Wooden Objects....

As you know I love a crazy or interesting donations and these few wooden objects definitely tick the interesting box.

The Elephant and the Giraffe are sadly broken, but WE love their quirks so much we have still decided to sell them, as we hope that someone else will love their quirks.
Possibly rosewood, but as we are not sure we cannot say for certain.
£5 sold as seen

Giraffe with no ears and Elephant with no tail...

It was this pair of African Art figures which wetted our appetite this week

Sold as a pair, these dark wood figures are known as fertility idols.

Hopefully not as potent as the ones at "Ripley's Believe it or not.." though!

Again, not sure of the wood they are carved from.

They are 24 inches (approx 62cms) tall.

No damage to them, which we can see and no splitting of the wood.

For sale as a pair for £50

Go on, give the belly a rub....

Bye for now
BG

100 year old books

I would love to own a 2nd hand antique bookshop one day. Although I wouldn't be able to sell any as I would want to keep them and touch them and smell them and look at them all the time. Actually I think I just want an old book Library!

This donation was fantastic from an interesting point of view.
3 HUGE bags of books, the 'newest' of which was from 1929.
The oldest was 1830, but sadly has fallen apart completely.

Some were first editions, others in French, some in German.
A smorgasbord of topics!

All of which we have researched and priced accordingly.
most are priced £2 - £4 but there are a few worth a lot more.

This one on Medieval Towns is £28 from 1906

We also have an Autoharp album £3, a book on Puritan England £4, and some French novellas £4 each.

Plus they look lovely with our 1950's and 60's and 70's novels (maybe we shall blog about those later!)

Bye for now
BG



It's a Boy!

So the Royals have a new king on their hands. Hurrah!

You can't not read about it today, as Kate Middleton gave birth to William's first child yesterday at 4.24pm yesterday.

AND he was a hefty one. 8lbs something or other.
We love a bit of Monarchy madness and this is definitely up there!
People clambouring all over Buckingham Palace gates. What do they expect to see? Still it was a 'party atmostsphere' according to all the papers.

Anyway, we are happy for them, here at Brook Green, but a bit miffed as we have a couple of new designer babygrows in PINK. *rolls eyes*

Baby Dior and Ralph Lauren. £10 each
0-3 months

Although we do have some Vilebrequin swimming trunks £8, which are boys, so Kate and Wills can still pop in for some goodies!

 

 

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

Marvellous Marni M(shoes)

Everybody should own a pair of purple shoes. Men included. (But this is for ladies. Sorry fellas) 

So if you want some high fashion purple shoes at high street prices, look no further. We have some. (Of course we have some in or we wouldn't do this blog. Silly)

Marni is an Italian brand founded in 1994. Funky, quirky and yet feminine style, Marni uses bright colour within a neutral colour palette and these shoes are certainly bright.

They have been resoled and so the soles are now new and ready to be trampled down the road.

Size 4 (eur 37)
Yours for £70.

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

Bodies

No, we haven't become a scene in some CSI type show, but we do have some half bodies in the shop.

Portraits. Well, not even portraits, but some medical type images all framed up.
A matching pair of full colour prints.

"Philips' Popular Manikin"
"Philips' Model of the Human Body"

Sized -
32cms frame x 54cms frame
15cms image x 38cms image

Taken from a book, but they were already framed when we got them.

£20 each or both for £30

They definitely need to be hung on a wall soon. They look so good.

Bye for now
BG

Various Versace

Good afternoon to you all. Just a quick note that we have had some Versace items donated.

All are mens, sized Medium and Large and some are Brand New with Tags on!

2 Black shirts £20 each
1 Tropical print shirt £20
Various t-shirts in black or cream £10 - £20 each
Jeans £20
'Combat' trousers £12
and 4 Belts £18 each

Where are the lovely photos?, you ask and cry at the computer screen....

Well the camera is on holiday, so you just have to guess what they look like. So you HAVE to pop in store to see the Versace in person.
But here to help are some similar if not the same product pics/links from the depths of the internet.

Won't let me show the pic, so click and voila, there it will be. We have this one!

Bye for now
BG

Amanda Wakeley Dress (new)

Awesome donation alert! Awesome donation alert!

Once again the customers of Brook Green prove they are some of the best with this lush firey red NEW Amanda Wakeley dress - with tags attached.

Lovely detailing on the sleeves and the belt.

Size 10 (eur 38)

£170

And it comes with a free hanger. Bonus!

Viscose and Silk. Dry Clean only.

Feel like a Queen (or Princess) in this. If Amanda can dress Royalty, then so can we (via her frocks)

Bye for now
BG

Whos shoes? Ralph Lauren's of course!

 

This is all about how once again some lovely shoes have come in which do not fit me....

Beautiful brown tweedish (That is a real word....now) flat have been donated, boxed and I want them. but I can't have them, so you can have them. See. I share.

The American fashion designer is well known for his preppy look, but also his well tailored garments for both men and woman.

These Ralph Lauren shoes would look great with some sharp tailored trousers. Doesn't really matter what colour as the shoes seem to work with most we tried (even lemon yellow jeans!)

Size 7 (eur 40)

All boxed up and ready to go.
They are a size 7 (eur 40) and have hardly any wear on the upper. The sole is worn, however, but still perfectly acceptable to prance down the street singing "I have new shoes I have new shoes, you don't, I do, I have new shoes...."

