Justine Picardie - The Closet Thinker

There are many forms of thrift in fashion, but the one I'd shun is buying cheap clothes from mass-market brands; not only because they tend to disintegrate after a couple of washes, but also because they might have been made in inhumane conditions. Fast fashion, like fast food, comes at a higher cost than its price tag, so if you avoid eating battery-farmed chicken, why consume the sartorial equivalent?

But in its other manifestations, sartorial thriftiness is to be celebrated; and at best, is thoroughly elating. Consider the Chinese jade satin robe bought for £20 by a thrifty shopper at a Liverpool Oxfam shop, which turned out to be a precious 19th-century antique, sold at Christie's last month for £6,250. Keen bargain hunters will already know about the virtues of their local charity shops, but if you want to immerse yourself in a day of truffling for second-hand pieces I'd recommend the 'Frock Me!' fashion markets, where dozens of stalls are gathered under one roof (today at the Brighton Dome, and next Sunday at Chelsea Town Hall).

A perfect vintage
The other source is so good that I've struggled with myself to recommend it, suppressing all my baser instincts to keep quiet. Kerry Taylor Auctions is not a secret, of course, but if you look at the lists of recent sales they include astonishing bargains. Take lot 1029 from the April auction (and I wish I had): £350 in total for a black astrakhan-collared coat and four early 1960s evening dresses, including a white embroidered organza gown by the couturier John Cavanagh, whose exquisite handiwork has been featured at the V&A. Dior fans also had a wealth of bargains to choose from: a 1950s black velvet suit for £180 or another lot of five ensembles for £320; less than you'd pay for a similar quantity of outfits from Topshop.

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