Impressed with the selection of menswear at Willen Hospice Charity Shop in Stony Stratford, we decided to do another feature, this time focusing on Ladies clothes in the shop on Bletchley High Street.
Our model Claire, a budding young hair stylist from Milton Keynes College really didn't know what to expect, and neither did we. You see charity shops are like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get...but that's part of the fun.
The idea is to see if we can put a good outfit together with a budget of £30.
 So, we arrive a little early and get a head start on scouting around the shop for potential items. There really was a lot to choose from but I'm glad Claire knew what she was doing because i don't have a clue when it comes to women's fashion. William, our friend from WIllen Hospice arrives and joins in the search, he seems much more clued up than me and him and Claire quickly pick out some excellent garments. The shop staff were also very helpful, pointing us in the right direction, offering ideas and useful tips. Did you know that items with a green label are brand new, never been worn? Neither did I. Useful to know but having said that, with the quality of all items in store, you couldnt tell the difference between the brand new and the second hand.
It doesn't take us long, less than 20 minutes and Claire is in the changing room trying out different combinations. She pops out once or twice for an opinion and then finally emerges in a trendy, smart, summery style. We are all impressed with the look and you can see it for yourself in the photo to the right.
Stripey Top, H&M Divided - £4 | Scarf £1 | Yellow Bag - £2 | Falmers Jeans - £5 | New Look Shoes £4
Total, just £16. (wow)
 Much like the first run at Stony Stratford, we put a good outfit together within budget very quickly. But with time to spare and the fact that it's quite fun, we carry on to see what else we can find.
The next outfit came together as quickly as the first, very nice summery top, neat dark blue jeans, funky flip flops and some great little accessories to finish it off. Take a look at the photo to the left, i really think it worked. Something definitely worth a mention is the fantastic array of accessories on offer, necklaces, bangles, belts, scarves, bags, hats and more. Lots of different styles and colours to choose from and i think that alone is something worth visiting the store for.
Jeans £5 | LK Bennet Flip Flops - £3.50 | Bangle - £5 | Necklace £2.99 | George Top - £3
Total...£19.49 (big bargain)
 We've still got a bit of time and a couple of things to try out, firstly, the business look. We found a very nice suit and a nice pink blouse/shirt which matched very well. Admittedly it was a little bigger than Claire's usual size but she tried it on and we all thought that it worked quite well regardless. That's another thing that needs pointing out, the range of different sizes was excellent, something for people of all shapes can be found in Willen Hospice charity shops. So go have a look for yourself.
Pink Blouse, BHS - £3 | Next Suit - £8 | New Look Shoes - £4
That's £15!!!!! Half the £30 Budget!!!!)
Lastly, we came across this very loud, sparkly pink dress. Covered in large shiny sequens, we were like magpies and had to give it a go. Especially with the pink shoes we found earlier, it just had to be done. Not something you would wear to the shops, or even on a night in town, this was something different. These shops seem to always house surprises, quirky things that you never would have thought of but from the hanger they seems to whisper 'give me a try'. Claire was very sporting and donned the sequens. Now, where's the nearest 80s disco :)
 Disco Ball Pink, 'Dusk' Dress - £12 | Pink Shoes, New Look - £4
Total £16 (a round of drinks in town)
No less than four very different outfits, another successful look at just what's on offer in charity shops if you take the time. The low prices amazed us once again!
A big thankyou to Willen Hospice for letting us disrupt another of their stores, for all of their help and not least their hard work for such a great cause.
You can find the Bletchley Shop in the high street at this address:
82 Queensway, Bletchley, MK2 2DH
Tel: 01908 271609
There are another six Willen Hospice charity shops in Milton Keynes, click this link to find out where you're nearest one is and for more information on Willen Hospice and all of the great work they do visit www.willen-hospice.org.uk |
oh and is there any chance you could give me the number of the model in the pictures. she's well cute