Event: Oxfam’s Rumble in the Jumble

Who doesn’t love a bargain? Out of my wardrobe it’s my charity shop finds that are my favourite; you get to help a good cause whilst giving a fabulous piece of clothing a new home!

So when I heard about Oxfam’s Rumble in the Jumble sale, I was stupidly excited… it’s happening this Sunday (26th February 2012) at St Pancras Old Church, Pancras Road, London NW1 1UL (nearest tube is Kings Cross) from 6pm-9pm, all in aid of Women’s Day.

It will cost you £2 and a bag (big or small) of jumble to attend and it’s supported by several fabulous celebrities including Dawn Porter, Cherry Healey, Sara Cox, Grace Woodward and more!

I’m really gutted as after finding out the date, I realised I’m actually away in Birmingham on Sunday, but I thought I’d encourage all you lovely people to go along and get yourself some gems whilst getting together with some fellow fashion lovers and do gooders. You can find more details on Dawn Porter’s lovely blog here.

Instead I’ll be aiming to put together my own Rumble in the Jumble in aid of Oxfam with friends, bloggers and whoever else would like to join?  Where everyone brings clothes they no longer wear and we have a big swap/sale and raise money for charity. If this is something you’d be interested in… tweet me, leave me a comment or e-mail me at LDNshopaholic@hotmail.co.uk

Would love to hear all about it from anyone who does attend!

LDNshopaholic xxx

The Oxfam Curiosity Shop at Selfridges, London

The Oxfam Curiosity Shop… another curios to add to le blog! Having read about it online, and being the charity shop lover that I am, I HAD to visit it, even though I’ve had a busy busy week! And I certainly wasn’t let down by its wonders!

I stepped through the doorway and fell down the rabbit hole into my very own wonderland. There were gorgeous good quality second-hand clothes all around!

Apart from the range of vintage clothing, I loved the curios set up. The inclusion of comics, records, patterns, board games and homeware really gave the pop up store it’s own personality.

The only hint of it being in Selfridges was the impeccable sales staff who let me put about fourteen items aside to try on later (my arm was hurting!) whilst I shopped around for a little longer!

It was at this point I discovered the celebrity donations store:

In here were all kind of goodies pre-loved by celebrities such as Annie Lennox, Kate Moss, Scarlett Johansson and Dannii Minogue. My favourite was Colin Firth’s aviator jacket, priced at £950, I couldn’t afford to buy it for my boyfriend, so made do with sniffing it thoroughly and I can tell you Mr Firth smells just as good as he looks!

A more reasonable purchase were French Sole pumps donated by Natalie Imbruglia (£75):

They were so unbelievably cute, looked new and cheaper than French Sole, but sadly were a little bit tight for me.

Moving onto greener pastures I eyed up a peach jacket (and I’m actually in need of a Summer jacket!). It turned out it was MULBERRY and pre-loved by stylista Alexa Chung!

However, I couldn’t justify purchasing it seeing as I’m meant to be saving for travels… so I quickly put it back on the hanger and tried on these more affordable numbers instead:

The two jackets were £20 each (LOVED them both), the floral dress was £25 (bought it as I convinced myself I need summer work wear!) and the striped dress was reduced to £30 from £40 (decided I wasn’t statuesque enough to pull it off…). All quite reasonable for proper vintage pieces.

I fell in love with the silver 80’s jacket, particularly fabric and tailoring from behind and just had to have it!

I also found a jacket more suited to everyday wear (£45), which I justified buying with the pound per wear rule.

I’ve already worn it three times so think I’m well on track! I also bought a lovely pink and purple silk scarf for £15 which I shall have to take some photos of.

So for £105, I bagged myself 2 jackets, a dress and scarf. A little pricey compared to average charity shop, but MUCH cheaper than buying stuff new!

I happened to be there when A Girl, A Style and Liberty London Girl were styling up some models. I think they definitely did the best job out of the lot.

I didn’t realise the styling sessions were on or I totally would’ve got involved!

It was such a fabulous second-hand shopping experience, and nice to know that the money raised was going to such a good cause. I was really impressed with all the celebrity involvement, as well as the brilliant location. It’s in its second year now, and I was so happy to be told it’s definitely going to be a regular event. So if you didn’t make it down this year, don’t worry, just keep an eye out for the next Curiosity Shop!

