongoing series, I am going to show off about my latest piece of uncovered treasure - a tiny vintage black leather doctors bag complete with brass clasps. Had to do a bit of work with some black shoe polish and wax on this one to restore it but couldn't rescue the nice long strap it originally came with. It is, however, the perfect size for a night out and fits the phone, notebook, pen, wallet, keys and makeup. As long as you don't mind rummaging around a bit to find them.

It cost more than I would usually spend on a bag from a car boot sale - five whole english pounds - but I had to have it.

Pics to follow - I am finally buying my camera tomorrow!

Car death

Got up super early this morning (well, for a saturday it was early) because I was going to drive the Boy to work but the car wouldn't start.

I hate this car. It's huge and navy with grey upholstery. And it's always falling apart. Currently, it has one of the front lights held on with brown tape and a radio arial that is stuck inside the car. And it won't start. And it has a front light held on with brown parcel tape. We call it the car of death because it's the first car i drove and there were a few close scrapes. Plus it kind of looks like something an undertaker would drive on his day off. It's the kind of car that businessmen in cheap suits drive on long motorway trips.

In my dreams I drive a dusky blue Nissan Figaro...

Now I'm waiting for the nice AA man and brooding over the fact that this means I will miss my planned car boot sale visit.

Car boot sales are one of my favourite things in the whole wide world. Seriously. I'm something of an obsessive.

Last week I found a deep green, dropped waist Marni dress, a beautifully simple, perfectly cut but sadly too small, black Prada cocktail dress and a seriously Sloaney brown plaid silk Dior skirt that's a little too big for me but will be altered on old faithful (the sewing machine I've had since I was 16). I spent a grand total of £6. Does it get any better than that?

Um actually, yes, the week before was a cream Future Ozbek jacket with an amazing shiny gauze overlay for 50p. Amazing!

This weekend was going to be a full-on car boot fest as I'm also putting together a space-themed fancy dress box for a charity launch night that a friend is holding. If AA man fixes the car and I do get to go will post any amazing finds here.