For sale for £50

*sigh* One day I shall get shoes that fit me!

Bye for now
BG

Just Cavalli, Just In

We have more lovely men's donations. (I said we would do some 'man' blogs didn't I?)

Navy Jacket by Just Cavalli. £55

 Along with some 2 piece suits (priced from £10) we found this lovely navy jacket by Roberto Cavalli's range Just Cavalli, still in it's garment bag.

The youth orientated label, launched in 1998, still has beautiful detailing and is well cut and tailored.


Even the buttons are tagged with the name. And I love that.

I do love a navy jacket, teamed with a crisp white shirt and camel trousers for a smart casual look, or add the navy trousers and brown (yes brown!) brogues. Whoever said navy suits and brown shoes are rubbish, obviously do not understand.

Size 40 (Med/Large)
For sale for £55

Bye for now
BG



Wimbledon Whites and Trophy Gold

Slightly tenuous link, but hey, I tried....

Seriously though, Andy Murray winning Wimbledon was Kat's inspiration for the window believe it or not.
Those whites mixed with a dash of gold make for a nice bright window.

Light and Bright

From right to left -
M&S white skirt £4
Next Signature sequin halterneck £12
Gold and sequin trim silk skirt (new) £30
Karen Millen floral halter neck top £14
M&S gold sequin skirt £6
LK Bennett white top £6
White lace detail skirt £7
Zara gold shimmer top £5
Gold leather plaited belt £4

Who'd have though Andy Murray could help design a pretty window?!

(oh and I gratuitous photo of my home grown strawberries as I am pretty pleased with myself. But you cannot buy these in the shop, seeing as they have been eaten now. Tasty.)

Bye for now
BG

Sunnies

That big orangey yellow orb in the sky is called the Sun. We don't see it much in Britain, but when we do we go CRAZY for it!

 

The Sun is SHINING! Look at it. NO DON'T LOOK! It will burn your eyes out, and nobody wants that.

Always wear sunscreen and protect your eyes with some stylish sunglasses.

We have some new donated sunglasses in various styles from £3, but this post is to show off some Gucci and Armani Exchange sunglasses.


  

Gucci men sunnies £35

Armani Exchange men's sunglasses £35

Both are in great condition with no scratches and in original boxes.

Now, can you pre-empt which song I will add to this? Sun. Sunscreen. Sunglasses. So many choicessssss (and s's), but you can't go wrong with some beards...

I present.... ZZ Top and Cheap Sunglasses for your viewing pleasure (or not. You can't please everyone)

Bye for now
BG

Sweeeeeet Music

I love musical instruments when they get donated, simply as I HAVE to test them to see if they work!

Today we have this violin (maybe a Viola?) and bow and case for you to buy and enjoy.

Not a Stradivarius sadly, but just as noisy and lovely.
The case is lined with blue fur and the bow is not in too bad shape.

£20

It sounds like it needs a tune up (but maybe it is just my horrible playing...)
Unlike this which is lovely -

You too could play like so....


Bye for now
BG

Hurrah! Herve Leger Dress Donated

Donated today, one of the Runway's most famous style of dresses, designed by Hervé Peugnet who founded Hervé Léger in 1985.

Hello again Wikipedia, my friend. Tell me all about these Dresses - "Peugnet pioneered the creation of so-called bandage dresses, so-called "body-con" (body-conscious) garments made using materials traditionally associated with foundation garments to create bandage dresses that would mold and shape the wearer's figure with its signature bandage-like strips"

This Herve Leger dress is cream and super tiny.
Size XS (UK 6-8, Eur 34-36)
£300
It is the Kirsten Bandage dress, with a square neck and cap sleeves.
Zip runs down the back of the dress.

Fantastic donation. and certainly getting a lot of interest in our window!

Bye for now
BG

Bookworm

If I could, I would ban Kindles. So they are super light, efficient, and you can carry a library around in your bag, but they are just dead. Books are organic and living to me.  Plus a good book is something we can sell in Brook Green. (Can't sell Kindles. Never had one donated. *sigh*)

Pretty much all fiction books are sold for £1.  Although super new ones and some hardback books are £2.

It's the non-fiction books which everyone comes in to see and what we mainly get donated.
History and Biography. Cooking and Gardening. Funny books. Health books. Maps, Travel books, and Language. You name it, we have probably had it.

Book on Wonder Woman - no, not me, the comic strip - sold yesterday for £10.

Asked for a book on how to fly fish, quick check and voila. We had one.

We also have some 1st Editions, which help us raise lots of money.

The most interesting types of books we have in are the older ones.
The oldest book we had in was from 1834 about gardens and garden design. We keep all the antique books together and I just look and imagine who read these before me. So do our customers. They love them!

Antique/Collectable books from £3

Plus if you are looking for out of print books, check us out (or any charity shop for that matter) as you might be lucky!

Someone was walking past at the right time and bought the Theatre/Noel Coward books and went away very happy. (I wasn't. They ruined my display....Only joking! It is there to be sold.) They said they had been after some of the books for years and now they come in every week to see what goodies we have in store.

We also get some funnies as you can see by this blog post here - Mirth and Laughter

A happy ending.
That's what you get in fairytale books and it's what I like at the end of the day.

Bye for now

BG