Sunday Date Outfit

So, this outfit is for a weekend dinner date. You want something classy, but not too conservative. Bright but not IN YOUR FACE BRIGHT COLOURS! And we think we have the perfect outfit here. Let us know what you think!

The dress is vintage, possibly late 1950s/early 1960s.
Cotton fabric, with this stunning print.
Under the skirt is some netting to give it added volume (and bounce, when you move) but over time there are some holes in the netting, but it doesn't detract from the dress and you can't see them unless you look reeeally hard.

No sizing in it, but our guess is an 8/10 (eur 36/38) as there is hardly any give in the bodice top.
£35

The red jacket is by J.Crew 

Sized as an M (12 (eur 40)), the big bold buttons add something to the jacket to make it more casual.
£45

The belt is by OSKA 
and is a size 2 (Med)
£30

Finally, to contrast with the silver grey belt, and to compliment the yellows in the dress print we have added this gold metal pendent. £4.

Bye for now
BG

P is for Prada

Who wants some New Year Designer bargains? Got some Prada to tempt you with today.

The Italian luxury fashion label Prada is famous all over the world for their lush fabrics and lux leather bags and sexy shoes. Founded in 1913 by Mario Prada, they specialised in leather goods, before branching out into fashion once Mario's daughter took over.
Her daughter Miuccia then expanded and raised Prada to be the fashion powerhouse we know today.
It was also due to Miuccia that Miu Miu (after her nickname) was launched for the younger consumers.

So on with the stuff we have in with the Prada label.
Some are recent seasons and some are past / vintage, but still great.

Trousers and jeans in red, white and green.
Skinny fit.
(a small) Size 10 (eur 38) each
£38 each

Tried to do an Italian Flag in Prada....

Shoes - 2 of the same pair....
size 7 (eur 40)
£40 each

Miu miu skirt
Cotton and silk mix
Size 12 (eur 40)
£38
Cotton silk mix. Lined.
Even the zip says Prada

Finally these 'car' shoes are for sale for £40

 

Size 6 (eur 39)
Some markings on the toes, but these would come out in a good clean.
Soles in good condition with no holes! (always a bonus that haha!)

The devil no longer wears Prada. Our Brook Green customers do!

Bye for now
BG

Stock and Secrets

We have had a few emails regarding the nature of our shop and asking we only have designer stuff in! Well, we are just a lovely little shop with AMAZING patrons who donate brilliant items.

We don't just sell designer items of course. The majority of our sales and donations are of your regular items from the high street. For under £5 you can collect a variety of things, skirts, tops, trousers, dresses....
Topshop, Topman, Marks and Spencer, Cos, White Company, Hobbs, Jigsaw, Jaeger, Levis, TM Lewin, Thomas Pink, Zara, the list goes on.

These are then supplemented with our designer rail (and designer sale basket - up to 75% off! Bargainous!) and our shelf of designer shoes and bags.

Obviously this blog wouldn't be as interesting if I just posted photos of an M&S t-shirt for £3 or a Zara skirt for £5. We just want to show off all the goodies, but we do rely on these regular donations to keep coming in to keep our shop floor full of fresh stock

We put new things out EVERY DAY - although Monday and Tuesday is when the bulk of it goes out.

So whenever you are passing pop in as you never know what you might find!

Finally I have a little secret to tell you, as it is a new year and well, we like you, so will tell....Shush now....Lean in a bit, don't let *them* hear....OK, here goes
We at Brook Green HALF PRICE things once they have been out for 2 weeks on the shop floor.Then after another week they get sent to another shop to try selling it there.
There. I said it. That is our secret.

Although pretty much everyday some customer comments "Oh I saw a garment which I wanted but was waiting for it to be half priced and now it is gone."
That is the risk you have to take I'm afraid. And no, we won't discount it before hand. Sorry, but it doesn't work like that.

So now you know our secret. Time for a tea break.

Bye for now
BG

Handbag Timewarp

A bunch of vintage and retro handbags for you today.
A brace of bags? Bundle of bags? Ballows of bags? We need a name for this. Answers on a postcard...

Anyway, where were we? Ahh yes.
This handbags are a mix of retro and vintage, from 1950's up till now.

Some are leather, some are faux leather and some are plastic, but we love them all equally. Here are a small selection, so if you want to see the rest, pop in and say hello!