Fashion Event: The Golden Ticket Event at Westfield London

So two consecutive Westfield posts…. it may be becoming my favourite shopping destination! Today I’m blogging about their Golden Ticket Event which took place on Tuesday night, which I can barely remember due to the copious amounts of free alcohol!

With promised discounts, freebies and cocktails, there were plenty of stylish people queuing to get in. I was pleased to see it was, as promised, an exclusive event, open only to ticket holders and felt rather important walking down the sparkly gold carpet!

The first bit of entertainment was a performance from up and coming girlband Parade. I presumed they were just another girl band with good looks and excellent styling (sequins, heels and leather shorts) but their acoustic version of Cee-Lo Green’s ‘Forget You’ really won me over. I also LOVED Lauren’s sequinned trousers, which she told me she bought from ASOS… but I can’t find them on there now booo!

Soon after the performance, fellow blogger Madison arrived and we headed straight to our favourite store… Mulberry! There was a lengthy queue, but we were kept occupied by free booze and people watching. Here we had the opportunity to win a Mulberry Tillie *sigh* and experience the Mulberry photo booth which was great fun (as you can tell!).

Hershesons were on hand to let us try on wigs and hair pieces. As Madison and I have too much hair to consider either… we tried on some coloured streaks and hair bows instead!

There was a sudden commotion and we realised it was none other than Naomi Campbell opening her pop-up store Fashion for Relief. We attempted to use our blogging credentials to get into the private party and failed, whilst Sophie Ellis-Bextor swanned straight in… ah well!

Having had 3 cocktails, 2 glasses of champagne and a tequila shot (I never drink tequila unless I’m TOTALLY wasted)… food was a necessity and we managed to get our hands on one mini fruit tart and a mini eclair (a nutritious dinner or what?!). Alcohol + mini desserts = ridiculously happy bloggers.

We then stumbled upon some more entertainment in the form of erotic ballet dancing. What amused me most was the religious looking lady covering her son’s eyes in the middle picture… haha!

We headed towards Toywatch to enter their competition and on the way introduced ourselves to blogger and DJ Bip Ling who was wearing AMAZING floral wedge shoes… which the security guard taking the photo clearly didn’t notice….!

Grabbing another glass of champagne we headed to Kurt Geiger… most definitely a dangerous activity when under the influence of this much alcohol. I literally fell in LOVE with a pair of shoes… yes I may have had beer-goggles on… but I’m sure they were THE ONES. They were comfy(ish) 5 inch heels, which could be worn both day AND night. The price was a less attractive £120. I drunkenly tried to persuade the salesman to give me a discount at which point he told me they’d closed 10 minutes ago… Whoops!

Stumbling out of the store, I had the dutch courage to ask complete strangers whether they’d like to appear on my blog for being their stylish selves… these two sets of ladies were my particular favourites.

On the left are the beautiful ladies who work at Whistles, Westfield… I loved the pleat skirt combined with the leopard print platforms and vintage scarf. On the right were some lovely girls also enjoying the free booze as it was one of their birthday’s. Wearing a midi high-waisted skirt, moccasins, timeless Mulberry Bayswater AND a bright blouse…. what trendsetters!

The evening had flown by and I must say Westfield London certainly know how to throw a party. It was a fabulous night… even if I only partially remember it!

Fashion Event: DEBUT

So today I’m blogging about charity fashion auction DEBUT. I visited the British Fashion Exhibition last night and had a sneak preview of the lots! It’s great to see designers, models, artists, writers, and photographers coming together to raise money for Cancer Research UK. Endorsed and supported by Henry Holland (who I missed meeting by just a couple of minutes! Gutted!), the organisation, presentation and donations are impeccable.

The auction itself is going to consist of a champagne reception, welcome and launch of silent auction, entertainment from hosts Miquita Oliver and Nick Grimshaw, the live auction, nibbles and cocktails, and an after party with model Agyness Deyn as DJ. Does this sound amazing or amazing?!

