FOUND - Country Cool in Steamy Soho

I found this cotton, unlined, full skirt at Bang Bang on Berwick Street CLICK HERE. Designed by Aquascutum, it's beautifully made, and once paired with a thin denim shirt and my Mulberry belt CLICK HERE, will combine for the sort of English preppy vibe that is right up my fashion thoroughfare. For Spring style I'll top the Aquascutum skirt with my old faithful Burberry trench. These two classic Brit brands are retailing rivals so I can't resist wearing them well and at once. I'm nothing if not a style peacemaker. The skirt was £15.  

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 - Stylish Buys & Sparkling Skies

I found these sparkling paste bangles at a Saturday 2nd-hand market in the seaside town of Deal, Kent. This small but perfectly formed buyers' delight is located in Union Road car park in the 'Old Town' CLICK HERE. Traders are friendly but pack up promptly at 3pm. Once the market moves on, Deal's clutch of antique shops, vintage emporiums and charity shops will keep a 2nd-hand shopper happy for the balance of an afternoon. I'd plenty of spending left over from my bracelet buy, these dazzlers were just £3. 

On this visit to Deal we booked in at bright and cozy Turnstone Cottage CLICK HERE. Teaming with quirky twists and turns, the seaside 2-bedroom home, stocked full of amenities, is the perfect HQ for exploring the Kent coast. The Middle Street Fish Bar is a 'must eat' CLICK HERE and The Ship, also on Middle Street, has a relaxed but traditional pub vibe. The new fast trains whizzed us into Deal from London St Pancras in under 90 minutes - sparkling sky and sea beckoned us the moment we disembarked. This lovely little (high speed) whistle stop has become my home-from-home, a peaceful but buzzy village with lively pubs, 2nd-hand hot spots, welcoming people and an unending view of the sea. 

FOUND - Dress Takes A Kew from Batik

I found this cotton dress by Kew at the Trinity Hospice charity shop near the South Kensington tube station. It combines two of my favourite style turns - a shirt waist and a vibrant pattern. This fabric is aping traditional batik, a printing process that uses wax to displace dye. Wax is brushed or drawn on parts of the fabric. Dye adheres to the un-waxed areas, leaving behind the desired pattern. If this dress were made from actual batik cloth I'd feel like I'd won the lottery. My batik-ish garment is more like finding a tenner in an old handbag; not the lottery but lucky all the same. I'll push the seasons by pairing it with a wool hacking jacket and tights for an early Spring dress debut, but once Summer arrives (and it will) this cotton staple will come into its own teamed with espadrilles and a straw bag. A fantastic find at just, you guessed it, £10.

     

FOUND - Selfie And The City

I find hand-held technology remarkable. That said, I don't have a smart phone or a tablet, and my MP3 player is gathering dust in my desk drawer. The sights and sounds of the city so heavily inspire what I wear and write that I can't afford to block them out with 'personal' music or lower my eyes in favour of a blinking screen. I have however lately snapped a handful of selfies, with a camera (not a phone). This pop culture portrait phenomenon and its limited perspective quickly left me spiritless. But as soon as I turned the lens outward, something far more interesting developed. 

TRY THIS - Teachings of Untouched Toys

At 50-years-old, I find I'm still attracted to dolls. I couldn't resist this wee Japanese cutie, spotted at the Octavia charity shop in Ealing last week for £1.50. The white porcelain lady was a gift from a friend, the tiny pink mistress - a brooch - was found on Ebay CLICK HERE and the brush babe an 'as-is' bargain buy CLICK HERE. When I was a girl, I loved my dolls with abandon, resulting in Barbies with mismatched shoes and a Raggedy Ann that was far more raggedy than Ann. 

I wonder if my grown-up fascination is misguided atonement for the childish, even reckless attention I lavished on dollies long gone? Sadly these modern-day dears pictured, collected and cared for, enjoy no fun and games. These are fashion curios rather than play things. These do not star in immature but imaginative dramas, they do not converse with green plastic Army men or ride about on the shoulders of hand-knit teddy bears. A lesson for this living doll? Indeed. At 50, at any age maybe, let me be a moppet with mismatched shoes rather than an impeccable figurine, cherished but untouched. 

TRY THIS - Stylish Finds Down on the Farm

At the weekend I found this gorgeous hand-made bag at Duck Pond Market in Ruislip, North West London CLICK HERE. What a find, both the purse and the place! This leather accessory is the work of Amma Gyan, a skilled designer whose jewellery has featured on the shelves of high-street retailer Jigsaw. A Londoner born in Ghana, Amma's designs (see more below) combine leather and metals in a manner that is warm and inviting. Teamed with vintage, these well-made accessories keep your 2nd-hand style looking fresh and modern. To see Amma's complete line CLICK HERE.

Duck Pond Market is located in a lovely barn on the grounds of Manor Farm in the borough of Hillingdon CLICK HERE. The site - the remains of a pre-Norman Motte and Baily fort - boasts an extensive series of barns and outbuildings that house artisan workshops, an impressive library, a 350-seat theatre and more. It's a lovely natural setting not far from the high street. 

The afternoon was topped off with a tipple in The Duck House, a friendly pub in the shadow of Manor Farm CLICK HERE. The next Duck Pond Market is scheduled for Sunday 15 February. See you there.