The East End Thrift Store

Today I ventured over to Stepney Green to check out the East End Thrift Store. It's been a while since I've visited so I was hopeful I'd find loads of vintage goodies. I remember when this store first opened and Mia and we were quite surprised by the affordability of the prices. Especially for London. Most of their dresses were £10 and t-shirts started from £5.

They still have a great selection of stuff today but their prices have definitely increased. The dresses were £15 (three for £35 special offer) and all of the play-suits I looked at were £30. I suppose this still isn't bad but now it's no cheaper than any other London vintage store, which is a bit of a disappointment. I guess you just have to shop smart though - their choice of cut off shorts was still pretty impressive (and sold for a reasonable £10 each).

They've also expanded and opened an upstairs section called The Assembly where they sell their best vintage items. Everything on the second floor is dry cleaned and 100% perfect condition and the prices reflect that. I tried on two bridesmaid dresses, the first was a green bridesmaid dress (£90) and the second was a yellow poofy number (£70).

Strangely both of them were a perfect fit! But that always seems to happen when I find something expensive! Unfortunately I couldn't afford either items (and neither were quite right for Mia's theme) but it was fun to try them on. Excuse the bad mirror photography...



Upstairs:


Upstairs:


Upstairs:


Upstairs:


If you want to venture over there yourself the store can be found at - Unit 1A, The Watermans Building, Assembly Passage, London E1 4UT (nearest tube is Stepney Green)

Corinne x

Berlin - Garage

Here's some pics I took inside the Garage kilo store in Berlin with my Olympus camera :)

Ahornstrasse 2

10787 Berlin

+49302112760

www.kleidermarkt.de

Read more: http://berlin.unlike.net/locations/545-Garage#ixzz0rWQWxaxI

 Garage, Ahornstrasse 2, 10787 Berlin, Germany - Googlemap

Ahornstrasse 2

10787 Berlin

+49302112760

www.kleidermarkt.de

Read more: http://berlin.unlike.net/locations/545-Garage#ixzz0rWQWxaxI

Ahornstrasse 2

10787 Berlin

+49302112760

www.kleidermarkt.de

Read more: http://berlin.unlike.net/locations/545-Garage#ixzz0rWQWxaxI

Ahornstrasse 2

10787 Berlin

+49302112760

www.kleidermarkt.de

Read more: http://berlin.unlike.net/locations/545-Garage#ixzz0rWQWxaxI

Superdrug haul/ make up review

I've got a lot of love for Superdrug. I know it's generally thought of as the poor relation of Boots but you can't fault it for make up supply. I spent a looong time deliberating over lipsticks and nail varnishes but ended up buying with the following things today.

* Scarlet and Crimson Punk Your Eyes Liquid Eyeliner
I'm useless at putting eyeliner on. No matter how many YouTube tutorials I watch there's still only the odd occasion that I manage to get it right. I've been using Bobbi Brown long wear gel eyeliner for a while but it's pretty pricey and I wasn't totally convinced that brush application was the easiest. I first noticed Punk Your Eyes in LOOK magazine and thought it looked like it was worth a go. It's a chunky pen which means that it's actually really easy to put on. Once you get over that feeling that your applying permanent marker pen to your eyes it's actually very simple. See pic above for my first attempt which turned out pretty well. At £4.95 it's not a bad price either. It dries pretty quickly and applies evenly so you don't have to wait too long. Get it here

* Barry M Nail Paint - Mushroom
I love all the crazy shades of nail paint that are available at the moment. I was really tempted to try the Models Own brand (they're currently doing a deal where you can buy 3 nail polishes and save £3 plus you can grab a free nail buffer). I only really wanted this one shade though which is a nice creamy brown colour. I'm pretty lazy when it comes to painting my nails as you can see from the picture below (I look a bit like an 8 year old has painted them). Needless to say, I bought nail varnish remover wipes too!




* Barry M 117 Orange lipstick
Now I may have been in the house too long what with having a week off work so correct me if I'm wrong... how great is orange lipstick? I was feeling inspired after I read Kylie's post in Nice And Shiny where she blogged about Lady Gaga's lavender lipstick. And while I can't imagine wearing blue or purple lipstick myself, orange seems like a much more achievable look for someone with a pale skin tone like mine.