I arrived at One Mayfair at around 7.30pm yesterday. On entering the grand venue, I noticed the fashion splendour all around. Immediately catching my eye was the bright red Christopher Kane bandage dress from his first collection. Ah both flattering, and timeless.

At the back of the room, like a beacon of light, shone Holland’s ‘Who need’s a husband, I’ve got House of Holland’ wedding dress. It’s certainly not your average wedding dress, and Agyness Deyn herself wore the piece in 2007, when she won Model of the Year at the 2007 British Fashion Awards. If you’re a magpie like me…. you’ll ditch an engagement ring for a dress like this!

Polishing off a dream dress list is Richard Nicoll and Linder Sterling’s Print Dress. This silk dress is unique, a part of design history, combining punk art and luxurious modernity.

There are several Kate Moss pieces available, my personal favourite being the Pop Art Print by Simon Claridge. This photo doesn’t do the piece justice, in reality it is every thing a pop art piece should be, simple and effective, utilising colour and texture in all the right ways. And it’s signed by the lady herself…. I reckon this could be the piece that makes the most money.

Additionally there’s a Richard Young photo of Moss on McQueen’s 2004 catwalk, again signed by Moss and a neon pink Longchamp Bag Set designed by her, with a signed note.

Other fabulous arty prints include: this Twiggy print which comes with the opportunity to recreate the look of your favourite British fashion icon, and have a half day fashion shoot with photographer Tamara Peel. I also loved this signed print of Anna J by Mariano Vivanco (right).

My favourite fashion illustrator in the ENTIRE world is David Downton and they’re auctioning one of his illustrations of Erin O’Connor. The large, framed, ink sketch, is a one off piece created especially for DEBUT with gold leaf detailing. Illustration envy anyone?!

Totally suited to my wardrobe are the Nicholas Kirkwood shoes worn by SARAH JESSICA PARKER (aka Carrie Bradshaw aka ME) in MY SIZE!!! Aaaah!!! They have an engineered satin print and feature an island platform. I was so very tempted to break the rules and try them on, also to perhaps try to leave with them on, but my overactive conscience kept me in check!

Also to be auctioned is a signed copy of Alexandra Shulman’s first publication of Vogue as editor, a real collector’s item.

They’re putting together a dress out of pledges (with an optional donation), and I was first up! Would love to see some photos of it when it’s complete.

There’s also an amazing pop-up charity shop, which is right up my street as a charity shop obsessive. These were items from Cancer Research UK’s shop in Islington and included items from Prada, Dior and many, many more! I’d say we’d better get down to Islington ASAP to get our hand on some designer bargains, whilst donating money to a very worthy cause.

Whilst there I got talking to the lovely Cancer Research interns who were manning the exhibition and also got interviewed for a short film on how charities work with designers/fashion to raise money! Only in London do you stumble upon such a fabulous exhibition, almost meet Henry Holland, get chatting to a bunch of great people, get interviewed for a film and generally be made to feel special. Cheesy but true.

Back to the main event, the auction starts tomorrow at 6.30pm and there are a small number of tickets left. Other items include:

• Iconic Signed ‘ Mainbocher Corset’ photograph taken by Horst in 1939
• Jessica McCormack diamond earrings as worn by pop sensation Rihanna
• Signed, limited edition enlarged Mary Quant Royal Mail Stamp
• A behind the scenes day package at world renowned Storm Model Management Agency
• Exclusive Project D package including ‘as seen on the X-Factor’ evening gown, signed perfume and note of thanks from Dannii Minogue
• Master class with make up artist to the stars Mary Greenwell
• Beautiful evening gown from couture dress maker Belville Sassoon and accompanying signed memoirs by David Sassoon
• Exclusive painting from Alex Echo- the artist who inspired Sir Paul Smith line
• Vintage mug shot of 80’s punk icon Sid Vicious
• Signed Photograph of Dior by John Galliano by fashion photographer Yuval Hen
• Design your own ‘Fashion Groupie’ t-shirt with Henry Holland and have afternoon tea with him

So spread the word, and if you can afford to, get your hands on some British Fashion History whilst raising money for Cancer Research UK. If you’re less flash with the cash, make your way down to your local Cancer Research Charity Shop and donate your unwanted clothing, or purchase some fashionable pieces with a little history of their own.