So onto my own purchases... I have to be honest, I was never going to get into the TRUE spirit of things by buying AS MUCH AS possible as the buy-by-bag system demands. I don't really have the space for a ton of stuff anymore and my shelves are actually on the verge of exploding (the chest of drawers is already a goner...). As per my selective policy, I was only going to really hone in on stuff that I thought was special and most importantly, didn't already exist in some other version in my own wardrobe (repeat buying is something I have to kurb....I'm banning myself from anything black with sequins). I wasn't out to buy a whole new wardrobe like some people were (a lot of the teens in particular were completely in their element as they actually sought to buy a whole new wardrobe...).
I bought a £50 bag but unlike other smart bods, I didn't really stuff it to the brim and left with it sort of half empty...a stupid strategy I know. So no, I didn't buy 40 items and don't have a wealth of goods to show for it. I therefore invite other smart ones to share their purchases and show off the TRUE potential of what a real bargain hunter can do at a sale like this (email me!). As others have pointed out, it did pay to get there early and like I keep on saying, though I was there early, I was more focused at what was going on around me than what to put in my bag. Opportunity missed perhaps seeing as I was an early bird into the sale, but I really feel like if you were in the first group of 10 to RUN and GRAB in the fastest time possible, those were the people who would have scored the creme de la creme. As it turned around, I was still in shock that they had opened the doors early and and took to gingerly walking around, taking my camera out as much as possible (the footage just wasn't up to scratch and for that I apologise...). I peered into boxes and didn't REALLY get stuck in. Every single piece here happened to be on top of the boxes so god knows what would I have found had I really rummaged... Oh feeble me...
In a way, I do feel that a lot of people who had bought bags felt obliged to FIND something even if the item wasn't 100% perfect. The quality of the stuff overall wasn't amazing but I don't think they ever said it was. The words 'warehouse clearance' never suggested to me that the stuff was going to be pristine and beautiful. As some one of the sale goers pointed out in my video, the stuff was perfect for making do and mending... it was more about spotting potential in pieces and then going with that instinct. People have already come forth and said that they went in late and still scored some neat stuff. The challenge comes when you get the clothes back and for you to see the customisations/alterations through and NOT let them squander in a bag at the back of your wardrobe. Practically all of my pieces need something doing to them... and whilst I haven't bagged things at an equivalent rate of £1 an item (some people REALLY did some clever folding and stuffing...), as a Londoner who is usually ripped off at the vintage front, that £50 spent is no skin off my vintage back...
A Charles Anastase-esque coat that severely needs to be shortened and nipped in at the waist...
Navy satin sailor trousers that need rebuttoning but fit rather well...
A hideous lavender satin coat that will have the marabou trim removed and replaced with more structured feathers. I was just severely attracted to the discolourisation of the satin (a defect that worked in this case...) and it reminded me of that Luella S/S 09 sickly girliness which I'm strangely attracted to...
A pair of costume leather shorts that needs a new zipper...
An 80s' tweed jacket that I wore straight away due to the cold and a white leather satchel that needs a good cleaning and a thicker strap (entwined chain perhaps...)
A pink lace print dress that is one of the few things that is good to wear as is...
A weird spongey peplum thing that is a tad too big so will need more velcro... and a meshy hat that needs something doing with the odd bow...
A furry shaggy waistcoat that was my first find...nothing ground breaking but it does remind me of the one I had when I was five...(stole it off my mum and used to wear it over a Mickey Mouse swaeter...)
A stripy bandana corsage type thing...
What a lot of people have pointed out though is the camraderie of everything. It literally warmed my heart and made me beam when I saw SO many people had mustered up the enthusiasm to come and queue for something despite the fact that it was bitterly cold and it was in a random location.
I was trying to decipher whether the crowd were made up of bargain hunters or vintage afficionados (it was for the most part an amazingly dressed crowd....) and all in all, the combination of the two brought out an entirely different crowd to those that are just interested in fashion. These were people who mostly wanted to partake in the fun of a one-off sale like this and I would venture to say even if you came away with barely anything at all, perhaps the experience wasn't a total waste of time (some of you won't agree which is fair enough...). I will say that I did feel bad for the ones that turned up at an hour that is still considered reasonably early...10ish.. and yes, a lot of people will have come away feeling cheated for having queued up so long.
A few people jokingly (or not...) said that my blog caused the queues and all the chaos. I highly doubted it and object to that by saying that EVERYBODY covered this sale - the broadsheets, the London Lites/Paper, Time Out, Vogue.co.uk, Elle and most importantly Facebook and THIS culmination of mass press causing such a crowd gives much food for thought to the organisers if they do ever do something like this...