Gold and white striped - £18

Pink - £12

Leather embossed bag - £18

Bye for now
BG

Bill Gibb Vintage Dress

Another brilliant donation from the bag of awesomeness full of the YSL suits etc. We decided to save this one for nearer Christmas as it is so glittery, so here it is in all SPARKLING glory.
(I am running out of superlatives for our donations recently!)

This is a 1970's original dress, with original buttons and belt.
Bill Gibb was a Scottish fashion designer who became renowned in the 1960s and 70s for his unusual and flattering designs. "Gibb's design was described as the epitome of the new emerging trend for romantic eclecticism in British fashion design....His fantastical creations were based on nature, with unexpected combinations of fur, feathers, printed leather, and brightly coloured clinging fabrics" (Wikipedia)

Our dress is a glitter fabric, grey base with shades of yellow and orange and blues.
The buttons are glass and none are missing.
The belt is embellished with diamante to add ever more sparkle to the ensemble.

 There is a rip in the lining but it can't be seen when on, and in the right hands would be easily repaired. This garment is therefore sold as seen.

Our friends in the know love it and have not seen a Bill Gibb dress quite like this one!
£320

Why not own a piece of fashion history?!

Bye for now
BG

Remember Part 2 - We haven't forgotten...Yet!

So yes I know, we still have some items mentioned to show off to you. You know the ones mentioned in this blog.

Hopefully next week a new post about them will be up!

I know we said that before, but as you know, good things come to those who wait! (Plus doing this job, you do get easily distracted!)

Bye for now
BG

Vintage Coat

Following on from the Vintage / Retro Post, this also came in with it, but was so bright and funky, we decided to show it off all by itself.

This is from Saks Fifth Ave, A.J.B.

It has been dated for us to Circa 1970s.

There are some small marks on it, so it is sold as seen.
A button is also missing from the back - see photo, but there is nothing else missing or any rips or holes.

Size Large but I would say it would fit size 12 (eur 40) to 16 (eur 44).
£180
It is a lightweight coat/jacket, a coacket if you will, which will definitely get you noticed....






....For looking FABULOUS!!


A great one off piece here at Brook Green

Bye for now
BG

Vintage Mulberry Bag

Yes, Believe it. Some lovely lovely lady has donated a Mulberry bag.
Small but lovingly formed.

The Mulberry fashion house was founded in 1971 and is world famous for their glorious leather goods, and handbags.

We have only had a Mulberry bag in once before and it was on the shelf for a total of 40mins!
(it was also way way before we started this blog, otherwise of course you would have known about it! Promise I'd never let anything like that go without sharing it with you lovely lot.)

This bag is old school, in a style which has been retired, but still looks super blooming awesome.

Black leather in the Bayswater style, but it is not a Bayswater bag, just to be clear. Style of. 
Handles are 8 inches (20cms) high. Total size of bag approx is 13 inches (32.5cms) by 8 inches (20cms)

Pockets inside along with the Mulberry gold tag.

There is some damage to the corner of the bag, as seen in the photo, but it doesn't detract from it at all, and we have been told it can be easily fixed.

Mulberry Bag could be on your arm for £140.

Smart and casual all at once. Dress it up, dress it down, just fill it full and use it!

Bye for now
BG

3 Pairs of Vintage Shoes

Following on from the Retro / Vintage post, here are the shoes which I hope you love as much as we do.

(and of course these are all tiny so I can't 'model' them....*sigh* One day I'll get shoes my size....one day)

Ok lets give you the lowdown -
1. Grey 1960s but styled to look 1940ish (Can imagine Rita Hayworth dancing about in these) Made in the UK. Manmade uppers and sole. Size 5 (eur 38) £20

2. 1970s Brown snakeskin by Bally, £30. Size 7/8 (eur 40/41)

 "Bally who?" Well -
The Bally Shoe company was founded as "Bally & Co" high fashion in 1851 by Carl Franz Bally and his brother Fritz in Switzerland. "Industrialist Carl Franz had a vision: to create exquisitely crafted footwear in the finest materials that are divine to look at, whilst simultaneously functional and enduring." and these are certainly divine!
 
3. White Salvatore Ferragamo 1970s for £45 and these are a size 6 1/2 (eur 39 1/2) in lovely white leather with gold buckle decoration.

