The £1 wardrobe

                                                           

                                                    Dressed for £1

OK, I'm going to share a major fashion secret with you. I have spent no more than £1 on each item of clothing I've bought since the New Year. It's partly due to the fact that I'm broke, but more than that, it's down to a fantastic discovery I've made at Deptford Market, which is in my opinion, a fashionistas fantasy. There's a stall near the Catholic Church on the High Street, owned by a very friendly guy. Running past on my way to the post office one Saturday, I was sidetracked by his sign advertising dresses for £1. At first I thought they might be the usual cheap and cheerful frocks you sometimes find in these markets, imports of poor quality and uninteresting design. But these were different. I call them "granny dresses" - the sort of thing your Granny or indeed your Mum might have worn back in the '70's and '80's. Often high on polyester percentage, the fabric content fades into insignificance when you check-out the style, and the fit. All the dresses came from a warehouse in central London which closed down a few months back, and the stall holder bought the lot. Truckloads he informs me. He's desperate to get rid of them, and boy, am I even more desperate to take them off his hands. Hunt through the rails and you'll find clashing colours, vintage style and pots of possibility. A belt here, bright tights there, and you've got yourself a one-off. Each week there's something new. Mind the sizes - they're a bit hit and miss, but try on, or take a chance. At £1 you're not going to argue. I find that for me, a 12ish, the 38 seems to fit well. There's something about this old-fashioned cut that fits my figure perfectly. I'm told dealers are heading to Deptford and buying dozens of these frocks - then selling them on for a mark up of 900%!! Get down there. You heard it here first - the £1 wardrobe is a thing of beauty!