FOUND - Chinese Take Away Today

I found this blouse at the Octavia Foundation charity shop in Ealing, 40 High Street. Created for the export market, it's never been worn by anyone in the Middle Kingdom. Nonetheless, this humble top has an authenticity; it's soft, slightly worn and charming in its detail. I find cheaply-made items over 25 years old often posses a degree of quality not found in contemporary counterparts. All the same, it would have been easy to pass over this little gem. A wrinkled mess, on the hanger it didn't initially impress. But that sweet old school label, its gold and red embroidery, reeled me in. Labels, just the way they look, are often the keepers of 2nd-hand secrets. Paired with rolled up Levis, a gold/jade bracelet and red flats, this top is a real rice cracker. It cost £3.95.