Because I was a hygiene freak—No. Because I had the money to ignore secondhand bargains—Definitely no. Because I was once traumatised by the smell—Yes, I’ve been there. Because I lived in Queens and not Brooklyn—Yes, but no excuse!
People become wiser through a continuous process of self discovery and self re-discovery. There is one thing I re-discovered about myself in the past few weeks: I can’t save money.
My new friend Alex justified my shortcoming by pointing out “It depends on where you live. It’s just not possible to save money in London,” and there she came, adding that someone had just donated a Marc Jacobs dress which she thought was super perfect for me. The dress was irresistible, but I managed to beat my shopping apatite this time because it was A/W (thank god it was a sunny day). But of course just two seconds later I found a mercilessly cute looking Topshop dress—by Kate Moss—for only 15 quids, for which I absolutely had to abuse my newly made English credit card.
This all happened at Mary’s Living and Giving Shop for Save the Children, run by the retail guru Mary Portas. So the great side of the story is that my precious 15 pounds go to charity to help make better lives for the children in need. And the cost was only a fraction of the price originally tagged. And what more can I say? Hell, it’s Kate Moss.
Secondhand findings aren’t the only treasures Mary’s Living and Giving Shop can offer. They also showcase great creations of local independent designers, plus direct donations from some of today’s most sought-after designer labels. In short, you just never know what you come across in this little shop in Nitthing Hill.
Handmade jewels from Jolita jewellery. If I call anything a statement piece, they’d be it.
I love them so much, but they don’t love me. I’ve been especially adoring this Miu Miu beauty over a week by now, but she doesn’t seem to get any smaller.
They are all new in case you are wondering. If not, they’d be in a different shop.
Pardon me for my poor lighting techniques, I love their mannequins…. I was particularly intrigued by the skinny red leather boots!
Their lovely shop window and lovely yellow Lanvin dress…
They will have a special wedding event on this coming Wednesday, with that dream designer wedding must-haves and that perfect one-off bridal gown which you can show off to your fellow bride-to-be, all at a great bargain. Rush in, ladies!
