TRY THIS - Liberate the Humble Hanky

I found these Liberty handkerchiefs at Mary's Living & Giving shop in Ealing. Their folded fabulousness quite nearly sings, "everything old is new again." For decades, squares of fancy fabric like this have served as sneeze guards, sun protectors, nose wipers and more. Hankies have been flirty props for pulling and when soaked in perfume, acted to mask the odors emanating from poor public sanitation. Shakespeare's Iago hatched a hankie-based scheme to dupe ole Othello into offing himself and his sinless Desdemona. WWII pilots carried hankies printed with maps to help them escape danger if shot down behind enemy lines. Hankie history is rich (cotton) indeed. But in 1924 when Kimberly-Clark introduced the Kleenex as an aid to removing cold cream, hankies everywhere must have quivered. Within a few years the company was inundated with letters from customers reporting that they were happily using Kleenex as disposable hankies. And with that, the fabric accessory began its journey toward obsolete oblivion. Pop to the present, and today the sustainability movement ensures that the forgotten handkerchief is environmentally correct. My husband wasn't a believer when I pushed a hankie into his perspiring palm one hot day, but he's changed his tune. In the heat of summer on a muggy train, hankies are delightful pocket luxuries. Dab your brow and take pleasure in the fact that sweat can be stylish. I'm keeping the hankie with the white trim, but the rest belong to the husband. The lot cost £9. 

To read Liberty's lovely, informative blog CLICK HERE  

TRY THIS - Public Displays of Affection

I find myself anxious to buy Mary Portas' memoir Shop Girl - but in true Huntress style, I'll wait until it turns up in a charity shop, ideally one of Mary's Living & Giving shops CLICK HERE. In the meantime, I found what I think must be her first book on the shelves of my local Oxfam for just 99p. This is a fantastic addition to my style library - well worth it if only for the photos. While Mary began her career at Harrods, the retailing renegade came to prominence at Harvey Nichols where, among other things, she elevated window dressing to an art form. As Director of Marketing, she understood that a shop's glass frontage was not only its most economical advertising tool but could be its most compelling.      

You wouldn't want to judge this Thames & Hudson publication by its cover. Looking a little like a study text, it's actually brimming with inspiration, facts, quotes and images from around the world.

I was recently chatting with a shop owner who said he found it difficult to conjure the style vibe of 1990s. Windows, published in 1999, encapsulates the decade with ease. It's like looking back over your shoulder. There it is, that indefinable era. The one that still hides out in the darker recess of your wardrobe.

British designer Paul Smith is quoted in the book, saying, "With windows you have just a few seconds to get someone's attention; visual humor is the most effective way, transcending the barriers of both language and budget." And I couldn't agree more. 

The shop I ran from 2006 to 2010 boasted a big, bright shop window that I tried to use to maximum effect. So when the former PM and his wife moved in around the corner, I couldn't resist the opportunity to welcome them to the neighborhood. While Mrs B never popped in, this cheeky window display made the newspapers, as well as industry publication Drapers. Now that's clearly marketing that money can't buy - right Mary? 

FOUND - Charity Shop's Just the Ticket

I found this silk scarf at Mary's Living & Giving shop in Richmond, South West London. Its slightly subversive illustrations are courtesy of Adam Dant, a Jerwood Drawing Prize-winning artist, heralded for his Hogarthian graphic interpretations. I work at The National Theatre and coveted this scarf when it appeared in The NT Book Shop CLICK HERE. I wanted it but walked away stung by the +£100 price tag. It's since dropped to £70 but that's still a "center stalls" price and I've more of a "back of the circle, with a partially obstructed view" budget.

So last weekend I felt like a Tony Award winner when I found this quirky accessory brand new with box for £15 at Mary's tiny charity shop gem on sunny Richmond Green. Yes £15! And here, in this scarf, the real beauty of charity shop hunting is revealed. That right-time-right-place my-lucky-day exhilaration that makes clothing more than clothing is the hallmark of shopping 2nd-hand. Every few months I find something I adored new on the cheap in a charity shop. From a Boden full-skirted dress to Jigsaw satin shoes, patience has paid off. My advice - bide your time, train your eye and style trophies can be yours. 

          

TRY THIS - Collar Public School Chic

I found this man's shirt at Mary's Living & Giving shop in Ealing. It was made by New & Lingwood CLICK HERE, not just a shirt maker but a men's outfitter dating back to the 1800s. Miss Elizabeth New and Mr Samuel Lingwood established the company in 1865. A female founder, and unmarried at that, is unusual for a 150-year-old men's clothier (she would eventually make an honest man of Samuel). Located in Eton, New & Lingwood were official outfitters to Eton College, the renowned English public school. By 1922 the company had opened a shop in Jermyn Street but it was sadly destroyed in the Blitz. After the war N&L situated itself on the corner of Piccadilly Arcade where it remains to this day. 

A quality garment, this shirt is softened to perfection from previous wear. If you buy only one thing in charity shops, make it a versatile, well-made men's shirt. It will be your perfect beach cover-up, sleep shirt and casual denim partner. Tied at the waist in the summer or hanging out of a cropped jacket in winter, quality shirts, as Miss Elizabeth knew, well serve stylish men and women alike. This cotton candy striped 2nd-hander was just £6.99.  