* Collection 2000 Perfecting mineral powder
I've never really tried mineral power before but I'm actually pretty impressed by it. I read about this particular brand in Gem Fatale's Style Blog, which is a new favourite of mine for make up tips! Collection 2000 is a bit of a budget brand so this turned out to be really cheap (around £3). It applies really nicely and give you a bit of a glow, which is great if you're feeling a bit tired! There's a brush applicator inside and it has UVA and UVB sunscreens. I also got a free lip gloss with my purchase.



Corinne x

Mia's wedding

Mia's wedding is coming up in September and I am really excited to be one of her bridesmaids! Mia loves vintage so we're all going to be wearing 60s/70s maxi dresses in different colours. Buying bridesmaids dresses is a tricky business. Getting styles that suit everyone and fit properly can be a bit of a nightmare but if anyone can do it, Mia can!

As part of my search to find the perfect bridesmaid dress I picked up this gorgeous peachy/orange maxi dress in Berlin at the Garage. I'm hoping (if Mia likes it) I can add a bit of daisy trim to the bottom to lengthen it.



In other news, I've managed to figure out how to take decent pictures in my flat using a tripod so now I don't have to balance my Nikon on a stack of books anymore! Hooray!

You can find out all about Mia's fantastic vintage wedding on her blog, 1960s Bride

Berlin haul - The Garage

I'm back from Berlin! I had the BEST time. I fully intend to return there sometime soon. We did lots of walking around exploring the city and managed to squeeze in a trip to the second hand store, Garage which I spoke about in my previous post. The store is cut into two sections - the first is for set priced goods (just like in any regular store) and the second for kilo items. When you go up to the till they put kilo items on a scale and then charge you based on weight. It was so much fun to wander around the store which is massive! One kilo of clothes is 13.99 Euros so you can feel free to grab away without worrying about spending too much.

The kilo section had loads of vintage items, which I was surprised about since I read an article on Queens Of Vintage that said it was mostly just second hand goods. Maybe I was just lucky. I spent 30 euros and bought two vintage dresses, one 80s denim pencil skirt and a vintage bridesmaid dress that I'm hoping to wear to Mia's wedding. The bridesmaid dress was 20 euros because I found it in the set price section (where items are more expensive).

The store is totally worth a visit if you're in Berlin anytime soon. I probably could have bought more but we were pushed for time so I needed to be quick. For more details you can check out the Garage Website. I took some photos inside the store on my Olympus camera but I haven't had them developed yet to show you. The bridesmaid dress and the two vintage day dresses are in the washing machine at the moment so I'll show you them later, but here's the skirt for you to see...


Denim yellow floral skirt with American Apparel top (sorry, lazy outfit!). It looks a bit unmiraculous here but the pastel shade makes it ideal for Spring and I like the fact it has a pretty floral pattern on it.


Corinne x

The joy of charity shops

I'm a big fan of Charity Shops and try to visit one at least once every week. I'm quite lucky to have a few really close to my work so I can pop in during my lunch hour. It's great to be able to buy clothes when you don't have much money to play with. Especially during those days when you need cheering up but don't have the money to splash out on something super expensive. It's also a great way to learn about customising clothing, purchasing something cheap at a charity shop and changing it to fit your style is both affordable and environmentally friendly.

There was a time when you could pick up some absolute bargains in charity shops in London but it seems they've got a bit wise to the booming vintage market so more and more I find myself really having to shop around. I know this probably sounds selfish coming from a customer at a CHARITY shop. Lets face it. The money you spend goes to help those less fortunate than yourself and you should be willing to pay the full worth of something. Don't get me wrong, I'm not the person who goes into a charity shop and tries to haggle with the staff, attempting to get the price down on a 50p item.

