08 May 2024
Who doesn’t love a rummage through the racks of our amazing charity shops? One of the many benefits of living in an affluent district like St Albans is the opportunity to pick up vintage gems and designer bargains donated by residents already looking towards the next trend.
It isn’t surprising then, that the prevalence of quality merchandise has given rise to a new breed of fashionista, the charity stylist.
Earlier this year we spoke to Caroline Jones of Knickers Model’s Own, who made her name wearing a different second-hand outfit for 365 days of the year, but she is far from the only charity catwalk queen strutting her stuff down the aisles.
Making her mark in Marshalswick (and beyond) is the aptly-named Lisa Wisdom – whose business Style with Wisdom really does do what it says on the tin.
A huge advocate for pre-loved shopping, Lisa regularly frequents the charity shops in The Quadrant in search of exciting new looks, and we caught up with her last week hosting a special spring style-up at Age UK.
How did she get into the second-hand sphere?
“I was a fashion buyer for Debenhams, but I’ve always loved fashion since before I went to university, and as part of being a buyer we used to visit vintage second-hand shops all the time.
“Like real old school vintage. And I just fell in love with it. It’s such a unique way to shop.
“That was nearly 17 years ago, so before the whole buzz of it now, and it just grew from that really, I love it.
“The shops around here are really fantastic at letting me just rummage through their stock and they’ve been really, really supportive.
“Because I’m so passionate about pre-loved, I like trying to put it in front of new audiences, so I had the idea of bringing in my expertise in the fashion world and utilising it in a local charity fashion show.
“They loved the idea of it and were really, really supportive. We’ve now done it four years in a row, excluding Covid, at Skyswood School, and it always gets such an amazing response because I normally do anything between 50 to 60 outfits in the
whole night, all pre-loved.
“I have about 10 models who are just local mums. It’s such a community event, and the biggest response is from people who haven’t even been to our local charity shops. They can’t quite fathom how many amazing things you can find and a lot of it is new as well.”
To what does she attribute this amazing amount of classic outfits?
“I think places like Age UK, obviously, benefit hugely from donations, but I think at the same time it does show how much we are over-consuming because we’re buying things online or in shops without thinking about it.
“However, actually a third of consumers have now actually made a pre-loved or secondhand purchase, which I think is growing, as many would never have considered walking into a charity shop before.”
She feels the stigma which once surrounded charity shops has gradually faded, especially with the younger generation who think nothing of shopping secondhand: “They’re just trying to find their unique style. There is more of a challenge because if you go into a regular high street shop they kind of put the whole outfit together for you, but then everyone ends up looking the same as each other.
“I think it’s really exciting to have your own unique style. I work with a lot of clients who were brand loyal to high street retailers that don’t exist now, Top Shop, Oasis, Warehouse, which you can still find in a charity shop.”
Shopping secondhand is a different process, she explains: “When you walk into a charity shop like Age UK, you’ve definitely got to keep your mind quite open, because it is a unique way of shopping.
“I always say to people, trust your instincts, you know, if a colour or a style or a brand really catches your eye, then trust your instincts.
“If that’s something that makes you quite nervous, then start with your own wardrobe, do a bit of a wardrobe edit, so that actually you’re pulling out things that you’re not going to wear anymore, that are suitable to resell so you’ll get your donation bag ready for Age UK.
“You can then create a bit of a shopping hit list. So, I need a white pair of jeans or I need a long dress for my holiday, and then you can target that and look for that.
“The great thing about charity shops versus regular high street shops is I could go into a regular high street shop maybe three weeks in a row and it will not change. They might move items around a bit but it’s the same stock.
“I could go into Age UK on a daily basis and still find new stock because they have got so many donations. The team of volunteers are amazing at constantly restocking and re-merchandising, so it’s dangerous.
Although she still maintains a wardrobe of staple items, Lisa’s changed shopping habits means she can rotate between charity shop purchases and then donate them back when she wants a change.
“It allows you to just constantly refresh your wardrobe – you’re creating that sort of rotation fashion as opposed to fast fashion. They also don’t make clothes like they used to anymore – one of my hero pieces are vintage blazers, some of which have been made in Great Britain which is very, very rare now and very, very expensive. That’s why I love it, because you can find these amazing pieces that have a real quality to them.”
Following her visit to The Quadrant, Lisa revealed what she had found: “I know without a doubt when I step into my local Age UK shop, I will always find some sort of treasure!
“When I went into Age UK’s Marshalswick shop last week to find some new outfits and catch-up with the shop manager, Alex [pictured above], I somehow ended up walking away with the perfect beach dress at the cost of two coffees! To my delight, I also found some amazing Dr Martin Chelsea boots. If I were to buy these brand new, I’d be spending over £100 and this would definitely have to be a saved for and considered purchase. But I love that I was able to find my dream boots, from a really desirable brand, at a price I could immediately justify!
“I just love giving unwanted clothes a new home.”