TRY THIS - Make Sequins Shine Your Way

I found this sleeveless, sparkly top at Mary's Living & Giving charity shop in Ealing. I don't go to red-carpet shin-digs or ball gown blowouts but I do turn up at evening events with friends or the husband which long for a little glamour. Just a little. Paired with black three-quarter length trousers or straight, rolled-up jeans and kitten heels or flats, this boxy top is exactly what my after-eight affairs require. Sequins that aren't trying too hard, thank you. It's a true vintage piece, 1950s or 60s. The label tells me that the bodice is 100% lambs wool, covered in shimmer obviously. Made in Hong Kong, a place I'm keen to visit, it was likely created for the export market. A classic with only a few sequins missing - I imagine they fell into the punch bowl when the previous owner was reaching for a vol-au-vent. Every wardrobe needs at least one sequinned piece. No matter your style - even minimalist - sparkle brings your basics to (night) life. Pinky here was just £27. Shine on girl! 

Tweet your 2nd-hand style finds to 

@annielistening, #best2ndever -- Go on, I'll RT!  

FOUND - Sheer Bliss in Richmond

I found this chiffon scarf at the Mary Portas Living & Giving shop in Richmond. It's a tiny space, with a lovely view across Richmond Green, run by super friendly staff. Chiffon scarves may be considered ultra-vintage or even old-fashioned, but paired with a woolly knit or soft opaque cashmere, you begin to create a texture story that's winter style at it's best. Sure, this scarf reminds me of my childhood, a bonus. I can see either of my grandmothers wearing a chiffon scarf around their sky-high hair. Whether to protected tresses carefully wound round fat pink rollers or to save a freshly done do from the elements, the sheer blissful memory of a chiffon scarf makes me smile. Wish I could buy both those amazing women a drink in The Prince's Head (CLICK), just next door to Mary's (we highly recommend this pub). Plenty of dosh leftover from my scarf buy - the see-thru sensation was just 3 quid.            

FOUND - On the Wings of Bugs

I found this brooch at Mary's Living & Giving charity shop in Richmond at the weekend. When clothing or accessories capture my imagination they either transport me forward to a future wearing them or take me back in time to a light and shady memory of the past. This dragonfly reminds me of hot summer days at Lake Winona, the local swimming hole in the small Ohio town where I grew up. With its man-made sandy beach, well-stocked snack bar and diving dock in the deep end, Lake Winona was a teenage dream world. Situated among pine trees rather than palms, parents would drop a carload of kids off at the Lake for the day, leaving them to their own pent-up devises. We children learned to swim, budget our snack-bar allowance and enjoy the slice of temporary freedom we thought signalled our future independence. Huge dragonflies, their rainbow wings reflecting the Lake reflecting the Sun, silently watched us leave youth on the shore like a damp beach towel, as we floated toward something unknown. This winged wonder - made from pressed metal - was just £2.

FOUND - Sewing the Seeds Of A Story

I found this handmade jewelry at Mary's Living and Giving shop at 2 The Green, Ealing. Fashioned from brass wire and polished tiger's eye stone, they've no markings so their story remains a secret. I imagine a young woman, maybe from Devon or the Kent coast, comes to London to work at a large law firm. While she's good at her job, within months of arriving she longs for the creative verve of home; her mother is a painter and her father fits out houseboats with custom-made cabinetry. In her youth she found her kooky, bo-ho family maddening so she turned to the stability of the law. But now she finds herself making jewelry that she sells from a stall at a Saturday flea market. This set was one of the first she ever made. She gave this and several other examples of her early work to charity shops when she received her first large order from a boutique on the Kings Road. She's keeping her karma in good order by giving back. I told you I'm prone to making up stories. These lovely flourishes, now full of fiction, were £6. That's a fact.      

FOUND - Singing the Praises of D&B

I found this beautifully cut waistcoat at the Mary Portas Living and Giving shop at 2 The Green in Ealing. (If you stop into Mary's, wander down to Farm W5 afterward for one of their delicious fresh ginger steamers.) This is an Angela Holmes design for the highly-collectible label Droopy & Brown. Starting out in a humble market stall in 1971, D&B grew to a clutch of 8 shops including a bright, airy boutique across the street from The Coliseum in Covent Garden. That's where in the late 90s I bought my first Droopy, a midnight navy column dress featuring a halter neckline that fastened with a huge satin bow. I wore it only once, to a diplomatic ball in Harare, Zimbabwe (long story, don't ask). While the visionary Angela Holmes has passed away and Droopy & Brown shops have all closed down, the brand is still alive and well. Second-hand pieces are wildly sought after, selling for 3 figures on-line. Droopy fans are incredibly committed - with gusto they stalk, buy and collect quality apparel from this classic British fashion house. This piece hit the right note at just £15.            

FOUND - Bloomin' Marvelous via Mary

I found this bag out of season at a Mary Portas Living & Giving Shop in Ealing, West London. It's huge, 24 inches across, lined in a silk/linen mix with a perfectly working wooden closure. While in mint condition it still has that special verve that comes with age. Everyone from Prada to Kate Spade are doing over-the-top straw bags but this treasure is happily unbranded. It marries up nicely with lots of the espadrilles in my vast collection and looks a treat with the cropped trousers my mom calls peddle pushers. Mary and her staff are in-the-know, so they stock particularity good 2nd-hand high street fashions. And Mary prices up vintage reasonably. Find her at www.maryportas.com/livingandgiving. I picked up this bit of flower power for just £25.