Lazy Sunday afternoon thrifting

The boy and I ventured to East London for The East End Thrift Store's Jumble sale. We got there at around 4pm and most of the good stuff had gone (it had been on since Saturday morning). All that was left was mountains of XXL blazers, coats and lumberjack shirts. I told the boy that he looked great in them, but he wasn't investing in the East end chic.

The main manager guy was lovely and very helpful. The other people who worked there looked like works of art.

The main store has some gorgeous stock which is showcased nicely and priced reasonably. They even had an in-house tailor person who was helping a beautiful girl who was having trouble with her burgundy velvet dress.

I bought this white dress for £15. It fits well but I'm just a bit annoyed that summer is over and I can't really wear it.

And I'm not really into wearing white in winter.

Or into going on safari.

And it looks like a nurse's outfit. I'm not really into that either, but I might feel differently later in the year or so.

Also, we decided not to go to The Lexington's record collectors and vintage clothing fair, which was a good thing 'cos it got cancelled anyway.

Perfect Sunday

The Lexington is my new favourite pub.

Why? Why? Why?

1. Rough Trade hold their pop quiz there every Monday, hosted by the effervescent Paul Guided Missile

2. They have a great range of ales, beers and whiskies

3. The have a collectors records and vintage clothing sale this Sunday (as well as their usual Scrabble club).

Sunday roast + music + old (and preferably cheap) clothing + Scrabble + the boy = definition of pleasure.

Sunday 20 September, 12-6pm

The Lexington 96-98 Pentonville Road London N1 9JB

Pin curls and pouts to perfection

I always find that my vintage clothing doesn't look quite right with my non-vintage hair. My barnet is big and wavy. It gets caught in my sequinned clothing and in the clasps of my necklaces. I even pin back the long strands at the front to hide how messy it is. If I can scrape together £45 and comb the knots out of my hair, I might pop along to Lipstick and Curls's Girls Night In @ Bordello in East London.

Two of London's most talented vintage vixens will show you how to achieve golden-age glamour with a vintage hair and make-up master-class, including live demonstrations and sneaky hints and tips.

The bubbly will be flowing throughout the evening, and after the class you will be able to take advantage of Bordello's special 10% discount on lingerie, corsetry, retro-inspired accessories, and boudoir treats.

All that for £45? Bargain.

Girls Night In at Bordello
6.30pm - 10pm
Thursday 15 October

Bag full of vintage goodies for a tenner? Aces

The East End Thrift Store will be hosting a giant vintage jumble sale this weekend (19-20 September 2009).

You can have a good rummage and fill up a bag for £10 or £20.

I have never been to their store but I have heard mixed things about this place: some people say the staff are pretentious and others can't get enough of it. I couldn't give a rats ass if their customer service is pony, as long as I can get some good stuff for peanuts I will be pleased.

East End Thrift Store

Watermans Building Society

Assembley Passage

E1 4U

Moc-croc-choc

Next have come up trumps with this vintage-look moc-croc-choc handbag. I love a strapping handbag, especially one with a good, gold clasp to rival any that Dot Cotton would adorn.

I usually pay between 10p and £5 for a handbag from a jumble sale, charity shop or bootsale. I don’t know if I can justify £28 on this. It is gorgeous, but I would prefer a cheaper, older, musky version.

Unpaid item case open: Vintage 1950's rainbow swing summer dress

In an attempt to save money, I have stopped using eBay. On a usual Sunday I would stay up late to out-bid vintage lovers on 1950s American threads. This Sunday, I decided to go cold turkey and start a blog about my money saving in a vintage lovers world.

Two e-mails regarding unpaid items have completely shit me up.

The items in question are from 2 weeks ago: a 1950's velvet and curly poodle kelly green dress, and a 1950's rainbow swing summer dress.

Both lovely. Both have payment over due. Not because I don't have the money; I just forgot.

I have ignored e-mail alerts from my favourite sellers, and have stopped searching for job lots and wholesale bundles of old dresses. Going cold turkey is going to be much harder than I thought, especially if I keep forgetting to pay for things.

Get outta ma pub!

I have estimated that over two thirds of my salary is spent on vintage lovelies or just plain beautiful bounty. My weekends are filled with jumbles, bootsales and rummaging (ebay is another story for another day). I cannot pass a charity shop without inhaling the musty fumes and diving into the golden oldie lovliness. And while I am giving to a good cause - my vintage blood red purse with gold clasp is drowning in a sea of Oxfam and YMCA housing trust receipts and tags. My wardrobe is swelling and my overdraft has gone from red to dead.

This is something I simply cannot afford. If I am going to buy a house with a green door for me and my beau, I need to find some willpower to stop spending. The Peggy French suits need to be traded for something Peggy Mitchell could get in Walford Market.

According to Wikipedia 'the practical function of clothing is to protect the human body from dangers in the environment'. Great. I have spent many years protecting myself from the dangers of British weather, nature and other known (and unknown) hazards, in fake fur, raw silk and sequins. From now on, I will protect myself for as little money as possible.