Now, who wants new old shoes?! MEeeeeeeeEEEEEeeee

Bye for now
BG

Retro and Vintage Items Galore!

Sometimes we get a bundle of items donated in HUGE bags which is always very much wanted here at Brook Green!

Couple of laundry bags turned up at the weekend full of vintage and retro items.
What's the difference?!
Well, according to Merriam Webster, retro is "relating to, reviving, or being the styles and especially the fashions of the past : fashionably nostalgic or old-fashioned." Ruby Lane notes that "an item described as 'vintage' should speak of the era in which it was produced. For the term vintage to accurately apply to it, an item should be somewhat representational and recognizable as belonging to the era in which it was made."

We have some Vintage 1980s Leather Jackets £68 each

And some Retro skirts, recently made, in old fabrics to look like 1960s/70s. £15 each

 We also have many leather bags and shoes from £10, from the 1950s to 1980s. These vary in condition and have been priced accordingly. (Basically, sold as seen....)
(Check out tomorrows blog for the shoooooooes)

Finally, we have some AMAZINGLY CUTE 1970s leather hotpants £50 - shown here with a retro top £12

Fantastic mix of one-off items for your wardrobe!

Bye for now
BG

Give in to Givenchy

Yet another donation which made me take a deep breath. Amazing items from last week are slowly being valued and priced and made presentable for sale, this is the first.... 

These 2 piece dress/shirt combination is Givenchy, but I guess I gave it away in the title!
The house of Givenchy was founded in 1952 by designer Hubert de Givenchy.
This is more 1980's then 1950's, but it is still a lovely piece on clothing.

The dress is embellished with multicoloured 'gems' in the top of the bodice. The shirt is covered at the cuffs and trim with the same 'gems' giving the overall outfit both subtle and not so subtle eye catching light.
They are both a size 10 (eur 38) but I would say they would fit a 12 (eur 40) as the dress and blouse are very loose fitting.

We couldn't find anything similar on the ol' internet and our friends in the know hadn't seen anything before, so I say it is super rare!* ha. 
(*don't quote me on that.)

There is some damage to this though, on the dress part there is a hole - see photo - but when both are worn you can't really see it.

Due to the damage this outfit is sold as seen.
£260

Wear the piece as the complete ensemble or just the dress for an evening out, or throw the blouse over a simple black camisole for instant glamour.

Bye for now
BG

Vintage designer items now in stock!

Sometimes, when I open a bag and pull out amazing things I think to myself "Why would you give this away?!". Definitely had that feeling today!

It is fantastic when we get these donations. What a great thing to do for Trinity Hospice. So this is how today went....
Few bags of stuff donated, nothing out of the ordinary in them, just lovely tops and skirts and dresses and books etc.
Then about 4pm an elderly couple came in.
They explained that Trinity Hospice had looked after a friend of theirs and so when they had a clear out that couldn't think of anything better then to donated the garments to us. 4 bin bags later and I am gasping at everything I pull out of the bags.

It is a who's who of fashion designers.

Chanel, Dior, Givenchy and Bill Gibb.

AMAZING, FANTASTIC and BRILLIANT!
*Squeeee* (Yes we are rather excited about these, in case you hadn't noticed!)

Obviously we shall share the items with you when we can - As soon as possible. Promise.
Time to get our friends in the know on the valuing job....

Bye for now
BG

BB of DD - Yves Saint Laurent Suit

This is my favourite out of the whole bag of treats.

Yves Saint Laurent (although the label is now just Saint Laurent) is famed for bringing the tuxedo suit for woman to the forefront of fashion. Now this isn't a tuxedo suit, but it is just as lush!

Polka dotted navy 2 piece skirt suit is very 60's (but we think it is actually early 90's)
From the YSL diffusion line Variation, we can imagine Audrey Hepburn cavorting about in Roman Holiday in this....

Ok, so this is Givenchy and not YSL but you get my drift....

Jacket and skirt are in great condition.
The jacket is front fastening. The skirt has a zip up the back and both are fully lined in navy acetate.
Size 10 (eur 38)
This can be dressed up with heels for a polished look or add some flats for a smart casual outfit.

Own this piece of classic YSL clothing for £200

Words cannot express how much I love this outfit. And so did the friends in the know when they were checking it to value it. We all LOVE IT!

Bye for now
BG