The buzz I get from charity shopping is twofold - it can be about finding an item that I really love that's totally unique. I like standing out in a crowd (for the right reasons). Usually though it's about finding a bargain - something I can get a lot of wear out of and pay a small amount for. I realised this the other day when I went to a shop in central London. The store was crammed full of vintage items. At first I was thrilled to have stumbled upon such a large collection of stuff. It was only when I looked at a tag that I realised that even the most basic of vintage dresses had a starting price of £25, which is actually more than I've paid for similar items in specialist stores. There was even a suede skirt with an American price tag that said $15 for sale for £30. Chances are even if I'd have loved this item I couldn't have brought myself to pay £30 with that staring me in the face.

I left the store empty handed and don't suppose I'll go back there for a while despite the volume of vintage stuff. I'd describe myself as a fairly savvy shopper. So it's important that I feel I'm getting my money's worth whether it be from a charity shop or a commercial business. I'd imagine most people are the same? Call me a snob but a charity shop wouldn't be my first port of call for an expensive vintage item. If I was looking to spend a lot of money on something I'd head to a boutique. To me charity shops serve a completely different purpose. The British charity shop is the home of edgy, quirky vintage items that are bargains I won't find in high street chains. They allow me to experiment with new looks without commitment and interpret trends on my own terms. It'd be a shame if this had to come to an end because someone got carried away with a pricing gun.

Corinne x

Thrifty finds and holidays

I've been working really hard at work over the last few months and had almost no time or inclination to go shopping on the high street for anything. It's been great though, I've saved a lot of money because I've mostly been purchasing items from car boot sales and eBay!

On the weekend I stopped by Battersea Car Boot Sale again and waited outside till the 50p entrance started at 1.30pm. While I probably didn't collect as many bargains as last time I picked up an M&S top I'd seen on the highstreet a few months back for £2, a beaded flapper dress for £5, a pair of vintage black victoriana ankle boots for £2 and some chintzy china for my flat for £10. The boots need re-heeling and some new laces so I'm going to get them fixed before I post an image up on here to show you. I also need to sort an outfit post with the rest of the clothing I got. You can see a little picture of the vintage china pots I found though. They're made in Italy but that's about all I know about them, I imagine they're not worth much but I thought they were cute!



I get a certain thrill out of telling people about my bargain purchases (especially items that I've seen on the high street weeks before for 10 times the price). Living in London you don't get much money left over after mortgage/rent payments, bills and travel costs so it's great when you find an item you love so cheap. Long gone are the days when people would shy away from rummaging in the bargain bin or snub second hand shops. Especially now that London fashion has become so much more quirky.

I'm off to Berlin for a few days next week and I'm really excited about the vintage clothing stores that are out there. I've done a bit of research and one of the stores I particularly want to visit is called The Garage where you can buy clothes by the kilo. I love novelty so the thought of being able to pay for items in a way that's totally different to normal is very appealing to me! It comes highly recommended by Christina of A Sense Sublime who tells me it's bursting with fantastic vintage clothing. I cannot wait! I've heard of stores where you can buy items by weight before but I've never been to one so hopefully this one will live up to expectations. I wish we had more of that sort of thing in the UK! I am intrigued by The Vintage Kilo sale , which I found online this morning. By the looks of it they travel around the UK so there's plenty of sales for everyone to enjoy no matter your location. I might just have to attend the London one.

I'd be interested to hear from you guys about your favourite vintage stores in Berlin. Any gems? I found this fantastic guide on Queens Of Vintage so hopefully I'll find time to stop by a few. Shopping isn't the main focus of the trip so I won't be going crazy. I'm mostly just looking forward to relaxing, spending some quality time with my boyfriend and eating some good food!

I'm taking along a vintage camera I bought from eBay a few weeks ago, which I still haven't used yet. I'm really interested to see what results I can achieve with it. It's an Olympus XA2 and takes 35 mm film. I'm going to have a good old experiment :)

See you soon,
Corinne x

PS: I'm SO jealous of the shoes Mia picked up at the Chiswick Car Boot Sale in the last post. They're amazing!

Happy Sunday!

Just a quick post to share today's amazing car boot sale finds with you all.

This morning I popped to the monthly sale at Chiswick School. It was ace - so many stalls and so many treasures! Here's what I came away with for the princely sum of £4.50...

