Charity Shop Finds - The £1 Miu Miu Cardi

A black cardi, probably the least exciting item of clothing to have ever featured on my blog but darlings, this isn't any old knit, this is a silk & cashmere cardigan by Miu Miu which retailed at the mind-blowing price of £385 (but currently sold out) ..... and mine for a quid!

Mundane it may be but it does feel amazing. As I ran the back of my hand across the rail of charity shop knitwear the quality stood out a mile, a different league entirely to its neighbours, overwhelmingly nasty acrylic & over-washed high street tat. I must admit that I'm a tad disappointed that the buttons are plastic, at almost £400 - I've paid less for return flights to India - I'd have expected Mother of Pearl at the very least*. Isn't it sad that it was manufactured in Romania (infamous for poorly paid labour) rather than by workers earning a decent living wage?

*They are shell after all, I hadn't looked properly!

On the subject of bargains here's the unworn Stuart Weizmann suede ankle boots I bought from the same chazza for £2 last month. They're super comfy even after a 16 hour vintage-selling day. Again, the quality is fantastic but with a price tag of £399 I'd expect nothing less. The only explanation I can think of for such posh stuff ending up in our local chazzas, one of the most deprived areas in the UK, is the high number of Premiership football teams in the vicinity. Maybe the partners of men who get paid tens of thousands of pounds a game can afford to give away clothing that costs more than most women earn in a week.

I haven't shared any vintage finds with you for ages and the stockroom is full to bursting. The festival season is just six weeks away and we're hunting hard, we need a fully stocked pitch to see us through the Summer.

 These beautiful accessories came from the family of a lady who, like many of my Grandma's generation, rarely left the house without a hat, gloves, a matching handbag (always with a hand mirror & a lace handkerchief tucked away inside) and a pair of flesh coloured stockings. Back in those days clothing was expensive and therefore treasured. The bags and gloves were wrapped with their original packaging, manufacturer care labels and store receipts.

The hats were stuffed with tissue paper, some with a matching neck scarf, many in their original carrier bags (the bags themselves are a history lesson in British retail - Van Allen, Prova at British Home Stores, The Co-operative, Rackhams & Beatties).
I can't wait to find new homes for these treasured accessories but it won't be until next week.

Wearing: Miu Miu cardi (£1), Stuart Weitzmann boots (£2), Aztec print bustier (£1.99) All charity shopped. Maxi skirt (made by me from a 1960s Heals screen printed curtain bought from a jumble sale in 2010) Lamani coin necklace and belt - India

We don't have any vintage fairs booked this weekend so tomorrow we're off on a road trip, vintage hunting in pastures new. Google reckons that there's at least 20 charity shops in the town we're visiting as well as two branches of Wetherspoons so hopefully the trip will live up to our expectations!

See you soon!