[Prada's Meadow]

Esther Rantzen has accepted a challenge set by the BBC's The One Show to find the perfect summer outfit from a charity shop.


But having accepted, she thought she'd go a step further and see if she could buy an outfit for every occasion this Season - and all on a shoestring.
Here's how did.



WIMBLEDON (left): I found all kinds of fashionable treasures at the Cancer Research shop in Highgate, North London (020 8341 6330).
This turquoise skirt was just £5 and the blue and white Next wedge sandals were £6. I found a blue jacket (£12) and a striking orange and blue print shirt (£5.50) to complement it at St John and Elizabeth Hospice shop (020 8341 6330).

The sales assistants were very helpful.
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AFTERNOON TEA (middle): At the Notting Hill Housing Trust shop in Hampstead (020 7435 3453), I bought a print skirt for just £4.75.
I was hoping to find another bargain to go with it somewhere else - and I did! At the St John's shop (as before), I found a cardigan by Whistles and its embroidery matched the skirt. A bargain at £6.
My shoes were £10 from Cancer Research UK Highgate (020 8341 6330).

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ASCOT (right): I couldn't believe it when I came across this genuine Diane Von Furstenburg pink-and-black wrap dress at the Cancer Research shop in Highgate, North London (as before).
I've never previously owned a real one. New, they cost around £400 and even on eBay they're nearly £50, but this one was just £20.
I teamed it with a black-and-cream straw feather hat, £15, and Kurt Geiger black strappy shoes which had never been worn, £9.
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COCKTAILS (left): This slinky red H&M dress with a frill detail was £5.99 from Oxfam, Hampstead (020 7794 4474).
My red-and-white shoes were £10 from Cancer Research, Highgate (as before). There was not a bag lady in sight in the Cancer Research shop; they were smart young women after good-quality elegant clothes at knock-down prices, and they were finding them.

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GLUNDEBOURNE (second left): This dashing Karen Millen leopard print dress - £14.50 from Cancer Research in Highgate (as before) had beautiful turquoise embroidery.
The brown lace and blue frill wrap (£4.99) is from Oxfam, Hampstead (as before). The shoes were £5 from Cancer Research in Highgate.

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WEDDING (second right): I found this whole outfit at Cancer Research. The glossy pink dress, £7, was from its Kings Road branch (020 7352 4769).
The long jacket, £13.50, this handy pink-and-white striped bag, £4, and these £12 shoes were from its shop in Highgate (as before). All were in immaculate condition and go so well together.

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HENLEY (right): This high-neck black dress with red and pink flowers was £10. The black hat was £15 and the shoes £10. All from Cancer Research, Highgate (as before). I've learned that with lots of energy, time and patience - and if you don't mind that someone has worn the clothes before - you can find the most fabulous bargains and help a good cause at the same time.



Article: The Dailyfemail</B>

[digby723]

wow...she got some really nice stuff at some great deals!! I used to love going to Charity shops on the weekends when I lived in Wales! The only thing that sucked is (I was a foreign exchange student) is that my host mom worked for one, and, I quickly found out that the women who work there always got first dibs on anything they thought they, or someone they knew, would like, which meant slim pickings sometimes (Especailly her shop LOL! Wonder why...)

[thithi]

wow, she found a DVF for super cheap! her outfits are brilliant, esp at with a budget!

[Sternchen]

I think that's great!! I wish they had these kinds of shops in my area...or even just a regular conseignment shop

[mooks]

Great story but she really went to charity shops in the wealthiest of areas where you are more likely to find great stuff. Be interesting if they'd done the same story in an average British town.

It's great to see a newspaper encouraging people to charity shop and be thrifty and recycle

[lara0112]

haha, I wonder why they would pick Esther for this???

but anyhow, she went to charity shops around areas where celebs and rich ladies drop off their wardrobe excess. it is well known that Kate Moss for instance frequents a particular charity shop in London but I forgot which one it is. so it isn't exactly difficult, and this is by no means your average UK charity shop. but good on her.

i remember a brilliant show on Channel 4 (UK) which they unforunately axed. 3 ladies were given a budget contrary to their usual spendind habits (so the charity shop lady would go to Selfridges etc) and had to put together a summer outfit, according to this year's fashion theme. loved it, and you got some great ideas. not always was the most expensive the best outfit, but I sure wished I was the one who had around £1000 to spend on an outfit for free!

[mooks]

Are you talking about Relik? That's one very specialist store

I remember that show too, it was great....what on earth was it called??

[lara0112]

honestly can't remember. not sure if it is RElik - just remember a spread on one of the UK mags that discussed who takes their clothes where.

ah miss that show.... wish I could remember the name. i will see if I can find it.

[Liberté]

A little too heavy on eht prints for my taste. Good deals though.

[cherry pie]

i remember hearing that about kate moss too. it wasnt relik coz thats vintage stuff im sure it was an oxfam store. i live near durham which is full of rich students and the oxfam there gets really good stuff. esther did great.

[vanessa225]

Heh heh, I'm such a thrift junkie. Those really are fab outfits for the money. It's true, as people are saying, however that the quality of items in thrift/charity shops will vary depending on the metro area you live in. Being that I'm in the Chicago area, I can regularly score names like Ungaro, Missoni, Armani, etc. at my local thrift shop. That was never the case in the town where I grew up, though.

In this woman's case, it certainly helps that she has a nice figure for someone her age, and can fit into smaller size clothes. I'm jealous! One comment, though... I the DVF dress she found, but the shoes she paired with it are a little skank-a-riffic... Anyone else in agreement?

[taygalchi]

Originally Posted by vanessa225

Heh heh, I'm such a thrift junkie. Those really are fab outfits for the money. It's true, as people are saying, however that the quality of items in thrift/charity shops will vary depending on the metro area you live in.

Hello fellow thrift junkie!

She did do very well!

I have SCORED on DVF, BCBG runway, Oilily, Ann Demeulemeester and so many more in thrift stores. There's one by my mother's home run by teenagers who mark up Guess and Charlotte Russe items and leave the good stuff for cheap, as they don't know the designers.

I've found great stuff in L.A. thrifts, but it's more of a challenge as the boutiques scour through them as well.

[caliboy672180]

she did VERY well. the dvf was quite a find and the h&m dress looks pretty good too.

[shopafrolic]

Originally Posted by lara0112

i remember a brilliant show on Channel 4 (UK) which they unforunately axed. 3 ladies were given a budget contrary to their usual spendind habits (so the charity shop lady would go to Selfridges etc) and had to put together a summer outfit, according to this year's fashion theme. loved it, and you got some great ideas. not always was the most expensive the best outfit, but I sure wished I was the one who had around £1000 to spend on an outfit for free!

oh i remember that show! it was fab... wow i think iwas still at highschool then! now im at the other side of the world! .... the years fly by..

[~Fabulousity~]

Looks like she found some great deals!