A cute 1960s geometric print mini dress (£2), a Bond Girl-esque 1960s halterneck maxi dress (£1), a pair of jewelled 1980s sandals (£1) and a pair of 1950s glass bowls (50p)

WIN WIN WIN WIN! Mia x

The Truth about 'Affordable' Vintage

WARNING: sun-stroke enduced rant follows...

It's been my first Saturday in London for a while and my first chance to do a bit of vintage shopping, so I was really excited this morning to discover a pop-up 'affordable vintage' sale happening not far from my flat.When I say 'not far' - bear in mind this is london - two sweltering tube journeys and 40 minutes later I arrived at the trendy London boozer hosting today's event. Inside I found two rails and a table of vintage clothes and shoes. There were some nice pieces, but nothing show-stopping, and as for 'affordable', well the prices were OK, but hardly bargain basement. So I left empty handed and decided to head home via Portobello Market.

I've been meaning to stop by Portobello for ages. Despite being a West Londonite, I tend to head east to Brick Lane for my vintage shopping, but it's easy to forget Saturday's huge clothes and collectables market which stretches from Notting Hill to Ladbroke Grove. I wasn't disappointed - the range of vintage in Portobello is second to none, there are hundreds of stalls, and while some can be pricey most are open to haggling and some sell everything for just £5!

I picked up this 1970s maxi dress for £17. I love it! I can already tell it's going to be a favourite this summer. 







We all know buying vintage is a bit of a lottery. You can pay hundreds of pounds for a vintage dress some lucky lady has picked up at a jumble sale for 50p - and I guess that's part of the fun. But it feels like there's a real trend at the moment for vintage 'sales' - whether it's the £10 rail, the fill a bag for £50 sale or buying by weight - and often (not always) the rails are filled with unsellable, oversized, damaged and downright ugly stock. And because it's 'for one day only' or 'endorsed by Pixie Lott' we flock to hand over our hard earned cash. And don't get me started on the horrendously overpriced Topshop Vintage concession...

I guess today just reminded me that there's plenty of lovely, good quality, affordable vintage fashion to go round if you know where to look. So let's hear it for the vintage market traders, independent shops, car boot sellers and online stores who put time and effort into sourcing the best vintage because they love it, and because they want us to love it too.

Rant over.

Mia xxx

Shop girl

Harro! Corinne here! I thought I'd write a little post about my weekend in Hay On Wye working for Vintage Vision! My mum volunteers at the Abergavenny store and she invited me to come help out the Hay On Wye pop up shop. While I had my reservations about working on a Saturday, it was great fun and didn't feel like work!

The pop up shop was pretty different to the Abergavenny store. It was much smaller and freezing cold with bad lighting! It's amazing what you have to consider when you look after a shop. You'd think it was just a matter of hanging some clothes on a rail. It was so much more than that! To make the place more cosy a lovely rug was placed on the ground and an antique screen was used as a changing room. Pictures of Hollywood film stars were used to decorate the walls and colourful scarves and hat boxes were used for table decoration.

The store looked vibrant and lovely within a matter of hours. It was amazing how the team managed to transform it so quickly. They also put up a window display that mixed old and new items. This was to show customers that you can mix and match vintage with high street to create a unique but stylish outfit. Pretty clever I thought!

Customers came from far and wide to visit the festival so we met loads of interesting people. Most of them were looking for special one-off items that they could wear to weddings or proms.

Working in the shop made me daydream about what it would be like to own my own vintage clothing store. Dreams! Mia and I are thinking about setting up a mini-vintage clothing business selling items on this blog and also (possibly) at Camden market on a Saturday. We're yet to iron out the details but watch this space!

Till then, here's one of the customers trying on a gorgeous blue taffeta 50s number:

I Lust U

I've been leaving Corinne to do most of our posting of late as I'm trapped in a boring pre-wedding save-a-thon. I'm officially not allowed to buy anything that isn't a vintage bridesmaid dress until September - and it sucks! I have, however, been doing a little bit of window shopping, and wanted to share the objects of my obsession with you.

Ladies and Gents, the fabulous ASOS Helix Clog. Arrgh I LOVE them! They would look so perfect with skinny black jeans and my favourite e-label cape jacket.  A girl can dream...  Mia x